Tag: shutter

Nikon F50

A learning camera for me, with a fault I’ve never dealt with before. Damaged shutter curtain blades. Can I fix it?

What the listing stated:

NIKON F50 UNTESTED FOR SPARES OR REPAIR. SEE IMAGES. THE REAR SHUTTER RIBBON APPEARS TO BE LOOSE – I AM UNFAMILIAR WITH OLD FILM CAMERAS SO THIS COULD BE A QUICK FIX OR NOT AN ISSUE. ALSO HAVE A FRONT BODY CAP AND STRAP – COULD BE A BARGAIN FOR SOMEONE. SOLD AS SEEN.
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The “Complete Users’ Guide: Nikon F50/N50” by John Clements is a comprehensive textbook published in 1994 by Newpro UK LTD. This paperback book, with 140 pages, provides detailed information on the Nikon F50/N50 cameras from the 1990s. Written in English, this guide is a valuable resource for photographers looking to enhance their knowledge and skills in using these specific camera models. The author’s expertise and clear instructions make this book a must-have for Nikon enthusiasts.

EBay

My purchase today

As you may have already gathered, and much to the dislike of my wife, I spend a lot of time trawling the sales for cameras. I don’t particularly look for anything high end, one of my main reasons to purchase is purely for learning purposes. So why not buy a lower end mass produced camera and fix it? That’s what I tend to do. It’s a good way to learn, and if you cause even more irreparable damage it’s no problem, you will still have a selection of usable parts. Damage someone’s pride and joy though and not only do you lose reputation, you would probably be severely out of pocket financially.

So I look for cameras with issues that I have not yet dealt with, and this camera has such a fault. It’s shutter blades have become detached from the frame in which they are set, it can be fixed if conditions are met, and one of those conditions are that the blades should not be creased. And I have my fingers crossed that this is the case. I’ve never fixed this issue before, so for me this is a learning camera. The bonus for me is that I get a body cap, a strap and an informative 140 page book on how the camera operates. And I paid the sum of £7:77 for this complete package.

Here’s a little info about the Nikon F50:

The F50 (or N50 as it is known in North America) is a 35mm film SLR camera which was introduced by Nikon in 1994. It was aimed at the lower end of the amateur autofocus SLR market.

The F50 features autofocus, TTL light metering and various “programs” (ranging from manual operation to a highly automated point and shoot mode). It could not however meter with non-CPU lenses.

It was replaced by the similarly-priced F60 (also known as the N60) in 1998.

The F50 body was made from polycarbonate and metal, and available in both “champagne silver” and black.

Notable omissions include depth-of-field preview and any form of remote shutter release.

Wikipedia

I’m now awaiting the arrival of the camera so I can carry out an in depth assessment. And prior to its arrival I’m reading up, and seeking advice on how to deal with such an issue as this shutter curtain damage.

Assessment:

On arrival it is quite clear that prior to its shutter blade damage this camera has been very well looked after. It has no damage, scratches or signs of wear across the entire camera. It has an original Nikon body cap and narrow strap. There is even a DK-5 viewfinder cap that is a rare thing to see on a second hand unit. Battery contacts are clean and contaminant free.

And the users guide that was also received is an absolute gem of information.

The camera I have received

Testing beyond this is not possible at all, as the last thing I want to do is insert a battery and cause further damage. I will have to try to sort the shutter blades before I can test any further.

So let’s get straight on with trying to sort out that mess in the lens barrel.

Repair:

Whilst awaiting the cameras arrival I’ve been seeking advice on how to approach this issue, as this is my first attempt at such a fault. And after a while, looking around I found this video tutorial that first came out in 2014. I have decided to follow the advice within this video.

Fix old cameras – shutter repair

The first thing I have to do is to modify a pair of tweezers that I will be using for this repair. Firstly I have to bend them at an angle.

Bent accordingly

Secondly I have to put some shrink tubing over the points, heat them so they adapt to the outline of the tweezers, and whilst warm just flatten the tips as this will be the surface that handles the blades.

Shrink tubing added and shaped

And to be honest, once I started it took all of less than 20 seconds. Here’s the proof

It worked, and the camera works

You may well be looking and thinking ooh! That looks dodgy, but believe me it works just fine. It’s been severely beaten up and it fell back into place quite easily. It doesn’t look pretty but I have tested the chamber with a very bright light and the front and the rear curtains are working well with each other and there is, or appears to be no light leakage. I will have to run a film through the camera but I am very confident that there will be no further issues.

With the 2CR5 battery in place I have been able to carry out the tests that were not possible earlier, and I’m pleased to report there are no other issues and this shutter blade fault was the only problem. This camera is now working just fine, all settings, buttons, dials and switches are working as they should, as is the self timer.

With a lens connected all focus indicators in the viewfinder are good, the flash operates as it should and the info screen is clear and readable.

This camera is good to go.

Result:

In the end this turned out to be a twenty second repair, my first of this type and it went exceptionally well. A camera of this quality for just £7:77GBP with a guide book as well. is exceptional value, and I’m sure someone is going to love and cherish this camera for years to come. I’m going to run a film through it first just out of curiosity, however, I am supremely confident that there are no issues with it.

Looking superb, working

Again we have a classic case that shows just how 30 seconds of activity can bring a camera back to life saving it from the scrap heap. And a lovely looking camera it is too. Once I have run a film through I’m going to pass this on, it’s a good beginner’s camera and I’m sure it will get a lot more use, and that’s always a good thing. If Nikon produced in excess of 150,000 of these units, then I wonder how many others have suffered a similar fault and just been tossed into landfill.

Scary thought… though this one has been given a pardon.

Thank you as always for passing by. It is always very much appreciated.

Canon AE1 – Program

I have my final piece of the jigsaw. My sixth, and final camera of the classic Canon “A” series collection

I purchased this camera as part of a job lot of 5 cameras that were faulty, read about that purchase here: More camera odds & sods

Canon AE1 – Program
Broken battery door

I’ve been working towards purchasing the entire range of Canon “A” series cameras, and this is the final piece of the jigsaw for me. I haven’t paid premium prices, I have purchased each and every one of them as damaged items and have had to effect the repairs on them to get them working. It’s a wonderful collection of old cameras, all showing their individual battle scars but each performing without fault in taking photographs. What they were designed to do, growing old gracefully and with a now extended life span.

