OFFICIAL I HAVE A NEW (FILM RELATED) TOY THREAD!!

I've just picked up this Olympus 35 DC rangefinder for a very reasonable price.
Now that I have a battery in it, the meter works, the shutter fires and seems to be adjusting to light levels. The seals look ok too.
The only downside seems to be the crack across the glass of the rangefinder, though it doesn't seem to affect the function.
I'm going to run a test film through it shortly.


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However, does anyone know what this addition button (F) does?
I've download a manual and it's not in any of the diagrams or the text.
The one next to it is the sprocket release for rewinding the film.


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StephenM said:
From the manual I've just looked at:

p4 describes it as the shutter lock free button

p14 refers to it in the important photo (the manual description)

I hope this helps.

usermanual.wiki

Olympus Olympus-35-Dc-Operating-Instructions- Olympus-35-dc-operating-instructions

: Olympus Olympus-35-Dc-Operating-Instructions-776902 olympus-35-dc-operating-instructions-776902 olympus pdf
usermanual.wiki usermanual.wiki
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Interesting. The version of the manual I downloaded doesn't have the F button. Must be two versions of the camera, one without the F button and hence two versions of the manual.
It makes sense though as you can't advance the film or fire the shutter without light hitting the meter, so that button allows the shutter to fire with a lens cap on while loading film.

Thanks
 
Picked up a m42 CZJ Pancolar 50mm f1.8 yesterday with a Practika tl1000, cheapo zoom and some filters as used from ebay. On arrival I noticed that the camera doesn't wind and the lens was stuck wide open so I contacted the seller who knocked the price down to £20 for the lot. Other than re-centering elements on a CZJ Flektogon 35mm I had never tried fixing a lens but I thought for £20 it was worth a punt.

I got the back plate off and removed the back element exposing the blades and slowly and gently started working isopropyl alcohol into them while actuating the auto lever. Took about 10 min but suddenly they started to move!! Another hour of cleaning and about 10 cotton buds later and they were freed enough to open and close all the way to f22 and return on their own volition.
Yay a working Pancolar 50mm for £20!!

Problem is I have only managed to clean the back of the blades and the front is still pretty dirty. I can't seem to get the front branding ring off to start servicing the front of the blades. Tried rubber gloves and turning it with 2 rubbers from either side and it just wont budge.

Anyone got any suggestions?
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Does the front element have the 2 slots 180 degrees apart ?
if it does use one of these

If not try this set , not cheap , you may find cheaper.
 
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F1.2 said:
Does the front element have the 2 slots 180 degrees apart ?
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Yes, but in all the videos I have seen they remove the branding ring before taking the front element out. I didn't want to try removing the front element without doing the brand plate first in-case it would mess something up.
 
RyanB said:
Yes, but in all the videos I have seen they remove the branding ring before taking the front element out. I didn't want to try removing the front element without doing the brand plate first in-case it would mess something up.
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In the photo I can see a lttle slot on the stepped ring just above the serial number. I wonder if that is used to remove the branding ring.
 
The Oldun said:
In the photo I can see a lttle slot on the stepped ring just above the serial number. I wonder if that is used to remove the branding ring.
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Yes, those slots are for loosening the ring directly behind the branding ring and while visible cant be gotten to without removing the branding one. Pretty sure there is a grub screw securing the ring you are seeing behind the branding ring as well which can only be gotten to by removing the branding ring.

Thanks, I had seen that one but in the video they are removing only the rearmost and front elements which isn't quite what I'm after. If I can get the branding ring off I can remove the entire front element block directly exposing the aperture blades in one quick hit.

Thinking I might have to bite the bullet and shell out for some rubber ring removal tools and one of those suction cup removers which is gonna double the cost of the lens providing it all works out ok with the end result. They will probably come in handy anyway as I have a several surplus to requirements Tessar 50/2.8s and 135/3.5s with sticking apertures which if I can get working will sell for a better price than they would as spare/repairs.
 
