Avoiding camera shake with circa 1935 Voigtländer Bessa

[loccdor]

There was a roll of partially exposed Kodak Verichrome Pan film in this camera. I developed it and here is the best out of three images:

That's precious! Great find! I have the feeling the camera was set on a table or chair for that. If it's on a steady object in portrait mode, and you use one hand to gently press down on the body to give it some weight for when you trigger the shutter, it shouldn't get shake.

To me that sounds impossible.

I did my best to brace against the railing, it was not enough. But the scene was of a beautiful remote Greek village at sunset, so I had to try.

 

[loccdor]

Thank you for the tip.

This was taken at 1/25, with left elbow braced against a stone wall, camera firmly (but not too firmly) pressed up against face, ring finger trigger - I can see what might be just the tiniest bit of shake if I zoom very far in, but it could be printed pretty big. I do tend to take 2-3 similar shots when speeds are so slow as insurance, if the shot is important to me. I look at how much the edge of the viewfinder is moving against the scene as a guide to how much shake I will get, hold my breath and try to release when I am seeing the least amount of movement. This is the f/4.5 triplet lens at f/11, on a hazy day where the sun has dipped below the hill behind me, on expired (and mottled) HP5+rated at 400.

 

[Romanko]

Nice image. The light is beautiful. What was the time of the day? You obviously did not have a lot of light if you shot 1/25s, f11 at EI400.

 

[loccdor]

Nice image. The light is beautiful. What was the time of the day? You obviously did not have a lot of light if you shot 1/25s, f11 at EI400.

Thank you. Around 8 pm. The sun was low and the mountain behind me was blocking it from reaching the landscape.

 

[Romanko]

Can you give data about how and with what you developed? I have a thread going on in the darkroom group about developing the decade old latent image.

Kodak Verichrome Pan developed in HC-110 dilution B for 8 minutes 15 seconds at 14 degrees Celsius. The plan was to develop at 18 degrees for 6 minutes as per Kodak data sheet, but the day was hot and I cooled the chemistry too much so ended up adjusting the time using the equation: T = T0 * exp(-0.081(t - t0)); where T0 and t0 are development time and temperature known from the data sheet (6 min and 18 degrees); T is development time at temperature t.

Could you please post a link to your thread?

 

[Romanko]

I guess it was cheaper for Voigtländer to supply the short and bent shape cable

I saw pictures from old Voigtländer catalogues and it looks like the cable was meant to be left in the camera. I doubt that I can do this with my Bessa though. I will need to rotate the shutter first, attach the cable and rotate the shutter back hoping that the cable does not break and remains functional.

 

[Ballinderry-Michael]

I unscrewed and screwed back that cable in various Voigtländer folders, including different generations of Bessa.

It is comical how nobody would take out the engine of their car and turn it around when a problem occures but assume in a pinch that Voigtländer employed idiots incapable of mounting the shutter in the right position.

I guarantee you can screw in the cable, it needs a bit of fiddling indeed.
Try to have the struts not completly erected, also try to have the lever pressed/unpressed so it gets out of the way. RTFM would also not be wrong, V. explains what you have to do.
L.E.: Here you go: https://cameramanuals.org/voigtlander_pdf/voigtlander_bessa-optical-finder.pdf Second picture in that manual. You can clearly see how the socket for the cable is fully accessible when the struts are not completly erected. They right strut advances "over" the hole only when locked in place. Until then you can screw in any cable (with the correct thread, it escapes me at the moment how this thread is called) and then either bend it upwards or thread it under/behind the struth.

You clearly haven't looked at the OP's photos in post no. 8. His cable release fitting is nothing like the one you reference.

 

[Besk]

The metal tip of my newer cable release is longer that the metal tip end of some older cable releases.
The shorter tip end allows the cable release to fit in tighter places.

 

[Romanko]

I guarantee you can screw in the cable, it needs a bit of fiddling indeed.

I sacrificed a half-broken cable release to clarify the matter.
Attaching the cable to a partially folded camera was indeed straightforward. To fully erect the camera I had to bend the cable at a very sharp angle resulting in breakage of thereof (or it would have it was not already broken). The cable was not functional when attached to the shutter which is hardly surprising.

