Shutter problem with Rolleiflex

[mfratt]

I have an old Rolleiflex Automat 3.5 which was working fine up until a few days ago. The shutter is acting strange... when I advance the film lever, it opens the shutter, sometimes firing it, sometimes leaving it half open. When I fire the shutter release after that it clicks, but no shutter action. When the shutter is jammed open, setting the shutter speed to 1/500 or extending the bellows all the way will close it.

Any help?

 

[dehk]

Synchro Compur? Something is not catching right inside the shutter. You will have to open it up.

 

[R gould]

Something is sticking in the shutter or not catching properly, had a similer problem with a 1938 Voightlander Bessa 66, A shutter service cured the problem, cost me around £50 this side of the pond, the automats are nice cameras, I have one myself and a shutter service cost around £60, and it is now perfect, get the shutter serviced and it should last you a lifetime,Richard

 

[nepsat]

Hello,

Four years later (!) I have the same problem with the same camera. How did you solve it?

Michel

 

[Richard S. (rich815)]

Get the shutter serviced?

 

[benjiboy]

A camera of that age could do with a complete service not just the shutter if you need it to be a dependable picture taking machine.

 

[nepsat]

Thanks for the replies.
My camera is supposed to have been recently serviced. Everything worked very smoothly for a time. I even measured very precisely the shutter speeds and they are very stable and relatively accurate (between 0.5 and 1 stop of overexposure). And the shutter still works perfectly when I focus closer than 4 feet, which is a bit limiting for general photography. For longer distances, the crank cocks AND releases the shutter! So I'm not sure there's something wrong with the shutter. It just can't be released in the usual way.

Michel Aristegui

 

[JPD]

And the shutter still works perfectly when I focus closer than 4 feet, which is a bit limiting for general photography. For longer distances, the crank cocks AND releases the shutter! So I'm not sure there's something wrong with the shutter. It just can't be released in the usual way.

It's probably the linkage between the crank and the tensioning lever on the shutter that needs adjustment. The tensioning lever doesn't go all the way to lock the shutter in the cocked position, so when the arm goes back into resting position the shutter fires.

It needs service.