Category: film

Nikon F90x 35mm SLR Film Camera and MB10 battery grip

This camera influenced the partnership between NIkon and Kodak to produce one of the most expensive prosumer cameras of the 1990s. However this one is a lot less expensive but with some issues. Let’s have a look at it:

What the listing stated:

THIS UNIT IS FAULTY
SUTIBLE FOR SPARES / REPAIRS ONLY
SOLD AS SEEN

FAULTS INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO,
MIRROR STICKS


COMES WITH EVERYTHING SEEN IN IMAGES

NO WARRANTY PROVIDED

EBay

Nikon F90X with MB10 battery grip

Just couldn’t let this one go. Whilst browsing the sites for my next challenge last evening, this little bundle of joy just popped from one of my preferred sellers for a quick sale, it was about 11pm and was just posted at a sale price of £30:00GBP, however with a voucher I had, I was able to secure it at £27:00GBP. Considering this is a good quality camera of the mid 90s it also comes with the added bonus of an MB10 battery grip, superb value in my eyes. A lot of camera for a very low price.

Here’s a little bit about this camera:

The Nikon F90x is a 35mm autofocus SLR using Nikon’s F lens mount. It was targeted toward the advanced amateur or prosumer; its feature set is comparable to that of Nikon’s current D100/200/300 SLRs. The name N90s was used for marketing in the United States; everywhere else, the camera was called the F90x. This camera was also used as the base for the Kodak DCS 400 series of digital SLRs.

The N90s/F90x was introduced in 1994 and discontinued in 2001. The camera’s predecessor, the N90/F90, was introduced in 1992 and discontinued in 1994. The successor to the N90s, the F100, was introduced in 1998.

Features & Specifications

Nikon N90s global naming N90S adapted into Kodak’s DCS460, a 6 Mp Digital SLR

  • Bright viewfinder with 92% coverage, .78x magnification
    • Current settings are displayed at the bottom of the finder; information area is automatically backlit in dark conditions
  • Top LCD displays current settings and facilitates changes
    • Backlit for use in dark conditions; the backlight switch is near the left die of the viewfinder
  • Cross-Type Wide Area AF System
    • Choice of wide-area or spot AF
    • One CAM246 AF sensor
    • Continuous AF mode with release priority in addition to standard AF with focus priority
  • 4.1FPS capable with continuous AF; 4.3FPS with standard AF
    • 2FPS mode available
  • 3D Matrix Meter when used with a D or G-type Nikkor lens
    • Center-weighted and spot metering are also available and usuable with AI lenses
  • 3D Multi-Sensor Balanced Fill-Flash capability (with Nikon Speedlights SB-800/80DX/28DX/28/27)
  • Seven Vari-Programs: Portrait, Portrait with Red-Eye Reduction, Hyperfocal, Landscape, Silhouette, Sports, Closeup
    • Explained in detail in the instruction manual
  • Four exposure modes: Program, Shutter-priority, Aperture-priority, Manual
  • Shutter speeds of 1/8000 – 30 seconds + Bulb
  • Flash sync speed of 1/250
    • Flash sync modes: normal, slow, rear, red-eye, FP high-speed
  • Self-timer: 2-30 seconds
  • ISO/ASA Range 6-6400
  • DX-enabled (automatically reads speed information from film canisters)
  • Eyepiece shutter stops excess light from entering the viewfinder and interfering with metering
  • Overall strong build throughout (comparable to Nikon’s current D100/200/300SLRs)
    • Stainless steel lens mount
  • Requires 4 AA Batteries
  • Extensive system compatibility & accessories; see below

Accessories & Compatibility

F90X with MB-10 grip

The N90s/F90x is compatible with nearly all Nikkor F-mount lenses as well as all Nikon SB series speedlights.

Additional, camera-specific accessories available are:

  • MF-26 Multi-Control Back
    • Long Exposures to 100 hours
    • Freeze Focus: triggers the shutter as soon as a subject comes into focus
    • Custom Reset: customizes which settings are affected by the green-button reset
    • Date Imprinting: can also imprint shutter speed and aperture information
    • World Clock
    • Flash exposure compensation
    • Interval timer: up to 100 hours between pictures for 99 frames
    • Limit frame count in continuous shooting mode
    • Multiple exposures
    • Customize which settings are affected by AE-L and AF-L (auto-exposure lock and autofocus lock)
  • MF-25 Data Imprint Back
  • MB-10 Vertical Grip
    • Takes 4AA batteries or, with the MS-11 battery holder, two CR123 lithium batteries
  • Interchangeable focusing screens
    • E screen provides grid lines in the viewfinder

with 28-80mm, 20mm and 80-200mm

Lens Compatibility

  • All functions, including autofocus, work properly with Nikkor AF, AF-I, AF-D, and AF-S lenses.
  • AI and AI-S lenses are usable, with the loss of these functions:
    • Autofocus
    • Shutter-priority exposure mode
    • Programmed exposure mode
    • Vari-program exposure modes
    • 3D Matrix metering (though center-weighted and spot metering remain functional)
  • The camera does not use VR with any lens.
  • G-type lenses (lenses without aperture rings) can be used with the loss of some functionality: only the lens’ smallest aperture can be used in manual or aperture-priority exposure modes.

Camera-wiki.org

Now my experience with this seller is that unless it is absolutely perfect he will not even entertain it. He doesn’t take the time to check and fettle, if it isn’t working from the start he will just get rid of. This attitude of his has meant I’ve had some right bargains in the past with very little wrong with them. I refer you to a recent purchase Canon EOS D60 that had very little wrong with it, but was also a lot of camera for a very low price.

