Some Ensign Selfix 1620 questions.

[seany65]

Hello all, I've just got an Ensign 1620, (or should that be 'a Houghton-Butcher Ross Ensign Selfix 16-20 model ii'? lol), and I'd like to ask a few questions if I may:

1) the pin in the shutter seems to almost always stick out when I press the shutter button, even after winding on and the little red signal on the top-plate has gone white and I've tensioned the shutter. I've only done this without a film though, does that matter? I've just tried with my 820 and I only have to wind a little bit and the shutter can fire.

2) Is the little red signal on the top plate supposed to go white as soon as I start to wind or is it supposed to take a couple of seconds to do this?

3) How stiff is the focusing supposed to be? Is it supposed to stiffen up after closing the camera and re-opening it? I can loosen it up after a minute or two but if I re-open the camera I have to loosen it again.

4) How easy should it be to open the viewfinder? I've just read that it's supposed to open when I press the button to open the camera. I can see the sliding-thing in the well of the viewfinder moving to the left but the finder isn't opening. There are little 'catchy' things on the sliding bit so I'm assuming that part is alright. Is this an easy fix?

5) How difficult should it be to move and twist the little catches on the bottom of the camera for loading a film?

6) The shutter speeds between 1 second and 1/50 all seem to be the same, the 1/100 may possibly be a little slow and I suppose the 1/300 should be checked. Is this an expensive repair?

Thanks for any help anyone can give. Please bear in mind I have NO ability to fix things.

EDIT: Forgot to ask this:

7) How easy is it to replace the red window stuff? The one in mine is a bit crinkled and as there was a bit of dirt on it I tried to clean it, but all I've done is move the red stuff slightly to one side and now there is a thin gap down one side which lets in white light. See, I told you I had no ability to fix things.😱

EDIT 2: Something else I forgot to add:

If any forum member can fix this ensign 1620 model 2, I can pay at least partly with what seems to me like a fully working Ensign selfix 820 which looks good for it's age.

 

[citizen99]

Hello all, I've just got an Ensign 1620, (or should that be 'a Houghton-Butcher Ross Ensign Selfix 16-20 model ii'? lol), and I'd like to ask a few questions if I may:

1) the pin in the shutter seems to almost always stick out when I press the shutter button, even after winding on and the little red signal on the top-plate has gone white and I've tensioned the shutter. I've only done this without a film though, does that matter? I've just tried with my 820 and I only have to wind a little bit and the shutter can fire.

2) Is the little red signal on the top plate supposed to go white as soon as I start to wind or is it supposed to take a couple of seconds to do this?

3) How stiff is the focusing supposed to be? Is it supposed to stiffen up after closing the camera and re-opening it? I can loosen it up after a minute or two but if I re-open the camera I have to loosen it again.

4) How easy should it be to open the viewfinder? I've just read that it's supposed to open when I press the button to open the camera. I can see the sliding-thing in the well of the viewfinder moving to the left but the finder isn't opening. There are little 'catchy' things on the sliding bit so I'm assuming that part is alright. Is this an easy fix?

5) How difficult should it be to move and twist the little catches on the bottom of the camera for loading a film?

6) The shutter speeds between 1 second and 1/50 all seem to be the same, the 1/100 may possibly be a little slow and I suppose the 1/300 should be checked. Is this an expensive repair?

Thanks for any help anyone can give. Please bear in mind I have NO ability to fix things.

EDIT: Forgot to ask this:

7) How easy is it to replace the red window stuff? The one in mine is a bit crinkled and as there was a bit of dirt on it I tried to clean it, but all I've done is move the red stuff slightly to one side and now there is a thin gap down one side which lets in white light. See, I told you I had no ability to fix things.😱

I don't have your particular model (Ensign Selfix 16-20 model ii) but I've come across some information whilst researching other Ensign folders that I have had.
Could you post (or link to) some pictures of the camera, from various angles, so that we can see the precise build status of the model ?

- There's some good advice here: https://www.flickr.com/groups/59116840@N00/discuss/72157626740724450/

3), 4), 5), and 6)
In general, I would expect a thorough cleaning to solve most of the problems.

1), 4)
If there are return springs on interlock levers, consider possibly tension weakened with age.

