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Mark Wilson
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, June 08, 2006 - 02:57 pm: | 
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I am trying to get my Fothflex 2 TLR going...second ever camera repair for a guy who can't use a screwdriver properly. The Fothflex front panel is forgiving...everything accessible easily.
Looking through from the focal plane, one notices light leaking between the lens barrel and its sleeve. The viewing lens has a protruding sheath...perhaps protective. My taking lens, however, has none, and such a sheath might also function to seal the light-tight space.
Can anyone tell me whether I should expect light coming in around the taking lens? Might it be missing a cylindrical sheath or supplementary sleeve? (The view lens one does not seat around the taking lens so I can't just move it to the taking lens.) Alternately, can someone suggest a strategy to seal the dim circle of light that comes in around the taking lens? I suspect it will at least ruin the contrast and perhaps just wash out my negative.
This camera is so eccentric, it seems worth the effort.Thanks for tolerating my convoluted description.
Mark |
Wim Abbeloos
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, June 09, 2006 - 08:45 am: |
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I have a fothflex 1 (indicated as "fothflex"). I'm not exactly sure what you mean (what sheath? The "silver" ring on the exterior?). Also, I don't know how similar the cameras are. I can tell you, however, that I do not see any light leaking into the film compartment when I stare at it with the shutter open on B.
If you would like, I can take photographs... |
rick oleson
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, June 09, 2006 - 08:49 am: |
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i'm not familiar with the foth flexes, but light coming in around the lens cannot possibly be good... if it's enough for you to see easily with the naked eye it's probably catastrophic.
Lenses that telescope in a sleeve, a common arrangement in TLRs, typically have a black velvet ring inside the sleeve that serves as a light seal while permitting the parts to slide for focusing. I would guess that this may be missing in your camera. |
Mark Wilson
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, June 09, 2006 - 08:39 pm: |
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Thanks Wim...no real need, as I think Rick's response has given me the right idea. Dank U wel...en stuur 'n foto van de Fothflex as jij wil. Ik hou van deze lelijke ding...
I'll rig a velvet ring of some type and fit it such that it seals against the moving lens barrel. Working on such a thing makes one think about how clever these designers were. Love all the brass and glass. Thanks Rick. |
Wim Abbeloos
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, June 10, 2006 - 03:06 am: |
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Mark, you speak Dutch? How do you know I do?
My fothflex has problems as well. It has no shutter release lever, just to give an example. Previous owned seems to have solved that well by putting a screw from the interior trough the camera into the film chamber where it is held in place by a bolt, and "sealing" it with little pieces of leather. The camera works fine with a remote release cable...
The Fothflex is indeed an impressive design.
I think I'll go charge my digicams battery now. |
Mark Wilson
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, June 10, 2006 - 02:42 pm: |
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Wim, your name is a give-away! I'm Canadian, but my wife is Afrikaans, and I just convert the spellng of her language...that is why it's stilted and filled with errors...
I've replaced the Fothflex mirror with an irregular piece of mirror...must improve that. Also need to fix pinholes in curtain, etc. This camera is a scream. |
