Let's talk CLA's

[whitecat]

I have a number of choice rangefinders like the Electro 35, Petri Racer, Vivitar 35 etc. All inexpensive but little gems to guys like us. Anyone know an inexpensive CLA option to get them back in shape? Light seals, cleaning, etc?
Thanks

 

[ChrisPlatt]

Karl A. Bryan in Beaverton Oregon is your man.
His work is excellent, fast and inexpensive.
email karl.kathy@verizon.net

"Excelsior, you fathead!"
-Chris-

 

[whitecat]

Thanks, but I tried this e mail and was told it is non-deliverable.

 

[Skinny McGee]

Maybe try keh.. I think a Cla from anywhere is going to cost you more than the cameras....

 

[peter_n]

Thanks, but I tried this e mail and was told it is non-deliverable.

Did you try other photo forums for his email? Here is an older one from pnet: koshaugh AT teleport DOT com.

 

[Stephanie Brim]

Speaking of CLAs, if anyone can recommend a good person for TLRs, especially Meopta Flexarets, I'd be much obliged. 😉

 

[ChrisPlatt]

Karl Bryan specializes in TLRs, Stephanie.

I am awaiting a reply from him to
confirm his current email address.

Chris

 

[peter_n]

The address I posted above is no longer valid. Karl Bryan is an active trader on eBay and uses the name koshaugh. Below is a link to his eBay profile page. Click on the Contact Member button to send him a message. You should get his email address in the reply. If you want to post it back here don't enter it as a contiguous string; break it up so bots won't be able to read it. link

 

[ChrisPlatt]

Karl Bryan says use the email address I originally gave.

"Excelsior, you fathead!"
-Chris-

 

[dmr]

Care to try doing it yourself? I had good luck on a Canon GIII and a Mamiya SD.

Jon Goodman sells inexpensive light seal kits for most of the RFs and if you need advice, just ask here and you will receive it in abundance. 🙂

 

[Xmas]

Guys the best person for CLA is the one in the shaving mirror, or the Canon photo, sorry Step... But you do need a manual to warn about the left hand threads or srinng loaded parts that go ping...

Noel

 

[ChrisPlatt]

If all you need is new light seals, then sure, go the DIY route.

But if you care that shutter, exposure, focus etc. are adjusted
to the original specs, some test equipment is required...

"Excelsior, you fathead!"
-Chris-

 

[Xmas]

A TV raster is better than all but the most expensive test gear for focal plane shutters, If you can build a simple circuit and have a PC with soundblaster compatible then you can build your own shutter tester.

Yes other expensive test gear is desirable but for a CLA you dont need any, a pair or cieclip pliers and a neede nosed pair of pliers (filed down) are all the basic toolsnecessary, if you already have a set of small screwdrivers. Borrow your kits toy microscope or use the SLR you dont admit to having for collimation.

Noel

 

[dmr]

A TV raster is better than all but the most expensive test gear for focal plane shutters, If you can build a simple circuit and have a PC with soundblaster compatible then you can build your own shutter tester.

I and a co-worker were talking about this a while back, and we came up with this idea, but I haven't tried it yet.

Lay or tape a bright white narrow strip of paper on a phonograph turntable. (Yeah, yeah, I know these are becoming rare, but everybody at least knows somebody with one.)

Then take photos of the rotating white strip, convert the angle of the blurred image to time, and that to shutter speed. (Use a protractor or measure and do some trig.)

Anybody ever tried this?

The one thing that kind of bothers me is how to get an accurate calibration of the exposure system. I've been adjusting so it agrees with a camera (the Pentax) which seems to be within the ballpark, and then doing sanity checks under sunny 16 conditions and test rolls.

I sure wish there were some easy to find reasonably accurate standard light source.

 

[Xmas]

Sunny side f/16 rule is pretty good?

Noel

 

[dmr]

Sunny side f/16 rule is pretty good?

Well, I've found that it's somewhere within sight of the ballpark, but not extremely consistent.

I have an east-facing window, second story, and depending on the time of the season and the phase of the moon, in the afternoon it's anywhere from 1-2 stops dimmer than Sunny 16. The parking lot at work in mid-day sun measures anywhere from one over to one under Sunny 16 or so.

If you look around on the net, there are all kinds of plans for making a light standard, usually with a light bulb and a dimmer, but there's really no easy way to check illuminance with any definite standard.

 

[steve garza]

Walter's Camera Repair in Los Angeles advertises CLA's for about $70-80.00 for older cameras. Older Euro-Gent w/ many years in the repair busineess. I've not used him for one, but he was kind in removing debris from my G2 finder for $5.00. I tried using canned air but couldn;t get at it. He offered to service my 35 'lux for $80.00

 

[peter_n]

Essex Camera & Repair in NJ CLA'd my Canonet for around $80 and I could hardly believe it was the same camera when I got it back. Excellent shop!

 

[Trius]

OK, I don't really wabt ti be a PITA, but it's CLAs, not CLA's. The apostraphe makes it posessive, where as CLAs (no apostrophe) is plural.

Again, I'm sorry, but THIS DRIVES ME NUTS! You are looking for sources (multiple if possible) of a CLA service for your cameras, not "camera's". E.g., "The camera's exposure was sit to f8 @ 1/250s", not "the cameras were set out on a table because all the RFF geeks had gathered in the Distillery Disctrict". Get it?

 

[ChrisPlatt]

The repairman I recommended has far more reasonable rates.

Chris