murrayatuptown

Thank you. Been a while so I don't recall, but think I had no trouble, which surprised me...previous owner may have unglued it. I got shutter running reasonably & also found the bellows to have minimal holes (pre-war materials some believe to be more durable than later ones), so temporarily patched with black photo tape until it proves itself worth a new bellows. I will examine the lens cells for surprises.

I think what I found were JIS M1.4x4, and they fit OK. The lens focuses about 1/4" behind the film plane, so I can only guess a prior owner put a lens element in backward...they can't be out of order.

Thank you all. I have not used my X-700 for film recently. I had been using the Minolta 50/1.7 lens on adapters on a Pentax Q7, and do like it for macro work, but that is probably a poor test of a lens' capability, especially because a failure to intelligently decide whether or not to use a tripod produces operator-induced motion blur! Some lenses at thrift stores are poorly handled or even damaged. Some of those I have experimented on rather than discard. Removal of detached aperture blades leaves me with a wide open lens and removal of the bayonet mount gives me options (admittedly weird ones) to bypass register distance incompatibilities. I have trouble simply sending injured lenses to a landfill (repurposing is more attractive than recycling). I have convinced myself I do not NEED anymore things in my 'lens morgue' on the Island of the Evil Dr. Murray (was that a movie?). Back to the subject lens of weak pedigree. It is in beautiful condition, and of little value, so I'll keep if for I don't know what and work on thinnng the lens herd of damaged ones first. Not sure if I have a hobby or a disease... Thanks for the history lesson and your patience. Murray

Hi: A couple years ago I found a Voigtlander Skoparex 28-70 mm MD-mount macro zoom in a thrift store. S/N is 8130378. I have no idea if the first two digits mean anything specific. I assumed it was a Cosina, as it seems like other Asian lenses feature-wise: one-touch zoom & partial macro capability. I e-mailed CameraQuest and it doesn't sound at all familiar to Mr. Gandy. He was fairly confident it was not from Cosina. It has no country info on it...which means little...some do, some don't. I am trying to decide if it's actually a decent (or better) lens, and worth keeping for something in the future, or as ordinary and as a Korean Kalimar 35-70 zoom I got from the same store. The Skoparex seems like kind of an orphan and making itself difficult to identify. I think I have only seen Voigtlander primes that carry the Skoparex wording. I am curious if anyone has ever seen one of these; maybe it wasn't for US market, or knows if their s/n's can be associated with a year. The Voigtlander Skoparex lettering is a bright medium blue. There are red letters 'MC' which I kept telling myself meant meter-coupled, but just realized it's probably 'multi-coated'. The lens finish is black everywhere but the bayonet. Filter size is 55 mm. Manual focus, if not obvious. 1:3.5-4.5 aperture (to distinguish from 3.5-5.6 & other variants). Also, the lettering font is nothing like the white-letter Voigtlander lenses. Thank you Murray

I must have notifications disabled...not ignoring you guys. On other Agfa's I have used a hairdryer if I had the lens/shutter off. Most of my others had unsalvageable bellows. This one has only a few light leaks (for the time being). I think I was nervous about heat near the bellows and put a couple drops of anhydrous isopropyl alcohol on the threads. Or everything I did was for naught because the previous owner did it & the inability to focus was actually the stripped grub screw heads. With the scale ring off I am able to unscrew the front cell...or what I am able to remove is actually the front + middle. With a piece of ground glass in the back, I really don't see a sharp focus wide open, screwing the lens all the way in or out.. so I wonder what else is goofy on this. I assumed it was my eyesight but a quick check with a Kodak 35RF is easy to observe sharp focus. I suppose these are probably all air-spaced & potentially the front cell is still stuck to the middle one. I think I should have been able to focus on something somewhere if it's complete...it's close so probably not missing an element. I did pick & poke the chewed slotted grub screws out, put them into a pin vise one at a time & measured the major diameter as 1.44 mm so I'm calling them M1.4. they seem to be between 3.5 & 4.5 mm long but that's including the cone point & guessing how much is missing. I filed 2 of the 3 flat for the sake of attempting prepping for slotting but am not sure what I can accomplish myself. I didn't think about Dremel. I had ruled out razor saw (for me) someone had suggested. I left one as-is in case it reveals anything useful. I might have found some M1.4x3 which is better than nothing. TBD why the focus is indistinct. Lens is clear.

