bobm
Contributing Member
Posts: 36
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Post by bobm on Jan 1, 2007 6:27:08 GMT -5
Peter: I, and I'm sure everyone else on here too, always read your ramblings as they give a fascinating insight into whatever subject you choose to talk about.
Long may they continue.....
Regarding the Exakta Circle chairman, the editor of the Exakta Times, Michael Spencer, lives in Pittenweem which is a few miles along the coast from where I live although we're not acquainted.
Interesting about the blueprint type assembly and parts finish of the Kines - someone suggested on one board that some of the parts like gears were stamped in the later models like the VX 1000 as opposed to being machined in the earlier models and that this was responsible for the somewhat rougher mechanical feel. The only problem I have with this hypothesis is that I doubt very much whether a stamping machine would have the precision necessary to produce gear teeth even remotely as good as machined teeth.
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Post by minoltaman on Jan 26, 2007 10:47:50 GMT -5
Hello! I have this same camera!! Only mine has the Zeiss Biotar f/2 lens. I picked it up at a tag sale around early December. The guy wanted $30 for it. I offered $20 and got it. I had to control my excitement, especially when I saw that it had a Zeiss lens. I was in Florida last month and took it with me. Shot a roll of Ilford HP5, mostly portraits. Had to use a hand held light meter, obviously, to use this Exakta. Most of them came out really nice. One problem I noticed with some of the shots was that some prints had a distinct line down the middle of the print. One half of the print was darker than the other. Through my own diagnostics, I think at 1/1000 shutter, the curtain is a little slow getting back after releasing the shutter. And with the Exaktas, the mirror remains up until you advance the film winder. Therefore, I believe that the slow curtain allows the light to continue to expose the film to light for just a split second to long causing half the print to be lighter than the other half. I had about 4 or 5 otherwise perfect prints ruined because of the split light/dark down the middle. Here's a shot that came out right. I used an f/16 aperature. I don't remember the exact shutter speed of the shot but I think it was 1/500.
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Post by doubs43 on Jan 26, 2007 18:13:19 GMT -5
Hello! I have this same camera!! Only mine has the Zeiss Biotar f/2 lens. I picked it up at a tag sale around early December. The guy wanted $30 for it. I offered $20 and got it. I had to control my excitement, especially when I saw that it had a Zeiss lens. I was in Florida last month and took it with me. Shot a roll of Ilford HP5, mostly portraits. Had to use a hand held light meter, obviously, to use this Exakta. Most of them came out really nice. One problem I noticed with some of the shots was that some prints had a distinct line down the middle of the print. One half of the print was darker than the other. Through my own diagnostics, I think at 1/1000 shutter, the curtain is a little slow getting back after releasing the shutter. And with the Exaktas, the mirror remains up until you advance the film winder. Therefore, I believe that the slow curtain allows the light to continue to expose the film to light for just a split second to long causing half the print to be lighter than the other half. I had about 4 or 5 otherwise perfect prints ruined because of the split light/dark down the middle. Here's a shot that came out right. I used an f/16 aperature. I don't remember the exact shutter speed of the shot but I think it was 1/500. The Exaktas are capable of taking an outstanding image and are a mechanical marvel IMO. A fellow by the name of Miles Upton overhauls Exaktas and has written an excellent repair manual for the VX-IIa model that can also be used for the VX and earlier models with a little interpretation. It cost about $60 directly from him and may be a little cheaper now as he found a new way to reproduce it. BTW, your example may only need a bit of cleaning and lubrication if the curtains are OK. Possibly curtain tension adjustment too. I rebuilt my VX-IIa and it's amazingly smooth in operation. Walker
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SidW
Lifetime Member
Posts: 1,107
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Post by SidW on Jan 26, 2007 20:43:20 GMT -5
I have a VXIIA that did the same on the first film I exposed in it, then less so on the second, so I exercised all the shutter speeds several times each day, and the problem seems to have gone away. Try that, it may just be that the camera has not been used for a long time and needs easing up. If it doesn't help, then it will need attention, but it's worth trying first.
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tswill2
Contributing Member
Taken when I was young and good looking....
Posts: 13
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Post by tswill2 on Jan 27, 2007 19:29:45 GMT -5
Back in the darkages when I used to do some camera cla for spending money, I did whatever came along, usually without the luxury of manuals, just the braille system. I ran into some shutters that would exhibit those symptoms, and it would usually be due to a bit of dirt in the gear teeth causing a bind. Sometimes I had to use an old toothbrush to cross scrub the gear teeth to get it all out. Other times a ex dental lab ultrasonic cleaner would do it. Denatured alcohol was my preferred solvent. Tom
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Post by minoltaman on Jan 29, 2007 9:55:56 GMT -5
I have a VXIIA that did the same on the first film I exposed in it, then less so on the second, so I exercised all the shutter speeds several times each day, and the problem seems to have gone away. Try that, it may just be that the camera has not been used for a long time and needs easing up. If it doesn't help, then it will need attention, but it's worth trying first. Hello Sid, thanks for the tip. Yes, I guess this camera must have been sitting around unused for years. I'll take your advice before I shoot another roll with my VXIIa and see what happens. Cheers!
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