Professional Shutter Speed Adjustment places?

[MIkhail]

Hello,
Does anybody know if there are places (US) that do shutter speed adjustment for Zorki-1 inexpensively ? Of course I realize that Sherry and others like that can do it. It's just not worth paying $200 to adjust a $30 camera. Meanwhile everything else works well and I would hate to throw the camera away...
Thank you in advance.

 

[mburns]

Shutter speeds are not a reason for disposing of a camera! Just find a way to measure the speeds and then enjoy shooting film. I was shown by a camera technician the Leitz manual which specifies that shutters one half of a stop slow are within specification. I read that BW film photographers are expected to test their films ISO rating for themselves.

 

[Moto-Uno]

If your shutter speeds are reasonably consistent , then who cares ? However, to address your concerns, there's more than a few sites that show how to make a shutter tester that works with the free "Audacity" sound software package . From using it on all my cameras I can say that it's easy and allows you to chart every cameras unique shutter speed . The device is cheap and even I was able to make it ~$20 . If you'd like I can post a few pics of it . Peter

 

[View Range]

https://www.davescamera.net

Dave's Camera Repair near Ann Arbor. Adjusting the shutter curtain spring tension may help, but the camera likely needs re-lubrication to be a reliable shooter. There are camera repair books covering Leica's that probably are close enough to your Zorki if you want to try it for yourself.

 

[MIkhail]

https://www.davescamera.net

Dave's Camera Repair near Ann Arbor. Adjusting the shutter curtain spring tension may help, but the camera likely needs re-lubrication to be a reliable shooter. There are camera repair books covering Leica's that probably are close enough to your Zorki if you want to try it for yourself.

That's interesting. I will check it out. Thanks!

 

[MIkhail]

I checked speeds that's why I am asking. They are off but not at all consistently off. All over the place. Other than that camera is smooth and nice. Good looking too

 

[Moto-Uno]

^I guess I've been lucky, as all my cameras have had the shutter in the lens assembly .
Would be the last to suggest this as gospel , but my fuji Gl , Mamiya 7, Bronica Etrs and even the Medalist (and Welta ) have tested consistent (although slow in the Medalist ) . Surprisingly the Welta Weltur was within 20 percent on all speeds and lord knows if it's
ever been serviced ! Peter

 

[MIkhail]

^I guess I've been lucky, as all my cameras have had the shutter in the lens assembly .
Would be the last to suggest this as gospel , but my fuji Gl , Mamiya 7, Bronica Etrs and even the Medalist (and Welta ) have tested consistent (although slow in the Medalist ) . Surprisingly the Welta Weltur was within 20 percent on all speeds and lord knows if it's
ever been serviced ! Peter

I would not bother if they are consistently off. Unfortunately it is not the case.

 

[rick oleson]

The shutter speeds in the Zorki-1 aren't exactly adjustable per se; it's a pin-in-hole arrangement in which the speeds are controlled by the shutter curtain velocity. If this is off or inconsistent, the most likely causes are (1) dirt in the works, which is not a bad DIY job to fix, or (2) stiff/hardened/cracked/pinholed shutter curtains, in which case the only fix is replacement of the curtains (which is kind of a pain in the patoot, and you might not want to pay pro repair rates for this much work against the value of a Zorki-1)

 

[MIkhail]

This is what I get.

 

[ForestCap]

This is what I get.

This is too much off, but meanwhile you said the camera is nice and smooth... So I wonder if there is something wrong(lacking parts) with the shutter speed mechanism( the pin-in-hole arrangement as mentioned above), rather than just bad tensioning of the curtains.

How reliable are the test result? I mean if the 1/500s behaves like 1/45s, you should be able to tell it from bare-eye observation.

 

[MIkhail]

This is too much off, but meanwhile you said the camera is nice and smooth... So I wonder if there is something wrong(lacking parts) with the shutter speed mechanism( the pin-in-hole arrangement as mentioned above), rather than just bad tensioning of the curtains.

How reliable are the test result? I mean if the 1/500s behaves like 1/45s, you should be able to tell it from bare-eye observation.

