am I TLR man already?

[pb908]

or my brain just bitten by TLR bug?

in the past, a friend offered me his pristine rolleiflex f3.5e planar for 300$, i said NO without even tried it.
the reason was i have no idea of TLR, i don't like reverse image focussing, and i like 6x9 better (if medium format benefit is because of bigger negative, 6x9 is bigger than 6x6 => better)

i have handled several 6x6 folder (ikonta, perkeo) and 6x9 folder (bessa IIs), and what i feel is 6x9 suits me better more than 6x6. reason : i use 2:3 ratio in almost all my camera (35mm slr, 35RF).

Bessa II is great camera, specially with heliar lens & clean RF. but it has squinty RF/VF window. i have no issue with image it produce but i wish i can have the same lens with nicer VF/RF combination.
then the idea just strike me, why not try a TLR !

as you know i have already shared my idea of frankenstein TLR few weeks back, the reason i start to "like" TLR idea :
- leaf shutter! i always be a fans of it !
- big screen to focus
- discreet shooting style. for a reason shoting with 35mm rf still not comfort-ing to me as the object know i am taking their picture

This "like" feeling started just because of junk yashica 12 i have bought for fun/repair project.

this bug keeps running around in my head. i googled here and there, searching my "ultimate" TLR. will it be a flex, cord, mamiya, yashica? and gas attack follows after.

as up now, i still have my junk yashica 12 waiting for it's junked shutter (from junk 124G), by tomorrow a set of C330 + blue dot 80mm f2.8 will come in front of my door, and by end of this month TWO minolta autocord and 55mm mamiya sekor will follow, am i a TLR man already?

[FrankS]

Not until you call your friend back and take his offer of the Rolleiflex!

[farlymac]

You will be if you figure out which one you will keep.

PF

[pb908]

Originally Posted by FrankS

Not until you call your friend back and take his offer of the Rolleiflex!

too bad he sold it already...

i believe my ultimate TLR shouldn't need to be a flex, but better if it is small TLR (i like small camera), even better if it has something with my "signature" on it (maybe a yashica with mamiya lens or zeiss lens), or maybe as simple as a small autocord, or the mamoth mamiya? who knows..

you know, if you cla/fix your own camera, it bond tighter to you, this lead to serious money issue as your collection start to get bigger but you reluctant to sell it.. i have got this problem for long time !

[driver]

Might as well dump the rangefinders now while they're still worth something

[jwicaksana]

Sakti deh Pak Budi!! Hahahaha..
Good luck with the frankenstein project.
I just bought a Rolleicord myself, now on the quest of finding proper repairman to take care of it. Any recommendation, Pak?

[Dan Daniel]

Here's an Autocord body, Hasselblad finder, and Compur shutter/Zeiss Tessar from the 1930s scabbed together-



Put the regular focus hood back on and it gets pretty small.

[buzzardkid]

Go for the Autocords. The Mamiya is cool but if you fancy small camera's, that coolness will wear off quickly...

I guess you will be a TLR man once you've shot your first roll of 120-square!

[pb908]

Thanks Dan_Daniel & Buzzardkid.
today is the day my C330 will arrive. still waiting some one knock my front door ..
i know mamiya is cool, capable to do close focus/macro, flat film surface, i can use 55mm lens !! it pretty much the one i want in term of capability, so it will be big fight between capability vs usability factor.

if i remember, my RD1 is bigger compared to normal M body leica, but i keep using it and don't think it's size is an issue. Firstly i thought Folder the smallest option possible to go MF, but as i see my yashicamat 12, i don't think it is big. i hope C330 will be in "big but acceptable" range..

as per autocord, for a reason i always like "underdog" which can stand out agains crowd.
for this point i believe autocord is the one !

[pb908]

it has arrived !! Few days back, at evening time.
I was so excited to receive nice C330 with a mint 80 blue dot lens, until I try to move the focus wheel, d*mm.. It stuck !
My excitement was turn into big dissapointment. How could this happening to me ? Should i repair it before knowing how it works?

I googled around for some service manual at night, found a new thread on RFF that says : 6 screw sin the bottom will open the bottom cover. I tried it, all is clean, no clue why it stuck so hard. I left to bed and tried to get rid of the disappointment away. No luck.

In the morning, i decided, I'd try to open as much cover as i can, to see the mechanism inside. Firstly, i peeled off the right leatherette, i saw bunch of screws over there, removed all screws but still the cover was not coming out. Then i removed screw on winding lever, the winding lever came off, and 2 small white plastic bumper fell off. I believe these are use to give restriction to winding lever when opened/stored. Then I remove the leatherette on the winding area, two screws can be removed, the plate came off, two spring mechanism can be taken out, and 2 small screw inside can be removed, and the whole winding assy can be taken out. Then the right cover free to be removed.

Once i removed the right cover, i tried again the focus assy, it WORKED !
After inspect the right cover condition, i saw the culprit.
It was the winding lever rest area ! I saw scratches on the inner side, there is screw in the focussing rail and the screw somehow stuck on the wind lever rest area.

I believe, the camera must had an impact on the right plate, and the impact push the wind-lever inside, which will push the wind-rest area, bent the right plate deeper than it should be, at the end this jam the focusing rail. The right plate it self is thin enough so i can bent it back with my thumb. Yes, that fixed the issue,and now i know that this area is the weak point of the camera : thin right plate, no screw holes for support underneath the wind lever rest area, and once you bump it on the right,wind lever is pretty much the one take the bump and will knock the rest area depper by bending the plate inside.

This can be seen from the back. You should see the film door should have small constant gap from top to bottom, with the right plate. Before i bent back the plate, the plate was touching the film door at area closer to wind lever rest hole, so this is indication of bump/impact has happened on the past.

So, i am smiling again, and 2 rolls of film have been tested, the camera is working perfectly, i still learning the best way to handle it, but i am sure I'll get great result from it. If you have jam focus issue, hopefully my finding will help.

[emmef2]

great find, I fixed my focus rack just a few days ago, and that is where you probably got the inspiration for the six screws on the bottom cover
luckily in my case it was only about cleaning from dirt and lubing a little
it is great and useful to share our findings here

[pb908]

yes, indeed, i read your post.
But i have no luck with the bottom cover, so i need to dig the other option. I have extra finding for different issue, i'll put it in different thread, hopefully that help other.

[farlymac]

Glad you got it working again. The C330 is a great camera, and very versatile.

PF