My complete collection

It works out that this camera has only cost me £8:00GBP, and that is a superb price to pay for one of these cameras, even if it was only for parts it would have been a bargain, however these all have the ability to be revitalised and to be given another crack at life. I have done a very brief assessment and nothing appears to be operating as it should be. Electronically this is potentially a very unstable camera, I just need to run a final test on the electrical system. It has two parts that need replacing. There is a small power winder cover that is missing, it’s not important but I will replace it purely for aesthetic reasons. Secondly the battery cover is broken, I do have a 3D file downloaded so I will see how that prints out.

This camera is currently unloved, very dirty and will require quite a bit of work just to bring it up to usable standards. I don’t wish for it to be pristine and at display standards, I want it to be clean and capable of carrying out what it was originally purposed to do, it will be used and thoroughly loved.

Here’s a little bit about the AE1-Program:

The Canon AE-1 Program is a 35 mm single-lens reflex camera that uses Canon’s FD mount lenses manufactured by Canon Camera (today Canon Incorporated) in Japan and introduced in April 1981 as the successor to the Canon AE-1, five years after that camera’s introduction.  The major difference was the addition of the Program AE mode first seen in the A-1. This mode sets both the shutter speed and aperture automatically—albeit with a slight bias towards the shutter speed setting. The user focuses the camera and then presses the shutter button. For those desiring more control, the AE-1’s shutter priority auto-exposure and full manual modes are still available.

Wikipedia

Repair

The first thing to do is to get the relevant battery in place and to see what does or doesn’t light up or function. These cameras take a standard 6v 4LR44 battery, and I have some more of these arriving later today, these cameras are reliant on that power source to pretty much do everything, so we have to have one in place to carry out an accurate assessment. Once i can see how the electrical system is working I can then make a decision on how to progress.

The battery has arrived and when it is installed, nothing happens. Electrically the camera is dead and requires attention, and that’s not good. The auto, lock, self timer switch under the winder is not moving, and hence the winder won’t wind, and the shutter won’t fire. It’s a very poorly camera. I go to remove the 6v battery and it is extremely hot, I’d suspect very close to exploding, this is not good at all. I’ve put the battery to one side, it’s now obvious that we have a short circuit somewhere causing the battery to overheat.

I have printed off a replacement door and catch. It’s not to the original standard but should do the job, until a quality one becomes available. To replace this door the top of the camera has to be removed anyway, so whilst I’m in there I will try to see if I can find the cause of the short circuit.

Top off. Damaged battery door removed

The pin that supports the door has to be pulled up through the mass of electronics to release the old door and the little spring that opens the door.

New replacement door installed after being printed

The printed door has cost me approximately 0.22p to print, and considering that Canon no longer produce the door, the options are limited to auction sites that charge horrendous amounts up to £30:00GBP, or the alternative is a 3D printed option of about £15:00GBP. Seeing this camera has cost me £8:00GBP, a layout of 0.22p will do for me just to get this camera up and running. I can always “tart” it up in the end if I choose to. To be honest, if it does a job, if the camera does what it should, then should I really worry about it? Probably not.

Just for the sake of it I have also 3D printed a speed grip that used to be facilitated on the “A” series cameras. These give a little more security to the battery chamber door, stop the door opening if the catch should fail, and give extra grip to the camera body. And it kind of looks nice so I have printed one out to use. I just need a black M3/8 screw to attach it.

New speed grip printed

I’ve also printed off a eye cap for the camera. Just because I can to be honest, it just finishes it off in my opinion.

New eye cap

I stated that the switch that puts the camera into auto mode, switches it off and operates the self timer was seized. When the top is removed and all the relevant parts are removed the area in question can then be observed. And there was a problem.

Under the film winder is a small Perspex frame with a spring loaded catch. This operates the three settings “A” – auto, “L” – lock or “S” – self timer. The switch must have been forced in the past, as the metal catch had sprung under the Perspex plate and was firmly wedged between the copper contacts underneath causing the short.

The copper traces under the Perspex

The metal catch had to be coerced back into position, lifted slightly to sit comfortably back in the position it had previously occupied. A quick test confirmed that the switch was now behaving how it should, and clicking firmly throughout its range.

The selector switch under the film winder in the correct position

The original battery that overheated was now showing as severely depleted due to the earlier problem, this has had to be disposed of, and so into the battery recycling receptacle it goes.

With the camera now reassembled I can try a new battery, and the result is the polar opposite of what occurred earlier. Straight away the shutter fired, when I put the switch into auto mode, the shutter could be fired again in fact it could be fired repeatedly. The light meter inside the viewfinder is working and showing lights. When in auto mode, and the battery check button is pressed you hear an intermittent sounder showing the electrical circuit is now operational, the more frequent the sound the healthier the battery is. When in self timer mode it didn’t work, it should beep and after ten seconds should fire. Hopefully it’s just dirty contacts, but none the less it will need looking at next time I take the top off. And all the while the new battery has remained cool with no temperature change. We have found the short circuit and the basic camera operation has been restored.

One thing I noticed with the shutter working is that there is quite a “Shutter cough” often heard on these older unloved canon cameras. Not a real issue, this will mean further dismantling of the camera to get to the shutter area for a little clean and some light lubrication.

So, let’s deal with that little “Cough”….open wide now!

I’m going to approach this issue by going in through the base of the camera, here I can deal with two issues at the same time. I suspect someone has been in here before me as there is only one screw securing the base when there should in fact be three. I will get these replaced now as I do have a fairly good supply of spares in stock.

This is the magnet coil, it’s known to get dirty after time causing issues such as a continuous wind with no mirror movement.

Magnet coil

This camera doesn’t have that issue, but because I’m in here it’s a simple case of removing two screws, the casing and then just clean the magnet and coil contacts with some IPA.

