As Steve says, it's still possible to clean either the shutter blades or the aperture blades (with the shutter set to bulb and a locking cable release) through the front. The only reasons I recommended removing the rear lens group, was because you had a lens spanner coming, and access from front and rear can make the cleaning process easier, and quicker. As Steve says, a combination of persistence, swabbing, actuation etc. will mean the fluid will pull the contamination to the front for it to be swabbed off - it just takes a little longer.
Naptha is pretty benign to most components of a camera including lenses, and the Fujicas from my experience don't have particularly vulnerable coatings, unlike some vintage lenses. So I simply suggest leaving the lens well alone until the camera functions correctly and cleaning is complete, then give it a careful clean with swabs and clean lighter fluid, followed by a final clean with lens cleaner, and all should be fine.
Regards,
Brett
Tony, I can't quite tell from the picture, but a question. Depending on how many element groups the lens has, is there another element group between the shutter and the aperture blades? Because I can't see any aperture blades in your picture. Or, the aperture is wide open and the blades are not visible. In order to start cleaning them, you want them set at minimum aperture (Ie f22). Opening and closing them periodically helps move the gunk from the areas of each blade that are obscured to the front so it can be removed by swabbing, and is an important part of the cleaning process.
Regards,
Brett
Regards,
Brett
Tony-S
Member
Brett, the aperture is stuck wide-open. When I have the shutter open on bulb, I can see a bit of movement behind the shutter blades when I turn the aperture ring to automatic and then back to the numbers. The ring is such that the A is next to f/22 and f/1.8 is furthest away from the A. When the shutter is closed, movement of the aperture ring from A to f/1.8 doesn't make any noise (except for the click stops); however, when I have the shutter open on bulb, moving it to the f/1.8 results in a "tink" sound and moving it onto the A makes a sound as if something is getting tripped. The only time I see (what I think are) the aperture blades move is when I move it from A to f/1.8 (but not from f/1.8 to A). Also, the tink and the trip sounds only occur if I go from one A to f/1.8 and back. If I move from A to f/8 and back, no trip sound. If I move from f/1.8 to f/8, no tink sound.
Tony-S
Member
I was able to get the top off and there were no wires holding it in place. There are several screws around the rangefinder mirror, but I don't know which one adjusts the vertical setting. I'm 99% sure that #2 is the one that is accessible by removing the hot shoe and adjusts horizontally. #4 is recessed in the hole. I think #5 just holds the metal in place. So, which of the others controls the vertical adjustment?
Also, should I clean the mirror, or just leave it alone? If cleaning is advised, what is the procedure?
I cleaned up the eyepiece in the lower left corner and it really brightened up the viewfinder.
Also, should I clean the mirror, or just leave it alone? If cleaning is advised, what is the procedure?
I cleaned up the eyepiece in the lower left corner and it really brightened up the viewfinder.
Attachments
Hi Tony,
it's been a couple of years or so since I had to set a RF on my 35-EE. But as I said, I had to replace the prism and this meant re-aligning the RF from scratch. As I recall I believe it was the screw you've labelled "1" in your photo which sets the vertical alignment of the focus patch.
It's often not a good idea to touch a RF mirror as they are front surface and easily damaged. Having said that, being the ignorant novice I was at the time (still am?), I cleaned mine with a cotton tip and some lens cleaning fluid. A couple of years down the track, I've had no ill effects. So, my suggestion is that, if it appears dirty, yes, you can clean it but, go gently and the bare minimum of contact. I also had to reattach the RF mirror to my camera so check the security of its attachment. If needed it can be re-glued to the perch although of course, the focus will then probably be out of calibration and need to be re-set.
In the centre left of your pic you will see a curved lens in front of the prism. This is geared to the focus mechanism and is Fuji's version of parallax adjustment. Have a look at this too, and if necessary, it can be removed to improve access for cleaning. From memory, there are two small screws retaining it. Just be sure not to drop them into the camera and it's a straightforward operation to remove it if needed. Of course, if you can get in there with lens tissue, for instance, then no need to remove it at all, but FYI.
Regards,
Brett
Hi Tony,
from what you've said it would seem the aperture blades may still be sticking. This isn't so surprising, because in the process of cleaning and firing the shutter blades, no matter how careful you are, it is almost inevitable that you'll flick a bit of goo onto the aperture. My Contaflexes tend to often do this when I clean them. And they may have been oily, anyway, before you started...
There are a couple of things you could try (because we have to think laterally and remember that there are other things that might malfunction apart from the shutter itself).
Firstly, you might try putting the control in Auto mode, and selecting a longer shutter speed. This may encourage the aperture to close when you fire the camera if the meter is pointed to a bright light source, as, if it is functioning, it will try to stop down the lens. Increase the ASA setting if you need to, to increase the feed from the meter and give it a helping hand.
If this makes no difference, it may be wise to leave the camera to dry out for a couple of days, just to ensure no naptha residue is making the blades stick. Often the wetness of the lighter fluid will make sticking parts such as the aperture move, when they're stuck, but not always. You can always feed it a drop of naptha in a day or two, to see if this encourages some movement of the aperture, but, it's probably easier to let it dry properly first, in case this helps.
There are other options, of course, such as taking the top off the shutter to manipulate the mechanism manually and close the aperture. But as I mentioned, not having personally looked inside one of these shutters myself, I have not read good things about dismantling them. Hence, I would suggest less intrusive options in the first instance.
Unfortunately, a lot of the online information about these camera is in Japanese, however if you also do a bit of Googling, you'll turn up some more details about this and at the least, some useful pictures. From what you've posted so far, the interior of the top certainly looks similar to the late 1950s early 1960s Fujicas such as the 35-EE & 35-SE.
Regards,
Brett
Tony-S
Member
Brett, I gave up on the V2 and just took the plunge and sent it in to Mark Hama. He's already taken it apart and has informed me that the shutter and aperture need rebuilt. That added $40 to the cost of the CLA, but he says it should be it for the repair.
In the meanwhile, I just got my hands on a 35-SE with an f/1.9 lens. The camera seems to be in good condition; however, the aperture blades won't open fully and get stuck on about f/2.8. Also, the meter appears dead. I have a 35-SE with an f/2.8 lens and it's fully functional other than a bit of an issue with the aperture-shutter linkage.
Any advice on getting the aperture to fully open to f/1.9 and to check the selenium cell to see if it's really dead or just in need of wiring?
Thanks,
Tony
In the meanwhile, I just got my hands on a 35-SE with an f/1.9 lens. The camera seems to be in good condition; however, the aperture blades won't open fully and get stuck on about f/2.8. Also, the meter appears dead. I have a 35-SE with an f/2.8 lens and it's fully functional other than a bit of an issue with the aperture-shutter linkage.
Any advice on getting the aperture to fully open to f/1.9 and to check the selenium cell to see if it's really dead or just in need of wiring?
Thanks,
Tony
Tony-S
Member
I have the aperture fixed. The only issue now is the meter. Would checking the wires be first? This is a selenium cell - no batteries.