35mm – Page 3 – Foxes Den

Canon EF lens 35-80mm

As the listing stated:

Needs opening cleaning and fixing sounds like something loose so selling as a repair project cheap.
EBay

No error code so in theory this should be an easier fix, however the fact that something is moving about inside tells me there could be more wrong with it than expected.

I now have the lens in front of me so here is what I can see.

Shake rattle and roll

Well, it certainly does rattle, something quite significant is moving about inside. When Connected to a camera you can’t focus or zoom so something in there is restricting movement. There is also fungus on the lens so this one will need to be carefully dismantled and cleaned throughout.

About 10 small screws later I am into the internal parts of the lens and the cause of all the rattling becomes apparent. A piece of the internal zoom mechanism has broken off stopping the zoom from smoothly operating through its range.

The part of the barrel that the item had snapped off was broken due to forceful action with the previous owner. There are two options here, junk the lens or see if it can be saved, I went for the latter. I mixed some epoxy resin and fixed the piece back into place also gluing it to a part of the mechanism that was not liable to hinder future movements. I left this for a couple of hours to cure.

Whilst waiting for the glue to cure I used a mixture of water and hydrogen peroxide to clean all the lens elements. I thoroughly dried them and gave a quick polish and reassembled them into the casing. The glue was dry now so I was careful to reassemble the lens not damaging any ribbon cables or contacts along the way. The lens looks lovely and clear of any fungus now.

I’ve put the lens onto a test camera and it’s fantastic. I couldn’t get focus when I unpacked the lens but now I have the full range of action and a lovely clean working lens for very little outlay and probably just 2 to 3 hrs of maintenance. Well worth it in my opinion. I wanted a good cheap lens to test my old stock and I now have one that I can easily sell on at some point, on top of that I’ve learnt a lot from working on one of these lenses. I’m certainly going to attempt working on more in the future.

Thanks for passing by. Always appreciated.

More stock

I’ve spent the grand total of £91 GBP on more damaged/faulty stock today, I now have enough stuff to be working on to keep me busy for months.

On top of the 6 Canon cameras I purchased last week I now have a further 4 Canon film cameras ( Eos Elan 2, 50E, 1000fn and an Eos 5) I’ve also got two faulty EF lenses to test the old Canons with, these will also get the repair treatment.

I’ve also purchased four Nikon D70 and 2 Nikon D70S units all needing the repair treatment, I’ve even blagged some spare parts here as well so overall it’s been quite a good days shopping.

More cameras to keep me busy

Did I overpay?

I have just purchased 6 untested ( probably the polite way to say totally useless) cameras from the late 80s.

I ended paying out the equivalent of £6:17(GBP) per unit. That’s inclusive of delivery and costs as well, not too bad really and if I can repair (if needed) I should still be able to move them on at a small profit. But I may also be passing these onto a local charity that teaches photography to youngsters and disadvantaged people in Leicestershire.

I have purchased a job lot of Canon Eos 650/600 cameras from quite a reputable seller who specialises in old film cameras.

I have 2 Canon Eos 600 units that date from 1989. These have motorised film advance and rewind, and are able to reach 5fps in one shot Af mode. Shutter speeds range from 30 sec to 1/2000 sec, with B mode. X-sync is at 1/125 sec. Powered by 1x6v 2CR5 lithium battery.

I also have 4 Eos 650 units.

The Eos 650 is the camera responsible for the first photograph used on the World Wide Web when a photo of the band “Les Horribles Cernettes” was taken on 18th July 1992 by photographer Silvano de Cennaro.

This camera was produced in 1987 and was the first of Canons Eos (Electro-Optical System) ushering in a new era for Canon cameras. The shutter is electronic, vertical metal focal plane capable of 30 sec to 1/2000 sec exposures as well as having 1/125 sec exposure with a flash. Also powered by 1x6v 2CR5 lithium battery rated for up to 100 36 exp rolls.

Both types use the Canon EF mount.

I’m happy from the pictures and knowing the sellers reputation that these units are cosmetically tidy, fingers crossed they don’t need a great deal doing on them but you never know. When they arrive I will do an assessment of both cameras and create a post accordingly.

Until then stay happy, stay safe and take care.

Werra 1

A piece of art-deco / Boho styling from 1966

These cameras were produced from the mid 50s until the late 60s. I’ve done some research on this particular one and the lens number and case number tie it to the year 1966.

I tend to buy cameras I like the look of, I just wish that I’d read into them a little deeper to find out the issues. This camera was so good looking when up against the boxy cameras of the 60s, it was a trailblazer in that the winder for the film was incorporated into the lens. A quick flick of the wrist on the inner lens ring and the film was advanced. Impressive….when it worked and didn’t jam!

You can find out more about this camera by visiting Camera Wiki.org by clicking HERE

This unit is in great cosmetic condition apart from a little age related tarnishing. It has some rattles, the lens needs cleaning and the view finder needs attention. The lens rings are stiff so a little lubrication may be required.

When cleaned I will run a film through it to give a test, I may even reskin the camera to really bring some attention to it.

Please keep an eye out for updates as I will be commencing work on this really smart little antique very soon. It’ll give me a break from working on pesky Sony Discman players 🤦‍♂️

Be happy, be wise. Stay safe

Bilora Radix 56

In my search for the unusual have come across this fine specimen that I have purchased for less than the price of a fish and chip dinner.

Remember the battle between manufacturers back in the days of Betamax and VHS? Well this is the film makers battle between Agfa and Kodak, with Kodaks 35mm winning out. The Agfa cassette (known as Karat) was 35mm without the spool and you needed two cassettes to use these cameras. I have one here and hope to be able to use it at sometime.

