most frequent camera repair

most frequent camera repair

  • rangefinder calibration

    Votes: 82 29.1%

  • viewfinder cleaning

    Votes: 35 12.4%

  • lubrication

    Votes: 49 17.4%

  • shutter repair or adjust

    Votes: 100 35.5%

  • timing adjustments (capping etc)

    Votes: 23 8.2%

  • shutter curtain repair

    Votes: 18 6.4%

  • transport problems

    Votes: 20 7.1%

  • something I missed

    Votes: 38 13.5%
  • Total voters
    282
Usual CLA and RF mirrors on older Leicas, and I had three Nikon shutter failures, in one a leaf actually became detached and flopped around, two new SLR bodies, one fast the other slow. You can guess which got the slides and which got the C41.

Film chips in the shutter, a Canon needed a factory clean out.

Kievs, just keep the repair shop on speed dial, shutter and film advance, same for Pentacons.

Contax G2, manual focus did not function, and could not change the film speed back to DX. Factory took care of it.

And, Feds, several with holes in the shutters, I read someplace about a kind of paint you could dab on the holes, never found it.

Had a beautiful 28mm M mount Minolta, fungus looked like measles, I had bought it new.

Lots of old fixed lens RF's with sticky and slow shutters.

Murphy lives in my house.

That said, the Leica under my name was just tested and everyone seems to work.
 
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Replacement of foam applies almost entirely to Japanese cameras. It's very uncommon to find light-seal foam in a German camera.

Not to bash the Japanese, but they took shortcuts -- and continue to take shortcuts -- in designing the film backs. A proper design requires no foam and still blocks light.

I've had to replace the foam in every one of my Japanese cameras, no matter how inexpensive or costly the camera is. The foam in the small Konica 35 often has been the worst, turning into a mushy goo.

Other foam has dried and crumbled and made its way into the viewfinder.

Regarding leaf shutters, all of them (Japanese, German and American) have needed to be serviced.

Rangefinder adjustment is very common, and that generally is accompanied by a routine CLA that includes cleaning the viewing system. As always, watch out for the semi-gilded mirror.

Of my cameras, the Agfas have nearly always exhibited two problems, and most people here know what those are: Stuck helicals and pinholes in the plastic bellows. Agfa's choice of these materials leaves much to be desired.

I've been using a small Crayola fabric marker to fill pinholes in shutters. It works great, because the shutters are still pliable, and the holes are filled.
 
kully said:
Foam for me too. Not limited to old cameras either, had it go in my < 8 month old R2a.
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I'm surprised that there is a foam light seal in the R2a! I don't think there was one in my R - I'd assume that the Japanese should have the art of making light traps figured out by now...

Philipp
 
I've been using a small Crayola fabric marker to fill pinholes in shutters. It works great, because the shutters are still pliable, and the holes are filled.[/quote]


Sounds like the answer to my Fed/Zorki litany of "holy" shutters, though I am not familiar wit Crayola fabric markers, would one find them at an office supply?

Regards, John
 
The 1st M3 I bought needed a CLA overall, but it definitely had shutter speed problems. Don @ DAG made it as good as new.

I just received a new (to me) M3, that looks to need rangefinder focus patch adjustment. The images are not aligned vertically. I suspect the shutter speeds could use some adjusting too. Also, the rewind isn't as buttery smooth as the one that Don did the CLA on, so I imagine that will improve too. I've sent an email out to Don to see if he can take on my CLA at the moment.
 
Most of my recent camera repairs pertain to pre-war Contax shutters. I just went through having my Contaflex TLR overhauled (new shutter straps, general going over, etc) and the camera had to be re-repaired because of capping at higher speeds (it works great now!). My Contax I shutter needed work, and my Contax II needed shutter work as well. Maybe I'm expecting more from these cameras than I should.....?

