A couple of lenses, but no bodies

A Jupiter 8 lens I bought a while back arrived today, but both my FSU bodies are out for repairs. I also have a Jupiter 12 that arrived shortly before I decided to send the Zorki 1 and Fed 2 out for CLA. The Jupite 8 is a 50mm f/2, while the Jupiter 12 is the 35mm f/2.8. Hoping they both work properly. The 8 feels solid, but the 12 has a little rattle in the lens barrel, not much. On the other hand, the glass on the 12 looks much cleaner than on the 8. It’s always a crapshoot wiht these FSu lense. So, I’ve got these lenses sitting on my work bench that I’m burning to try.

The wait.

 

They’re off

Sent the Fed 2 off to Fedka this week for a CLA and a look at the light leaks that showed up toward the end of the test roll. I’m hoping there’s no need for a shutter replacement. Between the Zorki 1 sent to Oleg and this trip, these two FSU are strating to add up.I decide to give the two shops with the best reputations on the various FSU forums. The prices are comparable, with Oleg coming in a bit lower even with the shipping to Russian and back. The advantage with Fedak is that the work is being done in New York, so I sould have the camera back much quicker. All in all, if they come back as solid users, the money will be worth it. Seems like I spend more time finding out what’s wrong with my cameras and getting them fxed than shooting picture.

In the mean time, I’m carrying around my Hi-Matic E. I’ve got it powered with a 3v Lithium cell cr1/3n which fits perfectly in one battery slot. I’ve got a wad of tin foil completing the circuit in the other slot. Seems to be working fine, although I’m still on my first roll with this set up. It’s nice to have a camera with a light meter for a change, although this one is fully automatic. Quick shooting, but no control.

Two out for repairs

Fed 2d

Zorki 1d

These are my two FSU rangefinders. The Zorki I just sent out for repairs — raddished shutter curtains need replacement and could use a general CLA. The Fed 2 is up next for repairs. The rangefinder is off, and I can’t seem to get it right. Also, the shutter timing needs fixing. I’m hoping the curtains are all right.

The problems with both cameras turned up late in their respective test rolls, meaning  the first frames turned out OK, but the later shots revealed problems. I wonder what that means. I did like what I saw in the good shots. The lenses, plus a Jupiter 12 35mm seem to perform well. Once the bodies are all set, I’ll put the lenses through their paces.

The repairs will cost more than what I paid for the cameras, but that’s the way it goes. the Zorki went to Oleg in Russia, a well regarded fixer of FSu cameras. The Fed I plan to send to Fedka, another outfit with a good reputation. Fedka has the advantage of having its workshop in New York.

Hopefully, both cameras will be back in action by year-end.

So spot on it’s scary

I came across this post on a blog called The Chum Bucket about how people get into old cameras. The post is a couple of years old, but dead on. Read “The quest” here.

I wwent through the DSLR stage in my heard. I turned back to film when I decided I really couldn’t afford to get seriously into digital. Hoping to find a bargain on eBay, I came across a Electro GS for about $20 including shipping. Figured I couldn’t lose at that price. That was the start.

Zorki Id w/Industar 22 50mm f/3.5

It’s a quirky little thing, but I love its looks. It looks so … mechanical. This is definitely a product of the industrial age. The one thing all the Web sites tell you is to make sure you change the shutter speed only after you’ve advanced the film and cocked the shutter otherwise you’ll radish the thing. I did a little cl

eaning up and it turned out very well. The lens seemed clean and the shutter curtains looked to be in good shape.

Another quirk is that you have to load the film from the bottom of the camera, the only part that opens up. You cut the leader 20 perforations long, thread it onto the take-up spool then slide the whole shebang into the camera ala the old Leicas. I read enough about what a pain this can be, especially with the FSU cameras, and was expecting a struggle. Turns out it went in smoothly on the first try.

People complain about the squinty rangefinder but I had little trouble even wearing glasses. The rangefinder patch has very good contrast. I like the 1.5 magnification which makes focusing easier. The viewfinder is separate, and that had me looking through the wrong whole more than once.

I also like the fact that it takes a little more time to set up each shot.  The film advance is a knurled nob, the shutter speed adjustment you have to lift to turn and I usually used a light meter since I have a difficult time reading the light when it’s overcast, which it seems like it’s been for weeks. On the other hand, this is an incredibly compact package with its collapsible lens. It easily fits in my jacket pocket, although it is a heavy beast.

I got the first roll back today and the best shots are incredibly sharp. On some shots, the shutter obviously lagged and there are frames with half a black curtain. There also might be a problem with the film slipping  wiht the film advance as there were some overlapping frames. It probably needs a cleaning and adjustment. The camera is over 50 years old.

The lens is amazing for being so old. It looks like the collapsible Leica Elmar, but the literature says it’s a four-element Tessar clone, kind of like the lens that comes on the Rollei 35s.

