| Author |
Message |
    
John Hess
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, July 22, 2005 - 02:59 pm: | 
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I am obsessed with getting one of these things, but it appears most units available for sale have problems. I don't care about the meter. What is the typical failure on these cats? |
greyhoundman
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, July 22, 2005 - 03:20 pm: |
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Stuck shutter and aperture blades. |
charlie
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, July 22, 2005 - 03:56 pm: |
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You could do a keyword search here to find a list of problems. |
Jon Goodman
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, July 22, 2005 - 08:32 pm: |
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On the other hand, I have one which has never missed a beat. I've had it many years, and it is one of the few rangefinders I depend on to work whenever I reach for it. A Zorki 4 from 1956 is another...man what a smooth camera that is.
Jon |
Winfried
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, July 23, 2005 - 02:40 am: |
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Some Lynx14 also suffer from bend lens barrels. The giant lens barrel will hit the ground first when dropped, and is mainly made from soft aluminium.
Check for even gaps of all the setting rings all around the lens barrel.
Many, if not most, Lynx14 have dented filter rings. Sometimes people try to unscrew the first retainer ring. If you do not grip the lens barrel during this operation one or two stop pins inside the shutter will break. NEVER buy one where the speed dial is in a strange position or rotates freely.
Many also suffer from rotten batteries. The battery cover thread has a very fine pitch and sometimes you have to break it off with plumbers pliers. The battery cover of the 14E must be removed to be able to remove the top cover for rangefinder adjustment,viewfinder cleaning etc. |
Dan Mitchell
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, July 24, 2005 - 12:23 am: |
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Also check the aperture movement by looking through from the back. There is a lever that connects the aperture control to the diaphram and tends to get bent/broken.
I agree with John's assesment - the Lynx 14 is one of the best fixed-lens rangefinders. SUper sharp lens, good shutter, decent rangefinder all in a solid metal body.
And no auto-exposure system to mess you up  |
Howard
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, July 24, 2005 - 11:37 pm: |
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Hi John,
Just a personal note. I have both a 14 and a 14e and if you are planning to shoot mainly outdoors the 14 is the better proposition as the meter is much easier to read. With the 14e the over and under lights are almost impossible to see in bright daylight. However if shooting in low light levels the 14e is better. They are both great cameras and there are quite a few around, so be patient and if possible you should really try to get one with a working meter.
Good luck
Howard |