Now I’ve always wanted a Kodak DCS 400 series camera, especially a 460 version as it takes me back to my days when I was working at Kodak in Harrow, I remember when the DCS 400 series came out and back then they were introducing such a new technology that they were commanding a huge price of around $35,000 at the time. These cameras were basically digital versions of the film camera I have purchased above. So whilst I’m on the lookout for a reasonably priced DCS 400 series camera, I guess I will just have to do with the camera that started it all off. And for £27:00GBP I’m not complaining.

I think I may know why this mirror is sticking, and if it is what I believe it to be it could be quite an easy fix. (Famous last words)

So let’s stop all the reminiscing, and wish list writing and get on with this camera’s assessment.

Assessment:

It’s arrived, and as expected it’s a beautiful looking item in an extremely good condition.

Stunningly good condition

The mirror appears to be in a semi raised position, the battery pack is clean with no signs of contamination and battery leakage, so now seems a good time to put in four AA batteries and slide the battery pack into place and secure it.

Battery pack clean and contamination free

Turn the battery on and the mirror clicks back into its closed position. And here I am, probably 40 or 50 actuations later and I can’t recreate the sellers fault of a sticking mirror. The mode the camera is set in, is indicating long exposure times, maybe this has given the impression of the mirror sticking when in fact it’s just doing what it should relative to the light it is seeing. I need to check in clear daylight, but I’m sure this is part of the issue….if there is one.

With a 28-100 lens added

I have a 28-100 lens mounted that I use for testing, the autofocus is working really well and all seems good.

However, take a look at the picture below. It contains two photos of the LCD screen on the top of the camera. What do you see in the top photo that would make you think there is an error?

Is that an error?

For the un-informed, those who are not familiar with this camera or its operation, you will instantly see the letter “E” that is commonly known as an error indicator, in later models it is shown as “ERR”. I do believe the seller has possibly mistaken this for an error code, but if you refer to the bottom photo where I have now installed a test film, it becomes clear that the “E” on this camera represents the word “empty”. No film installed, a simple and easy to make mistake. The bottom picture indicates a film is installed and that 4 exposures have been taken.

As these cameras have in the past been known to have a mirror sticking issue, I will replace the mirror bumper felt. It is well known that when the felt has deteriorated to such a level, the felt becomes sticky, and the mirror just sticks to the felt when it opens. It’s an age related issue that is easy to repair. Even though I have not experienced it with this unit, I will replace it as it will probably fail at some point. I will also check the light seals and replace them if I deem this necessary.

Repair:

The light seals do not need replacing. In fact there are only two small spots of light seals on this camera and both are in good condition.

The two areas where there is light seal – with no issues

However the bumper seal was showing signs of degradation, so this has been replaced.

Old seal
Removed

The old seal peels out but leaves a sticky residue behind, this has to be removed with some IPA prior to cutting new foam to size and reinstalling. Whilst I was in the lens are I also removed the focussing screen to clean it and remove the old ingrained dust and dirt.

New bumper foam installed
Focus screen removed to clean
Some of the dirt and debris from inside

The area within the mirror area is now clean and dust free after I have used a small air blower to get the last of the debris out of the barrel area. Mirrors have been cleaned and polished and the body cap has been put back on the front of the camera to ensure no further dirt or contamination gets in there whilst I work on the outside.

I’ve printed a hot shoe flash cover purely for aesthetic reasons, I’ve also printed a sync cable cover, for similar reasons, but generally just to ensure any open and exposed areas are covered up. It does make it look a lot nicer.

Hotshoe connector
Hotshoe cover in place

The sync cable cover also helps keep the exterior tidy as well as protecting the connector.

Without
With

All I need to do now is clean the exterior of the camera where there is some light dust and dirt. When this is done I will use my usual car cockpit polish to finish the camera off.

When that’s done I will do a quick fly through of all the settings to check if they are all functioning as they should.

Result:

The camera has cleaned up very well and looks glorious. All settings are functioning as expected, and there have been no issues with a sticky mirror or any other issues. The camera is just working well and doing exactly what it should be doing.

A lovely looking, fully functional camera

I’m using a G type lens so I’m restricted on the type of photography I can do, it stays on its lowest aperture (F:32) but that’s perfectly fine In bright sunlight conditions. I need to purchase myself another lens for testing to allow me the use of the full spectrum of apertures on this unit. That said, my lens has performed perfectly on this unit.

As I’ve stated before, this seller is one of my favourite suppliers as his cameras are always in a good condition, he doesn’t like anything unless it’s absolutely A1 perfect, so this is where i benefit as every unit I have purchased from him is perfect in my eyes, and in many cases need very little doing to them to bring them back into a working condition. This is one such unit.

So, I have yet another lovely piece of 90s “Big” tech restored and working perfectly. The next thing I need to do is to put some film through it. I’ll let you all know when I’ve done that.

Thank you for passing by, have a wonderful weekend, I really appreciate your being here.

Take care.

Vintage Kodak No. 1 Pocket Folding Camera

A genuine antique, for a ridiculously low cost. But will it work? At 100 years old, can this old camera still do what it was designed to do? Let’s have a closer look.

An antique. A genuine antique. For a ridiculously low cost of £7:90GBP. And this little beauty was purchased for me by an elderly friend as an Easter present. Yep, for the price of an Easter egg in the Uk I’ve been brought an antique piece of photographic memorabilia, how good is that?

Here’s what the listing stated:

Kodak No:1 folding pocket camera

EBay

The listing leaves a lot to be desired, but as these cameras were produced between 1926-29 they are now reaching the 100 year old stage, a real antique, and to be honest at this age, just like most of us approaching a pensionable age, you would be expecting some wear and tear and a little bit of misbehaving. (I speak from experience even though i currently reside at the lower end of the antique spectrum). Around 800,000 of these cameras are estimated to have been produced, so there are a good number still available on the markets, I suspect this is what governs the low cost.

