Kiev, and the Contax cameras they were patterned after, were great cameras.  Overengineered to give a certain amount of precision that you and your mum would love.  But the complex mechanism, so full of parts and movements, made it prone for more opportunities for failure.  For instance, the shutter.  The metal focal plane shutter used in Kiev had some distinct advantages over the Leica style double cloth type.  It will never burn pinholes.  It will likely to keep its timing better too.  But it had a serious weak point- the shutter run on fibre straps.  Brass slats running, pressing, and bearing on silk ribbons would soon wear the latter out, causing it to break.  Breakage is inevitable- wear, age, and even the climate will eventually kill the ribbons.  And often this breakage happens without warning.  The ribbons aren’t visible, so their state cannot be assessed easily.

It happens quickly too.  One moment the shutter winds and fires ok.  Then suddenly, the winding knob will turn heavier than it did just a few shots ago.  The shutter will fire with a different sound.  The ‘click’ no longer sounds complete- the closing sound that completes the cycle seems to be missing.  All indicators of shutter breakage.  And when you take off the camera’s back, this is what you’ll see- an empty gaping hole where the shutter once was:

The shutter can be wound. But instead of seeing an opening and closing blind, only one set seems to be moving.  Or none at all if the two ribbons broke.

Taking off the shutter cover/film gate plate will reveal what happened.  Expect to find one ribbon- usually the one on the right (next to the large gears), and its break approximately 1 – 3mm from its stitched end.  Sometimes two ribbons break.  Same place too.

In this camera, the two ribbons snapped.  The original material used by the factory – “Арсенал” in the Ukraine- was woven acetate. The two main concerns in ribbon replacement are, 1- the mechanical aspects of repair; and 2- getting the suitable material to replace the broken ribbons.  The latter involves using substitutes such as tailoring or ornamental ribbons, or camera straps from camera repair suppliers.  Many people have reported success with ordinary acetate ribbons.  However, getting one in the right width (3mm) and thickness is not easy.  The wrong size- such as being slightly over 3mm or thicker than what the shutter eyelets can let pass – can result in shutter failure.

The repair can be done without removing anything more than the shutter cover/film gate.  This camera was taken apart more extensively to allow other repairs like Rangefinder calibration.  In Kiev and Contax, the entire shutter assembly has to be removed for simple rangefinder adjustments like vertical or horizontal/infinity alignment.

Closer examination shows that the Ribbons in this shutter failed because of age and wear.

Note and memorise the positions of the original ribbons- where they were attached, and how.  Measure the distance between the folded ends attached to the spring loaded roller at the bottom and the upper shutter blind.  With broken ribbons, this might not be possible.   This is about 11 cms long.

The ribbon material chosen for this repair is a Japanese made material sourced from a camera repair supplier.  It is made of real habutae silk. Not acetate or rayon since the fibres don’t melt and fuse when put to a flame.  It is exactly 3mm wide, just what Kiev or Contax needs.  Real silk is smooth and strong, so it has the strength needed to withstand the shutter’s strain for some years. Silk is one of the strongest natural fibres.  It’s thinner though, but the eyelets on the shutter blinds which ride on the ribbons can be crimped a bit for the grip.

I have read somewhere that the ribbons used by Zeiss for the Contax was made in Japan.  This was before WWII.  The ribbon shown in the picture is described to be suitable for Contax shutters too.  So I added one to the other and tried to see if the ribbon would work. It did.  In my initial test, I actually fired the shutter 200 times.  At around 800, there was no frilling or any signs of deterioration, even when observed at 5X magnification.  Rick Oleson suggested  to me to test a possible material for suitability by firing (the shutter it’s on) at least a hundred times.  This one went through 800 cycles without showing any changes.  Two years later, the Kiev I put it in still works.

(I also used a locally sourced acetate ribbon for some of the Kiev shutters.  This also worked.  But it’s harder to insert it into the numerous shutter parts it has to snake through.  I’m also down to my last 2 metres and I can no longer find the same thing in the tailoring suppliers.)

Cut the ribbon to suitable length.   11 cm is the distance between the shutter blind and the roller, and a bit of extra length is needed for the folded ends.   I cut a small strip of card to serve as the measuring template.  This makes the cutting of this precious material efficient with minimal or no loss.

After cutting, the 10,8 span is marked.  Folds are made on these positions.

The ends of the ribbon strips should be treated with a dopey material like nailpolish or cyanoacrylate glue to seal the ends and make them stiffer for insertion.  The end which will be used for insertion should be tapered a bit.

Once the dope sets, trim to taper one end.  Then bend on the marks.  The folds should be 10.8 – 11 cms apart.  The folds will hook on the roller and the spring blinds at their respective ends.

Insert the ribbons through the rollers, then through the eyelets of the lower shutter blind, and pull out end for attachment to the upper shutter blind.  Make sure that both ribbons have the same length between the roller and the upper shutter blind.

The ribbons need to be glued, and then sewn to keep them in place. Use a figure-8 stitch for all four ends.

Turn the lower roller to reel in the lower shutter curtain and the newly attached ribbons.  The ribbons will wrap around the lower shutter blind.  Use the tensioning screw to turn the lower roller.