Case removed
Contacts cleaned

That done, the plastic case is put back on, and the two screws put back into place. Simple job done, it’s future proofing the camera against this issue ever occurring. A blow through with an air canister and a little light lubrication of moving parts in the area and then we can move onto the next issue I want to address.

I’m going to attempt a shortcut with my oiler pen to see if I can deal with the camera cough without going too deep inside the camera. With the long needle of the oiler I may be able to reach deep enough into the internal workings of the camera to oil up the offending cogs and levers. If it doesn’t work then I will have no option but to open up the camera and get inside. It’s worth seeing if I can get the shortcut to work, it’s not a permanent fix but might buy me a year or so of cough free operation.

I’ve left the camera overnight for the very limited amount of clock oil I used to get into all the nooks and crannies, and I’ve checked when I got back home from work, and I’m pleased to say it’s has worked perfectly. Have a look at this little video below that shows how it sounded with the cough, and then after treatment.

Before and after cough

Now with the cough issue sorted it’s time to go back to see if we can address the self timer issue. With the base now secure with all its screws (I’ve replaced the two missing ones) it’s time to get the top off again and have another look around.

Inside the camera just below the wind on lever is the mechanism that operates the selector lever. There are four tiny copper contacts that connect with the copper circuit just below. One of these four contacts had been crushed to a level where contact was no longer made with the circuit board below.

Copper based circuit board and copper contacts under this acrylic selector

Using a small set of tweezers, I was able to bend the delicate copper contact back into shape allowing it to once again make a connection with the contacts on the circuit board. I’ve also cleaned all points of contact with IPA to ensure all surfaces were clean. A quick test at this point proved the circuit, I was now able to reassemble the camera yet again. Prior to this though I gave a good blow through the circuitry with some compressed air before sealing the top of the camera back in place.

The self timer is now fully operational.

Self timer now working

The major issues have now been addressed. Let’s get on with the bread and butter items.

The light seals including the mirror bumper were in a very poor state and had to be removed. This took a lot of patience as the felt had broken down into dust and clumpy particles. I used IPA to soften the old adhesive and probably used about a dozen cotton buds to remove all the debris. The thing with cleaning these areas is when you think it’s clean, clean it again, and once more for luck. In theory cleanliness here is your friend as it helps you through the next stages immensely.

New felt and light seals

Once all the old felt and seals are removed, and dried, I can cut the new seals to size and get them installed. This has been completed and the new seals have gone into place without issue. Personally for me, this is the most boring but essential task in restoring old cameras. It’s one of those tasks you put off until the end as it is so fiddly and has to be just right.

With the light seals now complete, the last task now is to give the camera a thorough clean.

Result

A buff of the leatherette, and a good polish of the metal work and she is looking resplendent. A new quick grip, hot shoe cover and battery door and the look is complete. My £8:00GBP cast off, dirty, damaged and broken camera is now looking a lot healthier and is now in a good working order.

Looking good working well

I’m awaiting a roll of XP2 black and white film to arrive, and that will be the test film for this camera. I’m probably going to feature it in my weekly 7 days and 7 photos series at some point. I will post a link to that post when it occurs.

It’s been a long time bringing this camera back to life but I’m so pleased at how it has gone. These “A” series cameras will always be my favourite because of the place they have in my photographic past. I have a few that I have been working on, but this was the one that actually completed my collection. I now need to find a suitable way to display them all, rather than leave them packed away in storage.

Thank you for passing by, as always it is very much appreciated.

Stay safe.

Rollei XF 35 35mm Rangefinder Film Camera 

I’ve just purchased an old Rollei 35 XF rangefinder from around 1974. It doesn’t work, so let’s see if we can get it working again.

What the listing stated:

The Rollei XF 35 is a compact vintage 35mm rangefinder film camera made in Germany, known for its classic design and portability.

This camera is being sold as spares or repairs and does not power on. It has not been tested with film and is not in working condition; functionality of the shutter, meter, and other features has not been confirmed.

Cosmetically, the camera shows typical signs of age and use, but no major damage is visible. Please note this item is intended for parts or restoration and is not guaranteed to function.

Accessories included: wrist strap and lens cap.

EBay

Rollei XF35

I like these little point and shoots. I’ve always wanted one, and ideally I would like an original 35, but in the meantime I’ll settle for this one. Not working, only £17:00GBP, this was a bargain price for an old camera with a lens that has a superb reputation for having good optics. It’s a bargain basement price for a camera that has a lot of potential if I can get it working again. I have purchased from this supplier before and they are a good bunch of guys and girls, so I don’t believe I am being ripped off in any way. This camera dates from from around 1974.

Here’s a little bit about this camera:

The Rollei XF35 is a small 35mm full frame Rangefinder camera released by Rollei in 1974. The same camera can be rarely found under the brand Voigtlander: in this case it’s called VF135. 

This camera provides only a programmed exposition, with a CDS cell powered by a small 1,35v PX 625 mercury battery. A ring around the lens must be set to the right ASA/DIN value.

The shutter is a small Copal central type one, that also works on relative aperture.

The lens is a Carl Zeiss Sonnar-derivation, built under license by Rollei. It’s a 40mm f2.3, with focus from 1 meter of distance. The viewfinder has a small frame that indicates the f-stop and the speed of the shutter that the program will use. At the center, two small yellow and red circles must overly to obtain focus on the subject.

Shutter speeds go from 1/30 to 1/650s, including bulb mode (only at f2.3). Copal shutter closes up to f16, so Rollei reccomends max 400 ISO/ASA films.

There’s a hot-shoe flash slot and the camera also includes a self-timer (circa 10s of delay). Under bulb mode, this timer can fire the shutter to a speed of circa 5 seconds.

Camerapedia

I’m expecting the camera shortly, so in the meantime I’m off to read the manual and to also look for replacement batteries that replace the now defunct PX625 batteries this camera used to have to maintain a sufficient power supply. When it arrives we can carry out a full assessment.