A few of the original pictures

Yep, to be honest I do expect there to be issues, but at first look this camera appears to be in a very good condition, with a couple of parts to it that normally go missing over time, still present, and at the measly price I paid for it, I’m not complaining. The leather appears to be fine, and well looked after, it looks remarkably clean, but we’ll just have to wait and see.

This is an autographic version, this was a system introduced on these early cameras that would allow you to write with a small metal stylus (Stored alongside the lens) through a small aperture in the rear of the camera, allowing you to put picture details onto the specialised, unexposed film below. A really early form of EXIF data if you like. There is also a metallic kick stand bearing the “Kodak” logo, this allows the camera to be stood upright, and this piece is sometimes missing off of these old cameras. Fortunately this example seems to have all these features still in place.

The metal stylus
The kick stand
The autographic writing area

Here’s some info regarding Autographic film and cameras:

Autographic film and cameras, Eastman Kodak products from 1914 onward, allowed the photographer to enter his or her own notes onto the negative, rather like an early data back. Comments are written with a stylus in a window in the camera back, onto the paper backing of the film, which incorporates a carbon-paper. This leaves the backing slightly translucent where the stylus passed. The writing window is then exposed to the daylight and the inscription burned onto the negative. 

The method was invented by Henry Jacques Gaisman, who patented it in several forms, perhaps to prevent similar designs being patented by rivals (see the various patents below), over several years. In the various designs, the inscription is made on the film in several ways:

  • Carbon powder from a carbon paper is transferred to the emulsion side of the film, and casts a shadow when the film is exposed through the lens; the lettering should be dark-on-light, in the finished print, and appear in the picture area.
  • The emulsion itself is compressed against a textured surface, and this changes its response when exposed; the lettering should appear as stippling, either in or outside the picture area, according to different designs.
  • Carbon is transferred to a translucent backing paper, and the writing casts a shadow on the film when exposed to light from behind (after the carbon paper is removed); The lettering should be dark-on-light, and appear outside the picture area.
  • The carbon layer of the carbon paper is disrupted by writing on it, and so allows more light through (the film is exposed from behind, with the carbon paper in place); this is the form of the invention actually made. The lettering is light-on-dark in the finished print (dark-on-light in the negative), and appears outside the picture area.

Camera-Wiki.org

And here is some information regarding the camera itself:

The No. 1 Pocket Kodak was made in USA from 1926 to 1932 (in UK from 1929-1933) and took 6×9cm exposures on 120 roll film. 

In the USA in 1929-31, as well as black it came in four colors: blue, brown, grey and green. These have the Kodar f7.9 111mm lens in a Kodex shutter. All have the Autographic feature. Other lenses were the Kodak Anastigmat f6.3 and Kodak Anastigmat f7.7.

Technical Specifications (1926 Version)

  • Lens: Often an f/6.3 or f/7.9 Kodar/Anastigmat lens.
  • Shutter: Kodex shutter with speeds of 1/25, 1/50, Bulb (B), and Time (T).
  • Focusing: Accomplished via a worm screw or sliding the lens standard on a track, with a distance scale in feet or meters.
  • Viewfinder: A rotating “brilliant” waist-level finder for both portrait and landscape shots. 

Using the Camera Today

  • Film Compatibility: The 1920s No. 1 model is highly desirable because it takes standard 120 roll film, which is still manufactured today. Older models designed for 105 film can often use 120 film with minor modifications or original 105 spools.
  • Autographic Feature: Many models have a small door on the back and a metal stylus. This was originally used with special “Autographic” film (discontinued in 1932) to “write” notes directly onto the negative. Warning: Opening this door with modern film will ruin your photos.
  • Light Leaks: Due to their age, old bellows are prone to pinhole light leaks. Many users tape the red window or the autographic door with black electrical tape to prevent fogging.

Camera-wiki.org / Google

So let’s do a full assessment on this camera.

Assessment:

Here’s just what arrived, and for a one hundred year old camera it is pretty much perfect.

Front side showing stylus
Face on metal all rust free
Eye piece just needs a clean
Focus track at front
All branding clear
Leather and straps clean
Absolutely rust free
Look at those buckles
Front stand just needs a polish
Rear Autographic slot opens freely
Access to film chamber
Paint has no chips
Film back plate needs a light clean
Patent dates inside rear of camera
Rear of camera
An old wooden Brownie take up spool
Closed from front
Closed from rear

For a camera of this age I expected a number of issues.

  • Aroma – due to old age, cameras normally carry a mustiness due to the way they have been stored. This example has no such aroma and appears to have been stored well, and cared for, it just has an acceptable, leathery aroma.
  • Rust – again due to storage I was expecting some damage here. However this example has no rust issues, again this points to the camera being stored with care.
  • Fungus – to be expected on such an old example, on inspection there appears to be nothing more than some light specks of dust. Unbelievable. The viewfinder is a little misty and dusty but this should clean up quite easily.
  • Bellows holes – due to the construction of these cameras, time and usage usually causes the bellows to wear and small pinholes to appear. I’m yet to fully test the bellows section, but first inspection in a bright light is extremely positive and there appears to be nothing of concern that is noticeable. However I do need to test this properly prior to putting film in the back. From what I have witnessed so far, this camera appears to have been very well looked after, and I very much suspect it has been very lightly used.

Personally, this antique camera is in a far better condition than many that I have, that are a great deal younger than this camera. I’m very optimistic that I will be able to run a roll of 120 film through this camera before too long.

