Voigtlander Superb - Oldie and goodie

[Krosya]

A while back I purchased an old TLR made by Voigtlander, called "Superb".
I'm sure some are familiarwith this camera. I believe they date to 1930's and were availible with different lenses. Mine is a Skopar. Camera supposedly had a CLA of sorts, but I still had to make some things work better - focusing was stiff, lenses dirty, and screen was impossible to see anything through. So,I cleaned it, lubricated focusing, and installed a new bright screen with a split image. It still has original mirror, which is not too bad, actually, considering it's age. While it's not a "show piece", it now make s a very usable camera. I still have some things to check on it , more tests to run, but it's already much better. First roll had some light leaks on it, so I had to install some light seals.
Ok, enough boring talk, here is a camera:

And here are pics from the second roll. There are some scratches - I'm not sure if it's me or camera that did that - that would be next project to check. But anyway, here is what this old camera can do so far:

 

[Krosya]

 

[Krosya]

 

[leica M2 fan]

All I can say is that lens is a keeper. Many of these shots are spectacularly sharp and clear. You've done a great job getting it to work and BTW, it's a beautifuul camera.

 

[oftheherd]

That is a nice looking camera. The photos are great as well. I am encouraged by seeing how sharp that Skopar is. I have never had a Skopar, but have one on the VAG I just purchased. I have been working on the leather on it first. Next will be the lens which is just a little bit cloudy. Then the shutter which is very dirty and slow. If I can get good sharp results like yours I am going to be very happy!

 

[Krosya]

Thanks,
I'm often pleased to see how well made those old cameras are. My Weltas and now Voigtlander TLR are very nice and a lot of fun to use.

 

[Krosya]

After replacing an original screen in this camera -it became far more user-friendly. Here is a comparison Rolleiflex, Voigtlander Superb and Autocord screen views:

and cameras themselves:

 

[jwc57]

I have owned a Superb for about five years now and it just sits on a display shelf. I bought out someone's darkroom and the Superb and a Prominent were found in one of the boxes.

This thread prompted me to take another look at it and it is clean...well relatively speaking...it could use a more thorough cleaning.

This thread has inspired me to load some film and take it out for a trial run.

 

[Roger Hicks]

Thirty-something years ago, I had one. Like most Voigtländer gear, it was beautifully made and very pretty, possibly the best-looking TLR ever, and it took good pictures (I even shot transparencies with it). Even so, I could never warm to it. Then again, I'm no great fan of TLRs anyway. It's very cheering, though, to see one restored to working order and being used by someone who obviously loves it. Congratulations!

Cheers,

R.

 

[VisualDarkness]

Thread necromancing! Was it hard to clean and lubricate the focusing? I got a Superb now in a good condition but the focusing is really stiff due to hardened grease.

 

[nhchen]

Thread necromancing! Was it hard to clean and lubricate the focusing? I got a Superb now in a good condition but the focusing is really stiff due to hardened grease.

I'm also interested in this, mine works but the aperture blades are loose. Somehow I need to get the whole shutter out to fix it I think.

Regards,
Nathan

 

[VisualDarkness]

I found a couple of guides threads on the net but all the photos are gone so they are useless.

 

[nhchen]

I saw those too, they're still of some help I think since the descriptions are there, just not the pictures (even if it's in French). Better than nothing I guess!

 

[VisualDarkness]

I saw those too, they're still of some help I think since the descriptions are there, just not the pictures (even if it's in French). Better than nothing I guess!

I can't get google translate to translate it decently either. Maybe I have to get a french exchange student to do it for me?

 

[Sarcophilus Harrisii]

Frank Marshman seems to be the repairer whose name comes up a few times. If you're not prepared to dive in headfirst you may have to ask him nicely for some tips on where to start. Being a TLR it will have some sort of lens board that moves. I guess I would start at the front and gently peel back the side leatherette if and when it gets to that. Of course, Voigtlander's typically eccentric approach to design (and possibly, some pre-existing patents from Rollei) means they had an unusual way of managing the parallax with this TLR. Ironic, as they rejected the TLR idea originally until Rollei had so much success with it.

