Agfa Record III rangerfinder

Anton Caro

Anton Caro

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I found a quite nice Agfa, but because no one used it in the last 25-30 years... the rangefinder at first did not move at all (the screw with meters on it), then I realized that the yellow spot moves just a bit and then - nothing... I suppose that I just need to have it serviced (but just a routine cleaning and oiling, I presume)... are there people who experience the same problem as I do?
Otherwise the camera is fine. Maybe the metering wheel needs some cleaning... and also the shutter... 1/10 and below do not function completely.
Maybe you would ask why did I take the trouble to buy it... but it was nice ... and almost in perfect condition... and I know that these things are not too serious... I went today to Leica (Westlich) second hand equipment shop at Westbahnstrasse 40, Vienna... and the people there laughed at me.... Ok... but they were selling Super Ikontas for 240 euros... so, I do not think my camera is so funny as they demonstrated... because... what this should mean - that everything on the shop window is great... and anything beyond the counter is miserable... it is not fair. I was a good client. More or less I would pay (unless the sum would be astronomic, but I doubt it is such a big problem... to clean and oil an old primitive camera)...

Could some one give me an advice where may I go to have the camera serviced? In Vienna. Or around...

Also, I have a question - at which stop do you shoot landscapes or street? I tried 22 for street (10m showing oon the scale)... and it worked... I think 11 would be not enough... ot maybe 16, then? I am afraid above 11 to suffer from difraction.... right?

Which colour film would you recommend me (negative)? Is there some chromatic shift because of low quality of the coating or whatever?

I am just starting with this camera... if you want I can put some photos here, just to see this small and old beauty... I am 28... and the camera being double my age... haha....
 
Thanks, Andrew!
The ring with meters moves almost freely... after my attempts to make it move... and the bellows is as new. No leaks. The shutter and rangefinedr are those who trouble me. Though I will not use any speed below 1/50... so, then everything is Ok. But I am of those people who want everything functionable. It does not matter if I will use this feature or not. For just in case.
I will look for this information and then, I can try to manage with the rangefinder, being the only one feature I will use.

http://www.willhaben.at/iad/kaufen-und-verkaufen/alle-anzeigen/anzeige/?adId=13628140

Here is the old girl...
 
If you are in Vienna, and feel up to a trip to Brno, find the largest camera store there-- owner should be Pavel. Tell him I sent you and see what he can do. After he stops laughing, he will probably be able to help you out and you get to drink some excellent Czech beer.

He has two shops, the second smaller one is for his collectible items, but he is a good guy. I think the smaller shop is near the Hotel Continental? A few tram stops or a 20 minute walk from the train station.

Regards, John
 
Yes, I have taken already several pictures... several films actually. The focusing works perfectly - a shot from 1 m was perfectly focused, then hyperfocal distance stop 16 10 m - everything was on focus more or less (from 5 m on) and several shots in the range 2-3 m ... again on focus. The lens surely moves several mm out when turning from infinity to 1 m distance.
I have a friend in Brno... so it is a nice occassion to go to visit him one more time... Can you give me some info how to reach the photo, John?
I may try only in a case I realize it is an easy work for me. Otherwise - not.
But I will ask at a service in Bratislava first, because I am currently here, then I will continue on my way to Brno.
 
I do not understand why the red mark on the scale of stops is between 8 and 11... the hyperfocus is on stop 16 10 m... according to the manual and according to dofmaster... Could you tell me why is it like this?
 
Hi Anton,

To get an idea about the work involved for small service jobs have a look at my photoset about the Record III here :
http://www.flickr.com/photos/29504544@N08/sets/72157620236720442/

If you are not familiar with these kind of jobs maybe it's good to have some testruns on cheap, nonfunctional Isolettes or Records. It would be a shame to spoil your beatyfull Record III !
 
Anton Caro said:
Thanks, Andrew!
The ring with meters moves almost freely... after my attempts to make it move...
Click to expand...

If you forced it, it is more likely that you only think it is moving. The front lens element is mounted to that focusing ring with set screws that are made of aluminum. The tips round off or break if you attempt to force a stuck focusing ring to turn. It looks like it is focusing but all that happens is the rings turns. The lens has to turn too. In order to free a stuck focusing ring, you have to take the lens elements out, seperate them (using heat), physically remove the dried up grease, and relube it. If the ring is slipping, as is likely, you will have to recolimate the lens.
 
For sure I did not break anything... and I have shot already 6 films... all of them focused and exposed fine. So, even the rangefinder started to function today.... I just turned the wheel and I saw that it was functioning... funny!!!
Maybe I will send the camera to be serviced, but now everything functions!!!
I measured the distance to the lens... and then I looked at the measurement of the finder... the value coincided... I am happy...
I printed some pics, later I will put some scans.
 
