Contaflex I - how to fix a busted shutter...

I picked up a Contaflex I in an "antique" shop for 25$ - I thought the
shutter worked because I could see throught it when it was wound and then
the leafs closed as the mirror flipped out of the way.
What I didn't notice was that it does the exact same thing, even when on
"B". When set to f22, the iris (you can see it from the back) only closes
to around f5.6, and slowly at that.
So, what are the chances of taking apart and fixing the lens shutter on
this?
cheers!
--
Dominic Richens | knob@storm.ca
"If you're not *outraged*, you're not paying attention!"

Dominic Richens

Re: Contaflex I - how to fix a busted shutter...

"Ken Rosenbaum" <kenrosenbaum@buckeye-NOGARBAGEaccess.com>
Ah, the Law of Inanimate Reproduction:
"Pull something apart and put it back together again often
enough and you'll have enough parts left over to build a second
one."
--
Julian Mattay, email: julian x mattay z csiro x au
(where x -> dot, z -> at)
Local IT Bloke
CSIRO, Forestry and Forest Products Ph: +61 8 8721 8118
Mt Gambier, South Australia, Australia Fax: +61 8 8723 9058


Julian Mattay

Re: Contaflex I - how to fix a busted shutter...

On Sun, 23 Jul 2006 19:46:24 -0400, "Ken Rosenbaum"
Did the radio work??
--
Colyn Goodson
http://www.colyngoodson.com


Colyn

Re: Contaflex I - how to fix a busted shutter...

Colyn,
Truer words have ne'er been spoken when it comes to my mechanical abilities.
I am a total waste, which is why I have and use the addresses of several
qualified camera techs to help me keep my photo hobby gear in top shape.
How mechanically inept am I?
Well, I once took apart a broken toaster.
When I put it back together I had enough parts left to build a radio.
Ken


Ken Rosenbaum

Re: Contaflex I - how to fix a busted shutter...

On Sun, 23 Jul 2006 19:26:53 GMT, Alexander Arnakis
Been doing it for years.
Actually I find it fun to tackle difficult repairs..and the reward of
getting a fine old camera back in working order is worth it all...to
me at least..
To the casual user this is very true. However if you want to use these
cameras it would be a good idea to learn how to maintain them. The
problem here is most photographers aren't mechanicly inclined and
therefore can't do the repairs themselvies.
Nothing is obsolete till it no longer exists..
You might be surprised at how many film camera users are still around
and the idea of film going away soon is nothing but a bunch of
hogwash.
True. but you might be surprised at the following these cameras still
have..
--
Colyn Goodson
http://www.colyngoodson.com


Colyn

Re: Contaflex I - how to fix a busted shutter...

On Sun, 23 Jul 2006 14:19:34 GMT, Colyn <jcg13@sw_REMOVETHIS_bell.net>
wrote:
Are you saying that you take Contaflexes apart and put them back
together? If so, my hat's off to you. I consider myself pretty good at
things like this, but disassembling a Contaflex beyond a certain point
is intimidating to me. Remember that the OP asked if he, as someone
unfamiliar with the camera, could do this.
I'll say!
Yes, the whole problem in re-lubing is getting the camera apart so
that the old lube can be removed. Easier said than done.
I'm not saying that getting a Contaflex apart is impossible. What I'm
saying is that the "opportunity cost" in terms of time and aggravation
is too high. For the amount of time it would take to restore one
Contaflex, you could probably do the same with five Nikkormats. Or,
you could do any number of rewarding activities outside the camera
repair field.
And, after all is said and done and the camera is repaired, what do
you have? Basically, an obsolete system, even in terms of film cameras
(and film cameras in general are fast being relegated to dinosaurs
like us). Remember, a Contaflex was just an advanced-amateur camera
back in the day. The pros didn't use them then.
That could have been what happened, but how would I have been in a
position to know? All you can go on is the general reputation of the
shop, and the professional attitude of the technicians. They seemed to
be honest with me, and the watch did work when I got it back from
them.
After the third repetition of this annual ritual, however, I realized
the wisest course was simply not to bother with it any more. The
Casios work fine, and I can replace them every 20 years whether they
need to be replaced or not.