Assessment:

On arrival it’s a nice tidy little camera, with slight signs of use and that slight mustiness of being in storage for a few years, though I have smelt worse.

It needs a little clean, the strap buckle is a little rusted however that is easily replaced.

Inside, the camera is clean, the winder works and the exposure button works, however the shutter doesn’t fire. This could be one of a couple of issues, the battery inside that appears to be an original PX625 Mercury battery could be below power, and if it is an original this could well be the case. However the light meter is working and this is a welcome bonus, so there is a little life still in the battery that should be 1.35v when at full power.

Light meter is functioning

Let’s check this with the multimeter, before purchasing a new battery, and I can confirm the battery power sits at 1.53v?

A fully charged 625A battery

I was mistaken, it’s not an original PX625 it’s actually a 625A alkaline replacement. These alkaline batteries are 1.5v rated against the original that was 1.35v. These batteries are commonly used with these older cameras as a suitable alternative to the original battery. The only issues that are sometimes reported are that the metering can sometimes be off by about +2stops, however some people report no issues at all so it is all a little bit and miss to be honest. I guess it’s all down to trial and error with your own film stock and the camera, B&W film would probably be more forgiving. So, in this case it is not a power issue. We need to then move on to another option.

The other related issue could be sticky blades on the shutter mechanism, and that is more than possible if the camera hasn’t been used in quite a while, the old lubricants dry out over time and the shutter blades get stuck, this means I would have to carry out a service of the shutter mechanism, not a major issue just quite time consuming.

Repair:

I have liberally coated the shutter blades from inside with some isopropyl alcohol as that’s all I had available at the time. This has removed some old black gunk that appears to be old oils of some kind, however the shutter still does not operate when activated, even though all the noises are there to suggest the mechanism is actually working.

I have used a compatible tool to tempt the shutter blades open, this initially worked but they did not fall back into place with any urgency. I suspect there is residue on the opposite side of the shutter blades, so it looks as if this will have to be a full CLA – Clean, lubricate and adjust, requiring a partial disassembly of the camera.

Boy I wasn’t wrong, this is probably the deepest I have gone into a camera for quite a while, this camera really does have to be dismantled. These cameras have always been renowned for having issues deep into the cameras workings, it’s probably what has gained them a poor reputation, somewhat unfairly, but not everyone is prepared to dismantle a camera at these prices, when they can just chuck it and get a new one. However that’s not what I do here.

Let’s stop the chat and get on with it.

So we need to get inside, and the best plan of attack is from the front through the lens turret, so first thing we do is remove a retaining ring on the lens. This allows us access to the insert that controls the ASA, and where the CDS cell is located. Remove with caution as there are small wires present.

ASA and CDS module removed
Then the focus ring

Three screws under the ASA/CDS module then allow you to remove the focus ring where there is a small brass plate. This is removed and then the rest of the barrel loosens, but cannot be removed….strange.

At this point I had to do a little research and source the maintenance manual and refer to it to see what I had to do next.

Maintenance manual courtesy of Rollei

After reviewing the manual it appears there are another four screws requiring removal before we can access any deeper, however these are situated under the camera “Skin” and this needs to be peeled back slightly to access.

Those four extra screws under the camera “Skin”

With these four screws removed, you now have to remove both the top and bottom parts of the camera, five more screws to allow the front plate and lens to be removed.

Base of camera removed exposing winder workings
Shutter mechanism
A bit deeper with aperture plate removed

With the lens plate now movable, again I carefully move it aside being wary that there are also wires here, and not a lot of room for manoeuvring. A slight twist of the brass aperture control plate and it can then be removed. The plate below this, with the three brass dots, just clips out and exposes the thin shutter blades below.

Shutter blades only one link visible
Bottom plate removed

Just looking at the shutter blades I can see there is a small link missing, this was sitting loosely to one side, it could have come off as I was dismantling the blades, who knows. Carefully put to one side the blades are placed individually in preparation for a clean. Lastly the bottom plate of the shutter mechanism, lifts out and beyond this point is the camera back, we have just a hole as the whole shutter and lens mechanism has now been removed.

All parts removed have now been cleaned with an IPA solution to remove any grease and dirt, and there was quite a lot of both. These have all been put to one side and will be cleaned once more prior to reassembly.

A period of time was spent just watching and observing whilst I continued to prime the camera and fire the mechanism to see if I could see anything obvious that was of concern. After a while I could see the issue, there is a small flywheel that was not moving, and as a result the connected shutter mechanism could not move.

Flywheel and aperture pin highlighted
Flywheel and shutter blade actuator

The flywheel controls two parts of this mechanism. Firstly the shutter mechanism to move and work the shutter blades, and secondly there is a small brass pin at the top that also moves relative to the aperture setting, if this is in the wrong position, the shutter fires but will not close, this wheel is where the issue lies.

Using some IPA I get into the gearing from the base area, and give all the gears that I can access a good clean, I activate the camera numerous times to get as much grease and dirt away from the workings as possible.

Then using a very fine camera oil, very sparingly, literally a drop on top of a needle applicator, I place oil onto the cogs paying special attention to the offending fly wheel.

Oil applied with a needle applicator
Oiling the offending flywheel

I have three shutter blades that are super thin and delicate that need a final clean, dry and a dry wipe prior to reinstalling. I get this done and then put both links in place, after installing the blades in the correct order.

Shutter blade reinstalled, with both links
A small video showing the shutter working

The re installation of all other parts is just a reverse action of how they were taken out, each part was cleaned as it was put back, so in theory the camera is an awful lot cleaner and free of contamination than it was a while ago. Before I put the lens plate back on the camera I check the shutter’s operation and it is all fine. Just a final calibration of the aperture settings, a check of the focus range, and just ensuring all wires are routed sufficiently, and the lens plate is ready to attach to the rest of the camera. This done, the base and top fascia plates are attached after first cleaning the focus window and light meter window. The camera is now fully assembled, it now just needs the camera “Skin” to be re glued where it was earlier removed for access.

Reassembled and just needs gluing

The skin is now glued into place.

