My (35 mm) Weltini has the same requirement, only it has a cam that automagically resets the focus to infinity as you fold it. Konica didn't include one of those?
the unit focusing means that the lens needs to be fully retracted for folding.
My (35 mm) Weltini has the same requirement, only it has a cam that automagically resets the focus to infinity as you fold it. Konica didn't include one of those?
The Xenon lens is excellent.
IMO you tell a lot of untruthful prejudices about japanese cameras. Most of them are fine, my Pearl never failed in 30 years. My japanese TLRs and SLRs are in professional service since more than 40 years...Same with the folding Retinas. And many other folding 135 cameras. But forces and solidity of the cameras are completely different between 120 and 135. A Retina scaled linearly to 120 size would weight ≈ 1.5 kilos.
A Retina protests tangibly when you try to close it. You can clearly feel something is wrong, and you have little chance of damaging anything unless you are stupid.
Not so with a Pearl or Certo Six.
IMO you tell a lot of untruthful prejudices about japanese cameras. Most of them are fine, my Pearl never failed in 30 years. My japanese TLRs and SLRs are in professional service since more than 40 years...
When it was new, it was great. But by the time I sold mine circa 2005, the hard plastic body cladding had already developed hairline cracks.Just how reliable was the Fuji GA645zi ?
Would low count model offer any chance of long term use ?
After a certain amount of experimentation, I settled on the Voigtlander Perkeo II plus a shoe mount rangefinder to satisfy my Pocketblad needs (fits in my briefcase pocket or coat pocket when traveling for non-photographic reasons, but I still want to have a camera).
Another modern camera that I don't think I saw mentioned above is the Bronica RF645, which I've never owned, but it generally got positive reviews.
I may just have to persist in finding someone that can solve my issues or purchasing another late model folder.
And that's why the old Ikonta folders are so cool. If the Mamiya 6 is a vintage Lancia, the Ikonta is a VW or a vintage Chevy. It will do the job reliably, every time.The Mamiya Six is unusual because it focuses by moving the focal plane.
I would suggest that giving up on folders because your Mamiya Six is giving you focus problems is a little bit like giving up on European cars because your vintage Lancia is hard to keep tuned.
Let me guess that those TLRs and SLRs are from after 1960? Nikon F meant a huge leap in ambitions.
Not that Japanese cameras before that are crap. They are just not, in general, up to the same standard as the German counterparts.
I have a Mamiya 6 Automat folder, and after two fixes by myself, it can make accurate critical focus and produce tack sharp photos. The Mamiya 6 is well designed with its unit focus mechansim by moving the entire film back, so if the focus is properly collimated can produce as good results as any folders of that era. I scratched the half-silvered mirror while I tried to clean the VF/RF, so in the end I bought a new custom-cut mirror, replaced the mirror, and did the vertical and horizontal calibration. I'm just an enthusiast with limited experience, so a proper technical should be able to get yours to work properly without much trouble. Here are some test shots:
I also wrote an article comparing the various low-cost 6x9 folders in this 35mmc article
Finding my ideal 6x9 folder - Largest Negative in a Compact Travel Format - by Zheng Li
Explore eight 6x9 folding cameras to find the ideal travel companion with compact size, light weight, excellent lens, larges negative, and simple operation.www.35mmc.com
It's possible. Did the camera work better when the weather was warmer? It's possible that the lubricants are becoming too viscous when cold. When servicing older cameras in particular, there can be guesswork involved, as service literature may recommend products which haven't been manufactured for decades.Can the range finder stick?
Can the focus mechanism stick?
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