Brooks-Veriwide needs repairs

[jmccl@yahoo.com]

Can anyone please point me to a repair person who could work on my lens mounting?

Thank you

 

[shutterfinger]

See https://graflex.org/helpboard/viewtopic.php?t=6856
He doesn't have the mechanical ability t o tackle it.

A few pictures of the actual lens, front, rear, sides will be helpful.

 

[bdial]

Zacks camera repair does good work, and he is an APUG sponsor.
SK Grimes or Richard Ritter are other possibilities that I'm familiar with.

 

[Dan Fromm]

OP, I followed the link that shutterfinger posted. You're being less than kind to us by holding out all of the potentially relevant information you posted there.

SKGrimes works on Graflex XLs.

Clarify your thinking. If you want to use the lens on an XL, send it to Grimes. If not, tell us what you really want to accomplish and perhaps someone will take pity on you and give you good advice.

 

[jmccl@yahoo.com]

As suggested, here are some pictures of the camera. The problem is that the lens is loose in the mounting, it wiggles and you can turn the lens around and around and around. The camera is badged as a a Brooks-Veriwide, yet the back of the camera body clearly shows Graflex. I does look different from a Graflex XLSW.

Thank you for your responses. I hope this posting adds more clarity to my issue.

 

[shutterfinger]

Well, this is definitely not a modified Graflex XL. The difference between a Synchro Compur and a Graflex compur is the name/trim plate.
Black arrow 1 is the lock ring for the focus and rearward, White arrow 2 is a lens board mount flange. Both should be tight.

In your 4th picture the shutter appears to be cocked slightly at the aperture indicator. This suggest this is not the correct lens/shutter combination for this camera and someone just slapped this one on the camera or shims between the shutter and focus mount are missing.
SK Grimes will be able to correct the problems and they may be pricey. I would email them the pictures and ask for an estimate.
45pss @ graflex.org helpboard.

 

[Jim Noel]

The Brroks Veriwide was assembled from parts of cameras made by other companies, ie. Graflex. This one appears to be the ame as mine which is original inall aspects. I am wondering if soeone dismounted the lens and lost, or forgot to replace one or more shims when remounting.

 

[TheFlyingCamera]

BTW, there were two iterations (at least) of the Brooks Veriwide. The original yields a 6x10 negative and has a mid-century chrome look to it. It does not have interchangeable film backs. They kept the name going with the Graflex-ish version you have, which yields a 6x9 (55x85-ish millimeter image area) frame and uses 6x9 roll film backs.

 

[Dan Fromm]

OP, thanks for posting the images. They added much clarity.

There's a manual for that camera, miscataloged as for the Veriwide 100, at http://www.butkus.org/chinon/brooks_veriwide_100/brooks_veriwide_100.htm. It shows the camera with a Mamiya Press roll holder, whose gate is ~ 56 mm x 82 mm.

I don't agree completely with Shutterfinger's comments in post #6 above. I agree with his comment that his black arrow 1 points at the lens cone's retaining ring. I don't agree that his white arrow 2 points at the shutter's retaining ring.

I b'lieve that the shutter's retaining ring is hidden behind the lens' rear cell. To find out, unscrew the rear cell. There should be a slotted retaining ring.

If I had the thing in hand and my guess (educated, but still a guess) is right, I'd use a spanner to remove the lens cone's retaining ring, would then remove the cone from the body. After that, unscrew the lens' rear cell, remove the shutter's retaining ring and remove the shutter and front cell from the cone.

Shutterfinger's comment that the shutter is canted on the cone points to a mounting issue. Many of these shutters were delivered with a tiny screw protruding from the back. This screw was intended to fit a slot or hold on the lens board. When mounted with the screw in the slot/hold, the screw will prevent the lens from rotating on the board. When mounted with the screw anywhere else, the shutter will be canted on the board and may well turn freely. The only way to check is to disassemble as I suggested. If this is the problem, reassemble with the screw in the right place.

 

[Sirius Glass]

I use Tempe Camera for WideLux repairs, http://www.tempecamera.biz/REPAIR_DEPARTMENT_s/17.htm, maybe they can help you.

 

[removed account4]

Zacks camera repair does good work, and he is an APUG sponsor.
SK Grimes or Richard Ritter are other possibilities that I'm familiar with.

+1

 

[Dan Fromm]

If I understand the thing correctly, it is a simple DIY job.

 

[Trask]

This thread is interesting to me because I once had a chance to by a Widelux and passed on it. A vendor at a Paris street market had one -- with Leica finder -- for Euros 400. Only problem was that when I opened the back, set the shutter to B and fired the shutter so I could evaluate the lens, all I could see was an opaque and somewhat crinkly brown-ness. Could not see the image coming through the lens. I guessed that the balsam between some of the elements had gone bad, and that a repair would require tearing the entire lens to pieces, as heavens knows what cost. So I didn't buy it, but as you know these decisions remain in the memory and I've always wondered if I missed an opportunity or saved myself a lot of frustration and money. (The fact that I have a Plaubel Wide made the decision to pass a bit easier, though admittedly it's 6X7 not 6X9.)

 

[Dan Fromm]

Gotta love thread drift.

The OP asked about a Brooks Veriwide, not to be confused with the Brooks-Plaubel Veriwide 100. Both are conventional cameras with fixed lenses. The 100 sees 93.5 degrees horizontally, the jes' plain Veriwide as the OP has sees 82 degrees.

And now the conversation has shifted to Wideluxes, swing lens panoramic cameras. I've seen reports that the 135 mm film Widelux sees 122 degrees horizontally and the 120 film one sees 155 degrees. Different technology.

 

[Trask]

Dan -- my apologies. For whatever reason -- maybe my age -- I constantly confuse the names of the Veriwide and the Widelux. In my minds' eye I see a Veriwide, and my brain tells me it's called a Widelux. About an hour later I'll realize I meant to say Veriwide. Note: I did reference the Leitz finder, so I meant Veriwide but wrote Widelux. So to clarify, no attempt to drift the discussion of Veriwide cameras. Yes, the one I referenced was a Brooks Veriwide, the early version, prior to the one OP has. Mea culpa.

 

[Dan Fromm]

Trask, there's no need to apologize. You weren't the first to mention the Widelux.

Thread drift is a fact of life on the 'net, sometimes it goes interesting places.