If you look at the pictures above you will see that the camera came with a “wooden” film take up spool. These features were typical in pre war cameras. What is really annoying me at the moment though, is the ridiculous prices some on line sites are charging for this small wooden roll on its own. Who the heck is silly enough to pay these prices? It’s almost 6x the price I paid for the actual camera 🤦‍♂️

On Etsy. Sellers name blacked out to preserve dignity….if they have any in the first place?

The fools.

Anyway, back to reality and this camera. Repair wise there will not be a great deal to do apart from some cleaning and minor adjustments. I’m not going to tamper to be honest, how does the saying go? If it ain’t broke, don’t try to fix it. And that will be the mantra for this camera. A sympathetic restoration is the order of the day with minimal tampering.

Repair:

Let’s start at the front and work our way back. First the bellows.

Bellows inside and out

Both inside and out the bellows have no signs of dryness or bad cracking. With a powerful light both inside and out no light leakage or intrusion can be found, this does not however rule out that there may be a pin prick leak somewhere, however on close inspection of all the bellows and its folds all seems well.

Next the bright viewfinder. Just two screws give access to the glass lenses, both are a bit dirty and clean up quite well, however there are a couple of spots of old age pitting on the glass, this is not bad, considering the age.

The brilliant viewfinder cleaned and working

The viewfinder cleaned up well, it’s just a reference and not an accurate representation of the view that will be on the negative.

I haven’t touched the lens or leaf aperture as they both appear to be working fine.

Next we move to the inside workings and the rear of the camera, to just give a general clean.

A general clean performed
I certainly removed some dirt from the interior area

And after all this cleaning has been done, a final clean with some polish and a good buff up completes the repair.

Result:

So what’s that I’ve found lurking at the back of my little stock of films in the fridge tray? it’s a roll of Rollei RPX 100 B/W, only a couple of years out of date, so this will be the perfect film candidate to test this camera with.

What’s that lurking at the back?
A Roll of B/W 120 film. Expired 2024

There wasn’t a great deal needing to be done to this camera as I previously stated. For an antiquity it is in a superb condition, and to be quite blunt, you don’t mess too much with such an item. Make it work yes, but keep it real. This is a hundred years old and represents times gone by, it’s aged perfectly and doesn’t need to be tampered with.

After the clean, I now present a number of photos to show what a wonderful piece of photographic history this is.

The finished item. With the first roll of film that will have passed through it for many years.

I have a roll of 120 film that will be shortly used to test it out. It’s been an absolute pleasure to work on such an old camera, and just to appreciate the skill and dedication that went into making such a beautiful hand made work of art. I am proud to own such an item and I’m hoping it will still be used for many years to come.

This is now a very important part of my personal collection, and I hope it will still be around a good time after I have taken my last breath.

Low cost, high personal value and an historic photographic legacy that I hope to pass on.

Thank you all for passing by, it’s always very much appreciated. I will post the pictures taken with this roll shortly.

A bit of Black and white

Just a few black and white pictures, taken whilst testing various cameras I’ve been working on recently. Just snaps, don’t get too excited.

Just a few pictures taken recently on various cameras I’m testing out. Nothing special, just mooching around and taking snaps.

Just a few test shots of old cameras

All around the Leicester / Melton Mowbray area.

Have a great day.

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.

Ilford Sportsman 35mm camera

I’ve been asked to give a little service to a friends old 35mm camera that he’s inherited. Mainly cleaning and making good. An old camera that deserves to maintain its originality.

I received this text message tonight from my nephew:

Hi, my mate “T”, has got an old camera from his sister, from a old antique store, he dunno a lot about it and was wondering if you did and if you’d have a look at it and see if it was in working order as he can’t figure much out about it, no worries if not tho 👍

Family

Now, I love these random out of the blue messages, to me it just says people have a trust in what I do, and I like that. And how can I turn down a request such as this. I’ve jumped on to it and said I’d give it a service and get it checked over and up and running, no cost, I just want to feature it within my blog site. The owner is also a youngster, just starting out in photography and has a thirst for knowledge of the traditional side of business, and wants to find out more about the old ways and how the trade used to operate. He wants to shoot film, and process it, and produce his own prints. I can help him do that. And I look forward to passing that knowledge on. In the meantime, this is the camera we are looking at, and wouldn’t it be just great to get it working and use it to get those results under tuition, that he wants to achieve.

This camera is really a rebadged Dacora Dignette produced in Western Germany for Ilford Uk.

Here’s a little history regarding the Ilford Sportsman camera range:

As the desire to own a 35mm camera blossomed within popular amateur photography during the latter 1950s, in part prompted by the more economical production of projectable colour transparencies on 35mm instead of roll film, Ilford Ltd must have been concerned that they did not have their own range of such cameras.

Kodak was importing their 35mm Retina/Retinette range from Kodak A.G. in Stuttgart, a factory they purchased in 1931, (originally the Nagel Camerawerks).

To provide a suitable ‘popularly priced’ 35mm camera, Ilford entered into an agreement with Herr Dangelmaier of the Dacora Kamerawerk, Reutlingen, near Stuttgart, (West) Germany. Dacora produced a simple 35mm camera, the Dacora Dignette, but rebadged it as an Ilford Sportsman for sale in the UK.

Ilford’s Sportsman cameras were a range of viewfinder- and rangefinder-cameras, made for Ilford in Germany by Dacora; the first was introduced in 1957. They were a cheaper alternative to the Kodak Retina and Retinette series for the newly-popular 35mm format at the time. The Sportsman cameras were rebadged versions of Dacora models, including the Dacora Dignette. There were a variety of shutters fitted, including Vario and Prontor mechanisms, housing a selection of lenses such as the Dacora Dignar, Steinheil Cassar and Isco Color-Isconar. The range included basic models, with the Vario shutter and Dacora lens, through fitted meters to sophisticated rangefinder cameras with light meter, Prontor 500LK shutter and Cassar lens.

