Robot Royal 36

[_goodtimez]

Hi folks,

Is any of you using a Robot Royal 36 ? I'm wondering what this camera is for a daily use. Is it practical in the long term and has it got any design flaw ?

 

[Edward C. Zimmermann]

Hi folks,

Is any of you using a Robot Royal 36 ? I'm wondering what this camera is for a daily use.

It is at least as suited to daily use as a Leica M3. They are also more or less contemporary to one another.

Is it practical in the long term and has it got any design flaw ?

Its most significant design flaw was that it did not sell terribly well--- the Royal 24 was more popular and it did not sell as well as the Star models-- and Robot dumped the consumer market in the 1960s for industrial applications.. while the Royals were sold well into the late 1970s these were more or less old stock...

 

[_goodtimez]

Edward, thanks for your input.

 

[Roger Hicks]

It's been decades since I handled one, but I recall it as extremely heavy for its size, like all Robots.

Cheers,

R.

 

[Steve M.]

I used to have one of the Royal 24 models and the build quality was fantastic, especially the lens, a Schneider Xenar if I remember correctly. It basically handled like any rangefinder camera, but there aren't that many repair techs around that work on them. The wind up auto film advance worked perfectly. Wish all cameras had that feature. Two things you need to know. The camera is pretty heavy w/ no strap lugs. And it takes a proprietary take up film cassette, so if you buy one make sure it has one w/ the camera. Unfortunately, the shots weren't that sharp so I sold it. The lenses are not in the same league as a Leica (but then what is)?

 

[ZeissFan]

The Schneider-Kreuznach Xenars and Xenons are excellent lenses and in the 1930s and 1940s most certainly were equal to the Leica lenses. In fact, I believe some of the Leica lenses were/are Schneider designs, including an f/1.5 Xenon and the Super Angulon.

Even today, Schneider makes excellent lenses, although it's largely absent in the mass 35mm market. Its lenses for medium and large format -- and enlarging -- have excellent reputations.

From what I can tell, Robot cameras seemed to carry either a Schneider or a Zeiss lens, which puts them in very good company. I have a very early Robot that has an uncoated CZJ Biotar.

The camera is very heavy, as others have said.

 

[Satumango]

Well, where do I begin...

It weighs around 2 pounds and most versions do not have straplugs (the only version that I know of that has them is the Royal 36 B, of which presumably only 90 are made and so they cost a lot more, around 1000 euro)

The focusing ring is too close to the body for me, but that may not be a problem for you. (I have big hands, the "holding" hand interferes with my "turning" hand) Mine came with the ever-ready case, which makes it even more difficult for me to focus, so I tend to leave the case at home.

The viewfinder is a small round hole. You have to place your eye real close to view the entire frame. Not really comfortable to look trough, but not bad either once you get used to it. Rangefinder patch is a nice golden circle.

Mechanicallly I only had a few cases where the "shields" that protect the shutter didn't close fully after an exposure, just took of the lens and used the tip of a wooden toothpick to gently push it free, then they snapped into place (problably some dirt or something). Apart from that I didn't have any problems.

Speeds are set by turning a small metal knob on the front of the camera, this can be a bit stiff sometimes (on my camera anyway, but I have other Robots of a different type and those have the same "feel" in this regard)

A really nice feature is indeed, as someone pointed out, the spring wound film advance. Noisy, but nice. There are some versions where you can switch between single and series exposure (about 3 or 4 snaps a second, I believe) Alas, mine doesn't have that feature.

It also has a small foot that you can "swing out", so it doesn't topple over when standing. Knob rewind, shutter button lock, no selftimer though, no luxuries or any kind really. Just a well build, solid, reliable, mechanical camera. A bit awkward to operate sometimes, but hey, it's fifties technology. And I love mine.

I must admit though that the first half-used roll is still in the camera, for a variety of reasons (none of which have anything to do with the camera itself) so I can't really reflect on image quality 🙂

 

[Satumango]

I forgot: as Steve pointed out, you need a proprietary film-cassette (the NR version) that encloses the exposed film so that it is protected when you accidently open the camera. It is made of two "shells" that enclose a take-up spool. Apparently the only thing you really need is the spool itself, so if you find an NR-cassette that isn't in good shape, but the spool is still in good enough condition, you can just place the spool in the camera. Alternatively, you may be able to find (or adapt) a spool of another brand that fits the camera.