Rolleiflex, 3,5t problem with the focusing wheel TLR

[Valentins_Visuals]

Hello everyone,

I am a 23 year old student from Berlin and just got into analog photography about a month and a half ago. Ever since I got my first roll developed, things have kind of gone out of control and I have bought five more cameras and even gotten into medium format.

I bought a Rolleiflex 3,5t for a really good price and ran a roll through it. The photos turned out completely fine, the camera itself had no major issues, just the "skin" peeling off a little. I took the camera out of my bag yesterday and flipped the WLVF open, just looking around my room. While I was trying to adjust focus, I noticed that the wheel which you use to focus the image did no longer move beyond the 6ft mark... when I try to move it beyond that, some resistance is building up and the wheel is automatically rolling back to the 6ft position... This is completely new, since I was able to focus until infinity without any problems before.

Has anybody had similar issues or ideas about what's going on? I did not drop the camera or anything like that. It's really confusing to me and makes me pretty sad actually. I was so happy to finally have one of these beauties in my posession, the first roll turns out completely fine and now this...

Anyways, I would be incredibly thankful for any suggestions, tips or prior experiences with something similar.

All the best,
Valentin

EDIT: I remembered that I used a cable release on the camera the other day and plugged it in just now to see if the problem had anything to do with that. Turns out that yes, somehow this was related. After firing it with the cable release, I can now move my focusing wheel until 30ft. Which is definitely better than before and with an aperture of 11 or higher I can reach infinity! But still, what causes this problem? And how can I completely fix it?

 

[shutterfinger]

You can download a copy of the instruction manual here https://www.butkus.org/chinon/rollei/rolleiflex_t/rolleiflex_t.htm
At infinity the front should be close to/flush with the body, at the closest focus distance it should be extended about 10 to 15 millimeters.
If the shutter button release has dropped down and is catching on the body it will prevent the focus from moving its full amount.

 

[Down Under]

Sorry to say, the Rolleiflex instruction manual does not cover the 'technics' of home repairing Rollei TLRs.

The good news is, almost everything wrong with a Rollei can be repaired. Professionally.

I suspect the camera was dropped at some point (likely by a previous owner) and the focusing mechanism was damaged in some way or other. This means that the entire unit (or mechanism, if you prefer) may need to be taken apart and fixed. This required a special calibration tool. It will not be cheap.

Repairing the shutter button release may also be quite a major undertaking.

Rollei TLRs are usually as tough as Sherman tanks and often go on working forever and a day, but we are talking about cameras that are at least 60 years old here. if dropped or (as sadly often happens) taken apart by a home tinkerer - too bad.

My (now retired) Rollei-trained camera repair person in Melbourne would often tell me to leave the work to him if anything went wrong with any of my three 'flexes and one 'cord. Damage done by an amateur can be more expensive to repair than that done by accident.

 

[Valentins_Visuals]

Thank you guys! As I said, the focusing wheel worked absolutely seamlessly when I received the camera and after I attached a cable release to it the problem started to occur. By reattaching the cable release and taking some pictures today, the wheel started turning past 6ft again, but not yet into infinity. If I open my aperture to 11 or above, I can reach infinity again.

Has anybody ever had some issues with a cable release affecting the focusing wheel?

All the best,
Valentin

 

[Dan Daniel]

Can you clarify- in the first post you say that you were playing around with the camera when the problem started. In the latest post, you say that the problem started after using a cable release. Did the problem start immediately after using a cable release? Or soon after, but there was some time after using a cable release when it worked fine, then the problem started later?

And when you get the binding, is one side of the lens board stopping before the other? With light pressure, see if one side comes to a hard stop while the other side has some motion. Common when an item comes loose behind the lens board and is biding one side of the mechanism.

In a completely other direction, remove the focus hood- push the two side tabs down and slide the hood back a short bit and lift it off. Now lift the focus screen mount (slide forward and back a slight bit and lift). Now focus and watch the motion of the parallax bars. If they are grossly misadjusted they can start hitting either the focus screen itself or some of the other parts in the area and cause binding.

Check the relation between the focus scale on the knob and the position of the lens board. At infinity, there should be a small gap between the lens board shroud and the body itself. If the focus knob has shifted (in this case, significantly shifted) it can cause a weird binding when the knob is still free to move but the lens board is running into the main body.

Most likely something has popped out of position in the shutter release area and is causing the problem. Sounds like classic 'screw in the mechanism' binding. But worth a look at other simpler issues. All in all I would not recommend going inside a T lens board and shutter release mechanism- probably one of the clunkiest crudest systems Rollei made and the potential for fatal damage is real.

 

[shutterfinger]

Download the Rolleiflex TLR Service Manual https://learncamerarepair.com/downloads/pdf/Rolleiflex-TLR-Repair-Manual.pdf
Its a huge file. Look at the T diagrams and instructions. A complete exploded parts diagram from a different manual.

 

[Anaxagore]

You may want to get a quote from DW Photo (Braunschweig), Paepke (Düsseldorf), or Wiese (Hamburg), the 3 main Rollei repair centers in Germany, DW being the original manufacturer after a few bankruptcies and name changes.. Not all of them may work on the T, so check that first, and describe them the problem in details, so you can see if the repair costs fit your budget.

 

[Valentins_Visuals]

Thank you so much guys! Really appreciate all the tips & information.

Just a quick clarification: I attached a cable release to the camera, put it on a tripod and took some test shots with it. I left the cable release attached for about 1-2 hours and demounted everything afterwards. I put the camera in my bag and took it out the day afterwards. This is where I noticed the problem with the focusing wheel.

After some thought, I came to the conclusion that the cable release could have something to do with the problem, so I attached it again, clocked the shutter a couple of times, and moved the focusing wheel very carefully. This problem is now completely removed and I can move the focusing wheel as it is supposed to be done again.

I do not know how the cable released caused the problem, but I am just very glad to have my camera fully operational again.

Once again, thank you for all of your help and information, I will probably still send my camera to get checked and to get a new focusing screen (the one I have is really really dark)... I will be moving to Los Angeles in August and want to do two big roadtrips through the US and I would love my Rolleiflex accompanying me throughout these experiences.

All the best,
Valentin

 

[zanxion72]

It feels like something is loose in the body. Moving around it may occasionally get in the focusing path.

 

[Anaxagore]

When in Los Angeles, Eric of rolleiflex.us (located in San Francisco) will be your best contact for everything Rolleiflex, such as advice related to whom to contact for repairs, etc. Enjoy your camera and your time in LA!

 

[piu58]

Here in Germany you may send it to Paepke for repair:

https://paepke-fototechnik.de/

I had my 3,5F there. All works fine again.