Welta Weltax Viewfinder frame

[seany65]

Sorry for cluttering up the 120/220 Rangefinder folder thread with a mere scale focus folder, but it's the only place I can put this:

I've just bought a Welta Weltax 6x6/6x4.5 folder and the viewfinder has a switch to change between 6x6 and 6x4.5 frames, but on mine only the right hand side 'blind' thing moves into position when I switch from 6x6 to 6x4.5. I was wondering if anyone knows if it's possible to fix this?

There are two flanges on the bottom part of the viewfinder with a screw in each which secure the whole thing to the top plate. There is a screw on either side of the vertical sides of the viewfinder which I presume hold the metal bit of the top half of the viewfinder in place.

Here's a pic showing what I mean:



Click on the pic to see the full-size pic.

In this pic the viewfinder is actually in a horizontal position, but I'm sure you can just about see what I mean.

To complicate matters, there is also a 'Parallax correction system' which can be changed from "Infinity" to "Near". I'm presuming that this bit would be held in place by the lower part of the viewfinder assembly which has the flanges attached to the top plate.

So I think only the two screws in the top half of the assembly should be unscrewed.

Has anyone ever done this and is there any 'stuff' inside which may fall out if I try to fix the left-side 'blind' thing?

Any help would be much appreciated.

EDIT: Sorry, I forgot to ask if anyone knows which red window to use for 6x4.5?

 

[Mr_Flibble]

The mechanism isn't particularly complex. I had it apart on mine because the whole thing was rather tight.
If I recall correctly, it was indeed just a matter of removing the two screws from either side of the VF cover and lift it off the base on the body.

The red window near the center of the back is for 6x6, the other one would then, of course, be for 6x4.5

 

[seany65]

Thanks for the info Mr_Flibble.

Hmmm, by 'rather tight', do you mean it was hard to switch from 6x6 to 6x4.5?

Is it easy to fiddle with the 'blinds'/flaps of the mask without risking breaking anything?

 

[Mr_Flibble]

Yeah, it's just the tiny knob that rocks two sheet metal parts.
The VF lenses might be loose, so keep an eye on those.

Mine had probably fallen on a hard surface as the top of the VF was caved in slighly, that had jammed the tiny knob in place. I hammered it out a bit and the knob now snaps into either position with a little satisfying 'click'.

The Weltax was giving me more trouble than the just the VF, though. The Compur-S was not firing properly on B/T because an internal part had bent a few microns out of place, And the bellows erecting struts weren't meshing neatly. But it's all fixed now and it's a lovely camera

 

[seany65]

Thanks for the info.

I may just risk attempting a fix myself. I don't think it's the switching knob itself that's giving trouble as the blind/flap on the right moves into place. First, I'll have to find my tweezers in order to hold the screws when putting them back in.

Have you any idea at what distance I should switch from 'Infinity' to 'Near' on the parallax thingy?

 

[seany65]

Hmmm. Due to the fact that I'v got a yellow streak down my back, that I'm lily-livered and yellow-bellied and my real name is Coward E. Custard, I think I may be chickening out of fiddling with the viewfinder myself.

Is there a Brit-based member who could fix it for not a great deal of money?

 

[seany65]

I know this is nothing to do with the viewfinder, but I always think that info about a particular make and model of camera should be in the same thread so:

I've just noticed that now that I've put an empty spool in the take-up slot (probably the wrong name, but you know what I mean) the 'Open' button for the front doesn't work as well as it does without the spool in place. Without the spool, the front opens every time, with the spool in place a lot of the time the front only opens if I press the front 'drop plate'(?) towards the camera and press the 'Open' button.

Does anyone have any idea what's going on? Could I have put the spool in incorrectly? Do I have to 'wind on' before the front opens?

Any help would be much appreciated.

 

[seany65]

Hmm. I took the spool out again and the camera opened alright again I then put the spool back in, but I then 'wound on' a bit and the camera opened alright. I should've checked it before and after winding on to see if that made any difference (I don't see how it could). I'm presuming it will play up again at some point, so I'd still appreciate any help.

 

[oftheherd]

I keep forgetting to check my Welta 6x6 cameras. I will try to do so tonight and report back.

 

[seany65]

Thanks for the reply oftheherd.

Does anyone happen to know if there's a tech/repairer's diagram/exploded view of the viewfinder which is clear enough for me to attempt to fix the left side of the 6x4.5 viewfinder frame?

 

[oftheherd]

Sorry I didn't get a chance to try and reproduce you problem. I only had time to check two Mamiya Six cameras mentioned on another thread. I will try tonight.

 

[seany65]

For anyone who has a weltax and may want to know:

I recently bought an English language re-print of the manual for my Welta Weltax 6x6/6x4.5 and it says the the parallax correction switch on the viewfinder is for distances of 1 - 3 metres, that's 3.2ft to 9.8ft.


In a little section on Pages 13-14, it says:

"Important!

When setting the shutter, carefully observe the following points:

Use considerable pressure in winding the shutter at the high speeds. Moving the lever with only one finger may cause displacement of the lens carrier, which would bring the lens out of focus. It is therefore necessary to to balance the pressure by winding the lever with the thumb, while supporting the shutter with the other fingers (Ill. No.14)."

I'll include the pic later.

Can cocking the shutter just using a finger really move the lens carrier and thus affect the focus of the lens?

 

[oftheherd]

For anyone who has a weltax and may want to know:

I recently bought an English language re-print of the manual for my Welta Weltax 6x6/6x4.5 and it says the the parallax correction switch on the viewfinder is for distances of 1 - 3 metres, that's 3.2ft to 9.8ft.


In a little section on Pages 13-14, it says:

"Important!

When setting the shutter, carefully observe the following points:

Use considerable pressure in winding the shutter at the high speeds. Moving the lever with only one finger may cause displacement of the lens carrier, which would bring the lens out of focus. It is therefore necessary to to balance the pressure by winding the lever with the thumb, while supporting the shutter with the other fingers (Ill. No.14)."

I'll include the pic later.

Can cocking the shutter just using a finger really move the lens carrier and thus affect the focus of the lens?

I could see that it might. Sometimes shutter speeds of even 1/200, much less 1/300 or 1/500, have some very strong springs. I don't think once or twice would cause a problem, but over time it probably might.

is it possible you are being confused by the wording used in translation? We would be more likely to say 'lens frame' or 'lens yoke.' On smaller folders (6x6 or 6x9) it is less likely, but I have heard that lens "carrier" misalignment is a difficult problem to correct on larger folders.

 

[seany65]

I took 'lens carrier' to actually be the whole lens assembly with shutter and aperture, especially the bit between the shutter speed ring and the aperture scale which has a slot for the shutter cocking lever, rather than the front of the lens barrel which is meant to be turned when focusing.

Having 'thunk' about it though, obviously the cocking lever could move the lens as the shutter is inside the lens, but I'm still confused by the manual saying we should use 'considerable pressure'. Surely it would be better to use less pressure when cocking but hold the 'lens assembly' still.

On the other hand, could this holding the lens assembly cause us to very slightly twist it each time and thus send the lens out of focus, and make this worse over time?