I picked up an Agfa Jsolette dual format (6x6, 6x4.5) camera...probably 1937. The front lens cell distance scale setscrews/dog screws have chewed up slots, so they cannot be tightened. The dried grease in the lens cell threads has been removed, so the lens can focus, but the distance scale can't be tightened so the scale ring cannot rotate the focusing cell. How does one go about identifying characteristics for such tiny screws, in order to seek replacements? Thanks Murray

Not sure if anyone of the current or future generation cares at this point, but I can back up the statements above, that the Polaroid 10-17 thumbwheel 'index' numbers do calculate to be EV (based on ASA/ISO 100). 'Index' is my term as I couldn't think of something other than EV at the time. If you reference online the APEX formula that can be used to calculate EV=AV+TV (simplified), Exposure value = Aperture Value +Time Value. There are other offsets for film speed, luminance and meter reflection constant. For example, The 10 setting on a 95B, 150, 160, 800 etc. which has f/8.8 and 1/12 second parameters, calculates to AV = 6.28 and TV = 3.58. Sum gives EV= 9.86 For "17", f/35 and 1/100 second give AV = 10.26 and TV = 6.64. Sum gives EV = 16.90. I figure this out every couple years in a spreadsheet for some project but leave the ISO offset for other film speeds for later, as I invariably add when I should subtract...& have to triple check my spreadsheet (& correct it). I really like the EV system...you can assign an exact AV number to pinhole apertures that aren't conveniently in the preferred number series, as well as TV numbers for old shutters that had the (mostly) 1-2-5 sequence, or sluggish shutters you have actual measured speeds for. If you do any of that kind of thing anymore...

Well, I have had two of those lens/shutter mechanisms saved for years, sure I could fix one some day. I had removed them with the grand vision of putting a different lens/shutter on and converting one to 4x5 film. Others have done it but it's more work than I wanted. I still had plans for the lens/shutter assemblies. People have converted them to 120 film for a very wide format...about 2-1/4 x 4" negative. You could find websites with various levels of elegance for methods of installing rollfilm holding and winding mechanisms. But you still have a shutter problem. I had opened one up to study how it worked, and repeatedly operated it to watch the mechanism operate. I also observed mine had some shutter 'bounce', closing then opening a little & reclosing a couple more times. That was easily fixed. There is a magnetic brake or 'catch' to stop the shutter from re-opening. It has a piece of foam rubber as a cushion stuffed inside. It had become brittle on one and crumbled on another...two different vintages of foam recipe on two cameras. I picked the old stuff out & determined how much thin sheet packing foam (approx. 1/16" or 1.5 mm) rolled up was needed...took me a few tries. I didn't notice something creeping out of position and the shutter release spring flew across the room, never to be seen again. So I opened another to figure out what the missing spring looked like...thinking I would wind another from music wire. Again, a grand idea, but there is a learning curve. I had the same thing happen on a 2nd one, and also lost the B/I release spring. (Bulb vs. Instantaneous switch). This past week (15 years later, perhaps?), I determined to fix one again. I began experimenting with springs from 3-1/2" floppy disks but that didn't quite work. I decided I needed a leaf spring instead of a wire see & would epoxy a lever on to my floppy disc spring. I then noticed there was a leaf spring right where I needed one if I abandoned the 2-prong bayonet external flash connector. I removed that and bent the flash contact leaf spring until I had enough force to make the release function work. I believe I know where your spring goes. It also looks like the brass plate is free because two screws are missing. I just put mine back together, but will take the back off again & take photos to compare. If I can access what has come undone on yours, I'll measure & report what is missing/needed. I have a phone that has variable video frame rate so I would like to document how this 'time-of-flight' shutter works. It's cool, if clunky. I also call it a pinball machine shutter but that's a bit of a stretch. So now I can fix my 2nd one, but the B/I problem is a 2nd challenge. Hopefully yours won't be too hard...certainly less work than converting it to 'modern' film. I am probably going to 'freelens' it in front of DSLR before making a 120 camera. I abandoned that idea when I realized how many functional 120 cameras I have. I also gave away a Polaroid 80 for the same reason. I'll be back.