Finally bought a Olympus xa3 for a reasonable price yay!!
Anyone has a picture of where the light seals are located?
Seller described the camera as “seems to be working” and by looking at the pictures I can’t tell if there’s light seals missing
 
Marino said:
Finally bought a Olympus xa3 for a reasonable price yay!!
Anyone has a picture of where the light seals are located?
Seller described the camera as “seems to be working” and by looking at the pictures I can’t tell if there’s light seals missing
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There are two strips above and below the film chamber when the back is open. Another where the back hinges onto the camera. There is barely any light seal material left on mine but I've never had any leaks.
 
Well I've just run a film through my new Olympus 35 DC (see previous post for photos of the camera) and got the scans back.
It was just a cheap roll of Lomo 100 b&w film to test. But pretty pleased with the results. Images look sharp and well exposed with no light leaks evident.
This is a full auto-exposure camera, so I did feel like I was missing out on at least controlling the aperture for DoF and to increase the light coming in. But the camera mostly exposed well. I need to try the Back Light Compensation button properly though.
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I might look to find a similar rangefinder with full manual controls next.
 
Rodinal said:
I have a different experience to yourself. A few months ago I bought what sounded like a nice Zeiss Super Ikonta from him and cosmetically it was nice, but the shutter jammed after 4 exposures so it was sent back. He may look at them, but there is something not quite right and may need to have them checked checked over by a repairer, especially the older ones before putting them up for sale. I didn't even get the offer of my postage being refunded.
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This post has just been brought to my attention. Rodinal is correct - the camera did develop a fault after we had tested it and sent it to him. However, if a faulty item is returned for a refund, we always refund the original postage paid and the return postage. In this case the camera was £149.00 + £11.00 postage. We refunded £171.00 (on May 2nd 2023).

Peter Loy
 
ChrisR said:
I am looking for a Pentax SMC M 28/2 if anyone on here has one they are not using. UK fleabay prices are absurd, so I'm eyeing up the Japanese options. Duty & VAT do make them more expensive, but the way I look at it, it's a public service to increase the UK population of nice lenses!
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I recently found a SMC Pentax M 28/2 leans for a very reasonable US$ 228 including postage, from Japan. It arrived within a few days, no VAT or Duty charged, and looks in very good condition. I took it to the Castleton film meet, where it was on the MX for around half the time (I thought I shouldn't rely on it exclusively until I've seen the results!). Negatives processed by The Darkroom UK will be waiting for me when I get home!
 
Meopta Flexaret Va
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It's a nice little thing. I wish I'd bought one of these as my 1st MF camera instead of the Lubitel 166b. The Meopta is a loads better even after just 3 test shots.

Slightly disconcerting it won't fire without a film in. Y2 filter on the way.
 
That's pretty exciting, @Mr Perceptive ! My little bit of searching tells me that Auto Electro thingy is a combined meter and shutter, built into the lens, something I'd certainly never heard of. Seems to have a good reputation, so we'd love to see some results from it.
 
ChrisR said:
That's pretty exciting, @Mr Perceptive ! My little bit of searching tells me that Auto Electro thingy is a combined meter and shutter, built into the lens, something I'd certainly never heard of. Seems to have a good reputation, so we'd love to see some results from it.
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The meter works (checked it against a digital camera and it seems reasonably accurate), I’m looking forward to seeing the results as well.

When you set the aperture in A the meter sets the shutter speed but you can override by setting the aperture or by using the ISO goal as a form of exposure compensation

It has been film tested by the dealer and I was shown the results - so all should be good
 
it is odd but kind of cool.
It was nick named the Hunchback of Solms due to its low profile pentaprism.
 
Spent a fortune recently on analogue photography!

I am so impressed with the results from the Rollei I purchased it's bigger brother; the 6008 Integral.

Not much difference between the cameras; a multi spot meetering mode and the ability to add a control module to adjust all parameters of the camera - all this on a 1990 Medium Format body!!

I also purchased a gorgeous Zeiss 50mm f/4 Distagon FLE.

full
 
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Designed by Zeiss. Styled by Porsche. Built by Yashica and now owned by me! :)

Contax RTS.jpg

I had one of these about 23/4 years ago. Traded up to a RTSII then a RTSIII before an eye injury put paid to my photography for a few years. I love the soft leather feel, the button operated exposure check function that doesn't involve flashing lights and wavering needles while you are trying to compose your shot. At the minute it has a Yashica ML short zoom on it, but I have already bought a Zeiss 50mm/1.7 to go on it.

