blumoon
Well-known
I recently acquired a very nice Bessamatic.
Everything seems to be working fine, but the focusing screen has some crud on it.
Is there any way to clean it or get it out?
Everything seems to be working fine, but the focusing screen has some crud on it.
Is there any way to clean it or get it out?
radi(c)al_cam
Well-known
I'd say, a hoover (vacuum cleaner) should help. Seriously!
Not recommended, it would mean a quite complete dismantling of the camera.
Actually it's not that bad getting the top cover off a Bessamatic. Less hassle than a lot of Japanese SLRs. Being a Voigtländer, though, you do have to be switched on to ensuring the timing of the aperture control wheel and the meter control arm are not lost and damaged respectively. Once inside the prism as I recall is just an interference fit under the cover with bits of foam used to locate it. The foam is where the crud has come from by the way. You'll need to replace it. And keep the body right side up until you have the prism out. It will fall out if you invert it whether you are ready to catch it or not.
The screen will remove easily enough. I can't recall if the meter galvanometer and needle must come off first, it's been a few years. It might. Won't be hard to move it enough to slip the screen, though. But I would probably not even take it out, and try to clean it in situ first and only remove it if it was really necessary. Bearing in mind that, unlike a Contaflex or early Retina Reflex for example, the Bessamatic shutter is behind the lens, so you can already reach the underneath of the focus screen with the shutter cocked.
A chap called Mecking sells a repair guide for them on eBay on CD. It's under $20 and excellent—I have it myself. If you haven't delved into older German cameras much I highly recommend getting a copy. It will cover a full strip down of the entire camera and has plenty of actual photographs with lots of detail.
They're a truly lovely German SLR. And feel much newer than they are as they handle really well. I must sort out an issue with mine and run some film through it. It's one of my favourite SLRs. As always too many cameras but not enough time.
Watch out for the return spring for the wind lever if you delve into yours yourself. Not so bad once you work it out but to a novice it would be extremely "character-building".
Cheers
Brett
The screen will remove easily enough. I can't recall if the meter galvanometer and needle must come off first, it's been a few years. It might. Won't be hard to move it enough to slip the screen, though. But I would probably not even take it out, and try to clean it in situ first and only remove it if it was really necessary. Bearing in mind that, unlike a Contaflex or early Retina Reflex for example, the Bessamatic shutter is behind the lens, so you can already reach the underneath of the focus screen with the shutter cocked.
A chap called Mecking sells a repair guide for them on eBay on CD. It's under $20 and excellent—I have it myself. If you haven't delved into older German cameras much I highly recommend getting a copy. It will cover a full strip down of the entire camera and has plenty of actual photographs with lots of detail.
They're a truly lovely German SLR. And feel much newer than they are as they handle really well. I must sort out an issue with mine and run some film through it. It's one of my favourite SLRs. As always too many cameras but not enough time.
Watch out for the return spring for the wind lever if you delve into yours yourself. Not so bad once you work it out but to a novice it would be extremely "character-building".
Cheers
Brett
