Retrotech68
Established
I recently inherited a mint Ikonta 35 that sat in a state of total idleness for some 40 years… This small camera is really a neat, little masterpiece of industrial design in its own right: I really like the way it handles, its compactness and the minimalistic elegance by Hubert Nerwin. My specimen seems to be of late manufacture, with accessory shoe and the last style of leather stamping embossments as used also on the Contina II and Contessa. It has the simpler Novar lens, with a Prontor-SV shutter. The viewfinder is clean as a whistle and everything else shines as in the day it left the factory.
Since I was eager to go out to shoot some film, I tried to test fire the shutter, both without and with film. First, I went through the usual trick of opening the camera and turning the two small sprockets inside to the left as if film was actually inside. The advance knob then stops turning and presto, one knows it is time to cock the shutter by using the small winding lever. In my Ikonta, however, this very same lever seems to be not working as it should, as it can’t be fully cocked – it remains loose, so I cannot properly release the shutter by pushing the larger shutter release lever. I suspect the shutter needs servicing. Maybe something is broken inside...
At first, I thought this could be a sticky shutter case, but it does not look like one… Any ideas? I welcome any suggestions/tips on what to do. Thanks in advance.
Since I was eager to go out to shoot some film, I tried to test fire the shutter, both without and with film. First, I went through the usual trick of opening the camera and turning the two small sprockets inside to the left as if film was actually inside. The advance knob then stops turning and presto, one knows it is time to cock the shutter by using the small winding lever. In my Ikonta, however, this very same lever seems to be not working as it should, as it can’t be fully cocked – it remains loose, so I cannot properly release the shutter by pushing the larger shutter release lever. I suspect the shutter needs servicing. Maybe something is broken inside...
At first, I thought this could be a sticky shutter case, but it does not look like one… Any ideas? I welcome any suggestions/tips on what to do. Thanks in advance.