Certo 6 questions

[Steve Goldstein]

A Certo 6 recently came my way at a decent price. The shutter speeds seem right on, the lens is clear, the focusing smooth, and the bellows has no pinholes. The rangefinder is a bit dim but usable. I also have an English-language user booklet, but it doesn’t adequately address my questions below. All help appreciated.

1. How do I remove the film takeup spool? The camera came with an empty spool in place but I can’t figure out how it releases. The manual says to pull out the advance lever but that doesn’t seem to do anything.

2. How do I zero the frame counter (well, set it to 1) after loading? Does this happen automatically after loading a roll of film?

3. Should there be light seal material along the top and bottom rails of the film opening? There are shallow recesses there.

4. The manual shows a “film marking disc”, really a film-type reminder, above the wind lever. My camera doesn’t have this - in its place is a very nice depth of field gauge. This isn’t really a question, more an observation.

 

[hashtagquack]

Maybe the correct way is different but i move the wind lever away from the body and then pull up to release the take up spool

For the frame counter you need to load the film and line up the start marks. Then you can rotate the film counter dial manually to the triangle between 8 and 9. From here you can as normal until the number 1 is indicated.

Mine also has a DOF gauge.

Best of luck with it. Still havent tried mine as still have some rf alignment issues to resolve

 

[Steve Goldstein]

Maybe the correct way is different but i move the wind lever away from the body and then pull up to release the take up spool

Thank you! Now it's clear what the manual meant. I was nervous about applying too much force, but but pushing carefully near the camera body did the trick. It is a bit of a fidget to get the spool lined up so the lever can be pushed back down again, but perhaps it'll become a trifle easier with practice.

For the frame counter you need to load the film and line up the start marks. Then you can rotate the film counter dial manually to the triangle between 8 and 9. From here you can as normal until the number 1 is indicated.

Got it. The instruction booklet was a bit cryptic...

Mine also has a DOF gauge.

Best of luck with it. Still haven't tried mine as still have some rf alignment issues to resolve

Does yours have any light seal or felt material inside along the edges of where the film or backing paper travels?

Thanks for your help. This World Wide Web thing is pretty amazing when one stops to think about it. One hour from posting some questions about a camera that's been out of production for decades to receiving answers from a continent away.

 

[hashtagquack]

Thank you! Now it's clear what the manual meant. I was nervous about applying too much force, but but pushing carefully near the camera body did the trick. It is a bit of a fidget to get the spool lined up so the lever can be pushed back down again, but perhaps it'll become a trifle easier with practice.

Got it. The instruction booklet was a bit cryptic...


Does yours have any light seal or felt material inside along the edges of where the film or backing paper travels?

Thanks for your help. This World Wide Web thing is pretty amazing when one stops to think about it. One hour from posting some questions about a camera that's been out of production for decades to receiving answers from a continent away.

Glad to hear you have got it figured it out

My Certo does appear to have some sort of light sealing material in the usual light trap channels. None where the film/backing paper travels. I wouldnt put much credence in my example though as Im aware the previous owner had longstanding light leak issues that repairman tried every which way to resolve.

Thanks for your help. This World Wide Web thing is pretty amazing when one stops to think about it. One hour from posting some questions about a camera that's been out of production for decades to receiving answers from a continent away.

It really is! I would doubt I would have half the knowledge I have if it weren't for the shared information from enthusiasts and experts around the world.

 

[xya]

Seems as if all has been sorted out. I made a page about it https://www.120folder.com/certo_six.htm

 

[Steve Goldstein]

@xya, thanks for mentioning your web page. I've bookmarked it.