I decided like the camera enough to build a system out of it and ordered a Jupiter 12 35mm wide angle, which cost almost as much as the original camera/lens package. Teh viewfinder is strictly 50mm, but I have an old Leica turret universal viewfinder that covers 35mm. I’m also looking at other FSU cameras, maybe a Fed 2 which talk says has a great rangefinder. I’d love to get a brighter 50mm lens and maybe a short telephoto. Those will have to wait.

Olympus 35 ED

This is a simple little point-and-shoot, but for the rangefinder. It’s pretty much perfect from the standpoint of taking pictures. It’s small, light and it’s automatic exposure is reliable most times, even indoors and in evening light. It’s weakest in really bright light when it tends to get blown out. The rangefinder is clear and bright, easy to focus even for my eyes.

This is one of those shooters that is easy to keep on hand, so it ends up getting called on a lot. This summer on vacation, this is the one I picked up when I could take just one camera even though it offers no manual exposure or shutter control of any kind. You don’t even know what shutter speed or f-stop your shooting at. It fits in my pocket, though with a big bulge.

The camera I got dirt cheap, partly because it’s missing the lens label on the front, a purely cosmetic omission. It also calls for the usual battery hack that almost all 70s-era Japanese rangefinders seem to need to replace the no-longer available mercury battery. I use a couple of zinc oxide hearing aid batteries in a paper tube, with the second slot filled with aluminum foil. So far, works great though the batteries seem to last only a couple of rolls. None of it is pretty, but it works.

Voigtlander Vito B: A disappointment

Voigtlander Vit B w/Accurange rangefinder

The Vito B is a pretty simple camera, vierfinder with no light meter. But it’s a beautiful piece of work. I really had high hopes for this camera, but it turned out pretty much unusuable.

The lens is scratched to the point that ll the photos look hazed. In addition, there is a light leak problem, though I’s not sure where. The leak seems to be inconsistend both in terms of location and degree (see sample pics below).The saving grace is that I didn’t pay much for the camera.

It’s an amazing piece of industrial design in terms of both looks and ease of use, but I guess this will end up a nice big paperweight. I’m looking for another one that will actually take pictues.

Voigtlander Vit B w/Accurange rangefinder

Minolta Hi-Matic 7s (black)

Minolta Hi-Matic 7s

I picked up this one in a lot with a Polaroid 250, which turned out to have a corroded battery compartment. I really wanted the Minolta so i didn’t mind. This is a tank of a camera, very solid and a bit heavy, but has a nice feel in the hand.

I don’t think I would choose this to carry around all day, but it’s definitely worth taking out for a day of shooting.

The lens is a very bright Rokkor 45mm f1.8. I shot a roll during a week walking along the beach each morning on LBI to buy breakfast bagels. Shot Neopan 400, mostly on shutter priority automatic exposure mode, with a red 25(A) filter. The camera also goes fully manual.

A couple of the pictures from that roll:

Minolta Hi-Matic 7s

Mess Ikonta

This is my latest project, a Zeiss Ikon Ikonta 524/16, a”Mess Ikonta.” It has a75mm f3.5 Novar lens in a Prontor SVS shutter, and an uncoupled rangefinder. That means  I can  focus through the viewfinder, but have to set the distance on the lens manually.

The slow shutter speeds were sticking a bit  so I took the rear element out and did a bit of cleaning, and now it seems to fire fine at the various speeds. Also, all the black paint off on the inside of the back had flaked off, leaving a shiny silver interior. I decided to paint this with flat black enamel to reduce the chance of stray light striking the film.

I plan to take this out with some Fuji color negative  film this weekend, weather permitting. Lots of rain around here lately, and the forecast isn’t too promising, at least tomorrow morning. I’ll hold off on the slide film until I know my way around these medium format folders a little better.

Agfa Billy Record I test shots

Picked up the first roll of film I shot with the Agfa Billy Recored I.

Here’s the camera:

Agfa Billy Record I

This took a little bit of work to get it back into working order. Had to soak the front lens elements in nail polish remover to free up the old lubricant so the focus would work, and had to do extensive patching on the bellows using liquide electric tape, really foul smelling stuff but seems to do the trick. Then I had to reset the focus on the lens. I don’t have any ground glass so I used waxpaper, which seemed to work fine.

Here’s a couple of the resulting shots:

Burlington train station

Burlington harbor lighthouse

Burlington Community Boathouse

These photos were taken on the Burlington waterfront early last Saturday morning before heading over to the farmers market. There were few folks out except for the early rising boat people. You don’t often get the waterfront nearly to your self on a summer’s day.

As it turns out, I didn’t get all the light leaks, as you can see. Did another round with the liquid goo, shooting off a flash in a dark room to check for pin holes. Will have to give it another shot soon.

This is my first experience with both a folder and medium format photo. I like the time it takes to take each photo in these old cameras. Manual everything — focus, aperture, shutter speed, and none of it through the lens — which forces you to think before tripping the shutter. Not for the action shots.  I now understand the set-piece quality of old photos — even city scapes.  And of course, the quality of the images are amazing compared to a 35mm.