Once reeled in, begin tensioning the shutter.  Tensioning is going to be very very fiddly.  The location of the tensioning screw, its size, and the procedure needed can be taxing to your patience and sanity.   On top of that, the camera must be on its side, where there is nothing to keep it in that position.   The tensioning screw is held in place by a locking plate, which in turn is locked by a smaller setscrew.

Once you are able to pass through the hurdle of tensioning the shutter spring properly, you should be able to cock and fire the shutter.   There are actually a lot of parts involved- such as the synch switch actuating lever found on the lower left side (this can detain the lower shutter blind from going up), the catches and the long spring on the lower blind, the curtain separating ramps on the upper part of the film gate, and the large retaining hook on top.

The ribbon should look tight and should pull the lower curtain evenly.  The lower curtain shouldn’t just fall down when the shutter is fired. Instead it should glide on the ribbon downwards.  If it falls too quickly, the eyelets which hold on the ribbons are too loose and need to be crimped a bit.

There is actually more work involved in making the Kiev shutter work properly after the new ribbons are installed.  A lot of procedures in disassembly and reassembly, as well as accessing camera parts have been omitted here.  Such are not discussed in this article.  Refer to the links given above for more information.

虎年
with Chinese cameras.
Made in China.

中国 制造

1. GREAT WALL DF-2 ( 长城 DF-2 CHANG CHENG)

Made by the Beijing Camera Factory.  The Great Wall DF-2 was a basic SLR camera whose design was based on the 1930s KW Pilot-Reflex. It was intended to be an inexpensive but slightly advanced camera for the common masses.  It is constructed of steel and has a very basic mechanism.

The Shutter is a basic rotary guillotine type- the reflex mirror is part of it.  Non-instant return, with four basic speeds (1/30, 1/60, 1/125, 1/200) and “B”.   No flash synch.  The shutter has to be tensed by winding the shutter dial before each exposure. 

Film Advance is by knob wind.  The frames are positioned by lining up the printed numbers on the film backing paper in the red window behind the camera.  Two formats possible:  12 exposures 6X6 cm or 16 exposures 6X4,5 cm.  The latter requires the use of an adapter mask (missing from this camera).  No double exposure or blank exposure prevention.

The lens is a 90mm Tessar type (real four element/ three group, against the common Triplet types prevalent in Chinese cameras).  Front-cell focusing, from 1 metre to infinity.   The lens is removable, but there appears to be no extra lenses made for the Great Wall.  The mount is standard Leica Thread M39.  This was perhaps done as a means to allow the lens to be used in the enlarger for printing.

Viewing and focusing is done through the hooded screen on top. 

2.

SEAGULL 4-B1 (海鸥 HAI OU)

The Seagull TLR is perhaps the best known Chinese Camera.  The Seagull is made by the Shanghai Camera Factory in Shanghai, China.  The model shown here is the most basic of the Seagull TLR family.  This model “4-B1″ is rarely seen outside China.  It lacks the automatic features of the 4B (semi-automatic film frame positioning), and 4-A (automatic frame positioning and crank advance), but otherwise, everything else is the same.  Same Triplet type 75mm f/3,5  “Haiou” lens, same 1-1/300 sec shutter speed range.  Picture quality should be the same in all three models.  Only the efficiency and ease of shooting change accordingly.

Film advance is by knob winding.  The frame is positioned by centering  the backing paper’s numbers on the red windows on the camera’s back door.  Two windows for 12 6X6 cm and 16 6X4,5 cm exposures respectively.  A simple cutout metal mask is inserted on the film gate for making 6X4,5 cm exposures.

The non-automatic Seagulls seem to be the better user types.  There are less parts to fail unlike in the automatic versions.

3. SEAGULL-205 (海鸥 HAI OU 205) and PHENIX-205 (凤凰 FENG HUANG 205)

Fixed-lens, leaf shutter coupled-rangefinder 35mm cameras.  Exactly similar cameras (note same model designation, “205″) but made by different factories:  Seagull by the Shanghai Factory, and the Phenix by the Jiangxi Camera Factory.  The Jiangxi Phenix appears to be made after the Seagull 205 was released.  The 205 appears to be a copy of Minolta or Konica rangefinders from the 1960s.

The lens is a 50mm f/2,8 three-element in three groups “Triplet” type.  It focuses from 1 m to infinity.  The shutter is a leaf type similar to one found in the Seagull TLR and folding cameras.  Same 1-1/300 range, with X flash synch and self-timer.  The leaf shutter is really quiet.

I think the best feature of the 205 is its combined rangefinder/ viewfinder.  It has a projected floating (for parallax compensation) frame line showing the 50mm field. It shows a LIFE-SIZED image, rivaling the Leica M-3 in terms of brilliance and magnification.  The short-base rangefinder is accurate enough for the 2,8 lens.

The 205 is light and quite easy to use.  It is very suitable for street photography.  It has no built in light meter though. 

