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Brett
Tinkerer
Username: Brett
Post Number: 7
Registered: 07-2010
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, June 15, 2011 - 12:53 am: | 
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Hi guys,
it has been a while since I posted here, and in the meantime I have developed something of an obsession with the Contaflex SLRs.
I've managed to breathe new life into a few Super B types and have a queue of other models waiting for me to find the time to attend to them. I now own one or more examples of a I, II, IV, Old Super, New Super, Super B, a few magazine backs, Pro Tessars and I hope to eventually have an example of every Tessar-equipped model. I like to use my cameras often, and have a Super B with Velvia and Plus X loaded in its magazine backs, as well as a IV with Neopan Acros 100 I am using at present.
In the meantime every single one I bought ex-ebay has had various faults that were not described. It doesn't seem to matter whether you buy these from professional dealers or private seller, either.
Eventually, I got sick and tired of this (I think I own a dozen Contaflice now). Partly out of sheer bloody-mindedness, and partly so I can tell sellers in future that they have no excuse for not checking a Contaflex properly, I sat down and wrote a guide for buyers about how to thoroughly inspect one, to make sure it is actually working. And then, having had a real run of bad luck with Rollei TLRs lately also, I wrote one about them, too.
Of course, unlike many of you I haven't been pulling film cameras apart for years or even decades, just the last two or three years. I don't hold myself out as having any sort of expertise except being an owner willing to have a go at fixing faults. And I only purchased my first Contaflex in January (a Super B). But despite the fear-inducing reputation these SLRs have, my success rate seems to be quite good so far.
So here are links to the guide pages I have written and I sincerely hope they will be helpful to owners or potential owners (I am not making any money out of the guides of course).
If you have any feedback or suggestions about inaccuracies etc. then, of course, I value any input on how to improve them.
http://reviews.ebay.com/Detailed-Buying-Guide-For-Zeiss-Contaflex-SLR_W0QQugidZ1 0000000021350708
http://reviews.ebay.com/Rolleiflex-amp-Rolleicord-TLR-Buyers-Guide_W0QQugidZ1000 0000024247397
Kind Regards,
Brett |
Connealy
Tinkerer
Username: Connealy
Post Number: 46
Registered: 02-2008
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, June 15, 2011 - 05:48 am: |
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Very nicely organized and written guide on the Contaflex, probably my all-time favorite slr. I hope you will share some of your further adventures in restoring and using the camera. |
Denny
Tinkerer
Username: Denny
Post Number: 68
Registered: 08-2009
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, June 16, 2011 - 09:17 pm: |
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Thanks Brett. I picked up a Contaflex I at a flea market a few years ago. It appeared to be working well until I made the mistake of trying the self-timer. Long story short, I ended up cleaning the shutter and eventually, with help from folks on this forum, got it back together and it seems to be working fine. I just finished a roll of film and hope to process it this weekend to confirm the working order.
Is testing the self-timer before a purchase something you would recommend? Or if everything is working, stay away from the self-timer and never touch it? I have become paranoid about even trying a self-time on a leaf shutter if I intend to run film through the camera.
Thanks again for the links. |
Brett
Tinkerer
Username: Brett
Post Number: 8
Registered: 07-2010
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, June 19, 2011 - 02:23 am: |
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Hi Denny.
Well it is true, it is always a risk that the escapement may not want to complete by itself. But often if the self timer escapement sticks the slow speed is likely to as well. And the self timer can usually be persuaded to complete, with a little gentle jiggling of the timer lever or the shutter speed adjustment ring.
It does come in handy for assessing the speeds of these leaf shutter SLRs , because using it pre fires the mirror and capping plate, meaning it is much easier to assess the actual operation of the shutter. Of course if you have a tester this is not an issue. If a camera has a quality shutter like the Contaflex I think it is worth using them regularly. I'm sure half the problem is that many owners don't. Because I tend to do a bit of landscape work, I do like a working self timer. They are very handy if you've left your cable release at home, and they are especially useful with a Contaflex or other leaf shutter SLRs, such as the Bessamatic, as neither of these cameras feature a mirror lock or mirror pre-release lever. So the only way to exploit the full benefit of their beautifully smooth leaf shutters at longer exposures, is to use the self timer to pre-fire the mirror and capping plate for you because these are the components that make most of the vibration. So I often do it, for this exact reason.
Thanks Connealy for those kind words. I was out taking some pics of my son's (Australian Rules) football game today with a Contaflex IV and a 115mm Pro Tessar. I later met a man with some Tasmanian native snake species (tiger; copperhead; and white-lipped or whip; snakes. He had a baby tiger snake in an aquarium, so I got my Contaflex Super B with a film magazine loaded with Velvia out and took a couple of close up images of it with the help of a Zeiss Proxar lens (I also took a couple of shots with my 500C/M & 80mm Planar for good measure).
It is all about fixing them so I can use them. I helped a friend finish putting his own Super B back together during the week, too. Although light meters sometimes do not function most of the issues I have found to date seem to consist of old lube sticking mechanisms rather than actual breakages. The later models sometimes have some overlap between their main shutters and the capping plate as they seem to run to fairly tight timing. Whether it is incorrect assembly or wear I can't say but it is common sense to check for it by winding the camera slowly. It seems few do though. Bessamatics on the other hand with their positive latch for the capping plate seem to often not close properly at all, and I think the owners fingers are often to blame for this!
