Godfrey
somewhat colored
A decent, user RoBoT Star 50 with Schneider 38mm f/2.8 lens arrived at my door today. It was pretty cheap, under $100, so my expectations were low.
I've not had much time to evaluate it yet but some things were immediate:
- the spring drive motor seems in good, tight condition
- slow shutter speeds are gummed up (expected)
- the lens needs a good CLA :: the focusing helicoid is stiff, the aperture ring is also very stiff and not oriented correctly, etc. But the glass looks clear and clean inside, and the diaphragm does work, etc.
When I get home I'll test the film transport and run the shutter through its range a few dozen times to see if the slow speeds start working. It will likely need a CLA just like the Robot II does.
Major advantage to the Star 50 over the Robot II is that you can fit a standard 35mm film cassette for the feed AND it has a film rewind knob so you can unload it more easily in the field.
(The Robot II uses Robot N and T cassettes, the IIa model incorporated the ability to use a standard 35mm cassette for feed but did not include a rewind in the camera ... you have to take both cassettes out, put them in a little light-tight box with a crank, and crank the film back into the cassette.)
Fun, fun, fun ...
I was going to have the Robot II upgraded to a Robot IIa spec when I had the shutter cleaned, but I think I'll leave it as original now and just get the shutter cleaned and working accurately. (I have two feed cassettes, just need another take up cassette so I can carry two film loads for a shooting walk.
Once the Star 50 is cleaned up, it will probably be the more used shooter for its convenience.
G
I've not had much time to evaluate it yet but some things were immediate:
- the spring drive motor seems in good, tight condition
- slow shutter speeds are gummed up (expected)
- the lens needs a good CLA :: the focusing helicoid is stiff, the aperture ring is also very stiff and not oriented correctly, etc. But the glass looks clear and clean inside, and the diaphragm does work, etc.
When I get home I'll test the film transport and run the shutter through its range a few dozen times to see if the slow speeds start working. It will likely need a CLA just like the Robot II does.
Major advantage to the Star 50 over the Robot II is that you can fit a standard 35mm film cassette for the feed AND it has a film rewind knob so you can unload it more easily in the field.
(The Robot II uses Robot N and T cassettes, the IIa model incorporated the ability to use a standard 35mm cassette for feed but did not include a rewind in the camera ... you have to take both cassettes out, put them in a little light-tight box with a crank, and crank the film back into the cassette.)
Fun, fun, fun ...
I was going to have the Robot II upgraded to a Robot IIa spec when I had the shutter cleaned, but I think I'll leave it as original now and just get the shutter cleaned and working accurately. (I have two feed cassettes, just need another take up cassette so I can carry two film loads for a shooting walk.
Once the Star 50 is cleaned up, it will probably be the more used shooter for its convenience. G