Question regarding Rolleicord shutter speed settings

Chris L

Chris L

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Does anyone know if the Rolleicords can be a bit fussy about the positioning of the shutter speed lever?

Just been messing around with my Rolleicord IV with no film in. I opened up the back and pointed the camera at a light source to see if the shutter seemed to opening correctly.

I *think* it was ok at 1 sec but it seemed slow at 1/2 sec and 1/5th sec. I then went to B and it seemed fine. When I moved it to 1 sec again it closed as soon as I let go of the shutter lever as if it was set a B still but when I moved the shutter speed lever a tiny bit further past the 1 sec marker it fired at what seemed like 1 sec. It was the same thing at 1/2 sec. Line it up exactly with the 1/2nd sec marker it still seemed to be opening for 1 sec but moved it a tiny bit further and it definitely opened for a shorter time. I'd not taken any shots below 1/25th but even so it could explain some apparently random overexposures :shrug:
 
I'm not entirely sure from the description, but in general sticky shutters are very common in older cameras, especially if they aren't used for long spells and the lubricants dry up. Unfortunately I can't try on my Vb at the moment as there is a roll of film in there, but sounds like maybe the shutter speed settings labels are slightly out of line with what they actually should be? (i.e. the speed stated in the little window/cut-out is actually one notch out with what it should be)
 
Not totally familiar with the Rolleis but is it possible the shutter speed ring has shifted a little?
 
Thanks for the info guys but having sat down and tested it more acurately this morning it would seem to be a something more serious.:(

The slower shutter speeds aren't even consistent. Firing the shutter at 1 sec setting actually leaves the shutter open for between ~3 seconds to a whopping 9 seconds on a couple of occasions according to a stopwatch. 1/2 second is actually open for almost 2 seconds.

I can hear what I assume is an internal mechanical timer buzzing away on the 1, 1/2 & 1/5th shutter speeds. The pitch/speed of the buzzing seemed to vary both between shutter actuations as well as during the single exposure so I wonder if it's the timer rather than the shutter that's causing the problem? Any ideas if this is something that a CLA would solve or is it more likely to need parts?
 
The timer is the shutter - part of the shutter mechanism is the timer for slower speeds, they aren't quite as distinct as that. Sticky shutter should be fixed reasonably easily with a CLA, but it's difficult to say with regards to parts because it's only when it's all stripped down can you tell. It could be as simple as an injection of fresh lubricant/oil, or (less likely) parts which are actually worn out. But it's difficult to just speculate, when only a qualified repairman with the camera in parts in front of him can actually make a judgement on it.

The slow speeds on my Yashica can be a bit hesitant at times, but I never use them so I've never had any trouble.
 
It's a lovely old camera Chris, and I'd be inclined to send it away to a decent repairbloke for them to take a look at, hopefully a CLA could see it right, but either way, at least you'd know.
 
freecom2 said:
The timer is the shutter - part of the shutter mechanism is the timer for slower speeds, they aren't quite as distinct as that. Sticky shutter should be fixed reasonably easily with a CLA, but it's difficult to say with regards to parts because it's only when it's all stripped down can you tell. It could be as simple as an injection of fresh lubricant/oil, or (less likely) parts which are actually worn out. But it's difficult to just speculate, when only a qualified repairman with the camera in parts in front of him can actually make a judgement on it.

The slow speeds on my Yashica can be a bit hesitant at times, but I never use them so I've never had any trouble.
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Yup, you're right of course. The only name I recall seeing for a CLA is Miles Whitehead. I'll drop him an email explaining the problem and ask if he has a standard price for a CLA just to give me an idea of what sort of money I'll be looking at.

TheBigYin said:
It's a lovely old camera Chris, and I'd be inclined to send it away to a decent repairbloke for them to take a look at, hopefully a CLA could see it right, but either way, at least you'd know.
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I agree Mark, I've read a few blogs & reviews by people shooting with Rolleicords and even though they don't have the Xenotar/Planar lenses of the Rolleiflex models they all love them and rate them high enough to be able to get enlargements even when shooting wide open and fantastic results by f/8. I'm sure it's worth spending the money on a CLA so I'll get that email off to Miles Whitehead as a starter :)
 
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For anyone looking to have a CLA done on their Rolleicord, I've just been given a guide price of £45 + P&P.

Having spoken to Miles he's advised that it is the shutter escapement, that it's common and that a CLA should fix it :)
 
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