Another package arrived yesterday too. I have two Zeiss 'Bullseye' cameras as depicted on the front cover of the book. The catalogues from the period list all the lenses and ancillary items that made up the range.

Zeiss Books.jpg
 
Clive K said:
Designed by Zeiss. Styled by Porsche. Built by Yashica and now owned by me! :)

View attachment 430011

I had one of these about 23/4 years ago. Traded up to a RTSII then a RTSIII before an eye injury put paid to my photography for a few years. I love the soft leather feel, the button operated exposure check function that doesn't involve flashing lights and wavering needles while you are trying to compose your shot. At the minute it has a Yashica ML short zoom on it, but I have already bought a Zeiss 50mm/1.7 to go on it.

Another package arrived yesterday too. I have two Zeiss 'Bullseye' cameras as depicted on the front cover of the book. The catalogues from the period list all the lenses and ancillary items that made up the range.

View attachment 430012
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Very nice looking RTS, my owned from very near new RTS lost most of it's soft leather thanks to the insect repellent used on our honey moon trip to Turkey in 1995. We still married and we both like looking back at the pictures it took on that holiday, a set of them were re edited and circulated to celebrate our 25th anniversary in 2020 as we could not have an anniversary party. The RTS is a happy memory camera for me.
 
A bit of an impulse purchase this, perhaps because it was cheap and came with the legend ‘Fully tested and working’. We shall see. My first SLR was a Praktica Super TL, which succeeded this one by several years, but obviously a lot happened in that time. The IV is pretty basic and quite quirky, but it is reassuringly solid and I rather like the workmanlike design.
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REOS said:
The IV is pretty basic and quite quirky, but it is reassuringly solid and I rather like the workmanlike design.
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A much better machine than the Nova series cameras that succeeded it. In my opinion, VEB Pentacon didn't make as reliable a camera again until the "L" series.
 
AndrewFlannigan said:
A much better machine than the Nova series cameras that succeeded it. In my opinion, VEB Pentacon didn't make as reliable a camera again until the "L" series.
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People do frequently say that Andrew but the two used Praktica Super TL s we had in the family in the mid / late 1970's were no trouble at all. I only had mine for a couple of years but Dad had his until I left for college in 1984, how long he kept it after that I don't know.
 
zx9 said:
People do frequently say that Andrew but the two used Praktica Super TL s we had in the family in the mid / late 1970's were no trouble at all.
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Indeed.

I've owned 5 assorted Novas, 3 Prakticamats and a Super TL. Of these, 2 of the Novas and 1 of the Prakticamats survived to be sold on. The rest failed in various ways and it wasn't worth asking my very nice local repairman to salvage them. To be fair, I paid less, for all of them together, than one well used Nikon F. When I started buying them (all secondhand and cheap) I considered them as disposable and sadly, I wasn't wrong.

My daughter thought they were fun, though...

Kirsten with Praktica Nova 1 1976_3_32.jpg
 
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REOS said:
A bit of an impulse purchase this, perhaps because it was cheap and came with the legend ‘Fully tested and working’. We shall see. My first SLR was a Praktica Super TL, which succeeded this one by several years, but obviously a lot happened in that time. The IV is pretty basic and quite quirky, but it is reassuringly solid and I rather like the workmanlike design.
View attachment 430091
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I had one of these, with a couple of lenses, one of which was a a Meyer Lydith 30mm f3.5 lens. Possibly the lens I mostly used was a

Meyer Optik Lydith 30mm F3.5 Lens​

REOS said:
A bit of an impulse purchase this, perhaps because it was cheap and came with the legend ‘Fully tested and working’. We shall see. My first SLR was a Praktica Super TL, which succeeded this one by several years, but obviously a lot happened in that time. The IV is pretty basic and quite quirky, but it is reassuringly solid and I rather like the workmanlike design.
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I had one of these after my Zenit B packed in. I used it with a Helios 58mm f2 lens and a Lydith 30mm f3.5 lens. I gave it to me brother when I changed to a Rolleiflex SL 35, a crap camera, very unreliable, great lenses though. My brother destroyed the camera when he dropped it while climbing in Scotland, it's probably still wedged between some rocks at the foot of a cliff somewhere. The Practica was a nicely made camera though.
 
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