Skins re stuck

Now I’m outside the camera I’m just going to touch up some of the scuffed areas with some permanent marker, it’s not worth stripping down, priming and repainting, to be honest I’m quite happy just doing a touch up of the scuffed areas and that is what I have done. Once it gets a clean and polish it will appear much improved, compared to when the pen is first applied, it will blend in.

Before and after pen applications

I’ve taken the old strap buckle off as that was rusted, I’ve just used the original strap ring to connect to the camera lug, I think it looks good. I’ve also added a cover for the hot shoe connector that I’ve printed off on the 3D printer.

Original ring

And that completes the repair, the last thing to do is get this camera cleaned and polished.

Result:

With a good clean and polish, this little handheld has come up looking superb.

The finished clean Rollei XF 35

With all the extra touches, we now have a superb working, resurrected camera that was heading for landfill. This has taken a lot of time and patience, something I don’t have a great deal of if I’m honest, but I was determined to get this project finished. And it is. It looks good, works good and has years of life left in it. Currently sitting at 52 years old, it has a long life ahead of it.

This camera probably rates as one of the most fulfilling and pleasing projects I have ever started upon and completed. It’s been a very delicate and time consuming job, and that I will not deny. It’s only a cheap low cost camera but it’s taught me a great deal. It’s the first complex project I have undertaken, in my new workspace, I don’t think I would have been able to complete it with my old set up. It’s been an achievement, one I am considerably proud of, an occasion when once again, it doesn’t matter how old you are, you can still learn a lot. A big positive for me.

Anyway, enough about me.

Thank you most sincerely for passing by and giving me your time. It really is, very much appreciated.

Olympus OM10

Always liked and wanted an Olympus OM10. 46 years later I now have one. Of course, it needed repair.

Much to the wife’s annoyance, and because I was feeling a little low and in need of some retail therapy, I’ve purchased this lovely little camera from the Barnardos charity. It looks like it’s been stored in a full Hoover bag, it is so dusty. It has a few dents and dinks, this one is going to be a challenge. I like challenges. I’ve paid the grand total of £17:67GBP for the camera and the standard Zuiko 50MM F1.8 Lens. I think that is an excellent price.

These cameras were produced between 1979 and 1987. I’m hoping I’ll be able to date this actual camera more accurately when I receive it.

This is what the original listing stated:

This listing is for a vintage Olympus OM-10 35mm Single-Lens Reflex (SLR) film camera, bundled with a Zuiko 50mm f/1.8 lens and a leather neck strap. This is a single bundle containing the camera body, lens, and strap, ideal for collectors or film photography enthusiasts.

UNTESTED. This sale is for spares/repairs. There are some marks and cosmetic imperfections. Please see images for more detail.

The standard untested post from the auction sites, but I’m not really bothered to be honest. It’s a charity, and I’m happy to pay for these items as the charity always benefits, and that’s all that matters to be honest.

I have some history around this camera and whenever I see one I think of Bruce Springsteen and here’s why.

1984, Bruce released this Album

Born in the USA was released in 1984, so I can kind of pinpoint the first time I’d ever really heard him, courtesy of my friend David K, when I used to live in a small town in Hertfordshire called Bushey. David had been a school friend, we were now in our mid to late teens, he was working in a restaurant whilst I was in a photographic lab. He introduced Bruce to me and for many months after he first purchased that album, we played it non stop and knew it off by heart, beat for beat, and word for word, we were totally smitten with it. It was the Bruce effect. At this time i would have been about 18-19 years old, and had a very basic Russian Zenit camera, it took some great photos. However, David had recently had a bonus payment at work and purchased himself the Olympus OM10. I was envious, who wouldn’t be? What a camera and this is where it all ties in with our hobby, we loved photography and used to always discuss it with Bruce in the background singing his heart out. It all ties in now, fantastic memories, and a single camera can bring back these memories. Amazing isn’t it?

Anyway here’s some pictures where you can see the amount of dirt, and what looks like some bumps on the outer edge of the lens.

Nice camera, few dinks and dents, and a lot of dirt

Here’s some information regarding this camera:

The OM10 was the first consumer OM series body. Launched in 1979 it accepted the full line of OM lenses and most of the OM accessories for a lower price. The lower price was reflected in the construction of this camera and the features available, however, it was still a very competent performer and it reflected the elegant lines established by the compact OM-1 and 2 designs. Early production runs of the OM10 have known malfunction issues with electronics, metering, and shutter magnets. Olympus later changed the shutter to a ‘Type II’ design to correct the latter problem.

In its standard configuration the OM10 offered aperture priority automatic exposure, simple and accurate enough for a consumer camera in most lighting situations. It also offered exposure compensation for more complicated lighting situations and for more advanced users. A small plug-in manual adaptor was available as an accessory to enable manual control of shutter speed. The manual adaptor is possibly not as easy to use as the typical shutter speed ring around the lens bayonet on the OM-1.

While not well known to consumers, the focusing screen for the OM10 is indeed interchangeable, though not as easily as the OM-1. It shares the same focusing screen as the OM-1, but the extra protruding tab needs to be cut off as the OM10 doesn’t have a placeholder for it.

The OM10 can accept all the lenses of the OM system. 

The finder screen is fixed, as well as the back. It can accept the winder but not the motor drive. It existed in chrome and in black finish.

In 1980 the OM10 Quartz was released with a fixed databack (equivalent of a Recordata Back 3) to print the time or date on your pictures. The OM10 Quartz was only released in black finish.

The OM10 was sold in large quantities before production ceased in 1987 and many working examples are still being used today. Largely overlooked in favor of its more professional ‘single digit’ siblings, you can easily pick up a working example for $50. Try to find one that includes the manual adaptor though, as this accessory alone can fetch $30 at auction.

Camera-wiki.org

Assessment:

In a perfect world this camera would just need a clean. But this is me and to be honest I’d like a little bit more of a challenge, as a lot of the cameras I have worked with lately did not need a lot of maintenance because they’d been well looked after. This one may be different.

