Is there a general No-No list for handling manual cameras?

[Bob Michaels]

1. on RF, make sure the lens cap is off when you take the photo
2. make sure the rewind lever turns when you advance the film
3. check the shutter and aperture settings
....Vick

Before you smirk and think "I know that", realize those 3 tips will resolve probably 98% of rangefinder problems that people have.

 

[JohnTF]

I agree with this one! I just sold a RF camera to a yokel who forced the self-timer without cocking the shutter and destroyed the shutter. He lied to me and said "something must have jiggled loose in the mail" but there is NO WAY. I can't imagine how much forcing it took but it was a considerable amount.

My friend who runs a local shop had a guy bring in a camcorder under warranty, got in his face claiming he babied the camera.
Nikon fixed the camera, but sent a note telling the dealer to check the video, it was on a tripod and was recording until it hit the ground.

Lots of us screw up, best to fess up to the guy sending it in.

I have heard the Hassy can be jammed if the lens and body are not both either cocked or both uncocked, takes a tool to get the lens off?

Pentacon 6's can be broken by looking at the inside while changing film? Actually, the word is never touch the tension arms, and get them serviced upon purchase.

If you trip the shutter on some cameras with dead batteries, it locks the shutter open, until you shift it to the manual speed.

John

 

[dogberryjr]

Always focus the Plaubel Makina 67 to infinity before collapsing the lens.

 

[HLing]

eye opening !

eye opening !

Thanks everyone for the wealth of information! I don't know all of the cameras mentioned, and now will have a name to look them up.

For example, I looked up Pentacon 6, and found someone's instruction on loading the film. From That I learned that the film advance arm should be followed back to the starting position guided by the thumb, instead of letting it swing back by itself. Makes me wonder if the same rule applies to the Exakta Twin TL that I've not tried to use yet.

Anyhow, I'm going to read and re-read all the replies here and try to have the info in the back of my head so that when the situation arises I'll have a memory base to access.

I'm also going to be more conscientious about reading a manual before poking and turning knobs that I don't know the function of. I mean, that you can break the shutter by trying to set the timer without cocking the shutter? warning heeded!

 

[Cagliostro73]

1. always cock the shutter before changing speed in FSU cameras (on a kiev 88 you'll destroy the shutter, for istance)
2. never leave an uncapped lens on a cloth curtain rf exposed to the sun (you'll burn holes in the shutter curtains)
3. never leave an armed shutter in a mechanical camera and leave it unused for a long time
4. always remove batteries, in case of a long term "rest" of your equipment
5. never make the same mistake twice... 😀

 

[sevo]

3. never leave an armed shutter in a mechanical camera and leave it unused for a long time

True - but for different reasons than often assumed. Armed/cocked shutters (or more generally, tensioned springs) do not wear out in that state, unless the design is quite dramatically wrong (in which case they'd be wasted even faster when in use). But greased metal surfaces tend to stick when left for a long time - and the initial torque from the released spring often fails to overcome that stiction. The torque applied when winding the camera/cocking tends to be considerably bigger and will usually force these sticky shutters and make them workable again.

 

[Lobo]

when repairing or disassemling a Agfa Silette LK (2. Generation, plastic Body) you have to note how much and in how position the front lens is screwed to the body. there are several ways to screw it in and the deepest position is not for infinity focus.
So turn the focus to infinity, and mark a point of the lens border and the same point on the body with 2 pieces of tape to see how the lens is screwed to the thread of the body.

 

[ath]

There is a reason why cameras have a manual. I know, men do not like to read manuals (in general) but this is the place where the do's and don'ts are listed.

 

[Lobo]

never use the selftimer of an old camera. my first vintage camera had a full working timer, but on the next few cameras the timer stopped the whole camera working. i had to open the camera lens to bring them back to life.

 

[Lobo]

edit: if you need a selftimer, use a "autoknips", a small metal device with a a small pin and a clockwork inside, that pushes the shutter of cameras.