There were five body styles; the last (Mk.5) introduced c.1967.

Wikipedia/photomemorabilia.co.uk

Ilford Sportsman Mk1 version – This is the actual camera coming to me for a service

This version dates from 1957 and is one of the later issued Mk1 versions of that year. It has the Vario shutter mechanism and the Dacora-Dignar lens. The badging indicates that this is a latter 1957 produced variant. The very early versions had the “Ilford” badge printed on the camera leatherette and I suspect this would have rubbed off due to hand positioning whilst photos were being taken. This is probably why the white badge on this variant was then applied. This camera retailed in 1957 at the princely sum of £13.87GBP.

I am now in possession of the original instructions that I will download and pass on to the owner, they are extremely basic instructions, befitting of the year of production.

Front page of instruction manual

Assessment:

The camera is in an overall good condition in an original Ilford leather case and I think this alone has helped keep the camera in good cosmetic condition. It winds fine, it shoots with a little bit of stickiness, but I believe this is on the exposure button only. The aperture leaves stick a little and respond slowly when you leave the shutter on a time exposure and move it through the whole range from f:3.5 to f:16. The focus ring seems to operate smoothly, and shutter speeds of B, 25, 50 and 200 seem to work, but occasionally stick. I suspect the shutter and its aperture leafs are dirty and are sticking, they probably need a clean.

Nice original case
Inside back
Lens view from rear
Embossed back
Worn neck strap

Now I’m not going to do too much to this camera and want it to retain its old character. The leatherette on a couple of parts of the body has lifted, I will probably leave this as it is, I will dismantle the lens turret as there is a general fog in the lens that I suspect may be fungus. I will give the whole unit a good clean and polish. There is a slight break in the leather strap, I shall repair this so as it doesn’t break. There really is nothing of concern that I can see that should be of detriment to the working of this camera. It just needs a clean, and that’s what it will get as I really want to maintain the character of this camera.

Repair:

To get to the lens and shutter area we have to start dismantling the lens turret, that starts with removing four of the tiniest screws you will ever find.

Four of the tiniest screws you will find

We now unscrew the first element, the outer one, and it’s clear to see that there is fungal scarring of the element.

Fungal scarring evident

Next we unscrew the next part of the lens barrel that gives me access to the inner lens element.

The inner of the lens turret

We can now reach in and delicately remove the inner element

Removal of the inner element

We now expose the shutter blades and underneath these we find the aperture blades.

Shutter blades
Aperture blades

I start by giving these sections a clean with a a little “lighter fuel” to remove the old grease and oily deposits. With the shutter blades I clean them very carefully, let them dry a little and then fire the shutter a few times, I blow off any build up and do the process again until I’m satisfied they are free from any contaminants. Now putting the shutter on “B” setting, I open the lens and do the same with the aperture blades opening and closing them manually using the same process as with the shutter blades. Happy with how this has gone I now head onto the elements.

Using a mix of pure water and peroxide I use a small bud to coat both sides of the inner element to give it a clean, it is very dirty, no fungus on this element though, just years of dirt and grime.

Inner element was very dirty

The outer element was a different story, it had such bad fungus that the edges of the element had been etched by the fungus, as it had been there so long. I don’t think it will be too much of an issue through as a lot of it was removed. Below are two photos before and after, the after looks quite a bit better and when it was dried and polished it did look considerably better.

Before
After, before rinsing and drying

Once cleaned I rinsed the elements off and dried them using a lint free cloth. A good blow with some air dispersed any loose dust or fluff, prior to reassembly.

Reassembly was simple and without issue, I cleaned as I went along replacing any grease and oil with fresh lubricant (sparingly of course).

Reassembled and ready for cleaning

Cleaning wise I’ve used IPA, detailing polish, cocktail sticks (to get into the nooks and crannies) and good old elbow grease. It’s looking good.

Leather strap repair

I’ve repaired the broken strap by just removing the damaged part and creating a new strap loop, it looks ok, but I’m working with a strap that’s almost 69 years old, very thin, and has seen better days, but it looks okay. There are loose bits on the case where the leather stitching has deteriorated, however leather work is not my forte, so I will be leaving this alone, letting it maintain its old appearance and patina if you like.

Result:

The result is that I have been able to maintain the original appearance of this camera, only carrying out a sympathetic maintenance regime, allowing the camera to be used as it should, but maintaining its age and individual characteristics.

That case with repaired strap
Must admit, it does look lovely

It’s been nice to just tidy up a camera and give it some attention, TLC if you like. These cameras are remarkably easy to maintain and operate, I’m sure a roll of film through it will give some superb results. The viewfinder is so clear now, the lens is clean and the shutter, aperture, and all buttons and levers are working just fine. It’s been a pleasure to work on this camera, and I sincerely hope that my friend is happy with the outcome. One thing you really struggle with though is the old musty smells these cameras carry with them. If I had a solution I could use to negate these aromas I’d probably be a rich man, or at least my wife would probably forgive for once, for bringing these aromas into the house.

Oh well, you can’t win them all.

Thank you for passing by, it’s always very much appreciated.

Yashica 35 ME

An old Yashica camera from 1972 with a non functioning light meter. Time to get it back into a working condition.

I purchased two vintage point and shoot cameras, and this post is related to the Yashica 35 ME. Both cameras were purchased for the princely sum of £4:99GBP and that equates to roughly £2:50GBP each. Both cameras were sold with the following sales statement:

This bundle includes a Yashica 35 ME and Ricoh Auto 35, two vintage 35mm film cameras ideal for collectors or those seeking parts for repair projects.

