Picked up Kodak Regent II for nothing -- worth repairing, and if so, who can do it?

[t5SQ]

I picked up a Kodak Regent II folder with a Xenar 10.5cm f/3.5 lens and integrated rangefinder for $5 at a thrift store. The focus knob doesn't work (I can see the mechanism is not connected to anything under the bellows), the shutter doesn't fire (doesn't even cock actually), and the lens is hazy. Do you think it's possible to get this fixed up into usable condition, and is it worthwhile? If so, who might be able to do it?

 

[F4U]

I'd say it would need to be actually examined in order to answer that. Although there's a high probability the shutter can be made to work properly, at the very least.

 

[Harry Callahan]

I have no idea how much such a Regent II was worth, but not every camera of these days had an integrated rangefinder - which should make this camera a little more valuable.

 

[Don_ih]

the lens is hazy

You can likely remove the lens elements and clean them. See if that haze can come off before bothering to worry about anything else.

 

[t5SQ]

I have no idea how much such a Regent II was worth, but not every camera of these days had an integrated rangefinder - which should make this camera a little more valuable.

The reason I bought it was the integrated rangefinder + Xenar lens + a glimmer of hope that it might be fixable.

 

[Harry Callahan]

Then you should give it a try. I had several cameras of this era and only one had a problematic lens i couldn`t clean, all the others were fine after.

 

[nosmok]

The Regent is (IMHO) sadly one of the more difficult to repair of 6x9 RF folding cameras. It's hard to even figure out where to start, and a lot of the mechanisms are hidden behind one thing or another. I had one for a bit but just gave up on it-- there was nothing I could do easily (take the lens off, remove the bellows) to make the major repairs easier.

 

[retina_restoration]

That Compur shutter (I assume it's a Compur) is easily serviced by anyone who is familiar with the Compurs of that era.

 

[F4U]

That Compur shutter (I assume it's a Compur) is easily serviced by anyone who is familiar with the Compurs of that era.

Agreed. The pre-synchro's and pre-rapids are a whiz if you know what you're doing. More I think of it, this sounds like a very promising project capable of having a happy outcome. Good luck.

 

[nosmok]

That Compur shutter (I assume it's a Compur) is easily serviced by anyone who is familiar with the Compurs of that era.

Agreed. The pre-synchro's and pre-rapids are a whiz if you know what you're doing. More I think of it, this sounds like a very promising project capable of having a happy outcome. Good luck.

Not trying to say anything about Compur shutters and their relative complexities, but have you guys ever owned a Kodak Regent? They are a beautiful, streamlined design, but a lot of the innards, especially the (small) rangefinder, are hidden by leather coverings, metal fairings, and/or are riveted or tabbed together. It seemed to me a pretty tough job compared to some other MF RFs of the period. If the OP wants to go for it he can, but it's not a 'beginner' or an easy project IMO.

 

[retina_restoration]

Not trying to say anything about Compur shutters and their relative complexities, but have you guys ever owned a Kodak Regent? They are a beautiful, streamlined design, but a lot of the innards, especially the (small) rangefinder, are hidden by leather coverings, metal fairings, and/or are riveted or tabbed together. It seemed to me a pretty tough job compared to some other MF RFs of the period. If the OP wants to go for it he can, but it's not a 'beginner' or an easy project IMO.

I did not say it was a task suited to a "beginner" or untrained novice, I said anyone with prior experience with Compur shutters would have a very easy job of it. The one thing Kodak did right with most (all?) of their 35mm cameras was made it a fairly simple chore to remove the shutter from the camera body.

 

[nosmok]

I did not say it was a task suited to a "beginner" or untrained novice, I said anyone with prior experience with Compur shutters would have a very easy job of it. The one thing Kodak did right with most (all?) of their 35mm cameras was made it a fairly simple chore to remove the shutter from the camera body.

The Regent is not a 35mm camera, it's a 6x9 folder, as the focal length of the Xenar (105mm) would indicate. It, like the Retinas, is a European Kodak design, but I'm not sure if, like the Retinas, it was done by (the former) Nagel Werke, or by a French Kodak subsidiary. Whichever, WWII put paid to the design, and it was not revived after hostilities ceased.