Rolleiflex 3.5B MX-EVS problems

rolleiflex1954 · Mar 17, 2024

Rolleiflexible said:
Seriously? You are citing eBay sellers as proof? Search "Eames chair" and be amazed at all of the ugly chairs that Eames supposedly designed. Sellers are selling. They are hardly knowledgeable sources.

False equivalence fallacy. "Eames chair" will include generic results for knock-off / imitation chairs.

JPD · Mar 17, 2024

rolleiflex1954 said:
Whether we disagree is irrelevant. The number of current search results (53) returned for "Rolleiflex 3.5B" on eBay shows the camera buying/selling community is using this descriptor. And how is this not respecting the history?

"3,5B" and "MX-EVS" have both become accepted designations for this camera, just like "type 1" and "type 2" for the different versions, even though Franke & Heidecke didn't officially called them that. But it's important for the buyers and collectors. And it is respecting the history when we differentiate between the models and when they were on the market.

And "K4B" was, after all, the internal factory name used at F&H.

MattKing · Mar 17, 2024

Perhaps it is the (retired) lawyer in me as well, but I'm with Sanders on this.
It may very well be true that current, common parlance reflects a prevalent modern error - particularly on a site like eBay.
There are many modern mis-descriptions that need to be understood in order to deal practically with the modern marketplace.
But the fact that something is now commonly identified in one way does not mean that it was identified that way in the past.
Any documentation needs to be read with that circumstance in mind.

rolleiflex1954 · Mar 17, 2024

JPD said:
"3,5B" and "MX-EVS" have both become accepted designations for this camera, just like "type 1" and "type 2" for the different versions, even though Franke & Heidecke didn't officially called them that. But it's important for the buyers and collectors. And it is respecting the history when we differentiate between the models and when they were on the market. And "K4B" was, after all, the internal factory name used at F&H.

Fully agreed! Great post!

rolleiflex1954 · Mar 17, 2024

Any recommendations for Rolleiflex CLA repairmen in the USA? Thanks!

Mark Crabtree · Mar 17, 2024

Give the guy a break. Nice way to welcome a new member.

It is indeed a very common description today. The fact that I or you didn't use it way back when doesn't make it somehow wrong. Apparently, the guy you need to argue with would be Claus Prochnow who wrote the Rollei Report series. He knew a bit about Rolleiflexes. Those books are hard to get now and I don't have them, but the designation is mentioned in John Phillips "The Classic Rollei; A definitive Guide" and credits the term to Prochnow.

Why is this worth arguing about?

btaylor · Mar 17, 2024

That’s a beautiful Rolleiflex, a jewel! It deserves the CLA that’s due. I have had good luck with Pro Camera in Charlottesville, Jim Kilroy (Barn Owl Cameras), Paul Ebel, I am about to send my early Automat to Dan Daniel for a shutter cleaning. This question has been asked a few times, I would suggest you do a few searches here. You’ll see a variety of shops and opinions while you make your decision.

BrianShaw · Mar 17, 2024

Yooz guys are are hilarious. The posturing and bolstering…

Welcome to Photrio, @rolleiflex1954. Glad you can hang with the gang!

rolleiflex1954 · Mar 19, 2024

One thing I noticed during testing is when I move the shutter dial, the aperture dial doesn't always move in coupled EV lockstep. The aperture dial slips and sometimes stays stationary. I'm guessing this could also be an aged lubrication issue. There is no evidence of it having been serviced in the past, so the original 70 year old organic lubricants are likely still in place.

I restored an old 1960s record changer and the aged lubricants caused all kinds of issues such as slow platter speed and the mechanical linkage would not trip properly to reject the record.

But after I disassembled the record changer, cleaned off the old grease and replaced with white lithium grease -- and soaked the motor bearings in lighter fluid and re-oiled the bearings with Supco turbine oil, the record changer worked perfectly.

Hopefully, the grease and oil is the only culprit with the Rolleiflex and a CLA will make it as good as new...

rolleiflex1954 · Mar 19, 2024

On the first version of EV coupling, the coupling can be defeated by placing your finger on the aperture dial when rotating the shutter dial. When properly lubricated, how common is it for the first version of EV to "slip" and not couple?

I'm wondering why Rolleiflex revised this first EV implementation twice in two years (1954 - 1956). Was the coupling design of the first EV iteration faulty?

blee1996 · Mar 19, 2024

rolleiflex1954 said:
Any recommendations for Rolleiflex CLA repairmen in the USA? Thanks!

You can start with our own @Dan Daniel . I also had good experience with Paul Ebel.

Prest_400 · Mar 19, 2024

rolleiflex1954 said:
Thank you. The shutter is intermittent. I found during testing that it will actually fire sometimes. Other times, it won't fire and the turn of the film advance crank opens the aperture blades instead. When I depress the shutter release button and let go, it retracts slowly. Definitely seems like lubricants have turned gummy...

Chiming in just for that, not a Rolleiflex but I have a Super Ikonta with a Syncro Compur. That camera has separate winding and cocking with a multiexposure prevention interlock.

My sample seemed CLAd or just well kept (low speeds ok!), came from a dealer but it might have just been shelved by the previous German Owner.
...a couple of months of ownership, and out traveling Xmas in not really cold weather it started doing what your Rollei does.
I noticed that it was the prong of the interlock not springing back after shooting. Cocking it again made the blades to open! ie. it's as if the shutter release is not resetting and stays pressed.

Poking back the interlock solved the issue, but after some exercise with this usual manual intervention during a weekend trip... It now works well! Unfortunately I guess the Rollei does not allow this.

I also played my luck with the self timer, which gave me a scare of a stuck shutter for a bit. So, unless freshly CLAd, might be best not to try that.

Rolleiflex 3.5B MX-EVS problems

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