These cameras are being sold as faulty and for parts or repair only. They have not been tested for functionality and may have issues with their mechanical or electronic components.

Cosmetically, both cameras may show signs of wear consistent with age and previous use, such as scuffs, scratches, or dust. No accessories, batteries, or additional items are included, €”only the two cameras as pictured.

EBay

Having purchased from this seller before, I suspect the cameras themselves are in perfect working order mechanically, but as one camera – the Ricoh, is from 1960 and now in its 66th year of existence, I very much suspect the issue would be with it’s Selenium light cell that is more than likely now very dead. The Yashica however is from 1972 and has a CdS light cell that could also be an issue, more than likely related to the old Mercury 1.3v battery that used to supply it. Either way, even without the light sensors both cameras are very capable of doing what they were built for, however you’d just have to use a separate light meter or use the “Sunny 16” rule. Let’s wait their arrival so we can asses the issue. You can read more regarding the types of light metering used on these two cameras by reading a recent post of mine regarding their differences Photographic light sensors in older point and shoot cameras

Both cameras
Yashica 35 ME

Some more photos from the seller:

Yashica 35 ME

Whilst we await their arrival here is a little bit about the Yashica 35 ME:

The Yashica 35-ME is a small, compact 35mm viewfinder camerawith auto exposure, made in Japan by Yashica, introduced c. March 1972. 

It uses a 38mm f/2.8 lens made of 4 elements in 3 groups with a screw-in filter size of 46mm. The film speedis set using a ring around the lens, with the setting window on the bottom face of the lens. The metering system uses a CdS sensor with a sensitivity of 8 to 17 EV. The viewfinder has bright line frames with parallax correction marks for focus distance of 1.5 meters or closer. The shutter display scale is on the right of the finder has speed markings 1/30, 1/60, 1/125, 1/250 and 1/650 of second. Aperture scale is also displayed at 2.8, 4, 5.6, 8 and 14. The setting for the meter uses a pointer type indicator. Correct exposure is assured when the pointer is in the yellow areas of the scales. Also in the finder scale is over exposure, under exposure zones along with symbols of the selected zone focusing settings. The top plate carries the shutter release, hot shoe and frame counter.

Specifications

  • Lens: Yashica 38mm f2.8; zone and feet/metres scales
  • Shutter: Copal auto, speed set by metering, 1/30-1/650 sec.
  • Meter: CdS sensor
  • Film speed: 25 to 400 ASA
  • Flash: hot shoe, flash sync 1/25 of a sec.
  • Power: 1.3v mercury

Camera-wiki.org

It’s arrived, it has that familiar aroma of age old mustiness, but looks a nice item, in good condition for a camera that is now 50+ years old.

Assessment:

The case is quite tatty, but it does the job. The body is dusty but free of any dinks dents or scars. Inside the rear of the camera all is good, it’s clean and the light seals are ok. They will need replacing at some point, but currently they appear to be ok.

Camera looks nice

The winder works fine, the shutter fires and there is no sticking of the shutter leafs.

When you look through the viewfinder it’s a fairly clear view, however the exposure reading needle on the right is sitting firmly on the bottom of the scale. Moving the camera from light to dark makes no difference, the meter is not responsive. Let’s check the battery.

Meter reading does not move

Repair:

The battery that was used is an LR44 cell rather than the old Mercury 1.3v cells that used to be installed on these cameras. They are hard to come by nowadays and people tend to go with the more modern LR44 cells that have a slightly higher voltage of 1.5v. They work, however some have stated that they notice a slight overexposure of about one stop, personally I haven’t really had issues when I have made these battery changes in the past. Each to their own as they say.

The battery currently in place was dead so I tried a new battery to no avail. When I opened the battery chamber again I then noticed some oxidation of the contacts, so a quick clean with some contact cleaner and they looked a lot different.

Before and after battery contacts

A new battery back in place, and hey presto the light meter is now working.

Light meter now working

I’ve given a good disinfectant clean. Buffed up the case to make the best of a bad thing, and it all looks good. The only thing I can do now is run some film through it to give it a final test. I have some old out of date colour film at home, so I will use one of these to run a test roll. As I stated at the beginning there is not really a lot that can go wrong with these point and shoots, and I’m confident that the only issue was with the exposure meter as everything else seems to be fine. let’s get that film run through the camera to check things out.

I’ve taken the film out of the fridge. It’s a roll of Kodak Gold 200ASA film, and it’s only 20 years out of date. I’ve tested a roll of this before, you can see that post here: 20yr old Kodak Gold.

Expired in December……2004

The results won’t be anything spectacular, it will be grainy, it will have a colour cast and in fact might not even work at all. After this period of time the sensitively Will have dropped so I’m going to over expose this roll by one stop to attempt to compensate a bit. This 200ASA film will be exposed on this occasion at 100ASA. When I’ve exposed this it will be off to a local film developer- Classic photo supplies – for them to do the developing and scanning. Read this post regarding my rationale behind using this film: 3..2..1 – 20yrs out of date.

Result:

Well, the scans of the developed film have arrived back and it has proven a couple of things, one that the camera does actually work and two, that the film has definitely reached its limits, as the negatives show immense grain, and a colour cast due to the chemical structure of the film breaking down. I’m glad I only overexposed by one stop, I know that the recommended +2 stops would have been too much for this film. Below I have displayed a selection of pictures from this film, you can see the age related “colour cast” along with grain size if you zoom in. These aren’t the high quality pictures as the originals came back at about 30mpx each, and that would be far too high a resolution to show on this site, and I’d probably use up all of my photo allowance as well. So here are the greatly reduced results of those scans.

