Half a roll and I broke my Zorki 4

[danielnorton]

I was very excited yesterday when the package from Max (darkkavenger) arrived, the box was really beat up, but the camera (a zorki 4 with I50) was packed very well and arrived in perfect condition. After a few test fires, I loaded up a roll and went out to test my new beauty (I also got a I22 from Fedka and wanted to test both lenses).

Shot about half the roll and it started to get dark so I headed into my studio with my friend to shoot some flash pictures, that's where I screwed up, after only two exposures, I fired the camera without winding and it died, basically the wind knob turned, but was not engaging the shutter.

I also could not move the rewind knob to rewind he film, so I went into a dark room and removed the film, same problem.

brought the camera home last night and started tinkering, based on what I read in this thread Thread and the one Chris references, I got the thing apart and working (so it seems) As I assembled the body I tested the shutter each step of the way, but at one point it stopped working again, this time it engages when you rotates the film advance, but pressing the shutter button does nothing...

I worked backwards, stripping down the camera again, but still have the same problem.

basically if I physically push the bar that has the teeth for the film up (towards the top of the camera), the shutter fires.. can't quite figure out what's up.. any advice on this one?

I hate to retire a great looking camera so quickly :bang:

The only positive note is I was able to test both the I50 and I22 on my bessa so at least I got that accomplished 🙄

thanks in advance for any help or sympathy 😀

Daniel

 

[Solinar]

I'm guessing here, but is the collar around the shutter release set to the picture taking position? I have a Zork 3 and Zorki 3m that have the older advance and rewind lever, but I've read that the rotating ring around the shutter release on the Zorki 4 can give new users trouble.

 

[darkkavenger]

Hello Daniel,

can you upload some photos? I got your e-mail and I'm really sorry to hear this, seems kmack received his Kievs correctly, as well as a friend of mine received his Fed-5 without troubles.

Please let me know more about it... I'll try to get you another Zorki-4 or eventually I'll send you my Zorki-S.

Thanks!
max

 

[danielnorton]

collar

collar

Andrew,

I think it is :angel: hard to tell without the cover on the camera but I've tried rotating it to a few different positions with not luck, I think the next step might be to take it off again, maybe I screwed it on in the wrong position.. I wonder if that's possible...

Max..

No worries, you came through with your part of the deal, the camera was perfect, I screwed it up.. I would definitely recommend you as a seller to anyone .

I will try and put up some digital snaps tomorrow when I get time to work on it again.

 

[darkkavenger]

Daniel, there's a collar ring around the shutter button, could you check if it's depressed or not? You'd have to turn it so that it gets to its normal "upper" position by rotating it left or right, I can't say right now because I've no zorki around (except my dad's Z-6) .. try this and then try to wind again.. I wish you a lot of luck! And feel free to contact me, you know it'll be a pleasure for me to help you!

max

 

[darkkavenger]

Maybe this post can be helpful : http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=14690

🙂

 

[Kim Coxon]

The other possibility is that the problem lies with the push rod the goes back up to the timing mech. If this is sticky, it will cause similar problems.

Kim

 

[kmack]

The other possibility is that the problem lies with the push rod the goes back up to the timing mech. If this is sticky, it will cause similar problems.

Kim

Kim may have nailed it. I do not have my Zorki handy but there may be an adjustment under the metal plate below the toothed reel. I'll look at my Zorki later.

One other thing to check, the self timer. it will sometimes cause the camera to do what you describe. Try using a small screw driver to complete the timers travel.

 

[danielnorton]

rewind collar

rewind collar

Thanks for all the responses..

The two teeth do engage and cock the shutter, I'm starting to think it is definitely the rewind or shutter button stuck down, not allowing the film transport to move up, and fire the shutter, I'll have to check that first.

 

[Solinar]

Thanks G'man. That is what I meant to say. On the Zorkis holding the shutter button down and twisting it clockwise locks the shutter release.

 

[danielnorton]

hmmm

hmmm

I tried turning the shutter button collar in both directions, counter clockwise it definitely locks the shutter, clockwise it engages rewind (which I guess also locks the shutter) so I'm thinking I need to be somewhere in the middle, I may have to leave early and start working on this today 😀

 

[Solinar]

Daniel, it is the shutter button itself, not just the collar that can rotate. This is how the shutter lock works on my Zork 3 and Zorki 3m. It is worth a look.

 

[captainslack]

The further bright side to all this is he's getting another Zorki 4 in the mail from me. Should arrive today or tomorrow.

 

[danielnorton]

more zorkis

more zorkis

I didn't realize the shutter button itself moved, that could very well be it.. oh man won't be home for a few more hours :bang:

Knowing my tendency to break things I actually have a total of 3 zorkis heading my way 😀

guess I know myself pretty well :angel:

thanks everyone! will update later or tomorrow once I try these things..

Daniel

 

[darkkavenger]

Yes keep us up to date 😀

 

[kvanderlaag]

I wish I had such an easy time finding Zorki 4s!

Good luck with this one, I'm interested to see how it plays out. FSU cameras are interesting in that they're still rather intricate little beasts, but simple enough that several people around here know (pretty much) exactly how they work.

Good times!

 

[danielnorton]

screw loose

screw loose

First problem solved..

seems when I was taking thngs apart to see what might be wrong I took the screw out of the sprocketed film take up and mistakenly replaced it with one that was a bit longer.. this was holding it down just enough to cause the issue I had.. :bang:


🙄

Anyhow, now I have a different issue.

Seems when I try to reassemble the camera the baffles are putting too much pressure on area around the shutter and making it stop about halfway through movement. I'm about 90% sure I have them in the right grooves and I've managed to get it working by keeping the screws a bit loose, however when I started to put the cover (the actual outside of the camera) on it causes the baffles to be pushed down again and now I'm dead in the water, I have a shutter that operates as long as I don't put the outside shell of the camera on, which might be a problem 😀


any baffle advise?

Here's a picture of the screw problem and the 2 baffles

 

[danielnorton]

I wish I had such an easy time finding Zorki 4s!

Just check this forum every 30 seconds like I do
😀

funny I knew I would love the zorki so much I bought 3, having never seen one, I wasn't wrong, I think they are very cool cameras, as long as you don't break them 😉

 

[grifon]

Not sure what you mean by baffles... but what I found when tearing my camera apart, is that the curtains slide significantly better if the black frame shaped cover (on the inside of the camera, basically on the side of the curtain where the lens is) is as far away from the film plane, and closest to the lens. If you loosen the bolts (there is two on the bottom, and two on the top) it will allow for about a millimeter of play. The two bottom bolts are under the bottom cover, they are also the ones holding the leaf spring in place. The ones on top are a bit harder to get to. (you have to remove the slow speed mech, and also remove the metal plate that it is secured to) but adjusting the bottom spacing should be sufficient.

I hope that this is what your problem is, and it works out for you.

 

[danielnorton]

progess, I think

progess, I think

Gman I think that's how I have the blinds, here's a better shot (attched)

grifon, I had actually removed the screws you are talking about on the bottom earlier in the project, so I went back and checked, sure enough I was able to pull the window forward after loosening them again 😀

new roadblock :bang:

so now the curtain moves past the left side (as you are looking at the attached image) but get's stuck in the middle as soon as I add the circled screw (works fineup until then)

tried leaving the screw out and putting on the front cover, same problem 😕