R2A shutter button isn't firing, what went wrong?

[carpediem291]

I bought an R2A secondhand several months ago. I put a couple rolls of film through with no problem. However today I discovered that the shutter button isn't firing when pressed. I had to rewind my film in the middle of the roll. The rear black curtain is closed and the built in light meter still indicates the shutter speed. So what went wrong? Should I send this in for repair? If so what is the approximate coat? Or is this something I could fix myself? Please clarify. Thanks

 

[Pikapig]

Change batt! R2A is non mechanic.
Thou de meter is still working, de batt is too weak.

 

[baycrest]

Hopefully its the batteries. Check out the user manual on how to check if the batteries are on their last legs.

Otherwise, just pick up some new LR44 batteries and see what happens.

Good Luck

 

[pbo]

What a coincidence...

What a coincidence...

Same problem occurred with my R2A today when I was shooting in the park. At first, camera would shoot as soon as lever was advanced (no pressing of shutter release), then shutter just stuck - gray curtains open, black ones closed.

First thought was that batteries died - so I changed them as soon as I got home. Didn't help - nothing changed. Meter also did not turn on, even though the shutter button was pressable.

So, I took off the bottom plate to check it out - nothing seems out of place.

Next, I tried this trick - I dislodged the little claw that locks the advance lever, and advanced the camera. Hear a click - the gray curtains close, but they look somewhat weird (not sure, may be just a psychological thing). Here's what things look like:

Click on thumbnails to see full size.

After this, with bottom plate installed, whenever I try advancing, the assembly just slides to the right, then click back to their original positions on the left (obviously, can't see that with plate on, but I'm pretty sure that's what happens). Curtains don't move at all. In addition, if bottom plate is not in place, when at the far right position, assembly gets stuck there - like in picture below. Does not happen when bottom plate is installed.


I'm kind of lost on what to do next..

 

[Pikapig]

Hmm...my only experience was battery weak. Cant help much here, but suggest that you should send in to some professionals to get it serviced.

Wonder if these issues will happen to the M series..hmm...

 

[alfredian]

I saw this on U-Tube

I saw this on U-Tube

I saw a dorm-room-made video of this via UTube:

With any Bessa R-series w/hungup shutter you
1- remove lens (so you can see shutter)
2- gently depress shutter button as far as it will go
3 - starting at fastest speed (use other hand) slowly & deliberately dial down through the shutter speeds, stopping at every one. Eventually the gray-bars dropped down.

Urban legend is that if you don't advance the film completely while loading, and THEN trip the shutter before closing the back door you can "confuse" the lockwork. Don't know about the latter but the college kid made the 1-2-3 thing work just fine. I forget what he did to enable himself to (at will) screw up a Bessa shutter.

Moral: pinhole lenses have fewer moving parts.

 

[carpediem291]

I replaced the battery and the pressed on the shutter button all the way down. . . it's not firing. The rear black curtain and front gray curtain are closed and I can't advance the film lever anymore. I tried above method with no luck. Anyone could recommend a good place for repair and approximate cost? Also wondering if this is common with Bessa. I can't afford my camera to malfunction without explanation since I often travel abroad on assignment, dependability is important. Perhaps I need to bite the bullet and get a Leica M6.

 

[Pikapig]

Its not a common issue i believed. My R2A is pretty reliable.

 

[Leigh Youdale]

I can't afford my camera to malfunction without explanation since I often travel abroad on assignment, dependability is important. Perhaps I need to bite the bullet and get a Leica M6.

First, I would never travel on any sort of assignment, let alone an important one without a backup body. Even for my M6. There's a R2A going in the classifieds at present.
Second, the Bessas are generally quite reliable. I have had an R3A and an R4A. I sold the R3A when I got the M6 but I still have the R4A as backup and specifically for wide shots.
The only issue I have ever had with either Voigtlander was the flash sync on the R4A which I bought second hand. It required a new PCB which cost about $125 from memory and was attended to promptly by the local distributor. It went back to Cosina and returned in about three weeks. I don't use flash but I didn't want to have a camera that wasn't working properly in all respects.

Get it fixed and get a second body. Remember an M6 can be almost 20 years old and good as they are, they're not new! And they weigh a lot more than a Bessa!

 

[carpediem291]

I will get this camera fixed for now and even if I get a Leica I would still keep it as a second body. I checked cameraquest and they want $195 minimum for repair. Considering that I bought this camera for around $300, it's almost 2/3 of the price. Do you guys have other recommendations for camera repair?

 

[pbo]

After fiddling for a bit, I sent off mine to a tech in NY. We'll see how that goes..