Back gate
Forklift
A house view
Driveway
Train passing
Football shelter
But if double exposure
Broken fence
Refreshments
Chat
Graffiti
Storage

To be totally honest if you switch to B/W in editing mode, all the pictures come out fine and are completely presentable and maybe that’s the way to go with the next batch, don’t bother trying to get a good colour balance as that will never be achievable, just display in good old black and white, you can’t go wrong.

So the camera works, and this one will now be put aside until I decide how I’m going to move it on. It’s such a basic camera, the distance selections are questionable, but that’s just a remnant of the 70s technology behind it. It’s a good little point and shoot, but I do believe the likes of the Olympus trip totally outshone all other competitors in the point and shoot category.

Job done. Another old camera saved from the scrap heap, and given a new lease of life, and it probably took no more than 10 minutes to get it back in working order.

Thanks for passing by, it’s very much appreciated.

3..2..1 – 20yrs out of date.

Soon, I will
Post a report I have done of a repair on an old 1972 camera. But first I want to test it with some film that expired 22 years ago.

I recently purchased a 1972 Yashica 35ME. It’s an old point and shoot, from back in the day, similar in looks to an Olympus trip, but an Olympus trip it is not. A very basic 35mm camera, with a CdS light meter that was not working, it is now.

Yashica 35ME

I shall have a post out soon about the camera but the final testing involves running a roll of film through it to test. And all I currently have is a few rolls of old Kodak film that all expired about 22 years ago in 2004. You may recall this post I wrote regarding my last involvement with this film stock a few months ago –20yr old Kodak Gold

As a result of that test you will understand why I am over exposing this film by only 1 stop, even though I’m being told by “Professional dudes” it must be at least 2 stops. I understand their reasoning, but I’ve tested this batch previously and they haven’t, so i’m sticking to my guns on this one. If I’m wrong I’m wrong, but I will have learned. Let me do things my way ok?

I’ve loaded up with Kodak Gold 200ASA that I will be overexposing at 100ASA, it expired in December 2004.

Old Gold…..literally

I’ve locked and loaded a roll into the camera today, but I’m just waiting for some good light. So I can get out and give the camera a real test taking random pictures, in various locations to give the camera a fair test.

Just awaiting some decent light.

I’ll post the repair on here shortly, hopefully with some pictures once the negatives have been processed and scanned.

But as we are waiting some nice conditions, and this is the East Midlands of the Uk, we could be waiting a little while yet.

The repair and photo results can be found here: Yashica 35 ME

Take care, stay safe. Thanks for looking in. 🙏

Photographic light sensors in older point and shoot cameras

A little explanation of the differences between the light sensors of two vintage point and shoot cameras produced 12 years apart

I’ve recently purchased two old point and shoot cameras as a lot. One was from 1960 and the other one was from 1972 only 12 years apart, but a world away in technology regarding light sensing ability and technology.

Yashica 35 ME & Ricoh Auto 35

These two cameras only cost me £4:99 In total, they were sold as spare parts, and I suspect the issues could be around the light metering, as to be honest there isn’t a great deal else that could go wrong with them. Here’s a quick breakdown of the metering methods on each camera, followed by a more complex explanation around just what each method of metering involves.

Ricoh Auto 35 – Circa 1960

The older camera, the Ricoh, dates from 1960 and just by looking at it, you can see its light sensing system is built around the face of the lens barrel, it’s that glass honeycomb concoction that is so typical of a number of cameras and light meters of this period. Here is a post I previously made regarding Selenium light meters – (Sangamo Weston Master V light meter) The meters were known as selenium meters, there was no electrical components such as batteries, it was a little bit of scientific magic, here we go with a little explanation….

How the Selenium Cell Works in This Camera:

A selenium light cell operates on the photovoltaic effect (similar principle to modern solar panels):

The cell contains a thin layer of selenium coated onto a metal base. A very thin transparent conductive layer (often gold or another metal) is placed on top. When light hits the selenium, it generates a small electrical current. That current directly drives a tiny moving-coil meter needle.

The honeycomb ring is the selenium cell, light hitting it generates a small electrical current of approximately 0.5v. That current directly moves a needle inside the camera, the needle mechanically links to the exposure system. On the Auto 35, the meter is coupled to the shutter/aperture system, meaning that in “Auto” mode, it helps set exposure automatically. In manual mode, you match the indicator.

No battery is used — it is entirely self-powered by light.

Expected life span:

The Ricoh’s selenium cell is now about 60+ years old, so condition varies.

Typical selenium lifespan:

Originally: ~20–30 years

Many survive 40+ years

After 60 years: often weak or dead, this one probably is

Common Conditions Today:

✅ Still accurate (rare but possible)

⚠️ Works but underexposes 1–2 stops

❌ Needle barely moves or is dead

They usually fade gradually rather than fail suddenly.

So that gives an idea of how 1960s light metering works, and to be quite honest it probably means that as this camera is now over 60 years old the metering cell is long dead. It does not mean the camera is useless though, it can be used manually using a third party light meter or you can always use the “Sunny 16” rule.

Yashica 35 ME – Circa 1972

Now moving on 12 years to 1972 and the selenium meters have now gone only to be replaced by the CdS system- Cadmium Sulfide sensor, otherwise known as an electrical photocell. The sensor can be seen at the top of the lens ring, a little glass bubble. The downside with these sensors are that they contained Cadmium which is a toxin, replacements are no longer available so modern cameras use photo diodes instead. Here’s the explanation of CdS technology:

Unlike selenium (which generates electricity), CdS works by changing resistance:

In bright light → resistance drops

In dim light → resistance rises

The camera contains:

A CdS photoresistor, A battery, A small electronic circuit, A meter or automatic exposure mechanism

The battery sends current through the CdS cell.