The camera that has been received

These cameras were renowned for electrical faults especially with their mirror motion magnets, very similar to the issues suffered on Canons earlier EOS cameras such as the 1N. But to be honest I am just surmising at this point as the camera is not yet in my hands. I need to be patient and await its arrival.

Well, it’s arrived so let’s have a look and see what’s good, what’s bad and what’s indifferent. It has dirt, yes, quite a bit of it, so it will require quite a deep clean as we need to get into all those little crevices, where the dust has settled.

Dirt in all the crevices

Cosmetically it looks really good with no dinks, dents or scratches, so that is very much a positive. It’s in not too bad a shape for being 46 years old.

The capstan to open the camera film door, along with the operation dial are a little loose, so they will require tightening.

Loose capstan and controller

Batteries are long dead, this camera requires two LR44 button batteries to do even the basics, I have tested the batteries with a multimeter and they are so low that they hardly register, they are very dead indeed. The good thing however is that they have not leaked in anyway and the battery chamber is clear of corrosion.

Battery chamber is clean

The mirror is stuck in the halfway position, this could be purely to do with there being no battery in the camera. It would be good to see with new batteries installed, if the mirror magnets would then kick in, and then they’d be no further issue. However, knowing my luck they are probably inoperable as well, we will just have to wait. And for this same reason the winder is also stuck, again the batteries may well solve this problem 🤞

Mirror trapped at the halfway point

Good news is though that the mirror and curtain are in really good condition, because the old lens has been kept in place preventing any contamination getting into that area.

Viewfinder looks clear apart from a little dust build up

However the lens, does appear to have fungus in it, and will require a clean at some point along the way.

Visible lens fungus

There are also a number of light seals that need replacing as they have perished.

Some light seals need replacing

To be quite honest, the easiest part of this camera to clean will be the standard plastic and rubber neck strap. This can just go in some warm soapy water to rejuvenate it. However, my first priority will be to get some batteries in place and see what occurs. I may have to rethink my approach to this camera dependent on the outcome of this simple action.

Repair:

Straight home and I’ve found a couple of LR44 batteries that had a little more power than the old ones. In they go….and nothing. There is a check position on the main dial that should light up and a buzzer should sound to confirm that there is sufficient power, obviously there isn’t in this case. I run all the other LR44 batteries I have through a tester ( I had a packet of 12 ) and they all show as low power, they’ve died during storage. I then pop over the road to see my brother in law who always has a good supply of batteries and bingo, he has a couple of spare LR44s.

We have the check light, and a little buzz…intermittently

With these in place I get an intermittent buzz and a light, it appears the capstan control and operation dial that I mentioned earlier was loose, and has intermittent contact issues, it will need removing and cleaning then reseating.

If I hold the capstan in place I do get a good signal, with both buzzer and light operating in the check position, and when I move the control to “On” position I can now cock the shutter lever. It will then fire but again only to the half way position as it did earlier. If I gently push the mirror down and let it spring back it will then fire. But you have to do this on every stroke of priming the advance lever. Not good.

This is pointing towards an issue with the magnets and I believe I’m almost there, and that’s when I have a eureka moment.

Eureka moment

In the bottom of the mirror and curtain bay on the base of the camera is where the mirror magnets are situated, along with a light sensor that takes a reading off the shutter curtain behind, that is checkerboard coloured. Something here didn’t look quite right for me as it did not look level, the base seemed quite uneven. I just simply put my finger in here, applied some light pressure on this base and it just clicked into position, nice and level and then the stuck mirror fired, just like that. Every single prime of the shutter and actuation since, has worked just perfectly, I wonder if this camera has been dropped at some time just knocking this part out of true configuration? Or has someone been here before me? I’m going to have to remove the base to check a few things anyway, so I can then make sure this issue doesn’t happen again. For now, I’m satisfied that the shutter and winder are working fine. I just need to make the contacts and the electrical continuity a little bit more reliable.

I’ve dismantled the faulty switch. Inside, the old tracks on the camera and the pickups on the switch were showing signs of tarnish so I used some contact cleaner go get these looking better. I’ve re assembled the switch and used a new circlip to hold it all together. It’s a lot more secure and responsive now with no interruption to the check signal. It’s quite solid as it always should be.

Capstan needs dismantling
Circlip needs removing
Those tarnished tracks

Here’s a small video regarding the switch repair.

Switch working as it should

With the switch sorted I’ve now removed the focus screen to give that a bit of a clean.

Focus screen removal, cleaning and replacement

And after this I have gradually started to remove the old light seals in preparation for their replacement. They really are in quite a bad way and creating a lot of dust and dirt as they degrade.

Old light seals removed and degraded
Mirror damper seal removed

Now to get the remainder of the old seals removed, clean the troughs they sat in, and then put the new seals in place.

With some IPA, and a large bamboo stick it’s time to remove the old seals
Some seal cut to size
Door seal replaced
Top seal installed
Bottom seal installed

I’ve replaced all the seals on the camera body apart from the mirror damper. I need to get some adhesive first, to secure the plastic plate that sits above the damper. Hence I have to wait for this to be in place before I can finally put the damper in situ, i will do this in the next 24hrs.

Now, the plastic piece that covers the focussing screen access is now secured in place and the mirror damper has been installed, all light proofing has now been completed.

Mirror damper installed

The original lens that was suffering with fungus has been dismantled and given a clean, however because the top two optics are a sealed assembly, guess what? The fungus is within the sealed section and is unable to be accessed. Therefore the lens will never be cured of this issue, it has been improved by cleaning the other optics but it’s not in anyway good enough to use with film in the camera, I will therefore use the old lens purely for testing purposes, it works fine for that and will be just fine for testing other Olympus equipment. In the meantime I have purchased two further OM 50mm std lenses, one is an earlier “Silver nose” model with a single lens protective coating whilst the other is a later production “Black” MC (Multi coated) model. Both are in an excellent clean condition conducive for film photography.

