New Guy Looking For Some Advice

[Thruxton]

Hi all! I recently returned to Photography after many years hiatus. I have a well kept Rollei 35 LED with a "foggy" viewfinder. Everything else seems to be working O.K. I can't really justify a professional CLA and was wondering if I should attempt to clean it out myself? Your experience and opinions would be appreciated. Thanx! - Chuck

 

[AgX]

By asking you most probably gave the answer yourself.

Access to the finder assembly is more complicated than just removing the cap. And even for that you need precisely fitting tools.

 

[Jeff Kubach]

Welcome to APUG! You might get pro CLA just in case.

Jeff

 

[Fixcinater]

If you want it to be a reliable tool to use for years to come, have somebody do it for you. First self repair jobs very rarely follow plan, I know mine didn't and I'm glad I took the advice and "worked" on a couple cheap already broken cameras first to get my head around it all. It's never as easy as it "should be" the first few times.

 

[frank]

First, welcome!

A prof. CLA will cost much more than the market value of this camera model. So unless it has sentimental value, it wouldn't make sense.

If you really like this camera, find a replacement, maybe by placing a "want to buy" ad.

 

[mr rusty]

Certainly the 35B is not difficult to lift the lid on, and I doubt the 35 LED is much different. It isn't a rangefinder (AFAIK) so there is no half-silvered mirror to muck up. If you're not going to use it as it is, I say go for it. I can't quite remember but I think it'll be just the winder and a couple of screws. The meter will come off with the top. I expect on the LED there will be a couple of wires to watch out for. Careful clean with alcohol/lens cleaner and you should be good to go.

 

[Ken Nadvornick]

Yes, welcome to APUG. Good to have you here.

I might gently disagree with 'frank' on this one. If one were to make repair decisions based solely on the thrift store value of old cameras, none of us would ever be able to justify a single repair. And eventually none of us would have working cameras.

My own sense is that the calculation needs to be based not on whether the cost of repair exceeds the camera's eBay value, but rather that the cost is going to buy you a nicely working camera to enjoy for years and years to come. It's that future of enjoyment, and peace of mind, that you are really spending the money to secure.

Certainly you could roll the dice by repeatedly purchasing additional old ones until you eventually found one in decent shape. But that approach could likely exceed the cost of refurbishing the one you already own pretty quickly. And then what happens if that one breaks? Then you're right back where you started, but after having already spent the repair money beforehand.

As for doing it yourself, I'd also strongly urge caution as well. Unless you have in-depth prior experience disassembling and reassembling high-precision mechanical and electrical instruments—which is exactly what a film camera is—it would be best not to begin gaining that experience on a camera you are hoping to use afterward.

Here's an example. I purchased a used Canonet QL17 GIII 35mm rangefinder for about $90 after shipping. I sent it off to a well-respected technician for a $150 CLA. Here's a work-in-progress picture he sent me of the (only partially!) disassembled camera on his workbench...

Now I'm not saying that cleaning a viewfinder will involve this level of disassembly. The point is that, as mentioned by previous posters, taking an older mechanical camera apart is almost always more complex than it appears from the outside. Often special factory-created tools are necessary. And camera-specific knowledge is required in order not to break other things out of ignorance.

So just some food for thought. For $240 I have a beautifully working and reliable instrument. Gambling on buying other used examples would have meant finding that needle in the haystack by the second try. The third try would have put me over $240 for a camera without a reliable CLA, and no more financial room to maneuver if that one then broke. And what if I didn't find the needle until the fourth try?

Best in the long run to just save up for the professional CLA.



Ken

 

[AgX]

Certainly the 35B is not difficult to lift the lid on, and I doubt the 35 LED is much different. It isn't a rangefinder (AFAIK) so there is no half-silvered mirror to muck up.

No it isn't a rangefinder. But it got an Albada-finder and thus metallised surfaces too.


The camera is a very neatly built one. As the sample in question is a "well kept one" even scratches from un-fitting tools could spoil it.

As we do not know anything of the repair abilities of our new fellow, we hardly can give advise.

Chuck, if you have not, why not buy some cameras in the below-5$ range on a fleamarket and do some dis- and re-assembling? It would make some nice experiences.


By the way, I got a mint Rollei 35 T with not-working shutter. I shall do it myself.
I know what I'm doing. Well, I think so...

 

[Xmas]

Use it until it stops taking photos or the meter breaks.
The fog in the finder wont be on the photos.
Keep both eyes open.

 

[Sirius Glass]

Welcome to APUG

 

[summicron1]

if the camera otherwise works, if I were you i'd take pictures with it before doing anything to it at all. You may decide the viewfinder is clear enough. You may decide you don't like using the camera.

You may decide "this is a really cool camera but I wish I had one with a wider range of shutter speeds and a larger lens," in which case the cost of a professional CLA will buy you a new camera.

So, shoot some film, then decide.

 

[frank]

Look into getting a 35S or 35T. Very similar but better built, more shutter speeds, and arguably better lens.

 

[fotch]

Welcome to APUG