Shutter problem with my Fed2 with nd-grad effekt

[matti]

I noticed that my Fed 2 delivers some sort of nd-grad effekt to my photos, that makes the right side of the picture darker than the left side. The effect seem worse when it is cold and with shorter times.

I uploaded three examples here:
Fed2-gallery

I tried to find three examples where the effect kind of works with the composition, so you wont get chocked 🙂 .

Can I do something myself or is a full CLA required? Or isn't it worth spending money on fed2:s for fixing them up? I like this camera as a companion to my M6.

/matti

 

[Moriarty]

If I understand correctly, the right side of a photo is the left side of the film fit in camera.
Darker left side indicates that the 2nd curtain moves faster then the 1st one. So I think the solution is to tighten the 1st curtain a little.

Check the following URL for descriptions of shutter adjustment.
http://jay.fedka.com/index_files/Page510.htm

 

[john neal]

Matti,

This is known as shutter capping, and can happen with any cloth FP shutter. It is sometimes as simple as adjusting the tension on one of the shutter blinds, but your symptoms suggest that it gets worse in cold weather which could mean that you have a problem with old lubricant getting sticky in lower temperatures. If that is so, increasing the tension will only lead to more strain being put on the shutter, possibly leading to an early failure.

I would suggest that you hunt around for instructions on how to flood clean your shutter, followed by a relube and only then look at tensioning the blinds. More difficult and involved, but the best solution in the long run.

 

[reagan]

Also, going to the jay.fedka link Moriarty provides above, then clicking on "Common Bugs" at the bottom of the page will take you to a page that speaks of capping and other bugs. (Working on a few of those myself... 🙁 )

 

[Mike Kovacs]

Take the lens off your camera and looking through the shutter with the back off, point it at a blank (power on) TV screen. The shape of the image you see will instantly tell you whether a focal plane shutter is exhibiting this problem. I suggest you try it on every camera, before film is even loaded 🙂

http://rick_oleson.tripod.com/index-135.html

 

[matti]

Thank you everyone for the hints. Both the Fed Survival site an Rick Olssens notes were new to me.

I guess it's time for the night of the small screwdrivers, again. Last time I relubed my industar 61 and it came out really smooth! (I didn't have the tools for the front though, so the clickstops are off.)

If I go fancy I might even try to calibrate Rick Olesons TV Sutter tester to PAL-frequences.

/matti

 

[Mike Kovacs]

I would count on that test more for a rough idea of the speeds, and more for uneven exposure. I built a shutter tester for pretty cheap ($20) by interfacing a photodiode to my computer's soundcard. (plans exist on the net in several places)

For PAL (50Hz), it works well for old cameras with the 1/50 speed I am sure 🙂