IKONTA 520 has arrived!

[luke]

My Ikonta arrived tonight. Looks a little rougher than I expected but it has cleaned up rather well. ;D
I have questions though. How does one adjust the aperture?



In this picture, there are f/stop markings around the bottom of the lens and a small chrome pointer which is pointing at a red dot. My thought is that that pointer or the f/stop scale should turn to adjust the aperture. They don't turn and there seems to be no aperture adjustment - unless I am a complete dummy and there is no such adjustment possible.
The shutter speed adjustment seems to work although it is a little stiff.
The second picture gives a little clearer view of the f/scale.


The other shots are just gallery shots so you can see what she looks like.





Your comments and helpful advise as always are eagerly awaited. (As are your guesses of how much I paid for it)

Luke

[mickeyobe]

Luke,

This is just a guess. I believe the chrome lever is, indeed, for setting the aperture. Is it possible that a spacer ring between the lens mount panel and the lens is missing and consequently the little lever is pinched between the mount and the lens. If this is the case the focus might be off too. Check with a ground glass.
Try loosening the retaining ring at the back of the lens inside the camera a little and see what happens.

I think the red dot is for setting the hyperfocal distance. Set the aperture and the focus on the red dot. Determine your shutter speed. Voila! A point and shoot camera from 1929.

Mickey

[PeterW]

Hi Luke,

It is as Mickey says. The small chrome lever between the M and the P of COMPUR is for setting the aperture. The lever runs under the body of the shutter and turns a ring at the back. I've taken a quick shot of the lever on a slightly older Compur than yours, but it's near enough the same. The lever turns the ring around the lens mounting flange and, if you look in the back of the shutter you can see the aperture blades open and close.

I've had a couple of Compurs where this lever has had a bang at the front which caused the back of the lever to bind on the shutter mounting plate. There should be ample room for it to move even without any spacers between the shutter body and the mounting plate. Any spacer shims here are purely for adjusting the infinity focus of the lens. You may also find that a small spot of corrosion has made the ring stiff round the mounting flange. Try a spot of Ronsonol on it to see if that frees it.

Follow Mickey's suggestion of undoing the shutter mounting ring inside the bellows and taking the shutter off the camera. You might find it safer to unscrew and take out the rear lens element first, to save any chance of scratching it.

Also as Mickey says, the red dots are for quick point and shoot situations. There should be a red dot on the focus scale at about 30 feet, and the red dot on the aperture is between f/8 and f/11. Set the focus and the aperture to the red dots to get the hyperfocal distance for maximum depth of field.

If you need any further help, come back and I'll try to guide you through a shutter clean and lube.

Peter

[luke]

Many thanks gentlemen. I just had a quick read of your posts and I am off to work for the day so I will check all these things tonight.

Luke

[luke]

Marvelous advice gentlemen. The Ronsonol did the trick and it came unstuck. It moves perfectly now!! I will give the speed adjustment ring a little of the same. It's a bit tight but still works. Now I am a happy camper.

Luke

[PeterW]

Glad you got the aperture ring working again without too much hassle. Hope the speed ring comes more free as well. If not, and it gives you problems, come back.

Just a couple of points if you haven't had a Compur before:

You do NOT cock the shutter on the B or T settings.

If you need to use the fastest speed on a Compur Rapid it's best always to select the speed BEFORE cocking the shutter. You will feel a slight resistance as the ring engages with an extra spring to give this fast speed, but the cocking lever actually tensions it. If you cock first, then turn speed ring, it goes very stiff when you come to the fast speed because the ring has to tension the extra spring, and this can put a strain on the small pins that run in the cam grooves of the ring.

As a general rule it's always best to select the speed before cocking, on any setting.

Look forward to seeing some shots from the Ikonta!

Peter

[luke]

Great help Peter. Thanks so much. I will post some after the weekend as I have to get out and shoot them and then it's a couple of days at the lab.

Luke