Checked my other camera and it's right on.

Anyway I think I got the answer. If I find reasonable source I will use it otherwise the camera will be sitting as conversational piece 🙂

 

[rick oleson]

I'm trying to visualize how that combination is even possible. The only thing I can think of is a film chip or something stuck in the gears of the #2 curtain, causing it to hesitate 1/50 second and then pass through. Do you happen to have a CRT television set around anywhere? Those are great for giving you a really good look at what the shutter is doing.

 

[MIkhail]

I'm trying to visualize how that combination is even possible. The only thing I can think of is a film chip or something stuck in the gears of the #2 curtain, causing it to hesitate 1/50 second and then pass through. Do you happen to have a CRT television set around anywhere? Those are great for giving you a really good look at what the shutter is doing.

No, I was using one of these
http://www.ebay.com/itm/162299432217?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT
The problem, of course, is that with Zorki 1 you cannot put it on a back of camera for direct light access like you would do with M6 for example.
So what I did was- I inserted the piece of aluminum foil in place of film and tester was positioned on front of a camera (replacing the lens). I also was shining the light into camera with small flashlight. So shutter would open the curtains and light shining thru would reflect to the tester. It was very repeatable, I tried at least 3 times for each measurement (I am engineer by profession 🙂 )

 

[rick oleson]

I would try removing the body shell so that you can sight properly through the shutter, and repeat your speed tests. You might get the same results, but it's worth finding out. I've heard of that profession .... as I recall, using instruments in the way they were designed to be used was one of the rules.

🙂

 

[brbo]

No, I was using one of these
http://www.ebay.com/itm/162299432217?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT
The problem, of course, is that with Zorki 1 you cannot put it on a back of camera for direct light access like you would do with M6 for example.
So what I did was- I inserted the piece of aluminum foil in place of film and tester was positioned on front of a camera (replacing the lens). I also was shining the light into camera with small flashlight. So shutter would open the curtains and light shining thru would reflect to the tester. It was very repeatable, I tried at least 3 times for each measurement (I am engineer by profession 🙂 )

You're an engineer and I'm not, but how exactly does the gizmo you are using measure the width of the slit that will determine the exposure of the film?

 

[rick oleson]

When you checked your other camera and it was right on, did you use this same method, with aluminum foil in the film gate and aiming the tester in the lens mount? Or with that camera were you sighting through the shutter curtains per normal practice? If you're comparing one to the other to verify your test method, you need to be using the same test method.

 

[MIkhail]

When you checked your other camera and it was right on, did you use this same method, with aluminum foil in the film gate and aiming the tester in the lens mount? Or with that camera were you sighting through the shutter curtains per normal practice? If you're comparing one to the other to verify your test method, you need to be using the same test method.

No, I was using normal method, because with my other cameras I have access to the back of a camera.
I agree this is not necessarily apples-to-apples but close enough. I mean, if it's accurate enough for slow speeds, then it's equally accurate for faster speeds. Slow speeds are one step off, where the fast ones are completely out...


BTW, I am reading your web site right now 🙂

 

[rick oleson]

I would not assume the apples-to-oranges is close enough until I'd proven this to be the case. Given that you have access to the lens mount of your other camera it should be easy to test both cameras that way; and you can compare the results between the front- and rear- positioned tests to confirm that the front-positioned test is accurate.

 

[MIkhail]

I would not assume the apples-to-oranges is close enough until I'd proven this to be the case. Given that you have access to the lens mount of your other camera it should be easy to test both cameras that way; and you can compare the results between the front- and rear- positioned tests to confirm that the front-positioned test is accurate.

It would not be difficult, indeed.
My point is: if I am wrong with fast speeds, then I would be proportionally wrong with slow speeds as well.

Anyway, going back to my original topic, it appears to me that buying Zorki-1, as cute as this camera looks, is completely useless proposition. Unless you are a handyman, who enjoys adjusting speeds and cleaning the cameras, there is no point spending $25-50 on camera where you are almost guaranteed to invest another $200 to make it work. Might as well get the working camera on a first place.