BELPLASCA foggy viewfinder

3DJack · Mar 13, 2018

Hello Avortex,
Sorry for the huge delay in responding to this thread. Oh dear, was it last June. How time flies.
Yeah, that part is broken. We can see how it was repaired with solder, but solder is never going to be strong enough. I've got a gash Belplasca I'm using for spares. Here's the deal: If you're still interested and you still want to use this camera, send me that broken part and I will send you the good one from my 'spares' camera. Make sure you've got all the other parts you need to re-assemble; the shoulder/flanged screw that holds the lever in place, and of course the spring. Look at my photos in post 27th May, 2017 to see what I mean. I'll keep your broken part 'cos micro-welding may be possible. Maybe you could even find the little tab that broke off rattling around inside the camera?!
I'd like to think that when the camera is working you will be using it and not just selling it on.
Jack

3DJack · Mar 24, 2018

I was chuffed to bits last year (30th May, 2017) when I went to Hay-on-Wye to see Brian May's presentation of his new book Queen in 3D. There was a book signing afterwards and I took a photo with my Belplasca of him signing my book. When Brian May saw the Belplasca he said "What's that?". I said it was a Belplasca he said I really like the lenses on that camera. Bless him!

Marc234 · Sep 9, 2018

3DJack,
I just bought a Belplasca. Everything checks out anthe viewfinder is clear. There is only one problem that I can see. The viewfinder fails to tilt as the focus is adjusted. From reading this thread I probably need to dissassemble the top to see what is wrong. Can you tell me specifically what part of the mechanism tilts the viewfinder for parallax correction? It would be helpful to know what to look for.
Thanks,
Marc

3DJack · Sep 11, 2018

Hello Marc,
Nice to see your post. Welcome to the Belplasca! It's a terrific camera.
Regarding the operation of the parallax correction; apologies if you already know this but be aware that the viewfinder only moves a millimetre or so across the entire focusing range. It's easily missed! If you place the camera face up on a table and look through the FRONT viewfinder window at the matt black assembly behind the plain glass, you should see it move DOWN as you turn the focusing wheel (now on your left) to 1m, then UP as you turn the focusing to infinity. If this is not happening, then yes; theres something wrong.
It works like this:
Each of the lenses has its own focusing helix, and the two are linked by a smaller cog mounted in between the lenses. This smaller intermediate cog has a cam on the front of it, and there's a lever - a "cam follower" - that links this cam to the front of the viewfinder.

This is not a great photo but you should just notice that the silver coloured ring mounted on this coupling cog (or pinion) in between the lenses is slightly eccentric. As it turns it pushes the lever resting on it upwards, and that moves the viewfinder assembly. So if it's not working I would guess that the viewfinder assembly has stuck in the upper (infinity) position because maybe the mech has jammed, or maybe the return spring has broken?
I've got one of my Belplascas apart at the moment, so I could send you better photographs of the mechanism if you like?
This just in: A member of the UK Stereoscopic Society saw this post of mine and told me there was a better way of removing the frame counter knob. It sounded good but I haven't tried it myself yet. If you plan to take your camera apart, let me know and I'll try and remember who it was!

Marc234 · Sep 11, 2018

Thanks for the Reply Jack and the excellent explanation. As I thought I checked again per your instructions and it appears the viewfinder is stuck in the infinity position. This also matches that I thought the circular window at the rear was at the bottom of its travel. It looks like I will need to take the top off. I have your instructions from this thread. However if there is a better way on the frame counter knob I would love to know before I start. Please see if you can remember the name or post.
Also yes more photos if its convenient would be great.

Thanks,
Marc

3DJack · Sep 12, 2018

I think it was Adrian Ferno who said that to release the frame counter knob, you slide the film release/rewind button to the left and you can insert a small screwdriver to hold the frame counter dial still. However, there is a dust cover behind the rewind button so I can't see how that would work. I can’t clarify this for a few weeks yet. I would stick with the easy method of loading a gash film and when the counter dial is just moving between two divisions, turn the knob anti-clockwise; that's always worked for me.
If you get past that point, the rest is easy and the viewfinder assembly should lift out. At his point I suggest you check the cam mechanism thus:

The red arrow points to the top of the cam follower. The little tab at the front of the viewfinder assembly rests on this. When you turn the focusing ring you should see this part (underneath the tip of the arrow) move up and down by a millimetre or so. If that’s happening then all is well. Let me know how you get on.
Jack

Marc234 · Sep 12, 2018

Thanks Jack. Now I know just what to look for. I'll tackle things this weekend and let you know how it goes.