The two new lenses – “Silver nose” to the right

I’m happy that the repairs have now been completed, all that is left now to do, is to give the unit a thorough clean, and to clean that original plastic/rubber camera strap with some warm water.

Result:

Here we present a fully cleaned and maintained Olympus OM10 35mm SLR camera from the 1980s looking quite resplendent after all the work on it has been completed.

All cleaned
Looking superb with a new lens
Looking fine from all angles

It’s been a lovely camera to work on. The make of this camera is superb, and back in the 80s Olympus were on a high note with the high end advertising, using many well known celebrities, and their cameras as a result became extremely popular. They are very well made and have stood the test of time. This one camera will go on to continue being used, and has many good years of life ahead of it. Another one saved from the scrap heap. As with all my cameras I have an immense backlog of units all awaiting the time when they have a roll of film run through them, and this one is no different. When I do pass a test roll through it I will post a link to the results here.

As always, thank you for passing by and glimpsing this post. It is always very much appreciated.

Canon AV1

I now have a Canon AV1 with a shutter problem. Can I fix it? I’ll have a good go…

What the listing stated:

This camera is in very good overall condition. Some light signs of use but this is generally minor. The light meter is responsive when you press the shutter button down. However, the shutter will not fire. Spares or repairs only.

EBay

I’ve just paid £8:98GBP for this camera, and I believe this is a great price for a piece of camera history. The AV was introduced due to there being a demand for aperture priority at the time, whereas its Sibling, the AE1 was purely shutter priority. Later cameras would come to incorporate both systems. This one has a known problem with a stuck mirror – it won’t fire and I think I can easily sort this problem. Well I hope I can.

The Canon AV1 I have just purchased

Here’s a little information about this camera:

The Canon AV-1 is a 35 mm single-lens reflex camera with an FD lens mount, introduced by Canon Inc. in 1979.

The AV-1 is very similar to the 1976 AE-1 but provides aperture priority autoexposure rather than the AE-1’s shutter speed priority AE. The camera is not capable of fully manual exposure. Canon’s international distributors, particularly in the United States, had clamored for such a camera because competing brands offered mostly aperture-priority cameras and some preferred it. The AV in the name referred to the type of autoexposure; Av (Aperture Value) is a common abbreviation for aperture priority.

When this camera appeared, a new range of FD lenses was introduced, with instant mounting/unmounting of the lens. This is called the New FD mount and does away with the older type of mounting ring which was fitted on to the rear of the lens and was awkward to use and needed two hands, to a newer, easier system whereby the user lined up the red dot on the lens, with the red dot on the camera and simply turned the whole lens clockwise until it clicked into place.

All the other AE-1 accessories fit the AV-1.

Wikipedia

I’ve decided to collect all of the Canon “A”Series of cameras, and this adds to my current collection that consists of an A1 and an AE1. There were I believe, six cameras in this range and this current camera will be my fourth. Here’s a list of the “A” range of cameras below. I have highlighted with an asterisk all that I currently have at the date of this blog post being published:

Assessment:

The original listing description does not match the issues that I have found. It originally stated that the light meter is responsive, it isn’t. It also stated that the shutter does not fire, it does when a battery is installed. The battery level indicator in the viewfinder does work when the check button on the camera is depressed. However when you focus the camera and half depress the exposure button to get a meter reading, the needle in the viewfinder doesn’t respond, this is the only real issue I can see, I guess the seller must have been looking at another camera as he wrote the listing for this camera.

Battery level reading in the viewfinder

All settings appear to be working as they should, the “B”setting allows me to scroll through the “f” stop settings to see the aperture leaves working as they should. All “f” stop settings appear to work on the auto setting.

Camera appears tidy but grubby

It’s a smart little camera, this a tidy example of this version with no dents, dinks and just some very fine scrapes on the base as you’d expect from a camera fast approaching 46 years old (1979-2025). It’s a bit dirty and needs a good clean inside and out, the light seals are in a good state and not requiring replacement or repair just yet, however the mirror bumper has deteriorated and this will need replacement.

Mirror bumper needs replacement

The shutter curtain is in a good and untouched condition.

I’m going to research issues with the exposure indication, and I will incorporate my findings within the repair section.

Repair:

I thought, perhaps the camera is suffering from lack of use? It certainly is probably some considerable time since this camera was last used. Firstly I’ll try exercising all the controls that affect the exposure reading, including the mode dial, film speed dial, aperture ring, etc. I’ll work them backwards and forwards a few times to see if this helps to clean the variable resistor tracks inside from any surface contamination. When the FD lens is attached you must be mindful that the “A” setting on the lens is not used and that the f stop settings are used in a manual manner, lens auto is not a function on this camera.

Auto shutter on camera
Do not use the “A” setting on the lens. It doesn’t work

To be honest, this did seem to work sort of. The needle has moved off the bottom a bit. The ASA setting was on 100, so I put it up to 1600 as it is quite a dark day and the sensitivity of the light sensor would be reflected better at this setting. It moved a bit but I wasn’t totally convinced that this indication in the viewfinder reflected the true light situation.

I set a higher ASA for testing

There’s also a small, silver push-button just inside the lens mount at about the 4-5 o’clock position. If you press this in and release it a few times for the same reason, as exercising the dials as I did above, it is just like exercising a body part and keeping it supple. Leave items like this, designed for high usage redundant for a while and they soon seize up. it has also been known to assist with getting the needle indication working after a long lay off.

That silver button, highlighted

(A little bit of trivia here – this button is normally used for the lens to inform the body of the lens’s maximum aperture. This information isn’t needed on the AV-1, but Canon included it anyway for some reason, and it doesn’t affect the exposure.)

And combining these actions, moving the settings dial and the button inside the lens mount seems to have revitalised the light meter and I’m now quite confident that it is working as intended. It was just lazy due to low use and needed a bit of non invasive intervention to get it working again. And non invasive intervention is always a good thing. So with the setting back to 200ASA I was able to show the meter working in this very short and basic video below.

A brief video showing the meter needle moving

I’m confident that the metering issue is now sorted so let’s get that new mirror damper installed.

