Bessa R problem: shutter stuck halfway

[jonasv]

G'day gentlemen,

my Bessa R broke down today (and not exactly at the best time - luckily I always take multiple bodies for every assignment).

The problem is as following: the outer (grey) shutter is fully opened, and the inner (black) shutter is opened about halfway and stuck there. I can push the shutter release, but the shutter won't move (the meter does work) The film advance is blocked when it reaches the normal standoff position (ie just the same as when you've already advanced the film and no picture is taken yet). When moving the advance lever back and forth (between body and standoff position), the black shutter curtain moves up and down very slightly (no more than one millimeter), but it does move.

Is there anything I can do about it myself to unjam it?

I can't really afford camera repair at the moment, so if I can't do anything about it myself, I'll just have to put it on the shelf till I scraped some money together and take it to a camera shop, sigh.

Thanks in advance if anybody could help me, or has any suggestions.

Jonas

 

[Nearsighted]

I just posted a response on the thread referenced by G'man. I know there may be a few who doubt my word. I would try this before sending the camera off unless ofcourse it's under warranty. Just be gentle with it and don't touch the blades themselves. Please post you're outcome.

 

[jonasv]

thanks, but it doesn't seem to work. I can move the black shutter curtain all the way down, but it just jumps back up - doesn't click into place or anything. 🙁

 

[Nearsighted]

What about the grey curtain? That's the one closest to the lens, correct? Just try to give it a gentle nudge and see if it will close. That's the only tip I can give you. Best of luck with it. Jim

 

[jonasv]

What about the grey curtain? That's the one closest to the lens, correct? Just try to give it a gentle nudge and see if it will close. That's the only tip I can give you. Best of luck with it. Jim

Thanks for the suggestion, but I'm afraid it doesn't work: the grey curtain is fully opened and I can't reach it to give it a nudge. Thanks though!

 

[Jokutya]

I am sorry to bring this thread up but the exact same thing happened to me as to Jonas this morning. At 1/125 the grey outer shutter jammed open and the advance lever won't budge. The black shutter is closed though. I tried everything suggested in the photo.net thread but to no avail. Any suggestions before I decide to sell my R2A on eBay. I have only put like six or seven rolls thru it.

Drew

 

[ClaremontPhoto]

Any suggestions before I decide to sell my R2A on eBay. I have only put like six or seven rolls thru it.

You may like to send it to the seller/importer for a warranty repair or replacement.

 

[Jokutya]

I thought I'd give you an update on how things are going. I phoned B&H to have the camera replaced or serviced. They gave me a phone no. to the Canadian importer of Voigtlander products, Merrica Trading, who have been unreachable today. I called B&H again and asked to speak to a manager but could only deal with one through an intermediary - they would not connect me directly for some reason. I was told I still needed to send this unit to British Columbia - and presumably pay customs too?! - for repairs. I appealed to their sense of decency and the fact that I - and on my recommendation, my friends - have bought thousands of dollars' worth of equipment from their outfit. I was promised the manager would phone me back in 24 hours. We'll see. By the way, their warranty clause says that B&H will replace or repair all directly imported equipment. Sounds to me they directly import the Bessas from Canada.

I am not mad at them because they have been really nice in the past, though, truth be told, I hadn't had to ask for a replacement/repair before. I am just writing this as a word of caution to those who would buy Voigtlanders from them. If my Bessa R2A is a "grey import," their website does not explicitly say so. (In contrast, the Nikons are always clearly marked "USA" or "import".)

If I cannot get them to replace or repair it I am planning to put it on eBay for $400-420. It's an easy fixer-upper for those who dare to take it apart. Please let me know if you think this price is fair. I have now lost faith in these things and will purchase an FM3A because I was stupid enough to sell mine.

Bummer.

Drew

 

[ClaremontPhoto]

You are clearly unhappy with the seller and the guarantee procedure.

Why not talk to Stephen Gandy at Cameraquest, and ask for his advice and perhaps an idea of the repair cost if you need to send it in?

 

[Buze]

When I was looking for my Bessa R, I saw one that had exactly the same problem at 1/60 -- and only at 1/60! --
I found a way to unfreeze it by activating the self timer, that would clank the shutter back close and allow one to wind. The parts of the film around that frame were ruined, I recovered maybe 24 out of 36, the rest were black.

 

[Jokutya]

Thanks, guys.

Buze: Alas, the R2A has no self-timer AFAIK...

Jon: I did e-mail Stephen and he's been the only positive player in this whole misadventure. He quoted me a price that's fair but which I can't afford right now.

Drew

 

[Stu W]

The Pentax M series cameras was plagued by a similar problem. If you attempted to advance the film before the shutter would fully cycle the thing would jam. If you remove the bottom plate you can probably find the offending lever, trip it, and reset the camera. Stu

 

[Jonathan_100]

Try Nippon Photo Clinic in Manhattan. The just fixed my Bessa R with a similar problem. Quick turn around and reasonable rates. Nippon Clinic's address is 920 Broadway, Suite 705 New York, N.Y. 10010. Their telephone number is (212) 982-3177. Found them on a listserve at photo.net.

good luck,

Jonathan

 

[pesphoto]

The inner grey shutter on my Bessa has jammed a couple times. I just give it a little nudge and it closes.

 

[Sonnar2]

Try to get back the grey shutter curtains, carefull, to unjam it. Happens to my Bessa-R twice. First time at cold (-10° C), get back when warmed up again. Next time I applied some mechanical help, as stated above. Happens at more than 100 films went through.

cheers Frank

 

[Jokutya]

Unfortunately, the grey shutters are wide open so I can't get to them. I tried, believe me... If I were to take it apart, theoretically speaking, would I take off the bottom or top plate?

 

[jonasv]

I just took of the bottom. Giggled the wheels a little bit and the shutter unstuck quite easily.

Second problem: I could advance the lever, but the curtains would not advance and the shutter would not cock. I stared at the mechanics for a bit, pushed and pulled some things, and then I saw what was wrong: there's a big metal arm that stretches all the way across the bottom (about 10 cm) and it needs to grip a button - it came loose. It took quite a bit of force to make it pick in again, but it's done, et voila, I fixed my Bessa!

Everything works as it should again, couldn't be happier and I saved myself a lot of money!

 

[RicardoD]

Congrats! I love that feeling of having fixed something yourself. I find it helps me bond with my camera, car, bicycle, or whatever it is I repaired.