 

[Roger Hicks]

Usually you can persuade the self-timer on a Compur or Prontor to reach the end of its travel with VERY gentle, slow finger pressure on the lever. The same goes for slow speed trains. Sometimes, if you're lucky and patient, you can even get the escapements working again by repeated exercise.

Cheers,

R.

 

[Roger Hicks]

True - but for different reasons than often assumed. Armed/cocked shutters (or more generally, tensioned springs) do not wear out in that state, unless the design is quite dramatically wrong (in which case they'd be wasted even faster when in use). But greased metal surfaces tend to stick when left for a long time - and the initial torque from the released spring often fails to overcome that stiction. The torque applied when winding the camera/cocking tends to be considerably bigger and will usually force these sticky shutters and make them workable again.

That's interesting: I'd never heard it before. It certainly makes sense in theory but I don't actually recall any examples in practice -- which may simply be that I've never bothered to investigate a 'stuck' shutter when buying (or rejecting) a camera.

Cheers,

R.

 

[varjag]

Don't use WD40. Ever.

 

[Towermax]

And keep in mind that common rules do vary from camera to camera.

For example, on my Ansco Karomat (Agfa Karat 36), the owner's manual states, "When using the 1/500 of a second speed, the shutter must be set before the the film is wound and the shutter cocked, or damage to the shutter will result."

So, as was earlier said, "Read the manual."

 

[mathomas]

...
3. never leave an armed shutter in a mechanical camera and leave it unused for a long time
...

Except for V-series Hasselblads with leaf shutters, for which the recommendation is to keep the shutter armed (see notes about lens changes, above).

(recommendation is made by Hasselblad itself, and can be found in "The Hasselblad Manual", by Wildi)

 

[HLing]

exception to the general rules

exception to the general rules

And keep in mind that common rules do vary from camera to camera.

For example, on my Ansco Karomat (Agfa Karat 36), the owner's manual states, "When using the 1/500 of a second speed, the shutter must be set before the the film is wound and the shutter cocked, or damage to the shutter will result."

So, as was earlier said, "Read the manual."[/quote


Thanks for this, and all the replies so far. I imagine I should start to make a searchable reference file from all the info so that one can type in the specific camera make to see the cautions and the exceptions.

 

[batterytypehah!]

For example, on my Ansco Karomat (Agfa Karat 36), the owner's manual states, "When using the 1/500 of a second speed, the shutter must be set before the the film is wound and the shutter cocked, or damage to the shutter will result."

This is true not only for Ansco/Agfa but any camera with the Compur-Rapid shutter. It has an extra spring to achieve 1/500 which you can feel as you move the speed ring from 250 to 500. Set speed first, cock shutter second (winding depends on the camera). Examples are Kodak Retinas and Voigtländer Vitos of the same era.

 

[jsrockit]

I wouldn't stress it too hard HLIng... I've used tons of different cameras and never broke any of them from forcing anything.

 

[HLing]

This is true not only for Ansco/Agfa but any camera with the Compur-Rapid shutter. It has an extra spring to achieve 1/500 which you can feel as you move the speed ring from 250 to 500. Set speed first, cock shutter second (winding depends on the camera). Examples are Kodak Retinas and Voigtländer Vitos of the same era.

Is it safe to say that Compur-Rapid shutters are found mostly in folding cameras only then?

I wouldn't stress it too hard HLIng... I've used tons of different cameras and never broke any of them from forcing anything.

jsrockit, Stress is my middle name. 🙂

 

[batterytypehah!]

Is it safe to say that Compur-Rapid shutters are found mostly in folding cameras only then?

Probably so -- but I would stress "mostly," as I'm not enough of an expert. I see it's also used in some TLRs, for example, of which I know very little.

Around the time that folders fell out of fashion in favor of rigids is also when the Compur-Rapid morphed into the Synchro-Compur, but the transition was probably more complicated than that.