It's frustrating that a lens off the camera is easily measured, but it's nearly impossible to get measurements on the retaining ring deep inside the Bakelite box! NO luck loosening the rear lens cell with a sheet of rubber and a plastic bottle...but it would come out the back if it's threaded...not a big as I thought. I recently got a very early Agfa Jsolette with the black Trolitan (Bakelite-like resin) top...not likely to be a high-performing camera, but cool from a historical perspective. I think it's a dual format: 6x4.5 and 6x6. The bellows is older than the horrible synthetic era, in decent shape, but needed some black photo tape patches on two folds...until I develop the skills to make a bellows. Same with the Kodak 35RF...my specimen, despite being inoperative, is in excellent shape, so it would be nice to get running . I always liked what I got with Argus C3's. Last summer I was also given a Graflex Reflex RB Series B with 22 and 23 backs...a 6x9 cm SLR is going to make me lose patience with zone focusing the Jsolette. It needed a rivet replaced in the pop up viewer cover....never had very good luck setting rivets...had a machinist do it for me. Murray

Thank you.

I am in west Michigan. When I (attempt to) make things, it's with hand tools, so my first reaction is making two would be twice the work! Very nice of you, but if it IS a lot of work, telling me the final dimensional details that work would help me and my files substantially! You are way ahead of me, since you produced a CAD drawing. Every few years I want to make a CAD drawing and have to figure out what software I used the last time, if it's on the PC I currently have, and where I fell off the learning curve (and if said curve can be found). Despite my Neander-level skills, I have an idea. (Just can't get there with a rock). I have never seen or used the #288 tool but it looks like its ingenuity is the thin shaft that can rotate freely in the back of a camera, something that's a challenge for many traditional (2-blade) spanners...not 2-bit... The Kodak tool probably only enters the camera body at one angle everyone learned in Kodak boot camp. So I was thinking about how to make the 'blade' or 'bit' approach drivable with something other than pliers...like a notched-tip in an old screwdriver, or a hex-drive bit handle. All possibly more complex steps than jeweler's files should be used for. Thank you for your help!

Thank you, Greg. I do have a copy of that manual...I forgot to say where I identified the tool number. I think your initial question is another interesting thing...the 288 tool possibly works on other cameras with same or similar shutters. The homemade tool pic is worth 1000 words...I have made improvised tools too but have limited creativity in visualizing an end result...so thanks for the homebrew tool pic. I suppose the narrow 'tab' at the top (bottom as posted- you show the 'business end' up) (makes sense) is narrower to clear the Bakelite film opening/gate, allowing rotation by the pliers. I was stumped by trying to determine the span a spanner needs (easy with a caliper once that retaining ring is my hand). So I think I will try to unscrew the rear lens cell allowing me to make an imprint of ring to get the spanner dimensions...but I vaguely recall on a previous 35RF the cell won't clear the back opening & has to exit the front ...the instructions say the whole assembly is pulled out. The 288 has enough clearance it just unscrews the ring with the glass in place (like many easy spanner scenarios. Toughest spanner challenge so far for me was a filter retaining ring on a 309/2.5 Aero-Ektar lens with a 25 Red filter installed. That took a 1/8" aluminum bar I think with notches held in a large vice so I could rotate the 11# lens assembly with two hands. This small one is taunting me a little. I'll study your solution a bit more...maybe I'm not as limited in creativity as I claim to be. Have a good weekend.

Anyone have one of these tools? I have tried my usual retainer ring spanners, needle-nose pliers with tips filed, etc, but inside the Bakelite body, the lens retaining ring is so deep I've had no luck. Tools with the typical angled tips point at too great an angle. Since using the wrong tools doesn't work, I occasionally wish I could see/measure a Tool No. 288, or get that info from someone who has one, or an alternate method. Maybe unscrewing the rear cell with a rubber friction device would solve the retaining ring notch angle problem. Thanks Murray