7)
I would try to 'tease' it back into position with e.g a wooden toothpick/matchstick, then secure it with a dab of mild adhesive. If it's badly crinkled you could just punch it out and do without it - I think your model has a sliding cover (?).

6)
If the 1/300 setting can be made faster than 1/200 you would be extremely lucky. I base that on experience with Epsilon, Kodak, Prontor, and Compur shutters of that age and younger.

6)
I've no idea what a repairman would charge, except that unless he's doing it as a favour it would be more than the camera is worth.
I was a bit nervous about tackling my first DIY repair, after finding a local 'repair shop' just interested in cleaning digital cameras 😉 . If you decide to have a go on the basis of 'nothing to lose', would need to tool up with e.g. watchmaker's screwdrivers and loupe/glasses, watch oil, fine tweezers & pliers, lens wrench...
Getting stubborn lenses out sometimes need drilling holes or cutting slots in the brass mounting for the lens wrench.

Good luck 🙂

 

[seany65]

Thanks for the reply citizen99.





Click on thumbs to see big pics.

I think the red bit is a bit too crinkled to be of much use. I'm not so sure about dumping the red bit and doing without as, while it does have a sliding cover, I'd be worried about fogging by daylight when winding on.

Thankls for the link. I'll look at it after posting this.

PS. the inside isn't as dusty as in the pic. I think they brushed it at the same time as the rest of the camera, after I asked them to brush the lens as there was some 'white stuff' on the lens and I'd wanted to know if it came off or there was some problem with the lens.

 

[seany65]

Another couple of questions that I forgot to ask earlier:

1) Is the shape made by the inner edge of the frame in the viewfinder longer and thinner than the shape made by inner edge of the film gate (?)/metal frame in the camera body on these cameras, or is it an optical illusion?

2) How accurate is the frame in the viewfinder compared to the actual negative area? As far as I can tell, when held with the long side horizontally, it looks wider than the frame of a 35mm camera, or even looks a bit 'panoramic'/widescreen to me. As far as my feeble maths skills go as far as I can tell, a negative of 6x4.5 has a ratio of 4:3 because 4x1.5=6 and 3x1.5=4.5, which is about the shape of an old tv screen. I've measured the width of the film gate (?) and it's about 41mm and the height is about 56mm.

I've just divided 56 by 41 and got 1.36,divided 56 by 1.36 and got 41.1,
then I divided 41 by 1.36 and got 30.1, so that is a ratio of 4:3. So why doesn't the frame line look shorter and fatter?

Or am I completely out with my 'calculations'?

 

[citizen99]

^^^ Sorry I can't suggest anything much about that, as I don't have an example of the model to give some idea of what the manufacturer's design intentions were. Let's hope that someone who has the model sees your question.

 

[seany65]

Thanks for the 2nd reply citizen99.

To anyone that can help, this new info may help in the diagnosis:

If I wind-on just enough to turn the little indicator from red to white, I can tension the shutter an fire it maybe 4, 5 or 6 times. The 'reminder needle' always stick up on the first 2 or 3 presses, but then stops popping up at the 4th or 5th presses, and then I have to wind on again. This happens whenever I change the shutter speeds.

I've not tried doing this after doing 2 or 3 turns of the wind-on knob.

Would this indicate that more than a 'bit of a clean' is necessary?

 

[citizen99]

Have you watched the relative movements, of the body shutter release lever, and the actual release lever on the shutter against which it presses ? For example, given that the shutter isn't always working correctly, does the shutter's own release lever complete its action correctly during a 'firing' attempt ?

Have you tried operating the shutter release lever directly, with a fingernail or whatever is convenient?

 

[seany65]

Hello citizen99. The shutter fires every time after each wind-on and the actual release lever presses against the 'plate bit' that fires the shutter, although I've not tested it with my finger.

The warning needle always sticks up on the first/second firing after winding and sometimes on the third but never on the fourth or beyond. After some re-tensionings the wind knob has to be turned to fire the shutter again.

Anyway, from the little info I've been able to get from the web, it seems all the repairs will be too costly to justify. At present I've decided to try and get a refund.

Thanks for trying to help, it's appreciated.