Dez
Bodger Extraordinaire
The Pearl IV is almost certainly the finest classic folder ever. I hunted for one of these gems for almost 20 years before I finally came across one on ebay two years ago. I have just spied another one for sale at a decent price, item #161782799701. I don't have any experience with the vendor, but I do know the Pearl IV is something very special. Have a look at the reviews on the internet,
http://camerapedia.wikia.com/wiki/Pearl_IV
Here's a picture of my little jewel.
Cheers,
Dez
http://camerapedia.wikia.com/wiki/Pearl_IV
Here's a picture of my little jewel.
Cheers,
Dez
lynnb
Veteran
It looks very pretty! Is the rangefinder coupled? If you have some picture samples taken with it, please add the link to this thread.
Thanks,
Thanks,
f16sunshine
Moderator
Oh man you are lucky
I have a 3 and have always wanted a 4. It's dificult to find especially in North America.
I have a 3 and have always wanted a 4. It's dificult to find especially in North America.
Brian Legge
Veteran
Have you had a chance to shoot with it at all? I love most of what I've read about it from a design and handling standpoint but the few photos I've found taken with the camera didn't impress me much. I'd like to see more to get a sense of its characteristics.
mfunnell
Shaken, so blurred
Dez, you do realise how dangerous a thread like this can be? Here I was, with no real desire for a 645 folder beyond my pre-war Super Ikonta A (I have a very nice example, BTW). And then, in a nasty confluence of circumstances, you post this.
Firstly, I'd used my Super Ikonta just recently, having not used it for a while, since I want to get back into MF black & white. Nice though my Super Ikonta is, I'd forgotten what a PITA it is to use (in comparison to, say, my M3) for anything even vaguely fast-paced, beyond even my thumb-fingered loss of familiarity with it.
Secondly, I've worked a lot of extra time just recently, out-of-hours and on weekends. One of the few advantages of short-term contracts is being paid strictly for hours worked, so I've acquired some unexpected funds.
Thirdly (I'm not kidding myself here), well, it looked so shiny and bright and nice. I did some research and it ticked most of my usage boxes, including the ones where I like Konica cameras and love Konica lenses.
The price was good - which I'm guessing was largely due to the red bellows, which I assume are replacements, reducing collector value. I want to use it, not collect it, which seemed too good to resist.
So I didn't. (Whether I need another camera or not, item #161782799701 is mine, Australia Post permitting.)
It should be heading my way from Japan some time Real Soon Now...
...Mike
mfunnell
Shaken, so blurred
What a shame! My Pearl IV arrived in the mail but with a broken shutter. I'm negotiating with the seller to figure out whether to return or repair...
Not happy
Not happy
mfunnell
Shaken, so blurred
All's well that ends well
All's well that ends well
After working with the seller, we ended up with a mutually agreeable outcome. He's having the Pearl IV originally sent to me repaired, while he's sent me a different Pearl IV which is fully functional. This one doesn't have the funky red bellows, but it seems to do the job very nicely.
Now I have a camera with a working shutter, I'll have to go take some photos with it, rather than of it...
...Mike
All's well that ends well
After working with the seller, we ended up with a mutually agreeable outcome. He's having the Pearl IV originally sent to me repaired, while he's sent me a different Pearl IV which is fully functional. This one doesn't have the funky red bellows, but it seems to do the job very nicely.
Now I have a camera with a working shutter, I'll have to go take some photos with it, rather than of it...
...Mike
hanskerensky
Well-known
I have had a similar issue with the shutter of a Welmy Six.
Proved however to be easy repairable so hope you receive your nice Pearl IV back soon !
Welmy Six Shutter (02) by Hans Kerensky, on Flickr
Proved however to be easy repairable so hope you receive your nice Pearl IV back soon !
Welmy Six Shutter (02) by Hans Kerensky, on Flickr
das
Well-known
I just picked up a Pearl IV. For folks who have one, how do you like it? Any tips/tricks or things to look out for? Mine did not come with a case so need to figure out some kind of strap solution -- as the IV has no lugs and the case is the strap.
DwF
Well-known
Funny (maybe not so considering this is the forum) I was looking at these last night. Is getting replacement bellows still an issue? Reading about funky red bellows here, I'd settle for red if it kept the camera going?
david
david
I had two here recently, both with issues, managed to make one good one out of both. One had a gear in the advance train with several stripped teeth. I suspect a nincompoop was responsible for breaking the gear when the camera was nearly new, still, I suggest being a little gentle when winding film just in case. [Photo Added]
The rangefinder is a fairly conventional set up for a period Japanese camera, vertical adjustment is on the mirror perch, horizontal near the shutter, easiest accessibility ever. The finder eyepiece must be unscrewed from its threads in the rangefinder/viewfinder unit in order to remove the top cover. It has been temporarily re-fitted in the image below, in order too inspect clarity and adjustment of the finder and patch.
Like many Japanese rangefinders of its time the beam splitter is a simple sheet of coated glass affixed diagonally across the finder window. [Photo Added]
I cleaned all the optics to achieve a brighter view. The beam splitter should on no account be touched directly. All you can do in situ is swab some cleaning fluid across the surface—this improved matters noticeably.
During cleaning, I noted some of the finder glass was a little loose in the housing—even a little stray alcohol from the process of cleaning a beam splitter can weaken old adhesives—when servicing old rangefinders, generally, this is something to be aware of. After examining the alignment, I secured everything with tiny spots of epoxy, to ensure all optics remain securely in position (something also worth considering with other old rangefinders—Eg. Contax II/III/Kiev RF wedges). In the above image you may see some transparent spots of clear Selleys Araldite epoxy which will ensure the components remain fixed in the correct locations for many more years. Don't try cementing lens elements together with Selleys; it's no substitute for UV cure polyester or Canada Balsam. For mounting finder optics, cover glasses, on the other hand, it's just fine.
At the owner's request I also installed a small rectangular piece of yellow glass—hand ground to size and shape from a piece of broken filter glass—ahead of the rangefinder window, to make the patch contrast a little higher. [Photos & Text Added]
The mostly opaque Pearl IV front cover glass. Note clear rectangle for light path to pivoting mirror. Black discolouration at edges is residue of original adhesive, invisible when piece is installed.
A vintage yellow filter has been removed from its mounting, breaking in the process. This is OK (even a plus) as a suitable piece must now be hand ground to shape and size.
Below, a fragment is in the early stages of being reduced and shaped to fit the clear window in the cover glass.
Later, the filter glass is placed over the window to check for shape and fit: should be satisfactory. Though opaque the outline of the yellow filter remains visible behind the cover glass. This added additional time to the task of shaping the filter, compared to a conventional RF window within a solid cover, which would have entailed less finishing to shape as any uneven edges would not have been visible. Thanks, Konica.
The finished Pearl IV. Helicals cleaned and lubricated, focus checked and adjusted, rangefinder calibrated, shutter serviced, struts checked and lubricated, bellows checked and light proof. I didn't shoot with it—wanted to get it back to its owner, (I prefer 6x6 to 645, anyway).
A few more repair notes viewable with the original image series here:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/43224475@N08/50955086151/in/album-72157718331401856/
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