 

[Marco Gilardetti]

Old books about photography often suggested to use two parts of the hand as pliers, in order to avoid shakes while the shutter is triggered. The most frequent suggestion was to use thumb and index in opposition.

This may sound obvious to some degree, but the only way to truly understand how effective it is in balancing the forces applied to the camera and avoid shaking/tilting is to try it out yourself. Simple but tremendously effective.

I use this trick all of the times with 6x9 Super Ikontas, which have a pretty stiff shutter release button, which also happens to be placed on the left side of the camera body (contrary to today standards).

 

[retina_restoration]

You have to go the other way with it. The cable should come to the front of the camera, or up.

Agreed: right idea, wrong direction

 

[Romanko]

The cable should come to the front of the camera, or up

None of these configurations work. The strut is right in front of the cable release connector so whichever way I place the cable it would still be bent, broken and nonfunctional.

 

[JensH]

Old books about photography often suggested to use two parts of the hand as pliers, in order to avoid shakes while the shutter is triggered. The most frequent suggestion was to use thumb and index in opposition.

This may sound obvious to some degree, but the only way to truly understand how effective it is in balancing the forces applied to the camera and avoid shaking/tilting is to try it out yourself. Simple but tremendously effective.

I use this trick all of the times with 6x9 Super Ikontas, which have a pretty stiff shutter release button, which also happens to be placed on the left side of the camera body (contrary to today standards).

Thanks Marco,

good point, the method seems to help with my Super Ikonta.

Jens

 

[Romanko]

I found some photos of the next version of Bessa with the same shutter. The socket ("Nipple") for the shutter release cable had been relocated to face the top of the camera (when held in the portrait orientation). I am starting to believe that it was indeed a glitch in the design of the earlier shutter.





I shot a test roll in my Bessa and will develop it shortly. I have two older Voigtländer folders (Rollfilmkamera and Inos II) and they are much more user-friendly. I doubt that I am going to keep this Bessa. It is a collectors' item not a user camera.

 

[Donald Qualls]

It is a collectors' item not a user camera.

Seems that way. I'm sure it can be used without shake with the right technique, but it may take a few rolls to verify you've gotten it, and if you have others that work well for you it may not be worth the effort.

 

[Romanko]

I developed the test roll. The results are much better than I expected. All images came out pretty sharp. I was hand-holding the camera and shot in bright daylight at 1/75 s around f11 and f16. Here is an example:



and 100% crop



The film is Ilford Delta 100 rated at about IE80 and developed in Rodinal 1:50 for 12 minutes at 20 degrees Celsius.

 

[Donald Qualls]

Looks like you're steadier than you thought.

 

[Nicholas Lindan]

I found camera shake can be reduced by using a camera's self-timer. I wind the ST part way so it only gives a second or so of delay, then release as usual. Since the S.T. releases the shutter there is no shake from me pressing the shutter release. I sometimes also use the release on the shutter barrel (if accessible) rather than the body release.

YMWV and all that.

 

[Donald Qualls]

Of course, the self timer is the one part of an otherwise perfectly working shutter that will lock up and require disassembly. Also, the two-speed shutter on this example probably doesn't have one.

 

[Nicholas Lindan]

Of course, the self timer is the one part of an otherwise perfectly working shutter that will lock up and require disassembly.

Oh, ye of little faith. True, they do usually gum up before the shutter gums up.

Also, the two-speed shutter on this example probably doesn't have one [self timer].

That's my just deserts from not reading the OP's P.

 

[Romanko]

I found camera shake can be reduced by using a camera's self-timer.

Great tip. I prefer to use a cable release but the self-timer would work equally well when you forget to take one.

Self-timers are usually found on more expensive shutters (Compurs). About half of my folders are cheaper models with a triplet lens in simple shutters. They are surprisingly capable and I rarely need a better camera.

Looks like you're steadier than you thought.

Thank you Donald. I was just lucky.