Huh! Must be something about the new year. Let's hope this isn't a trend!
I chose the Rolleiflex New Standard to take downtown on New Year's Day this year as it works quickly and the weather was challenging: 20 deg. F., windy, snowing heavily. The Mayor's New Year's Eve party at the ice skating park had been held the night before but I thought there would still be plenty of people skating and wasn't disappointed. However, the Rollei let me down. I've noticed this happening more and more often over the course of the year and am wondering at how much of a repair I'm looking at on this old favorite.
Being before the Automat series, the New Standard has a red viewing window to use in starting the film to the first frame after loading; afterward the automatic counter is supposed to keep up. Unfortunately, they've moved the frame numbers on modern film so they don't show in the window. However, I've gotten used to winding the film's start arrow to the first set of rollers, closing up the back, and then winding on two and a half revolutions before winding the crank backwards to set the shutter. The frame counter is set to '1' and it used to be pretty accurate about counting them. The drill used to be, click the shutter, wind the crank until it stops and the frame counter advanced, then reverse the crank until it stops again and now the shutter is set and ready to go. Alas, my Rollei frequently and at random times (but lately most of the time,) doesn't automatically stop when winding the next frame on. In other words, it just keeps on going and the frame counter resets to '1'. I can stop winding whenever I want, reverse wind to set the shutter and take a picture, but obviously the mechanism is out to lunch.
Do you think this is a difficult or expensive repair? I can't afford another $140 plus shipping for a CLA like I spent last year. Alternatively, if I were to wind one-half revolution after making an exposure and then reverse to ready for the next one, is that enough wind-on or do you think I should go a bit further than half a revolution - say, three quarters? Obviously, I'd have to keep track of the frame number in my head, but that's not an issue. Counting to ten has always been one of my strengths!
Note that I'm not unhappy with the CLA service I got. I bought the camera cheaply at an estate auction and it had been literally sitting in a cardboard box in a drafty old shed for who knows how many decades. It was froze up and let's not forget, it was A. An early attempt by Rollei at making a cheaper camera, and B. being made in March of 1939, is 70 years old. The wonder is that it works at all! But I always wanted a Rollei and have fallen in love with the lens, so I'd like to continue using it, somehow. Any suggestions?
Mike
I chose the Rolleiflex New Standard to take downtown on New Year's Day this year as it works quickly and the weather was challenging: 20 deg. F., windy, snowing heavily. The Mayor's New Year's Eve party at the ice skating park had been held the night before but I thought there would still be plenty of people skating and wasn't disappointed. However, the Rollei let me down. I've noticed this happening more and more often over the course of the year and am wondering at how much of a repair I'm looking at on this old favorite.
Being before the Automat series, the New Standard has a red viewing window to use in starting the film to the first frame after loading; afterward the automatic counter is supposed to keep up. Unfortunately, they've moved the frame numbers on modern film so they don't show in the window. However, I've gotten used to winding the film's start arrow to the first set of rollers, closing up the back, and then winding on two and a half revolutions before winding the crank backwards to set the shutter. The frame counter is set to '1' and it used to be pretty accurate about counting them. The drill used to be, click the shutter, wind the crank until it stops and the frame counter advanced, then reverse the crank until it stops again and now the shutter is set and ready to go. Alas, my Rollei frequently and at random times (but lately most of the time,) doesn't automatically stop when winding the next frame on. In other words, it just keeps on going and the frame counter resets to '1'. I can stop winding whenever I want, reverse wind to set the shutter and take a picture, but obviously the mechanism is out to lunch.
Do you think this is a difficult or expensive repair? I can't afford another $140 plus shipping for a CLA like I spent last year. Alternatively, if I were to wind one-half revolution after making an exposure and then reverse to ready for the next one, is that enough wind-on or do you think I should go a bit further than half a revolution - say, three quarters? Obviously, I'd have to keep track of the frame number in my head, but that's not an issue. Counting to ten has always been one of my strengths!
Note that I'm not unhappy with the CLA service I got. I bought the camera cheaply at an estate auction and it had been literally sitting in a cardboard box in a drafty old shed for who knows how many decades. It was froze up and let's not forget, it was A. An early attempt by Rollei at making a cheaper camera, and B. being made in March of 1939, is 70 years old. The wonder is that it works at all! But I always wanted a Rollei and have fallen in love with the lens, so I'd like to continue using it, somehow. Any suggestions?
Mike
