Dez
Bodger Extraordinaire
I have recently bought three Zeiss/Voigtlander Icarex cameras on ebay. Cosmetically they are great but they all have meter problems. I think after I got the first one and found the meter was crapped out, I bought the second to get a body with a good meter. When that one also was faulty, I tried again.
This is turning out to be a really bad idea!😀
One of them is just very non-linear, i.e. 1/1000 @ f2 is nowhere near the same as 1/60 @ f8. The other two show the same strange symptom, as if there is a large constant offset in the meter reading. Putting on the lens cap and closing the eyepiece blind so there is absolutely no light hitting the meter has the needle on the top balance out as showing correct exposure at 1/30th. The needle shows appropriate over and underexposure as you move the shutter sped dial. The non-linearity of the first one seems like a mild case of the same sort of offset, so I expect the same problem afflicts all three.
These cameras were built while ZIV was well down the slippery slope to ruin, but at lest some degree of quality is to be expected. I have heard that the light meter is considered very troublesome in these cameras, so I suspect I am seeing a common problem. I want to repair these beasts, and I am hoping that someone out there has had a similar experience and can give me some pointers. I have not been able to find an affiordable (free) repair manual anywhere.
Cheers,
Dez
This is turning out to be a really bad idea!😀
One of them is just very non-linear, i.e. 1/1000 @ f2 is nowhere near the same as 1/60 @ f8. The other two show the same strange symptom, as if there is a large constant offset in the meter reading. Putting on the lens cap and closing the eyepiece blind so there is absolutely no light hitting the meter has the needle on the top balance out as showing correct exposure at 1/30th. The needle shows appropriate over and underexposure as you move the shutter sped dial. The non-linearity of the first one seems like a mild case of the same sort of offset, so I expect the same problem afflicts all three.
These cameras were built while ZIV was well down the slippery slope to ruin, but at lest some degree of quality is to be expected. I have heard that the light meter is considered very troublesome in these cameras, so I suspect I am seeing a common problem. I want to repair these beasts, and I am hoping that someone out there has had a similar experience and can give me some pointers. I have not been able to find an affiordable (free) repair manual anywhere.
Cheers,
Dez
