Part is missing from my new Ricoh FF-3 AF. Is this a problem? Help Needed

I love the look of this camera for all of its 80's beauty, and even though I hear it's unreliable, it's mechanically working fine. But as you can see in the red circle, the part protecting the film-speed window and the photocell is missing. If you look at reference photo's, there's supposed to be a blue part there with a tiny lens to converge the light into the photocell (I presume), so I don't know if I can trust the auto-exposure of this camera without that cover.

I've been experimenting with different lighting conditions and a seperate light meter, to find out when the flash warning comes on, to see if it could maybe still work fine without the part. But I can't really make an educated guess as to when the camera finds it appropriate to use the flash. Does anyone know at what shutter speed this camera will activate the flash warning? I can't find it anywhere online or in the manual, but my guess is it would be somewhere around 1/30.

I don't know if shooting without the cover would even be viable, and I would like to avoid wasting a roll of film on it. So if anyone who has this camera - or is knowledgeable about the topic - could give some advice on how to go about this, that would be fantastic!

LordWout said:

there's supposed to be a blue part there with a tiny lens to converge the light into the photocell (I presume)

Click to expand...

Yep, looks like it. And the light meter is unlikely to work well without it, so I wouldn't count on auto-exposure working properly on this camera.
You may get somewhere by figuring out how much it over/underexposes by shooting some test frames and then adjusting the ISO. This may get you in the ballpark for certain lighting conditions, but since the lens also affects the angle of view of the photo sensor, the meter will likely be much more directional and hence thrown off easily by relatively bright or dark areas it happens to point towards. And you may improve the situation a bit by sticking at thin, translucent diffusor over the sensor aperture, which should make it less directional, but also less sensitive.
So, basically, a lot of uncertainties.

For testing, you don't necessarily have to waste an entire roll of film. You can split a roll of 36 exposures into multiple smaller rolls if you have a changing bag or darkroom, and some spare 35mm cassettes. Just tape the leader of the roll to the spindle of a recycled cassette (ensure proper orientation) and in the changing bag, pull out the entire film from the original cassette. You now have two cassettes linked together with about 1.7m of film. You can easily find the middle by taking both cassettes in one hand and pulling the film in a loop with your free hand, pulling the loop tight and thus finding the center. Cut it there, and manually spool both ends of film into both cassettes. This will give you two approx. 15-16 exposure rolls. You can split these rolls once more in the same way, yielding two 6-7 exposure rolls.

If you use film you're familiar with and perhaps can also expose correctly in a known-good camera, you can compare the results and determine whether your camera over- or underexposes, and you can also make a ballpark estimate by how much, approximately. Adjust ISO setting on the Ricoh to correct for the deviation and try again, see if you can get any closer.

Alternatively, store this camera away until you find another one so you can maybe combine two cameras into one operational device. Or sell it off as a parts donor for a token amount of money.

Welcome to Photrio BTW!

Thank you for your answer!

For testing, you don't necessarily have to waste an entire roll of film. You can split a roll of 36 exposures into multiple smaller rolls if you have a changing bag or darkroom, and some spare 35mm cassettes. Just tape the leader of the roll to the spindle of a recycled cassette (ensure proper orientation) and in the changing bag, pull out the entire film from the original cassette. You now have two cassettes linked together with about 1.7m of film. You can easily find the middle by taking both cassettes in one hand and pulling the film in a loop with your free hand, pulling the loop tight and thus finding the center. Cut it there, and manually spool both ends of film into both cassettes. This will give you two approx. 15-16 exposure rolls. You can split these rolls once more in the same way, yielding two 6-7 exposure rolls.

If you use film you're familiar with and perhaps can also expose correctly in a known-good camera, you can compare the results and determine whether your camera over- or underexposes, and you can also make a ballpark estimate by how much, approximately. Adjust ISO setting on the Ricoh to correct for the deviation and try again, see if you can get any closer.

Click to expand...

Although I don't consider myself a complete beginner (I know how to manually expose correctly and have a decent knowledge about camera's), unfortunately I don't have a darkroom or changing bag and I don't develop my own film. I am dependent on a lab, and am not currently in the position to experiment with cutting up film and running these tests. I probably will in the future when I develop this hobby further and have more money to throw at it, but for now this is not really an option for me.

Based on your reply, I don't think I'll go through with testing and using this camera. Like you said, I could experiment more, but there are still a lot of uncertainties and I think it'll end up being cheaper to just buy a similar cheaper point and shoot that I know is in working condition.
For now, it'll have to function as a cool decoration and paperweight, and like you said, maybe one day I can find cheap spare parts and make it work.

Thanks again, I made an account just for this question but this is a cool forum and I'd like to engage more!

LordWout said:

Thanks again, I made an account just for this question but this is a cool forum and I'd like to engage more!

Click to expand...

Please do! Welcome aboard, and I hope you continue exploring analog photography - or at least photography in general. It's very much worth it.

If/when you end up processing your own film, be prepared for a thorough sense of satisfaction in experiencing the magic of seeing your photos come to life. The same (perhaps even stronger) happens if you decide to print your negatives in a darkroom. If your own facilities do not allow this, there may be facilities (and courses) in your vicinity that you may use. This can be a nice stepping stone towards your own darkroom, or even a perfectly adequate solution if you just want to occasionally develop or print your materials. For instance, there's CAFU in Utrecht (https://www.cafu.nl/) - and there are several comparable facilities throughout the country.

As to this particular camera: in your place, I'd put it aside and look for a more reliable alternative. Second hand shops or goodwill ('kringloop') shops often have a selection of cameras that are maybe not as popular as the Canon A1's and Leicas, and therefore much more reasonably priced. It's often possible to pick up a perfectly fine Minolta from the 1990s for a pittance.

Have fun and I hope to see you around!

koraks said:

Please do! Welcome aboard, and I hope you continue exploring analog photography - or at least photography in general. It's very much worth it.

If/when you end up processing your own film, be prepared for a thorough sense of satisfaction in experiencing the magic of seeing your photos come to life. The same (perhaps even stronger) happens if you decide to print your negatives in a darkroom. If your own facilities do not allow this, there may be facilities (and courses) in your vicinity that you may use. This can be a nice stepping stone towards your own darkroom, or even a perfectly adequate solution if you just want to occasionally develop or print your materials. For instance, there's CAFU in Utrecht (https://www.cafu.nl/) - and there are several comparable facilities throughout the country.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the recommendation! I didn't know such facilities existed here so I'll definitely look into it.

As to this particular camera: in your place, I'd put it aside and look for a more reliable alternative. Second hand shops or goodwill ('kringloop') shops often have a selection of cameras that are maybe not as popular as the Canon A1's and Leicas, and therefore much more reasonably priced. It's often possible to pick up a perfectly fine Minolta from the 1990s for a pittance.

Click to expand...

I don't really care about the expensive camera's. I'd love to own a Leica one day, but for me it's just not worth the price. A camera is first and foremost a tool to me, and maybe those camera's are 10% better for 9 times the price. For now I'm just looking for something that's "good enough" that I can use to develop my skills and make fun memories. I'll definitely check out the kringloopwinkels, and probably also keep looking on marktplaats haha.

Thanks again, hope to see you around aswell.