Light meter on 35RC underexposing

[shanenoir]

Well, this is a bummer. I got a good condition 35RC from Craigslist, and everything was cosmetically great, but the battery compartment had some corrosion. I cleaned that out, and put in a new battery (gave it about an hour to air out beforehand). I just got back my test roll, and it looks like all the pictures left to auto mode are very underexposed.

😱

I took it into a local camera repair guy, who noted that the lens assembly was a bit loose as well and estimated around $140 to fix up the camera, however that's almost three times the price I paid for the thing, and I'm not sure I want to go for it.

I got the camera because it has manual exposure unlike my Yashica Electro GS which has been acting up lately. I figure this will be a good time to get used to estimating light by eye and carrying around a light meter to be certain, and I'll also try setting the 35RC's meter to two stops slower (like 50 ISO when the film speed is really 200).

But yeah, I'll post back if it works. 😎

 

[Frontman]

The RC is one of the easiest cameras to work on, and you can do most repairs with a simple Philips screwdriver and a lens spanner.

The underexposure problem is not a big deal, simply adjust the ASA dial to compensate. No one really buys an RC to use in Auto mode anyway, so you should just use it in manual and not worry about the meter.

As for the loose lens assembly, more than likely the retaining ring around the front of the lens nameplate is loose. This can be tightened with a lens spanner quite easily. The lens itself is held on with slotted and Philips screws, which are then glued in place. You can check the tightness of the screws by removing the retaining ring around the name plate, pulling the name plate out (it contains the meter cell and ASA dial in one unit), and then tighten the visible screws. You should be able to see at least 3.

If the test roll you shot is in focus, then the loose lens issue is probably not a problem to worry about too much.