Other common repairs concern slow shutter speeds on LTM Leicas and rangefinder adjustment.
 
how to repair shrtter on bessa r4a

how to repair shrtter on bessa r4a

how do yoy repair a bessa r4a .shetter.it is 1 year old ,2 repair on shrtter,1 on rangerfinder , leica 15 year old 2 rangerfinder calibration. R4A IS AGOOD CAMERA ,WHIN IT WARK S PS NAT GOOD IN EMAL
 
Sounds like the answer to my Fed/Zorki litany of "holy" shutters, though I am not familiar wit Crayola fabric markers, would one find them at an office supply?

Regards, John[/quote]

Go to an art supply store and get a small tube of lampblack (or you can go to the watercolors section and get black "guache"). Take it home, mix a teaspoonfull with a few drops of white glue and add one drop of liquid soap. Be sure to mix it thoroughly. Apply a tiny amount to the pinholed curtain and let it sit and dry for about a week. This is the traditional, old fashioned, tried and tested way of patching pinholed curtains.
 
JohnTF said:
And, Feds, several with holes in the shutters, I read someplace about a kind of paint you could dab on the holes, never found it.
Click to expand...

Probably fabric paint (the stuff used on T-shirts). You find it at art supply stores. Traditionally, pinholed shutters have been repaired with a mix of lampblack (from the same art supply store), a few drops of white glue and a single drop of liquid dish soap (to keep it pliable).
 
I officially hate my local camera repair man - I have now repaired the same camera 3 times for the same problem for the past year. It's never really been right. I just don't use it often enough to test the repair quickly. I'm now down $400 and have a jammed transport. I had picked it up last Friday, took it out today Tuesday, and wound it 4-5 times and it jammed. so now I get to go back, futilely ask for my money back, or have the same Bozo's try again to fix it.
Hate, Hate, Hate them! The camera is probably only worth $500 if working
 
Of course it depends on the camera. If it's a 70's vintage SLR, it's probably light seals, and maybe the meter. If it's a Leica IIIc, a Leotax, or a Minolta 35, it's probably shutter curtains. If it's a Canon 7, VT, VI-L (etc.), the shutter mechanism probably needs servicing (for capping and the like - the rangefinder can be user-adjusted in many cases). If it's an Exakta VX (and the like), I can almost guarantee you the shutter mechanism and/or curtains need service. And so on and so forth!
 
marcr1230 said:
I officially hate my local camera repair man - I have now repaired the same camera 3 times for the same problem for the past year. It's never really been right. I just don't use it often enough to test the repair quickly. I'm now down $400 and have a jammed transport. I had picked it up last Friday, took it out today Tuesday, and wound it 4-5 times and it jammed. so now I get to go back, futilely ask for my money back, or have the same Bozo's try again to fix it.
Hate, Hate, Hate them! The camera is probably only worth $500 if working
Click to expand...


Sounds like a repairman to avoid! Is this the same guy who said he's worked on a few reissue Nikon RFs?
 
I don't consider foam re-sealing as as a "repair", rather routine maintenance since no designer ever considered this to be a lifetime item.

My most frequent repairs have been coupled CDS meter repairs to my RFs and electronic shutter release repairs to my 2 problem-prone XAs. Every time I take my XAs out, I take a deep breath hoping NO failures.
 
Not sure about cameras in general, but for M Leica's, it is the rewind mechanism, according to a couple of techs I've talked to.
 
rxmd said:
I'm surprised that there is a foam light seal in the R2a! I don't think there was one in my R - I'd assume that the Japanese should have the art of making light traps figured out by now...
l
Philipp
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I think the only foam light seal on an R2A is behind the metal hinge and for the film window. I don't think it would be possible to have a film window without using foam seals.
 
Depends on the camera. With leaf shutter cameras, it's usually the shutter. With Nikon rangefinders, you should inspect the shutter curtains for holes. With many rangefinders, you need to check the rangefinder.

With the Zeiss Ikon Contax II or IIa, it usually requires a total overhaul. With the Contax I and II, it usually means replacing the shutter straps.

With the Leica LTM, check the condition of the shutter curtains, the slow-speed escapement (if it has one) and the rangefinder.

These are the ones that I am thinking of at this moment.
 
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