rolleicord Va question

[scottmillar75]

Please excuse this question, I'm agonizing over a purchase here. Is it reasonable to expect a Rolleicord Va from 1957 to still work and function properly, for years to come, assuming it's in good condition?
Thanks alot,

Scott

 

[David H. Bebbington]

The best buy with a camera as old as this will be one that has been little used, i.e. lying around for a while under favorable storage conditions. A camera like this may well have shutter speeds that are too slow and will almost certainly benefit from a service. The service should also cover the film wind, dried-out lubricant can cause this to skip frames. After this, it is certainly capable of delivering many years of reliable service with moderate use (say, 40 or 50 rolls a year). The only problem may be that the viewfinder mirror can become dull if exposed to atmospheric pollution over long periods (making for a dimmer than usual focusing image), but this problem is no worse than with any other camera.

 

[rfshootist]

No fungus, no haze , no smell (!) and it should look near mint. If so it is worth a CLA, which is absoluteley necessary excepted the previous owner can proof it was done at least within the last ten years. AND the mirror must be o.k., a Maxwell screen improves the brightness significantly.
But to be honest I'd prefer my 1986 Mat124G. Cheaper , brighter, more comfortable, meter built in, lens on par with the Xenotar.
Rolleiflex is a different issue tho...........
Bertram