Tomorrow I will check more precisely the focusing... I will check the focusing staring from 1 m (I will measure to the film plane) to some 5 m ... after that I am not curious... so I will shoot a film in order to see the truth... because I checked now and I saw that the real focus has escaped in several moments... but I focused via tirning the meters... neither using the rangefinder nor a scale... and most probably I have mistaken a bit measuring the distance in my mind...
I observe a funny fact... I shot today Foma 200 and ROllei Retro (R09 new used to process both)... now... both of them are processed normally... according to the table in digitaltruth and at 20 degrees, but no idea why the Foma has less density... as if underdeveloped... and the numbers on the exposures are so nicely black... that it is not underdeveloped... and at the same time I measure with a nice lightmeter and I never observed such a problem before... the Rollei, shot under the same conditions has bigger density... ??? No idea... But I can print normally from those Foma negs... I tried only cyanotypes...

1250800627_nhqj9773_scan008.jpg
 
Please, do not be too critical... I am using very cheap paper and my scanner is of the type "nescafe"...because it is 3 in 1... and I cannot scan... last but not least...
Because I am so enthusiastic now... I forgot many times to check why do the negatives have no rectangular form... but some strange funny shape... as you see on the second photo...(the first one is with Yashica 124 G)... later I will check for resolution... what is the niggest size to which I can enlarge... using my enlarger... haha... and using my development in R 09. Maybe you will advice me to change it with something that is fine grain... But for the beginning it is not so bad. I can prepare D 76 or something similar ... with methol and HH, I do not have any other substances, a pity.
 
Ok... the funny shape of the negative was because of the bellows that was not opening properly, because some wrinkles were together... nothing so bad, I just touched them a bit and they separated. So it is Ok now... No one touched this camera 25 years or more... so it needs some extra touching now... and I did a test with a scale (metric scale) and the rangefinder... also I tried the lens... so I adjusted the values according to the rangefinder... which is exactly the same as to the scale., so I know that the finder is showing the right distance.. and I am processing now... to see if the lens is on focus when the right distance is set... I am fixing... ok. It seems that the lens does not focus absolutely properly. There is a shift... some back focus with 20 cm... so, I was not wrong.... uffff.... going to the service this time... really... Can one of you tell me if it is serious? But at least the rangefinder is working. And the bellows unfolded properly. ... I did not expect that these cameras were so sensitive to time... but they should ... they have so many tiny parts...
 
Anton Caro said:
For sure I did not break anything... and I have shot already 6 films... all of them focused and exposed fine. So, even the rangefinder started to function today.... I just turned the wheel and I saw that it was functioning... funny!!!
Maybe I will send the camera to be serviced, but now everything functions!!!
I measured the distance to the lens... and then I looked at the measurement of the finder... the value coincided... I am happy...
I printed some pics, later I will put some scans.
Click to expand...

If nothing is broken, you might be able to get away with just adding a drop of oil to the rangefinder focus indicator and work another drop in between the front and center lens elements. It's a temporary fix, but should last a year or two. You still ought to take the lens elements apart and clean the old crud out and clean the rangefinder, but you could put it off a year or two if you do the thing with the oil.

About the bellows sticking: a little vinyl treatment (preferably silicone based) will stop that.
 
Pavel's store is the second largest Nikon dealer in Czech Republic, if you email me, I will see if I can find his cell number from my Czech Phone. I would think as you are in Bratislava, our sister city, you should be able to find a repairman who would most reasonably give your camera the TLC (Tender Loving Care) it may well deserve.

There are a number of treatments for bellows, Igor uses some sort of liquid shoe polish and keeps turning it to make it even-- but I would probably give it to him and bribe him with something. ;-)

Those "Czech Hands" should put it straight.

Do I have to change my Cz Crowns by 2010?

I left Prague the first time the day the Socialist money was no longer honored.

Any problems with the Foma 120 film? They had a terrible problem with dirt and pinholes in the emulsion in their MF films, my friend Misha got stuck with a few hundred rolls. Nothing wrong with Foma chemistry, as you well know R09 is an older formulation for Rodinal.

Regards, John
 
There is a small problem with Foma... something like scratches... at first I thought I did them by chance... but how??? They are so tiny and close to each other... I never saw something like this in my life. Then I thought the camera did them... but I looked at the Rollei 100 and then... it was clean of scratches ... so it should be the film itself?
I have noticed the pinholes some time ago... and I had no idea why ...
I think 5 min in R 09 for 1+25 Foma 200 is a bit insufficient. This is the processing time from Foma. But I will use 8 min or 7 min, I will give a try. Because the density is low.
I will go to the oldest servece in Bratislava and check is they wil repair the camera.
I have no idea about the Cz crowns : (... In Slovakia we are using the Euro already ; )

Uffa... I read about the Foma in general... the Czech brothers have made a film that should be rated 125 ASA...
 
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