Kristall SLR problems

[McFortner]

OK, before I get started let me say just this: don't say that FSU cameras are junk and/or not worth repairing. I've seen it too many times here and that's not helping and not appreciated. I'm rather fond of this camera and it's styling and I want to keep and use it.

I have two odd problems with my Kristall that developed after I dropped it and I'm hoping somebody here can point me in the right direction. My first problem is that the view inside the viewfinder is tilted about 15 degrees clockwise. I'm assuming that this is just the prism(s) having shifted and can be reset inside?

My second problem is that now the mirror doesn't return far enough by about 1 or 2 mm for the arm inside to catch and hold it down. The shutter is cocking fine, but to get anything in the viewfinder I have to remove the lens and pull down the mirror.

I am a complete klutz most of the time repairing cameras (they run screaming from the room if they see me with jewelers screwdrivers), but I love the quirky styling of this camera to just give up on it. Any ideas/suggestions/advice would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Michael

 

[John Koehrer]

The prism and mirror are sort of related. It's not the fall, but the sudden stop.
Anyway, Yes the prism can likely be put back into place. The mirror? Dislocated spring, dislodged
pivot somewhere and even (oh,oh) broken part.

 

[gone]

OK, I won't say that (but I will be thinking it, loudly).

Three red flags here though. FSU camera, dropped, and klutz most of the time repairing cameras. If I were a betting man, and I am, well, you know.

True story: I bought a Fed 2 that had shutter pinholes. Sent it to a well regarded seller and repairer of FSU gear here in the states, and many months and several hundred dollars later it came back, but now the shutter capped. Back it went (at $16 shipping both ways, I already had close to $50 in it just for shipping charges, plus another $16 to get it back to me the second time). Another month and it came back w/ the shutter still capping. I sold it for a pittance, bought a Bessa R, and basically couldn't kill that thing. Loved it, and it had a great meter too. Later I bought a Bessa R2A for my M mount lenses. Life was good!

Sorry to hear of your troubles. I have dropped more than a few cameras myself. Always the ones I really liked.

 

[onre]

Zenit-3M and Kristall are mechanically the same camera. First, align the prism. See if this fixes the mirror issue. If not, you have to check the mirror latch-up mechanism, which is actually quite simple once you have the top cover off and can observe the mechanism while cocking the camera.

I send you a link in private to a document that might help you in the process.

 

[cuthbert]

It sounds like a problem with the mirror, if one side falls more than the other I assume you can get an image tilted.

However IMO it's worth repairing because the Kristall is a nice a fun camera, I like mine a lot, and I consider it the SLR Leica should have made.

 

[McFortner]

Well, I got the top cover off and got the pentaprism fixed, but I can't repair the mirror mechanism. There is a tooth on one of the winding gears that actuates the mirror lever and it is broken. So unless I can find a replacement gear that is FUBAR. I can still cock the mirror manually if I remove the lens first, but other wise it's not working.

 

[onre]

Look at page 38 of the link I sent you. One nice thing about brass gears is that they're repairable.

 

[McFortner]

This is the gear that has the pin sticking out of the side so that as the gear turns around, it pushes the arm at the right time. Unfortunately, it is made of pot metal and breaks real easy. In the illustration it is the pin (5) on the gear (4) that pushes the arm (3) as the gear rotates clockwise when winding the film. So I'd need a replacement gear because there is not enough of this pin to push the arm far enough, and I don't even know if it is possible to even find one anymore for this camera.

 

[McFortner]

Well, I've ordered an inexpensive 3M off of ebay from Russia. I plan on taking the gear out and using the rest for parts, unless it works fine in which case I may just swap out the top plates since I like the look of the Kristall. Now for the long wait for Russian Post....