Regards,
Brett |
Photographer_x
Tinkerer
Username: Photographer_x
Post Number: 12
Registered: 12-2010
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, June 19, 2011 - 11:21 am: |
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Where do you get your Contaflex replacement parts? |
Brett
Tinkerer
Username: Brett
Post Number: 9
Registered: 07-2010
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, June 19, 2011 - 08:22 pm: |
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To date, I have been able to avoid the need for parts because, as I mentioned, the main problems seem to consist only of the need for cleaning and sometimes a little adjustment. But I do have a Contaflex I that has a prism in need of replacement. Also a Super which has a lens problem and will be used for spare parts to revive other cameras. I think that these days, anyone who wants to work on them will also need to find some parts cameras.
I have another Contaflex I which is ostensibly on its way over to me from the US (the seller has subsequently given me some problems). It's also faulty, so (if it ever arrives) it's likely it will be used to donate its prism to the Contaflex I that I already have (depending on which example is best). I think I actually have around five Supers and a couple of them have non-functioning meters, so it is possible a couple of them may also be applied to parts also. My New Super has a problem which is likely to require spare parts from one of the old Super models.
Regards,
Brett |
Jimedge
Tinkerer
Username: Jimedge
Post Number: 1
Registered: 02-2013
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, July 02, 2013 - 03:27 pm: |
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Hi! I owe my long career as an on/off pro photographer to the Contaflex VI - its a long and probably very boring story, but if you really want to hear it??? Now aged 62 and retired but still a very active photographer, I started collecting cameras which whilst described variously as 'vintage' or 'antique' are cameras which I would be happy to use today. I gravitated to the Contaflex range of cameras - the Contaflex VI was the first camera I ever owned at the tender age of 11, having been gifted it by a very close family friend in 1962 when my family moved from Liverpool, England, to Wrexham, N. Wales. My Contaflex collection now comprises a #1, VI, 2x Rapids, a Prima and a Super, together with a varied collection of Zeiss Ikon lenses and accessories. All of these cameras and accessories are in mint cosmetic condition but all the cameras have varying degrees of shutter problems. I have a steady hand, a good collection of precision tools, and the will to bring the hardware into useable condition, but am terrified that I might turn each into a bag of nuts and bolts rather than the pristine machine I hope for! Am I better keeping them as shelf items or should I just dive in? |
Br1078lum
Tinkerer
Username: Br1078lum
Post Number: 584
Registered: 11-2010
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, July 02, 2013 - 06:11 pm: |
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Depends on whether you have done any repairs before. The shutters on those cameras are an acquired taste, being mostly Synchro-Compurs (though I have an Alpha with a Prontor Reflex). The double action on the shutter opening makes for a complicated and busy compartment. But hey, you've got to learn somewhere.
Or, you could go buy some lesser valued cameras, and take those apart, and back together again to gain some experience. Leaf shutters basically have the same layout, just different ways of getting things done. Sometimes you can't exchange parts from one same brand camera to another simply because though the shutter may have the same name, improvements, or differences in manufacturing requirements dictate the design of internal components.
It's all fun, but try to do some research first, and a create a space you can dedicate to doing repairs.
In the meantime, I've just overhauled a Contaflex II shutter, if you want to see what it took to bring it out of it's coma.
http://flic.kr/s/aHsjGwBS2D
PF |
Jimedge
Tinkerer
Username: Jimedge
Post Number: 2
Registered: 02-2013
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, July 03, 2013 - 03:57 pm: |
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Hi! thanks for the encouragement! None of my Contaflex cameras cost more than a few pounds apart from the Contaflex VI I was given all those years ago, so if I mess it up I will not lose too much. I will look at your link re the Contaflex II shutter as my Contaflex I is in the worst condition shutter-wise and I believe these two are identical apart from the built-in meter. I have done quite a lot of internet research and at least have a pretty clear idea how to expose the shutter mechanism, but have no idea how to clean old lube or what to replace it with. Do I just dilute old lube with a solvent, work the shutter and hope for the best, or do I thoroughly clean and re-lube or just run dry. |
Br1078lum
Tinkerer
Username: Br1078lum
Post Number: 586
Registered: 11-2010
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, July 03, 2013 - 07:42 pm: |
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Yes, Jim, the meter is the only difference. Both have Tessars in Synchro-Compur MXV shutters. If it focuses easy, then there is nothing wrong with the lens lubricant, but it's better to clean it off so you don't smear it all over the elements.
The shutters though do require some lubricant (one of the few that do). You will see it when you open it up, so it's easy to determine where it may be lacking. Zeiss used mostly a Molycote type of lube that is very stable. For the lens, I replaced the original with SuperLube, a synthetic that http://www.micro-tools.com/store/home.aspx sells, but I found at the local hardware store. That one tube will last me the rest of my lifetime.
Usually, the only thing I do when working on a leaf shutter is remove the speed escapement, and self timer for cleaning with some Ronsonol lighter fluid. A good grade of naptha will work too, but the lighter fluid comes in easy to handle containers. I soak them in the fluid, and work the gears back and forth to dislodge any particles, all while wearing nitrile gloves to keep the fluid from soaking into my skin.
The other thing with old leaf shutters is the hammering the parts take while performing their various functions. So burrs and deformities can manifest themselves as sticking speeds, or even non-opening shutters. I had one shutter where the lever underneath the B lever had spread so much, the tangs on it didn't catch on the parts they were supposed to, and I had to bend it back into shape. That was not an easy one to diagnose.
From what I understand about the Contaflex line, other than the original TLR, each newer model was a bit more complex than the one before it, culminating in the Super BC. The I and II are always good starting places on learning how to fix them.
PF |
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