Marshal Press 6x9 w/ Nikkor lens!

[Tveljus]

If you have the money to buy it but just feel unsure, I'd say buy it!
It's an interesting and scarce camera, and as you say the Nikkor lens seems to have some real qualities to it.

Also, I'm sure you can sell it for the same price or higher either here in the classifieds or on Ebay. I would gladly buy it from you if you decide not to keep it, I just need back some money I'm missing. 😎

EDIT: About the minimum focusing distance, you must understand that the bellows allow close-up shots – but there's no way to focus correctly without the ground glass mentioned in the article. And then there's the problem of loading film and having to shoot a whole roll on the same subject at the same distance and framing...
The 3 feet is when focusing coupled to the rangefinder (so the bellows are of no extra use there).

 

[nanntonaku]

haha, I've pretty much decided that i will pick it up, but cheers for the encouragement! I'll head down there next week and take it for a spin.

at the moment tho, i'm playing with a polaroid 600se and a mamiya universal with the f2.8 lens and a polaroid back,... too many things to play with!

but this oddity looks too good to pass up.

sometimes not having the cash makes life easier 😛

 

[nanntonaku]

did some reading of the nikomat.org website so i thought i'd share, my japanese is not the best but:

- nikomat.org reckons that the Marshal's Nikkor Q 105mm is pretty much the same as the 105mm used on the Bronica system, the 105mm f3.5LS. of course there might have been some changes, but they are essentially the same.

so since there are very few samples of the Marshal Press online, i guess searching flickr for bronica 105 would give you a good idea of what the Marshal Press could do?

the original page: http://nikomat.org/priv/camera/mednikkor/marshal/compare.html

the google translated page: http://translate.google.co.jp/trans...camera/mednikkor/marshal/compare.html&act=url

 

[Tveljus]

Yes, I have read that too, nikomat.org being the most informative site I've found so far. Supposedly it would share a lot with some of the Nikkor large format lenses as well.
The thing is the leaf shutter 105mm lens for the Bronica S-system isn't that common, so there are not a lot of good samples around. For instance, I don't think I have seen a single good example of the bokeh at wide open aperture. But I intend to change that as soon as I get my Marshal back from the repair!

 

[Tveljus]

Hello again everyone!

The Marshal Press have after several months returned from one of Swedens most experienced camera repairmen – unfortunately only with an apologizing email and no repair. :bang:

But! After a short but very rewarding mail conversation with Mr Shinsaku Hiura who is the owner of the site Nikomat.org, I have discovered that there's this 'film aperture plate' that is missing from my camera!

It's kind of like a format mask, only its function has to do with normal use of the camera (contrary to when shooting close-ups with the add-on ground glass and one-shot film insert).

What we're guessing that this aperture plate's abscence does, is that it lets the film pressure plate push the film a few extra millimetres towards the lens – resulting in the beyond-infinity focus.

So, now I have a plan to try to create a substitute for the aperture plate of some sort, my first try is going to be in cardboard. If it seems to work for the focusing, I might try to get some more handy person get me the same thing in plastic.

Wish me luck!

 

[Tveljus]

II have finally had a model of the missing aperture plate produced by a 3D-printing firm. I didn't have the exact measurements of the original plate, so I measured inside the camera and guessed from there. The results where pretty close, but I hade to adjust some measurements with some cutting and sandpapering.

In the end, I ended up with this cream coloured piece of plastic that's now inside the Marshal Press! The two most important bits is that it fits securely (despite being a bit broken, my fault) and that the measurements for the two ridges that guides the film are correct.

You can spot at least the upper ridge, at the top of the plate.

I've shot a test roll, will get back with the results.

Also, I still have some problems with the rangefinder. When I calibrate it, it changes after the first time I re-focus the camera. Together with the rangefinder patch being near invisible, it's pretty hard to be sure I got the focusing right. If I get consistent test shots back I'll be happy though. 🙂

 

[oftheherd]

Looking forward to seeing the results. Interesting solution using 3D printing. I might be tempted to try that with a needed insert for another camera, but I think first I will go with a machine shop. A good machinist can seem to work magic.

Your focus adjustment problem is also curious. Is there a part of the linkage that isn't tightened down correctly maybe?

 

[Tveljus]

I was actually looking for some kind of machine shop to get a insert of metal, but noone I contacted wanted to take on a thing with such small and precise measurements. So I went with 3D-printing, and with a plastic insert I could sandpaper and cut it if the shape was off (which is was).

But it seems my insert is working! Shot a test roll, and every shot came out well focused and quite sharp. I'll need to shoot a bit more to be 100% certain everything holds up, but it sure looks promising!

 

[Nokton48]

If I were you, I would hit that aperture plate with some flat-black Krylon, and let it bake in the sun.

 

[oftheherd]

I was actually looking for some kind of machine shop to get a insert of metal, but noone I contacted wanted to take on a thing with such small and precise measurements. So I went with 3D-printing, and with a plastic insert I could sandpaper and cut it if the shape was off (which is was).

But it seems my insert is working! Shot a test roll, and every shot came out well focused and quite sharp. I'll need to shoot a bit more to be 100% certain everything holds up, but it sure looks promising!

That is really surprising. I could understand that if it were difficult to get the metal. I just measured my Fuji with my Harbour Freight Chinese micrometer and it shows 0.40 mm. I think my Welta was the same, but can't get to it to confirm that right now. If you do find a machinist with that thickness metal who wants to try, I could sent you a photo of it for him to try with.

 

[Tveljus]

Nokton48: I was planning on just that!

offtheherd: I'm not sure what you mean. I don't see how your measurements of your Fuji/Welta would help here, but maybe I misunderstand you?
Here's my crude blueprint for the aperture plate, the same I sent in to the 3D-printer:

 

[europanorama]

I can further report that behind the silver screw on the back of the rangefinder housing – up and to the left in the image I attached – there is, maybe obviously to the experienced rangefinder users, the rangefinder adjustor.

You just unscrew the silver screw which covers a smaller screw that when turned adjust the rangefinder image. With the help of a ground glass placed where the film would be (luckily my Plaubel Makina I's ground glass worked like a charm for this, being of 6x9 dimensions and all!!) you can focus the camera on a subject and then adjust the rangefinder image to match up properly.

Also, I have uncovered that the big arrows (the 'start mark') on the roll should be showing at the right (full) spool, not at the left (take-up) spool for the film to wind up properly from the S-mark to no. 1 on the frame counter dial.

Once I'm sure that the camera is fully calibrated, I think I will fall seriously in love with it! It's so simple to use, definitely of sooo much better build quality than any medium format camera I've owned, has a great Nikkor lens that covers a big-but-not-too-wide format of 6x8 and is very portable despite it's size. Gah, I'm so happy I got it!

CANNOT BE TRUE:
"Also, I have uncovered that the big arrows (the 'start mark') on the roll should be showing at the right (full) spool, not at the left (take-up) spool for the film to wind up properly from the S-mark to no. 1 on the frame counter dial."
Arrow on filmpaper is always aimed towards takeup-left side. You are telling the opposite!