Brambling
Well-known
man, you look like a shoe today, (Iskra)
Iskra Picture Gallery
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man, you look like a shoe today, (Iskra)
Brambling
Well-known
There are already a lot of you here. The puddle is not rubber! (Iskra, agfa avifot 400 as 200)
Brambling
Well-known
Brambling
Well-known
ISKRA, TM Astrum 400 as 50, film test a few days ago
Brambling
Well-known
fresh frame
Iskra, film TM Astrum, test of a film that had been lying in the closet for a long time.
Brambling
Well-known
Iskra, Avifot 400 as 200, exp June 2018
DwF
Well-known
This is very nicely done! ^^^ and a fun thread addition. 🙂
Brambling
Well-known
ISKRA, avifot 400 as 200, June 2018
Brambling
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ISKRA, astrum 100, oct 2023
oldhaven
Well-known
I bought this Iskra from British Columbia, this is a test roll. most shots were good, but I had vertical banding in a couple that may require some internal baffle work.
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Brambling
Well-known
Iskra (Spark)), AGFA Avifot (400 as 50) test from 2018 three days ago, yellow 2x filter, D76 1+1.
oldhaven
Well-known
I have an otherwise OK Iskra with a tatty bellows and light leaks that I could try to repair, but I was wondering if its Agfa Super Isolette heritage means the bellows are similar enough to interchange or modify to work? The Agfa replacement bellows are available, though admittedly cost as much as I paid for the Iskra.
Brambling
Well-known
I can’t say this for sure!)
but in my opinion, the height of the fold and the number of folds do not matter.
The only thing that matters is the size of the hole in the back and front.
And there is another place of leakage in the Spark - between the metal of the body and the metal around the perimeter of the rear hole - this gap is clearly visible if you remove the leather covering.
oldhaven
Well-known
Thank you Brambling. I thought you might be able to comment and help. This is an example of what I have. The bellows leak is probably the light smear on the left of the photo with an odd spot in the middle. The vertical bar on the right is probably the seam leak you mention, though I did follow the advice given several years ago on this forum and put some self adhesive black velvet tape inside the film recess on both sides before this roll of film. I will revisit that again as all the photos have the vertical light leak on what appears to be the loading side so I seem to have missed something. The leather on the outside front over that seam is intact but has contracted a very small amount due to age. I may try some temporary tape there on the outside too. The bellows leak is visible as a point of light on the inside bottom of the bellows using a light from the outside reflecting off the inside of the door. I have ordered some fabric paint to try to solve that but would be willing to buy an Agfa bellows if was not a waste of money due to incompatibility. As you can see from the photo, the images are pretty nice otherwise, so I would like to fix this. I do have another Spark that is less leaky, so if I can’t fix this I can still enjoy the Iskra experience.
WoodallP
Pragmatist Barnack lover
I have both a Super Isolette and an Iskra and have never changed the bellows in either. BUT I have replaced many Isolette bellows with ones from lesser 6x6 cameras (Kodaks mostly) and also ones in Ikontas. My experience is that most 6x6 bellows can be moved to other cameras if removed with care. However it can also be fun to make your own!
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oldhaven
Well-known
Thank you WoodallP, that is encouraging. The link below is just one of several from China offering Agfa bellows, and they sure look like they might work. Also good to hear that it can be done by a person of reasonable skill, though I am not sure I would want to try to make a bellows. I also have the other vertical bar light leak to fix. Since I don’t do my own developing test rolls can get expensive.
Brambling
Well-known
It's difficult to tell anything from a scan.
I suggest small effort tests -
1. seal the detected hole, temporarily, with anything. Take test shots in bright light, directly under the sun.
2. seal the perimeter directly on top of the skin with adhesive tape and again take test shots in bright light.
3. Tape the back cover of the camera around the perimeter and again take test pictures in bright light.
I always have some kind of film that I’m not sure about or doubt, or I didn’t like, so I use it for testing.
And for accurate knowledge, I would like to repeat these tests. Everything is according to science))) - three times the experiment confirms the theory.
👍👍👍
oldhaven
Well-known
Thank you again. Sounds like a great plan. I will keep a record of frames and add/subtract fixes as I go along. Scientific method prescribes not changing two things at once.
WoodallP
Pragmatist Barnack lover
Hi, I’m pretty sure they will but try dropping a line to Sandeha Lynch Sandeha Lynch he makes and sells bellows and maybe he has Iskra experience. From my own experience the bellows on 6x6 are usually the same but the back mountings can vary a lot in difficulty.
I am so ashamed that after changing maybe 30-40 bellows I have never even looked at my Super Isolette and Iskra but they just didn’t need it.
oldhaven
Well-known
Hi,
I looked up some of your previous posts and saw his name and a link so I have already contacted Sandeha. He is not doing custom work now and said he tried a Super Isolette once and was not happy with the design. Too bad since he has reasonable prices. I imagine like some good craftsmen he is winding down his work as time goes on. Speaking of that your work on bellows is impressive from what I can see! I am going to take Brambling's advice and try repairing the bellows and work on the other light leaks in a systematic manner, then if necessary look at options like buying from China or making my own, since the instructions I found linked in your thread are pretty complete. It is really just a matter of time and energy allocation for me.
Ron
I looked up some of your previous posts and saw his name and a link so I have already contacted Sandeha. He is not doing custom work now and said he tried a Super Isolette once and was not happy with the design. Too bad since he has reasonable prices. I imagine like some good craftsmen he is winding down his work as time goes on. Speaking of that your work on bellows is impressive from what I can see! I am going to take Brambling's advice and try repairing the bellows and work on the other light leaks in a systematic manner, then if necessary look at options like buying from China or making my own, since the instructions I found linked in your thread are pretty complete. It is really just a matter of time and energy allocation for me.
Ron
