Rolleiflex 2.8F light meter adjustment

[hiroh]

Is there a reasonably easy way for me to adjust the light meter? I tested it for Zone V against the white wall, focused to infinity and it seems it’s two stops off comparing to my Pentax spot meter.

I did already what it says in the manual I have, unscrew two screws on the meter and rotated the screw inside to align the needle with the red markings, but that doesn’t fix my problem.

Of course, I can always give it to the expert and wait 5-6 months to get it back, but I’m curious if there’s something I can do about it without opening the camera, as I’m no expert in camera repairing at all.

 

[astavrou]

Thought I would reply even though its a couple of months late. These meters (as far as I know) are not repairable. They use a selenium cell that is reaching, if not reached, the end of its life. The cameras are 60+ years old now! I have one on my 3.5f which is good in bright sunlight only for example. Happy shooting!

 

[Kodachromeguy]

Sadly, Astavrou is correct. Many decades ago, Rollei sold:

1. Complete light meter kits to retrofit E models that had been sold without the selenium meter.
2. Replacement movement and dome for users who broke or squashed their dome for both E and F cameras.
3. Selenium cells.

But these are long gone.

 

[benjiboy]

Is there a reasonably easy way for me to adjust the light meter? I tested it for Zone V against the white wall, focused to infinity and it seems it’s two stops off comparing to my Pentax spot meter.

I did already what it says in the manual I have, unscrew two screws on the meter and rotated the screw inside to align the needle with the red markings, but that doesn’t fix my problem.

Of course, I can always give it to the expert and wait 5-6 months to get it back, but I’m curious if there’s something I can do about it without opening the camera, as I’m no expert in camera repairing at all.

I hope you know that pure white isn't Zone V it's Zone X, Zone V is 18 % grey, and to get a correct reading to check your meter you need to use a Kodak 18 % Grey Card in daylight.

 

[piu58]

I have a Rolleiflex 3,5F with meter. The meter is two stops off, but works fine, if I compensate it with using a higher ISO value. My Flex is in this state for around 15 years, no (further) degradation.

 

[Jeremy Mudd]

Yeah its funny - my brain knows that the meters on the 2.8F and 3.5F versions are failing or will fail, and that I should be happy with my 2.8D and 3.5E that don't have meters.

But every time I see a nice 2.8F or 3.5F come up for sale in my feed, my heart always makes me pause and think about buying one.

Jeremy