Major Zenit C issues

[kato_sx]

Hello, this is my first post here. I recently bought a Zenit C as i got a really good deal on it, but its been plagued by issues.
First, the mirror got stuck, which I fixed by lubricating the spring. But, when I got my first roll back, it turns out it also has severe shutter capping. And, when I took off the lens to try to look at the shutter, it completely froze up with the film advance knob doing nothing. The mirror was stuck in the up position and the fabric didn't move. It fixed itself later but its still something I want to address.
Do you guys know how to fix the shutter capping? And are there any other common issues I can prevent? Im new to camera repair but I want to learn.
Thanks!!

 

[4season]

I've serviced a number of Zenits, though not an -S. At the very least, I'd expect to partially disassemble the camera, flush out contaminants and stale lubricants with solvent, and apply fresh lubricant. When the cameras start to act up, it's common for folks to think they need to increase the spring tensioning of the shutter, but resist that temptation: When all is properly cleaned and lubricated, the original factory settings are all that's needed.

Camera repair can be challenging for a beginner, and I'd recommend that your first efforts be with cameras and lenses you won't feel too badly about scratching and in general, making a clumsy mess of. My own early efforts sucked, but over time and with practice, I began to suck less.

Isaac Maizenberg's camera-repair book can be viewed here:
https://archive.org/details/maizenberg-cameras/mode/2up

 

[Niglyn]

Hi, adding oil is not a good idea. It is the old grease that turns to glue, binding up the works. Worst are inside the rollers, which contain the tension spring, powering the blinds.
The only solution is to strip down the shutter mech to get to these rollers. They ten need taking apart to get out the old grease.

There is little or no oil added to any other part of the camera.
My zenit repair guides can be found in the zenit camera club facebook page., however they do not detail a full cla, as this is to involved.

If you want to fix this camera yourself, I would suggest you buy a few zenit E for pennies and practice on these first.

 

[Dustin McAmera]

There are these: they refer to the FED/Zorki shutter, which is very similar.

Jay Javier: https://jay.fedka.com/

Rick Oleson: http://rick_oleson.tripod.com/index-101.html

Rick Oleson seems to say many problems come from dirt or film shreds getting in two toothed wheels at he bottom of the camera, so to clean those first before trying anything more complicated. For me, taking the body shell off is complicated enough.

 

[therepairman]

Guys.
There's a reason repairmen exist.
I totally understand the frustration of somebody having a camera that doesn't work properly and the do-it-yourself option.
But believe me, camera repair is a whole galaxy, where tools, special lubricants, parts, manuals, literature, engineering knowledge, hand dexterity and years of practice are paramount.
Saving money by figuring out how to do it by oneself, it's the worse you can do.
Spare some money, and when ready, send the camera out to a professional and pay him/her for his/her expertise.
It's worth 100% and it's the right thing to do.
Cheers.

 

[Dustin McAmera]

Of course repairmen think you should use a repairman. But they are thin on the ground, expensive, and dying out; and they are choosy about what jobs they take on.
And if you only bought a camera because it was cheap, it kind of snatches defeat from the jaws of victory to pay again (and maybe more) to have that camera work.
I'm not a camera repairman; but I'm not an idiot either. I've disassembled and rebuilt many other things, including bicycle and motorbike parts that I trusted my life to. I've done a few mends on my own camera stuff that were very satisfying at the time, and keep on pleasing me every time I use that camera again. I have also failed a few times, and turned a broken camera into a box of scrap.

 

[Andreas Thaler]

Guys.
There's a reason repairmen exist.
I totally understand the frustration of somebody having a camera that doesn't work properly and the do-it-yourself option.
But believe me, camera repair is a whole galaxy, where tools, special lubricants, parts, manuals, literature, engineering knowledge, hand dexterity and years of practice are paramount.
Saving money by figuring out how to do it by oneself, it's the worse you can do.
Spare some money, and when ready, send the camera out to a professional and pay him/her for his/her expertise.
It's worth 100% and it's the right thing to do.
Cheers.

Of course, specialist work should be done in the best and most qualified hands. These are usually the manufacturers' service facilities with trained repair personnel. But I have also had some unpleasant surprises there. And there hasn’t been any service for the older devices for a long time.

Here, in the German-speaking part of Europe, there are a few independent repair shops, but they are fully booked and restrictive in accepting orders.

In addition, it is often not clear what these repair shops can do, what qualifications there are and what work is actually done for good money. There is usually no information about this.

For this reason, I started to do repairs myself and was able to get some devices working again that no workshop would have accepted.

That is why I think DIY with a realistic assessment of your own skills is a good thing.

 

[Sirius Glass]

Welcome to Photrio!

Good luck with your Zenit C.