Alexander Arnakis

Re: Contaflex I - how to fix a busted shutter...

On Sat, 22 Jul 2006 02:44:06 GMT, Alexander Arnakis
There is no such thing as a professional CLA anymore unless you send
your camera to a vintage camera restoration tech.. I do all of my own
repairs since I prefer to use vintage cameras which are no longer
serviced by the maker.
For that matter you could buy any number of cameras.
The problem with getting cameras serviced is that most repairmen don't
do a complete stripdown-clean-relube.. They do a flush clean which
does not remove all traces of the old lube-dirt.
The Contaflex and Kodak Retina Reflex as well as a few others use a
rather complex system of levers etc which if not properly serviced
will give problems.
I restored a Contaflex I around 3 or 4 years ago. I later sold it to a
friend who still uses it on a regular basis. To date he has had no
problems.
The reason it is still working is because during reassembly, I used
white lithium grease instead of the higher viscoscity moly grease used
in so many cameras made pre-1970.
Moly lubes are designed for high stress applications such as cars and
machines while cameras work better with a lower viscoscity lube.
I inherited a Rolex submariner watch made in the late 50's in 1977
from my granddad. I had it CLA'd in 1981 and it still runs fine today
and keeps good time..are you sure the repairman wasn't just blowing
out the case with canned air??
A lot of watch repairmen will do this and dab a bit of oil on a few of
the spindles and call it a CLA...
--
Colyn Goodson
http://www.colyngoodson.com


Colyn

Re: Contaflex I - how to fix a busted shutter...

On Fri, 21 Jul 2006 10:44:10 GMT, Colyn <jcg13@sw_REMOVETHIS_bell.net>
wrote:
This doesn't make economic sense. For the price of a professional CLA
on a Contaflex, you could buy a used Nikkormat that would give you
better service. And Nikkormats are actually fun cameras for amateur
repairmen to work on. Everything is modular.
I stuck with the Contaflex that I bought in 1963 through several
repairs until 1969, when I finally gave up on it. Too many pictures
were getting fogged because of incomplete closure of the flap that
comes down behind the mirror. I gave that camera away, but later
regretted it because it would have made a nice display.
For nostalgia's sake, I later acquired examples of just about all the
Contaflex models. It's rare to find an early one that works as it
should. Actually, I've yet to find a Contaflex I or II that still
works. They all have problems with the shutter, diaphragm, or mirror.
The situation with complex mechanical cameras like the Contaflex is
similar to the situation with Swiss mechanical watches. I inherited my
father's fancy Omega self-winding watch. The problem was, it had to be
professionally cleaned, lubricated, and adjusted every year or so, or
it would stop telling accurate time (or just stop altogether). At a
$100 a pop for the CLA, it didn't make sense to keep doing this. I
bought a cheap Casio digital watch (for about $20) that still tells
perfect time, without any maintenance, some 20 years later.


Alexander Arnakis

Re: Contaflex I - how to fix a busted shutter...

On Fri, 21 Jul 2006 03:50:38 GMT, Alexander Arnakis
I have several Contaflex cameras which give me no problems and deliver
consistant quality so I'm at a loss as to why you say they are
unreliable..in fast they are some of the best engineered and built
cameras around.
A good CLA and your camera should last for years...
--
Colyn Goodson
http://www.colyngoodson.com


Colyn

Re: Contaflex I - how to fix a busted shutter...

Vignetting and other optical problems: The leaf shutter, during its
opening and closing phase, acts as a virtual diaphragm.
The cameras which did use behind the lens leaf shutters kept their
diameter very small so as to minimize the effect.


Chris Loffredo

Re: Contaflex I - how to fix a busted shutter...

I wonder why some enterprising electro-mechanical genius doesn't design a
shutter-filter combination that you could screw onto the filter end of a
lens, and use it to open/close your lens and take pictures on old cameras
that no longer have a working shutter. The old LF portrait cameras had
shutters like this. Why couldn't a newer design prove functional on smaller
cameras? Think of all the obsolete cameras such a device would bring out of
retirement!


William Graham

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