A lot of dirt came off of the area where the replacement damper had to go, it had completely deteriorated and took quite a bit of cleaning.

New damper in place
Dirt that came off, and replacement damper ready to go into place

Now in place it has silenced the mirror movement somewhat, and will provide some longevity as it moves into the twilight of its years. It will be good for many more rolls of film yet. Whilst in the lens area I have cleaned the mirror and prism, and given the area a good blow through and put the lens back in place to seal it all up. It is now clean internally. I have a couple of body caps on order that will assist with storage when the lens is removed.

Just a final clean with some cockpit cleaner, and this camera has come up lovely, I’ve tested it on a Power winder “A” as well and it sounds just so good and “retro”. It’s perfect.

Result:

Well. I now have another lovely example of one of the Canon “A” range of cameras to add to my collection. This brings my current total to four out of the six available, two of which are still currently under repair. For less than £10:00GBP it is so easy to own a piece of photographic history. I have been lucky here that the work that had to be done was non intrusive, and to be quite honest was just basic everyday maintenance. The only real work of sorts was installing some mirror damper felt, of which I have plenty of stock. Cleaning was quite intensive but the overall result is amazing.

Front views after cleaning
Looking amazing compared to what arrived

I will eventually run a roll of film through for a final quality check, however I have such a backlog it will take me a while. When I do however run that test roll I will post a link here:

Really pleased with this repair, and the fact that another lovely old camera has been saved from the scrap heap and been given a new lease of life.

Thanks as always for passing by. It is as always, very much appreciated.

Werra 1 stripdown and rebuild

I recently purchased this camera and wrote about it in a previous blog entry Werra 1

I’ve commenced taking the Werra to pieces. The winder was not working and the shutter was not firing. Before starting this work I’ve viewed this page at Everything Vintage where they have recently carried out a full strip down of the Werra and you can view the page HERE, it’s all great advice.

Getting below the top plate was relatively easy exposing the mechanics from 58 years ago, I don’t think it’s ever been opened in all this time. I always love to see the ingenuity that went into these old cameras in years gone by.

Werra 1 stripdown

The internals look dirty in the photo but to be truthful I don’t think the lighting is doing it any justice, yep there is a fine oxidation coating but it’s at a very acceptable level considering its age. When I get to the point of dismantling as much as I can, I will start to clean and lubricate these pieces. But at the moment my goal is getting to the shutter.

Werra winding system – shutter not working

In the video above I’ve managed to get the shutter cocking using the lens ring, however the shutter actuator does work intermittently, but there is no movement of the shutter (Or is there…)

The only reason I ask the question above is that after reading the “Everything Vintage” link in the first paragraph it appears there is a second shutter that closes the light path to the film back when you wind on. When you are ready to expose the film this shutter opens and then there is a second shutter that controls the exposure. if you watch the small video above I think it is this shutter you can hear when I wind the camera on. Hopefully this one is working, I just need to get the one on the rear working, and for this I need to remove the lens from the housing. To do this I need a tool I don’t currently have but have now ordered. More to follow when the lens ring removal tool arrives.

Lens ring spanner

The lens ring spanner has arrived, the ring is being right stubborn at the moment and Im struggling to release it from its 58 years of rigidity. I’m tired as well and don’t want to cause any damage to the shutter so I’ll come back to this later.

18 hrs later, I’m rested and have another go at releasing that lens ring, this time I’m successful and I manage to release it. Sometimes it’s better to sleep on a problem and approach it with fresh eyes rather than continuing whilst tired and prone to making mistakes.

Werra Lens ring removed

With the lens off the body, the shutter cassette can now be removed. It amazes me just how intricate this cassette is and the workmanship that must have gone into it. I’d estimate at least 10 small cogs and a number of tiny springs with levers and pivot points, amazing really considering it’s about 60 years old. It’s amazing how modern technology has advanced.

Werra lens breakdown
Werra shutter module
Werra lens – another shutter on the rear

It takes some time getting into the shutter cassette as there are springs and things flying off everywhere, you really do have to photograph everything you do just to be able to check what goes where and how.

Inside mechanism – where is that spring from?
Complexity of the shutter mechanism

The shutter itself is rather clean apart from some fingerprints on the shutter leaves that must have been from years ago. I have cleaned this down with IPA and then used some finely ground carbon (pencil lead) as a dry lubricant and this has got the shutter moving just fine.

Werra shutter after being lubricated with carbon

I’m now starting to reassemble the lens and shutter as I’m happy that there is nothing else restricting the shutter and it is now moving quite freely. I will clean the camera as I progress and put some watch lubricant on the mechanics that are external to the lens and shutter assembly.

Werra 1 rear
Werra 1 base
Werra 1 top
Werra 1 front

Well it’s all been reassembled and is now back in one piece. It looks good, the shutter works fine and I’ve now vacuum packed it to go back into storage. I won’t be firing up a roll of film on it yet as I don’t have the time to did so at the moment. I’ll probably save that until the summertime when the weather is more favourable. I’ve really enjoyed this restoration even though at times it was very frustrating. This rebuild has taught me patience, or at least that I need to have more patience and just take my time. Intricate jobs on such old equipment need a clear head and a lot of concentration. I’ve learned my lesson and will endeavour to remedy that situation in my future dealings with such equipment.

Halina A1 Reflex shutter and Fungus

Managed to get the shutter firing after a while of blasting with compressed air and constantly cocking and firing the mechanism until it clicked into life. Probably stiff due to not being used for a number of years and left in storage. When I get the unit apart I will help it along with a little clock oil.

Halina A1 Reflex lens fungus

When shining a light through the back of the camera with the shutter open the fungus issue on the lens is most apparent, this is a three part lens I believe so it’s going to take some time and patience to achieve, but it’s do able, but it will have to wait a while.

Shine a light for all to see…..fungus

So I’ll leave you with this for today, the smell of years of dampness invades when ever I get this camera out of its box and to be honest I think that will be my biggest challenge with this unit. Any ideas and tips on how to assist with this problem gratefully accepted 👍