Curiosity Question: Have you eer used an Altix viewfinder with the Belplasca for its larger viewfinder image? If so did you think it was worth it?

Marc

3DJack · Sep 12, 2018

No. One of the virtues of the Belplasca is its compactness. With the ERC closed it's scarcely bigger than any other 35mm camera. Much smaller than an RBT and much much smaller than a twin-rig. Put a accessory shoe finder on it and you won't be able to close the ERC? The reverse Galilean viewfinder of the Belplasca may not be that great, but it's adequate.

Marc234 · Sep 17, 2018

Hi Jack. I got the top off (your instructions were great by the way). Things look OK I will need to clean the viewfinder a bit. The cam under the viewfinder moves up and down with the changes in focus. I have to admit the movement was not what I expected. When focused at infinity the cam the viewfinder rides on is at its LOWEST point and when focused at 1 m the cam is at its highest point. This is the opposite of what I was expecting. I thought the high point would be at infinity to put the viewfinder parallel to the lens and the close point the lowest to angle the view more towards the close focus. I think I was forgetting that the image will be reversed (flipped) as it goes through the lens and thus the adjustment runs the opposite of my expectation.
I may have to bend the spring a bit to make sure the viewfinder is moving correctly.

Am I thinking this through correctly?

Mark

Marc234 · Sep 18, 2018

I just looked at this again with Visio. See the enclosed picture. Unless I am really missing something it seems tht the CAM is moving the viewfinder in the opposite direction that it should. I.e. UP as it focuses closer instead of DOWN. Am I missing something here?

Marc234 · Sep 19, 2018

OK I made a mistake. Since I couldn't believe the camera could be that far off. I put the camera on the table tonight with the focus at 1m. I placed a digital caliper against the tab the viewfinder rides on and slid it down into contact with the camera body. It measured 0.1800 inches/ 4.57mm. (I know I'm American) As I moved the focus to infinity the depth to the tab reduces to 0.1600 inches/4.07mm Obviously coming up and pushing up on the viewfinder. The amount of movement when I checked the geometry in Visio matches a change from infinity to 1m with the relative viewfinder / lens centers. I obviously made a mistake in my earlier measurement and thought the opposite was happening.
Now its time to make sure the viewfinder moves freely and clean everything before reassembly.
Regards,
Mark

3DJack · Sep 22, 2018

Easy mistake to make. It's interesting that you made that measurement. I might try and work out if 0.5mm movement equates to 1m distance? I expect it's right!
Good luck with the reassembly,
Jack

3DJack · Oct 1, 2018

3DJack said:
right

Ooops, you already made the calculation. Sorry, I read your post too quickly.
Jack

Marc234 · Aug 25, 2019

First a question. I used the Belplasca a week ago for a bunch of vacation pictures. I found after about 10 rolls through the camera, the slide knob on the back of the camera that cocks the shutter was becoming somewhat intermittent. I.e. when you slid it all the way to the left, it would not always cock the shutter. Any advise on what to look at / adjust?

Results:
Yes with your instructions I got the top off and did the unfogging and checked out that the tilt mechanism was working correctly. I also shot a calibrated set of slides with marks aligned at the bottom of the apparent viewfinder picture to check the adjustment from near to far was working correctly and it was! Since I was adjusting things I added a permanent hot shoe, Added a crank knob to the rewind knob and a larger more easier to turn knob to the advance.

Thanks,
Mark

3DJack · Aug 27, 2019

Cool! I especially like the rewind crank. Rewinding with that thin knob is a bit of chore. My only reservation is that the camera will no longer fit in the ERC; I do like the portability of the cased camera.
Jack

Marc234 · Aug 27, 2019

Thanks Jack, I like the improved ergonomics/ease of use.

