RoBoT II camera, back from the dead

[Mr_Flibble]

This camera was given to me last Christmas by a Photo.net member.

Berning RoBoT II luftwaffe gun camera from World War 2.

The camera had a stuck shutter and broken spring drive.
So two weeks ago I shipped it to Robot Kameradienst in Dusseldorf.

It came back yesterday
Shutter test movie

I can heartily recommend Fritz and Andreas Kergl for all your RoBoT repairs and maintenance! 🙂

Time to source a lens and film cassettes for this camera 😎

 

[KoNickon]

Great! It's certainly good to know that there are RoBoT specialists out there. My local dealer has one (forget which model) that he is pushing on me -- I may break down some day.

Do Fritz and Andreas work on Leningrads, I wonder.

 

[jsrockit]

Lucky guy... enjoy.

 

[Mr_Flibble]

RoBoT Kameradienst acquired all of Berning's spare parts after they stopped manufacturing non-industrial cameras.

 

[Godfrey]

Fritz did a super job on both my Robot II and Star 50. They work very well now, feel great. 🙂

G

 

[Mr_Flibble]

So in order to complete the set I bought a luftwaffe marked Schneider 75mm f/3.8 Tele-xenar to go with it...

Also got an N-type take-up cassette on the way.
Only need to get a T-type feeding cassette now.

 

[CliveC]

I really love clockwork/spring-driven cameras. The Robot is one I'd like to own one day.

 

[zuiko85]

Just opened your post Rick.
As I was playing your short movie my wife's head poped up and said, "whats that sound?"

"That's a shutter on a RoBot camera" I answered, "a half frame spring wound camera from prewar Germany"

"That's an loud shutter." was her reply

She is probably used to the wisper quiet leaf shutter on my early Pen vf type camera.

 

[Godfrey]

So in order to complete the set I bought a luftwaffe marked Schneider 75mm f/3.8 Tele-xenar to go with it...

Also got an N-type take-up cassette on the way.
Only need to get a T-type feeding cassette now.

Lovely! If the lens is clean and in good condition optically, it will make some amazing photos.

When Fritz overhauled my Robot II, he updated it to Robot IIa spec so it now takes a standard 35mm film cassette rather than the type T feed cassette. Less original, but much easier to work with. As a consequence, I have at least one (maybe two) type T feed cassettes I can offer if you need a feed cassettes. PM me and I'll figure a price...

G

 

[Mr_Flibble]

The lens is a little hazy and stiff I'm told. But I'm sure I can service it (or have someone service it. 😉

As the camera has no viewfinder I'm going to have to figure something out for that as well.

PM on the way for the T-type feeder cassette.

 

[Mr_Flibble]

It's nearly ready to go, only the T-cartridge is still in the mail

 

[Mr_Flibble]

Shot a roll of Agfa Superpan 200 with it last week at a remembrance ceremony at Capelse Veer.
The viewfinder I fashioned for it needs some serious fine-tuning.
I had to do some serious cropping to get at least some suggestion of composition. 😉

 

[Mr_Flibble]

Some better composed pictures from a two weeks ago (with Rollei Retro 80S) during the "In the Footsteps of the 82nd Airborne" Walk in the Belgian Ardennes.

 

[Rodchenko]

Good results from a resurrected camera. And a RoBoT is always going to be interesting.

 

[Godfrey]

Nice work!

G