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Rattl3dbyth3rush
Tinkerer
Username: Rattl3dbyth3rush
Post Number: 1
Registered: 04-2010
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, April 03, 2010 - 05:14 am: | 
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Just bought myself an old spotmatic in very nice condition (or so i thought)
recently rattled off a trial film and it seems like all of my snaps have the some recurring problems:
1) bright flare of white light in the top right-hand corner of every photo.
2) in tandem with the flare, all my shots fade-in from right to left, i.e. the pictures are much darker on the right hand side of each photo.
3) in conjunction with the 'fading-in' issue, the darker portion of each photo is also accompanied by a nasty gritty white speckle.
4) the shutter is not firing on 1/1000 - no light is reaching the film.
in sum, i went to my local camera repair shop a few days ago and the guy told me that he's not willing to tell me what's wrong until i fork over some cash. his basic story was that the camera is old and thus definitely needs a comprehensive service/careful oiling - annoying seeing as i don't think it's that complex an issue. he also said that if it's not firing at 1/1000, the domino effect is that ALL OF the shutter speeds will be out of sync.
...one thing he did say though was that the light seals in old spotmatics are felt, rather than foam, and thus they shouldn't ever need replacing (seems pretty dubious). even if they don't deteriorate in the same way as a foam seal, surely they can still slip/erode over time?
any advice would be much appreciated..
cheers guys. |
Gez
Tinkerer
Username: Gez
Post Number: 190
Registered: 09-2007
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, April 03, 2010 - 08:05 am: |
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First off, unless you are prepared to spend big$$ many professional 'repairers' are next to useless. Most 30+ year old cameras with cloth shutters will have the problems you describe.
Problems 2&4 almost certainly indicate shutter fade/tapering and possible first curtain bounce too. The problem is generally easily fixed by cleaning the shutter wind bearings and associated gearing. If the camera is in its original condition the adjustment on the spindle shafts can be left alone, these are sealed with red paint anyway, as is the curtain brake screw.
Unfortunately all this is a bit daunting for the newbie. To get an idea of the work involved have a look at Tomosy's Book 1 in your local library. He does a good article on servicing the spotmatic, also IIRC there is an excellent non-factory repair manual available free, can somebody provide the link? |
Gez
Tinkerer
Username: Gez
Post Number: 191
Registered: 09-2007
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, April 03, 2010 - 08:20 am: |
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PS there is a 42 page pdf Factory Manual available on www.robertstech.com Looks useful. |
David_nebenzahl
Tinkerer
Username: David_nebenzahl
Post Number: 252
Registered: 12-2009
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, April 03, 2010 - 10:46 am: |
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Regarding finding Tomosy's book at your local library: ain't gonna happen. I challenge anyone here to show that their local library has this book. It would be really nice if they did, but ... |
Paul_ron
Tinkerer
Username: Paul_ron
Post Number: 212
Registered: 07-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, April 06, 2010 - 05:47 am: |
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I think there is a repair manual right here on this site. Check it out? |