Light changes the resistance, which changes the current.

That signal controls the exposure system, and a 1.3v battery cell is required to power the meter.

Why CdS Was an Improvement:

Compared to selenium cells, the CdS photocell was much better in low light, it was smaller, more accurate and required a battery that could be replaced to extend life whereas the selenium cell in time would naturally just die away.

CdS cells generally last a very long time — often decades — and usually outlast selenium meters.

Hopefully this gives an explanation regarding the two types of metering sensors that were present between the 60s and 70s. It is always worth considering when purchasing such cameras that the light meters may not, and will probably never work again, the camera itself is probably fine, you’ll just have to find other ways to ensure your lighting conditions are sufficient, and that really is no big issue, it’s easy and second nature to most camera users. As stated earlier just use the “Sunny 16” rule. Just enjoy your photography, experimentation is half the fun.

Reviews on these cameras will be following soon.

Thank you for passing by, it’s always appreciated.

More camera odds & sods

Another bunch of photographic waifs and strays have arrived at my door. Can they be saved or are they beyond redemption?

What the listing stated:

Job lot of 5 slr film camera bodies 

Canon ae-1 program, Olympus om10 x 2, Pentax me super, Fujica stx-1 

Sold as spares and repairs only, all have some sort of fault 

Please see photos for condition

EBay

I’ve just purchased a job lot of old cameras all requiring repair, god knows what the real issue with them is, however they all do seem to have all knobs and buttons available which in many cases is quite a rarity. I’ve paid a grand total of £40:00GBP so if you break it down to a total of £8:00GBP per camera then I’m quite happy with that. Even at this price, i get some good spares, should that be all they are useful for.

The collective purchase
Canon AE-1 program
Pentax ME- Super
Olympus OM-10 No:1
Olympus OM-10 No:2
Fujica STX-1
All with external buttons and dials

My intentions here are thus. The AE1 program is the only Canon camera I need to complete my “A” series collection so my main focus will be on that. The two Olympus OM10s I will be looking at repairing then selling on as I already have a good example of this camera. The Fujica and the Pentax I will possibly look at adding to my collection as I do not have either of these.

I have my fingers crossed that there’s nothing seriously wrong with this purchase, and i will be featuring their respective repairs over the coming weeks. Firstly I’m going to carry out a very basic assessment on their arrival, just to see whether or not I have purchased a collection of proverbial Christmas Turkeys.

Quick assessment:

Canon AE1- Program:

Canon AE-1 program

This is the one I’m most excited about as it could possibly be my last piece of the puzzle for my Canon “A” series collection. Cosmetically it’s ok, it’s grubby, it has a broken battery door and a missing winder cover from the base. All dials, buttons and levers are working as they should, and when a battery is installed everything is as it should be. The battery check audio is fine, all indications in the viewfinder illuminate as they should, the camera fires (with a little camera cough) but other than that all seems well. The mirror and prism need cleaning and there is possibly some ingrained marks on the prism but this will not affect picture quality. All light seals need replacing and a good CLA is required.

Is it a Turkey 🦃 no it isn’t. I’m convinced this camera will soon be back in good working order.

Olympus OM10 – No:1:

Olympus OM10 No:1

In really good condition, battery terminals have a slight corrosion due to old batteries being in place. However new batteries work fine and shutter fires and viewfinder is clean. To be honest, this camera is in a better cosmetic condition than the one I currently have. This is an excellent camera that requires little attention.

Is it a Turkey 🦃 ? Most definitely not.

Olympus OM10- No:2:

Olympus OM10 No:2

As with the first OM10 this is cosmetically a nice camera just a little more grubby, and missing the battery cover on the base. But it has a nice Nikon neck strap – strange. The battery chamber looks as if it has had some minor battery leakage but nothing too serious. Using the battery cover from No: 1 camera I’m able to test all the electricals, and there is no issues here, with the camera displaying the exposure in the viewfinder correctly, and the self timer and battery check all as they should be. Again a good CLA of the camera should have it back and working in no time at all.

Is it a Turkey 🦃 it most definitely isn’t. This is a good camera just needing some TLC.

Pentax ME-Super:

Pentax ME-Super

Again, cosmetically in good condition but missing the battery cover on the base. I was able to overcome this and load some batteries and had movement in the metering via the viewfinder. It’s quite dirty and the function dial on the top is jammed, I couldn’t get the shutter to fire. I suspect it needs a good CLA, and will make a good little project .

Is it a Turkey 🦃 ? I’d say not at this stage. It needs attention on the bench. It’s promising.

Fujica STX-1:

Fujica STX-1

The batteries were dead but the chamber was free of any contaminants. New batteries in place and the light meter in the viewfinder is working fine. Everything works, the shutter fires and winder operates without issue. This camera is in a good but grubby condition. Will require new light seals and a good CLA, but nothing beyond that.

Is it a Turkey 🦃? Absolutely not, this is a good sturdy camera just itching to get back to taking photographs again.

Conclusion:

So out of five cameras, I’m exceptionally pleased that every single one of them can be brought back to a working condition, with very little intervention. every single one of them will need a Clean, lubrication and adjustment (CLA) and also new light seals as the majority of them have turned to a dusty residue that gets everywhere. I need to buy some replacement parts, so I will get on with sourcing those items, and then I will also get some body caps to protect the cameras when I’m finished.

I will create individual posts to cover these repairs, and they will be delivered here on this site over the coming month or two. I’m in no real rush and to be honest, time is a rare commodity at the moment as I will be working as one of the “Orange army” (It’s a railway term) over the Christmas and New year periods, and on top of that we may also still be moving home, fingers crossed 🤞 in early January 2026.

Thanks for passing by. It’s most 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.