Questiuon: I used the Belplasca a week ago for a bunch of vacation pictures. I found after about 10 rolls through the camera, the slide knob on the back of the camera that cocks the shutter was becoming somewhat intermittent. I.e. when you slid it all the way to the left, it would not always cock the shutter. Any advise on what to look at / adjust?

Marc234 · Aug 27, 2019

Marc234 said:
Thanks Jack, I like the improved ergonomics/ease of use.

Questiuon: I used the Belplasca a week ago for a bunch of vacation pictures. I found after about 10 rolls through the camera, the slide knob on the back of the camera that cocks the shutter was becoming somewhat intermittent. I.e. when you slid it all the way to the left, it would not always cock the shutter. Any advise on what to look at / adjust?

Or it would cock trip and release the shutter. I had some double exposures that way. It seemed like the slide was not completely getting the cock to the stay cocked position and things were enough on edge to either fail to cock or just cock and trip instantly. Any thoughts on where to look. I have bough a parts camera so I can open it up first.

mark

Elmar Lang · Sep 1, 2019

Hello,
nearly one year ago, I've had the opportunity to buy a fine Belplasca outfit, with its close-up attachment, instructions and an old, advertisement booklet "Kameras aus Dresden". The camera works perfectly, but the viewfinder was foggy. Thanks to the instructions given hereby, my Belplasca's viewfinder is now clean and bright.

Curiously, the seller (from Germany) enclosed in the outfit a beautiful Altix accessory viewfinder, with interchangeable front masks, exactly like the one illustrated above. It's a fine accessory indeed!

Best wishes from Italy,

Enzo (E.L.)

3DJack · Sep 2, 2019

Marc234 said:
Or it would cock trip and release the shutter. I had some double exposures that way. It seemed like the slide was not completely getting the cock to the stay cocked position and things were enough on edge to either fail to cock or just cock and trip instantly. Any thoughts on where to look. I have bough a parts camera so I can open it up first.

mark

Mark,
Sorry to take so long to answer your post. I had exactly the same thing with my Belplasca; while I had it apart I simply, bent the piece of metal that the shutter cock button is mounted on. A crude fix, but it’s worked fine for my camera.
HTH,
Jack

3DJack · Sep 2, 2019

Elmar Lang said:
Hello,
nearly one year ago, I've had the opportunity to buy a fine Belplasca outfit, with its close-up attachment, instructions and an old, advertisement booklet "Kameras aus Dresden". The camera works perfectly, but the viewfinder was foggy. Thanks to the instructions given hereby, my Belplasca's viewfinder is now clean and bright.

Curiously, the seller (from Germany) enclosed in the outfit a beautiful Altix accessory viewfinder, with interchangeable front masks, exactly like the one illustrated above. It's a fine accessory indeed!

Best wishes from Italy,

Enzo (E.L.)

Glad to hear of your success. Well done and enjoy using the camera,
Jack

JDin3D · Nov 21, 2021

Hi everyone,

I recently got my Belplasca and found this thread looking for help cleaning the view finder. View finder is clean now thanks to the good explanations above.
Unfortunately, my Belplasca has another problem, I assume you don´t mind that I put it to this thread (topic changed several times anyway).

The problem is, that the apertures of the two lenses are slightly out of sync. When the left one is set to 16 (to the stop), the right one is noticably smaller. When I rotate it one mark to 11, the right one increases about to the size the left one was before (I really don´t know how to explain it better). Also, I don´t know how it will affect the results. I just took a few pictures - I will see in a week. I think this photo gives an impression.

Does anyone know if there is a way to calibrate this? I took the front cover off and removed the lens assembly. But there seems not to be an easy way to correct this. I don´t think it is within tolerance and even if the results were ok, I would sleep better when it was adjusted.

I assume that someone was in the camera before, maby a lense was replaced: the serial numbers of the lenses differ by 253 and the alignment of the lettering on the lenses is different (both is not the case with many other Belplascas I found photos of on the internet).

Thanks,
Jens

BELPLASCA foggy viewfinder

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