MOSKVA-5 folder jammed focusing ring

Hello all,

I recently purchased a Moskva-5 folding camera for $100 from an eBay seller based in the FSU after reading on here and other places they were a good value start in folding cameras.

The camera duly arrived in functional but unserviced condition. The shutter worked, bellows didn't have any obvious holes, aperture iris moved, the focusing ring was working and so on. All was ok until I decided to put a film in to actually put it to the test. The proof of the pudding is in the eating of course.

Whilst turning, the focusing ring suddenly jammed at 1.5m (the shortest) and refuses to move, and I don't want to force it back for fear of breaking something.

My questions are...

1) Did I do something incredibly stupid to cause it to jam?
2) Is there anything simple I can do to unjam it? Have I missed something obvious?
3) Was I suckered buying an unserviced camera for $100?

Thanks!

Gently try both focusing by rotating the knurled finger wheel AND also try rotating the front cell of the lens.

Some of these are very hard to turn at the finger wheel, something to do with the grease. Supposedly can be corrected.

My first couple rolls seemed to have unpredictable focus. A lab said they looked like Holga or Diana stuff. They shouldn't, so that was pretty disappointing.

I have had some decently sharp stuff too, so I thought maybe I had some slipping in the finger wheel focus, but was told that just isn't possible. Even if it were, it would be very unlikely to ever be right again by random luck. It was probably just me doing DOF focussing, improperly.

Anyway, if you can focus by rotating the front cell (don't force it), the RF wheel may need help (I'm trying to avoid saying 'service').

I have one that the cell rotates on but doesn't change focus! I migh topen that one up becasue it doesn't work. The one that does I've learned - it probably WON'T if I open it up.

You CAN use it by rotating the cell and focussing thru the RF window that way. It's just one more fidgety awkward aspect of using one if it didn't have enough already.

Remember to open the bellows before advancing film. This gives you a better chance of film plane flatness. If you wind then unfold, the bellows can create suction and pull the film away from the focal plane.

Also be aware that it is normal for many Tessar-derived lenses, which this has, to need stopping down to at least f/11 for sharp corners.

Murray

Thanks for the tips. I've tried moving both the finger wheel and the RF. Nothing moves. I don't know which might be the culprit, as I'm in new territory here.

I had a poke about and took the finger wheel off. More fiddling later I ended up unscrewing the front element of the lens.

I think this camera will join the half a dozen 35mms and a bunch of lenses in the eBay-procurements-that-need-service pile.

The DIY pages on the web warn you about taking the finger wheel apart because you have to figure out the gear teeth positions by trial & error to get the (Galilean?) rangefinder split image to align.

I think it says 'you will make a lot of work for yourself' or similar.

I have bad luck with stuff like that & this one looks squirellier than the average shuttered lens so I haven't ventured in side mine.

Dante Stella, JohnDEsq and a FSU site (English instructions are hard to understand) have instructions on various repairs/alignments/relube and what to WATCH OUT FOR for the M5, if you have fewer thumbs than me. If you are adept at this stuff, the instructions may be all you need.

It sounds like the lens helical might have uncoupled. That would mean that even after the helicals are reseated it's possible that you should always avoid focusing to the minimum distance.

It's possible that the camera was incorrectly assembled, serviced and then incorrectly reassembled or was just made improperly in the factory.

I put a lot of qualifiers -- "possible," "maybe," etc. -- in my message because without seeing the cameras, it's just a lot of guesswork as to what has happened to it.

I acquired a number of the Moskva series cameras, they were so darned cheap and had a the format I wanted. The lenses appear adequate, and the shutters are excellent. When the bugs are taken out (sometimes literally) these are fantastic cameras. The M5 in particular is worth the effort to get right.

I've got a M5, M4(newer version), M4 (older version), and M2. They all function perfectly now, but certainly had their issues when received. The lenses on all were gummed up and stiff, with old grease on the helical threads. All had focus issues, likely because of the stiff lenses. All required the shutters to be cleaned and carefully lubricated. All required the focus to be adjusted. Remember, these cameras are old and may not have been used for many years.

Because of the simplicity of these cameras, I serviced them myself. You may not have the time nor the inclination to do the necessary work yourself so I recommend the services of "Certo Six" who you will find on the net. The reward will be a totally usable camera.