My long search is over. I have acquired a Medalist I...and I have a few questions.

6

68degrees

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Date code EE so 1944. In the film compartment, there is an anchor that says U.S. Is this because it was sold to the navy. Was this Navy property at one time or did the servicemen put that in there themselves to personalize it? It has the Black anodized focus tube. Everything seems to be working. Ill put some film through it later this week.

As far as problems. It has a stiff focus ring especially getting it started from the seated position and makes a dry squeak sound when leaving and returning to the seated position.

RF seems right. Viewfinder is hazy needs to be cleaned. Ektar lens is crystal clear. Black case is awesome. I stil dont know if it was custom dyed or if it was an option back then instead of the brown ones.

The only real problem is the dial on top of the camera, it seems like a distance scale. As Im focusing back in from the fully extended position, the dial only turns freely up to 25 feet, then it slows down and wont go to 50. That is the distance scale right? or is that only for infrared? Tell me its a distance scale please? Maybe its just dirty.
 
They were definitely used by the U.S. Navy, but I don't know enough about official markings, etc.

The scale on top is for focus distance.

68degrees said:
Date code EE so 1944. In the film compartment, there is an anchor that says U.S. Is this because it was sold to the navy. Was this Navy property at one time or did the servicemen put that in there themselves to personalize it? It has the Black anodized focus tube. Everything seems to be working. Ill put some film through it later this week.

As far as problems. It has a stiff focus ring especially getting it started from the seated position and makes a dry squeak sound when leaving and returning to the seated position.

RF seems right. Viewfinder is hazy needs to be cleaned. Ektar lens is crystal clear. Black case is awesome. I stil dont know if it was custom dyed or if it was an option back then instead of the brown ones.

The only real problem is the dial on top of the camera, it seems like a distance scale. As Im focusing back in from the fully extended position, the dial only turns freely up to 25 feet, then it slows down and wont go to 50. That is the distance scale right? or is that only for infrared? Tell me its a distance scale please? Maybe its just dirty.
Click to expand...
 
thanks fur. If these problems turn out to be minor I should have a pretty good shooter. I didnt realize it but, the shutter can be cocked independently of the film advance. Thats nice.
 
I've had to help catalog gear pools which were being sold by the Navy (I did this while on Guam in 2003. $60 Linhof Master Technika, anyone?) and there were a bunch of cameras from the WWII era and the Occupation years but I've never seen an anchor as a marking to denote Navy property. Usually they look like:
NAVY - XXXXXX
U.S. NAVY - XXXXXX

The number of digits in the unit assigned serial number differed due to the size of the unit and as they were assigned by the unit's OIC, the numbers of two cameras can be exactly the same between two different units.

Post photos of the numbers and the markings, we'd like to see them.

Phil Forrest
 
thanks for all the links.

The one other problem is that the retainer ring for the filter will not turn off. When i try to unscrew it the whole front lens group starts unscrewing also. I would like to get it loose because I actuall have a nice kodak yellow filter and hood that will fit.
 
Phil_F_NM said:
I've had to help catalog gear pools which were being sold by the Navy (I did this while on Guam in 2003. $60 Linhof Master Technika, anyone?) and there were a bunch of cameras from the WWII era and the Occupation years but I've never seen an anchor as a marking to denote Navy property. Usually they look like:
NAVY - XXXXXX
U.S. NAVY - XXXXXX

The number of digits in the unit assigned serial number differed due to the size of the unit and as they were assigned by the unit's OIC, the numbers of two cameras can be exactly the same between two different units.

Post photos of the numbers and the markings, we'd like to see them.

Phil Forrest
Click to expand...


The stiff focus is fixed now. Very smooth and quiet.

Here are the images of the markings.
 

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