Personally, I don't mind working on Voigtlanders at all, because, although they can be complex, the better models are nearly always beautifully made of quality materials. And they are interesting technically, and can generally be persuaded to work again unless they are actually broken which does not usually happen with careful use. Mind you, I owned a few old Citroens and used to do all my own maintenance on those, too, without too many problems, so perhaps I just have a liking for quirky but effective design exercises...
Cheers
Brett

 

[nhchen]

Frank Marshman seems to be the repairer whose name comes up a few times. If you're not prepared to dive in headfirst you may have to ask him nicely for some tips on where to start. Being a TLR it will have some sort of lens board that moves. I guess I would start at the front and gently peel back the side leatherette if and when it gets to that. Of course, Voigtlander's typically eccentric approach to design (and possibly, some pre-existing patents from Rollei) means they had an unusual way of managing the parallax with this TLR. Ironic, as they rejected the TLR idea originally until Rollei had so much success with it.

Personally, I don't mind working on Voigtlanders at all, because, although they can be complex, the better models are nearly always beautifully made of quality materials. And they are interesting technically, and can generally be persuaded to work again unless they are actually broken which does not usually happen with careful use. Mind you, I owned a few old Citroens and used to do all my own maintenance on those, too, without too many problems, so perhaps I just have a liking for quirky but effective design exercises...
Cheers
Brett

Hi Brett,
Thanks for your insight. Usually these things are only complex because they are designed differently to everything else. Usually once I figure how the mechanism works on something, it doesn't seem as complex to put it back together.
Unlike 'normal' TLR's the Superb it doesn't have a lens board that moves because the lens/shutter is mounted on its on helical, and it is connected to the viewing lens through a large gear around the shutter. But slowing peeling back the leather on the front is probably the first thing I'll do to see what's going on.

I'm currently tackling a broken shutter on a Zeiss Super Nettel so that should keep me occupied for a while before I move on to the Superb.
regards,
nathan

 

[Sarcophilus Harrisii]

Hi Brett,
Thanks for your insight. Usually these things are only complex because they are designed differently to everything else. Usually once I figure how the mechanism works on something, it doesn't seem as complex to put it back together.
Unlike 'normal' TLR's the Superb it doesn't have a lens board that moves because the lens/shutter is mounted on its on helical, and it is connected to the viewing lens through a large gear around the shutter. But slowing peeling back the leather on the front is probably the first thing I'll do to see what's going on.

I'm currently tackling a broken shutter on a Zeiss Super Nettel so that should keep me occupied for a while before I move on to the Superb.
regards,
nathan

Thanks for that clarification. I had read about the helical focusing set up at some point, but had clearly forgotten it. I knew it was a different set up to the normal TLR arrangement. Having tackled a Vitessa, a few other Voigtlander rangefinders and a Bessamatic I have always found that you are right, whilst they there may be some complexity, the parts are well made and with patience they will go back together OK. As you say, once you've fathomed how they are designed, re-assembly is often not so bad. I would gladly own a Superb at the right price, and would also work on it, if needed. Even arch Rollei devotee Sanders owns a Superb, and from what he's said occasionally, I believe he rates it very highly. It will be worth whatever consternation you have to temporarily endure to make it run well.
Cheers,
Brett

 

[Luddite Frank]

From what I've read about the "Superb", the trickiest service bit is the parallax correction with the viewing lens - looking at the side of the cameras, as you run the focusing helical, you can watch the barrel of the viewing-lens tip downwards as the focus runs closer.

Also not sure how one removes the viewing hood... looks to me like it's secured by slender pivot-pins / rods pressed through the casting ?

I'm not about to try to open-up mine.... that is a job for a true professional.

 

[VisualDarkness]

Yeah, I'm more curious than confident in opening up mine so I will probable visit a repairman in Stockholm this week to see what he says about it if nothing else shows up.

Anybody heard about http://www.newtonellis.com/classics/ in the UK? They are the only one that answered "for sure" when asked about servicing the Superb and gave me a rough cost estimate. Hey, they even show a Superb in their examples of what they work on!

The focusing screen in my copy is a bit shattered along the edge towards the front so I would love a new screen. None of the repair places I've been in contact with here in the EU can supply a screen, not sourcing nor cutting one themselves. Most even told me "that camera is too old for us to service it".

 

[mkvrnn]

Hey, that's enough!

I have a special section of my display cabinet reserved for Voigtlander Superbs, and I'm currently trying to corner the market. I've only managed to buy 5 so far.

So please, let's just keep quiet about them shall we?