Paging Peter W.

[casualcollector]

This Ilford Sportsman followed me home from the thrift today. It's a bit grungy, the leatherette is peeling and it has a cranky shutter. I am hoping Dr. Wallage or another experienced Ilfordite can offer some insight on getting into this camera and fixing it up. Thanks!

[Just Plain Curt]

Hi Bill,
I'm assuming you already know the Ilford Sportsman (I have one too as well as several Dacora Dignas) is actually a re-badged Dacora Dignette/Digna. Might be useful if you're scanning the repair forums for help. I'm not a lot of good to you as mine seem to work well enough so far.

[scott]

I don't think I've ever seen the inside of mine-- all I had to do was take the lens elements out for cleaning, grease the focus threads and re-calibrate the focus.

Be sure to post some snaps. I was impressed at the nice images I got with mine.

[PeterW]

Thanks to everyone who enquired about my absence. Nice to know you're missed.

I'm still very much alive and kicking but I've been rather busy the past week or two. It's clearing the old growth out of the garden, and decorating inside the house, time of year.

I can't do a lot to help physically, but I like to get out in the nice sunshine we've been having even if only to encourage the others! .

Also, while John, Wendy and my eldest grandson Arron (nearly 25 now would you believe) have been hard at it I've been doing most of the shopping going round on my electric buggy and keeping the workers supplied with tea and coffee.

All right, I know I ought to be out taking pictures in the fine weather but there's only one of me and you can't do everything.

With regard to Ilford (Dacora) Sortsmen, I've had quite a few to pieces and they aren't very difficult to work on. They're pretty rugged little cameras and in most cases all they require is a shutter clean. Much more rarely the spring for the wind-on lever comes adrift but that's not difficult to fix. One of the nice things is that the whole shutter and front panel assembly comes away as one piece which makes it easy to work on.

Where some people get problems is in setting the front lens element back at infinity, which applies to any fixed-lens front-cell focussing camera. But I've got a fool-proof (almost idiot-proof) method of getting it spot on first time. All you need is an SLR, preferaby a film SLR but it might work also with a digital, a piece of glass and some frosted-type 'invisible' translucent sticky tape. Oh yes, and a couple of elastic bands. It isn't my original idea, quite a few people use it.

I've got a couple of Sportsmen in pieces packed away somewhere. As soon as I can find them I'll take some pics and write a few notes. I'll also run through setting the front element at infinity.

May be a few days before I can get round to it, so you'll have to have a little patience, but I will do it ... promise.

Regards to all and thanks again.

PeterW

PS: Thre's page about Ilford Sportsmen on my website www.peterwallage.com
You find it my going to My Cameras -> Ilford -> Sportsman.

There's also a link there to Maurcie Fisher's very informative website. Go there and click on Sportsman for a rtun down on every Sportsman made, and the dates.

PW

[casualcollector]

Thank you Peter. Looking forward to further info. I've taken the bottom off. Nothing there but the wind lever return spring. I got the top off too. Cleaned the finder optics a bit but the bright lines are done for. I see two screws inside the camera. I assume these are part of what holds the lens/shutter in place but will wait for further instructions. Thanks again. I appreciate the help.

Bill