I like this example as the metal is not too pitted. There is rust but I can work on this, the covers are damaged but this can be replaced. I might go for a totally over the top refurbishment or may keep it as close to original as possible. I’ll make that decision once I can check the optics and shutter.

You can find out more about these cameras at the following link: Camera wiki .org

Thanks for passing by, always appreciated 👍

Minolta Dynax 5000i – Phoenix from the flames

It lives, it lives!

Phew, the donor camera arrived costing me the grand total of £3 sterling. It was badly damaged and I was doubtful that it would be any use due to its state.

However the pcb area and the lcd screen looked ok and after much cursing and burning of the fingers whilst de soldering and re soldering I put the battery in and there it appeared as if by magic…all clicked and clunked as it should and the battery indicator appeared on the screen.

I put the case back together and secured all the buttons to the frame and then connected the lens. Turned it all back on and hey presto all working fine. Focus’s well, flash works as it should, all counters and indicators doing what they should.

I’m happy with this camera now, just going to give it a wipe over and I now have a super little SLR for my collection. Will run a film through it when I get the time.

I can now say this camera is complete and in perfect working order.

Job done👍

(As an aside to this repair, the original owner was so surprised I got it working that he has asked if he can buy it back? That would be rather cheeky of me so I’ve just asked him to refund the cost of the battery and the damaged donor camera. He wants to get back into analogue photography, everyone’s a winner here, and a camera destined for the bin gets a new lease of life.) I’m happy 😃 👍

Minolta Dynax 5000i – Dead in the water

Well that’s annoying. I’ve stripped down the Dynax 5000i and found a terminal diagnosis for the power PCB and display screen.

There is a short circuit, severe corrosion from an old battery as well as the display screen being damaged where some of the fine contacts are destroyed rendering the unit useless at this stage.

Ok. I can strip down to individual parts, gain another 150 or so new screws and some parts that I may be able to use or sell on – or I can be a total numpty. I’ve decided to head down the numpty route and purchase a donor camera to repair this one. I’ll still get a load of spare screws following this route.

I’ve purchased a unit, it has cost me next to nothing and fingers crossed I can get one of them working and gain some spare parts for future use. I didn’t really want to pay out more but I take issues like this as a challenge and I’m committed to get this up and running.

My wife calls me gullible, what would she know bless her 😂

I’ll let you know exactly what arrives when the postman pays a visit.

Stay safe 👍

Minolta Dynax 5000i – Not working

If you remember back a couple of weeks I had this camera given to me by a family member. Not used in about 20 yrs still had a film in it as far as they were aware there were no issues with it.

I beg to differ…..

In lay man’s terms I think the term that should have been used is that it’s knackered (not working, kaputt a non existent camera)

I purchased a new 2CR5 6v Lithium battery from a well known supplier named after a rain forest. Motor buzzed, but no display or any other operation was available, first thought was to test the battery was not a dud, using the multimeter I proved this was not the case compared to the old battery.

So. What to do?

General census of opinion is to ditch this as mass produced tat and get another one on eBay for a couple of quid, the electronics are a known issue for many models of cameras from the 80s.

However, this site is not about just dump and run, I’m going to dig in and look to see if I can remedy the problem. I like a good electronic problem and hopefully I can sort this. If not, I’ll recycle the parts I’m definitely not throwing it away.

It’s a learning opportunity, and knowledge is king.

Thanks for passing by. You know it’s always appreciated 👍

Minolta Dynax 5000i

Found this on my doorstep when I arrived home from work today. After making some enquiries it transpires that a family member donated it to me as they haven’t used it in about 20 yrs. Knowing that I mess with cameras at the cheaper end of the spectrum he thought that I may find a use for it. I have gratefully accepted this gift.

After speaking with the donor he doesn’t remember there being any issues with it, he wasn’t aware there is already a film in it so I will process this for him and see what if anything comes of it.

This camera was circa 1989 and was a strange beast in that the programmable modes we take for granted on SLR cameras today, had to be purchased as individual plug in cards for this camera. I guess was kind of like VHS versus Betamax back in the day and as things developed in the market I guess Minolta put this idea back to bed as a non starter.

This camera looks in great condition apart from wear and tear dust/dirt and initial checks of the lens show no evidence of fungal damage, the camera does not have that musty smell associated with age so I can only presume it has been stored correctly.

These cameras also work off a 6v lithium battery the 2CR5. Still available it retails for around £6-8 gbp. Again Minolta could have used a rechargeable but this was probably just at the beginning of that technology becoming widely available.

Information regarding this camera can be found here Minolta Dynax 5000i courtesy of Camerawiki.org

So, apparently these cameras are popular in the Lomography world. I’m going to give it a good clean/overhaul get a new battery and run a film through it to test. Not a lot to do so hopefully I’ll fit it in somewhere along the line soon. Keep checking back to see how things progress.

Thanks for passing by, always appreciated 👍

Olympus 35 ECR – complete

I have processed the roll of Kentmere 100 at home today, it’s currently drying in the shower and I’m really pleased with what I’ve seen so far. The carriage of the camera is working well with even spacing, exposures look promising and no sign of fogging proving the new light seals are good.

I’m yet to run the negatives through the scanner, still waiting for them to dry but when they do I will post a gallery here. Gallery – Olympus 35 ECR trial roll

The camera in my eyes is now in good working condition, all that I did with it has proven beneficial and I’m adding this into my personal collection.

I’ve now packed it in a bag with all the air extracted and a couple of silica bags to stop any potential moisture. I do this to all the cameras I store for their protection and to save me having to go through the whole process of maintaining them again.

I’ve enjoyed this little project and am now happy to say….

Job done 👍

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A piece of art-deco / Boho styling from 1966

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