Ensign Sefix 420 question

[mindcircus]

Hi all,

I just received my grandfather's Ensign Selfix 420 from a shop in Athens that performs CLAs to film cameras. I noticed that the knob that opens the film compartment door (see attached) was different than the one I remember it had, but the shop owner insisted that this is the original knob of the camera and I am wrong.

Since I cannot find any clean pictures in the web, do we have any owners here that could post a photo of their cameras? I can't get anywhere with the shop owner, but I need to know if there is a problem, because the camera has a sentimental value for me.

 

[CharlesDAMorgan]

I found this online (the only one with a visible catch) and boosted the exposure a bit - it does look like the above one.

 

[mindcircus]

This is from camera-wiki.org and looks like the one I remember, but it is not clear at all:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/72498006@N00/6178733091/in/pool-camerawiki

There was a curve in the middle for the finger and it was a bit rough with small slots in order the finger not to slip. I am pretty sure about its shape, but when an expert insists he is right and you are wrong you always have second thoughts in case you are confused with something else. I have not used much the camera, I just played around with it for a couple of weeks before the cla, that is why I cannot be 100% sure.

 

[mindcircus]

The more I look, the more cameras I find with this simple knob in my first photo. So it is either that my memory deceives me or that there was a cap which has been lost in many old cameras. If nobody has this camera in his collection, I will settle to the first explanation.

CharlesDAMorgan, thank you for your time to search about it!

 

[Scrambler]

I don't have a direct comparison, just two Selfix 220 cameras. Though a round catch, they are a plain satin finish with no stamped texture. Like you, I felt a textured finish was what should have been on this style of camera, but not one MF folder that I own has such a catch, and only 1 brand of 35mm camera. So perhaps it's one of those collective 'shouldabeen' memories.

 

[seany65]

I've just found a clip of an ensign 420 on youtube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BgTMgHNRmDk

Look at the start to see if it's the same version of the 420, then pause it at 2:09 while viewing in 1080, it's clearly not like the catch you now have.

 

[Scrambler]

I've just found a clip of an ensign 420 on youtube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BgTMgHNRmDk

Look at the start to see if it's the same version of the 420, then pause it at 2:09 while viewing in 1080, it's clearly not like the catch you now have.

Interesting. Concave, 2 steps up on each side.

 

[Johngwill]

I have looked at a number of images of the 420 but most seem to have the same type of catch as yours. However I found one with a different catch.