Even as exact twins, there are some styling detail differences:

Between the two “205s”, the Seagull-205 feels to be heavier and more solidly built.  Its parts also seem to mesh and fit better.  The Phenix-205 feels more tinny and light, but build is clean.  Picture quality -wise, both cameras deliver the same.

4. SHANGHAI-58 II (上海-58II)

The Chinese Leica copy.  The “58″ in the model designation refers to the year 1958, when the “Great Leap Forward” campaign started in China.  The serial numbers of these cameras start with “58″ but they were made until around 1963 or so.  Four variants were made; those shown here belong to the third and fourth.

Made by the Shanghai Camera Factory (as the Chinese characters on the top plate say), which became the Seagull factory.

The first variant is an exact copy of the Leica IIIa.  Separate VF and RF, shutter speeds from 1 to 1/1000 (split at 1/20)  in separate dials, strap lugs, etc.

Then the camera evolved towards simplification.  The VF and RF were combined.  The strap lugs disappeared.  And flash synch was added. The camera borrowed elements from the Canon II and III rangefinders (external styling) and FED and Zorki cameras (internal mechanism).  The combined RF/VF optics were similar to those found in FED-3 or Zorki-5.  The follower cam for the rangefinder was similar to the teardrop shaped cam of the FED-1.

The difference between the third and fourth variants is the accessory shoe style.  In the third variant, the shoe was a spring loaded plate (similar to the Leica IIIc shoe) of about 4 components, and fastened with four screws to the body.   The fourth variant had a simplified shoe- single plate, no loaded spring tabs, and fastened with three screws only (similar to the Leica II or FED-1/Zorki-1 accessory shoes).

The lens (and appears to be the only lens made by the factory to fit the camera) is a 50mm collapsible in standard Leica Thread M39 X 1 mount.  It appears to be coated with a light blue Anti-Reflection coating.  It has a collapsible barrel, lever-set aperture, and locking focusing tab, all similar to the Leitz 3,5/50mm Elmar.  But the similarity ends there, since the lens is a three-element TRIPLET and not a four-element Tessar type.  The diaphragm layout is similar to the Elmar’s though. 

The lens mount will accommodate all other Leica and Canon, as well as Russian LTM 39 lenses.  Unlike the FED or Zorki,  the Chinese workers were more careful in milling the mount- resulting in consistent thread entry points, which in turn lead to a more uniform lens mounting.  The FED and Zorki were so lose in this quality concern.

 Many of these cameras were bought in Beijing, China.  In Beijing there is a sprawling camera shopping mall where all sorts of camera equipment, both new and old are to be found.  Lots and lots of them, at the best prices.  It is located at the Wukesong district:

More detailed articles about these cameras to follow soon.

The lens has the standard Leica M39 thread (LTM39) mount,  but the working distance (the focal plane to lens mount flange distance the lens is positioned which allows infinity focus) is not the the same.  Leica’s is 28,8mm.  Chaika used something like 29 or so mm.  This extra millimetre or so prevents infinity focusing when the I-69 28mm lens is mounted on the Leica.

the “Индустар-69″ 2,8/28mm mounted on a Leica IIIc

As the reader will note later, infinity focus is not the only, nor is it the greatest concern here.  Coverage, or the ability to focus an image large enough to fill the frame.  “Frame” here is relative- the standard 24 X 36mm, ‘half-frame’(a.k.a. “single frame”) 18 X 24mm, and the 23.7 x 15.6 mm APS-C size CCD of the Epson whose 1,5X factor makes it ’see’ like a 42mm on standard 35.

The lens was modified by altering its focus movement.  Portions of the inner barrel were filed away to make the lens move further in to allow infinity focus.  The focusing scale on the barrel was also reset to synchronise it with the lens’ focus.  The aperture mark no longer coincided at the new positions, so a new mark was made by putting a drop of red paint on the aperture adjusting ring.

The lens too, being originally meant for a non-RF coupled camera, will focus only by scale since it has no means of engaging with the RF cams of the camera.  Scale focusing with a 28mm isn’t that hard- its greater DOF more than compensates for focusing errors.  Plus, the I-69 has three “snapshot” focus settings on its barrel: “Portrait”, “Group”, and Landscape”.  How is this used?  Look through the finder and set the focus against the figure which resembles closest what was seen through the finder:

]]> http://www.zorkikat.com/industar-69-28mm/265/feed/ 0 http://www.zorkikat.com/my-newest-fed-1/255/ http://www.zorkikat.com/my-newest-fed-1/255/#comments Wed, 28 Oct 2009 11:42:11 +0000 admin http://www.zorkikat.com/my-newest-fed-1/255/ My Latest FED camera.  Not like my other FED.  And not quite what many would like.

It cost about the same, perhaps even more, than the usual, working similar FED model from a later time.  At that cost, those FED even come with a lens.  This one doesn’t even have its lens mount.  Missing just about every exterior fastening screw, and without its pressure plate and pressure plate springs.

This FED has a 5-digit serial number which puts its production year to 1937.  Marked NKVD (НКВД), “Peoples Commissariat for Internal Affairs” the KGB’s predecessor in Stalin’s time.  This does not mean that the camera was  made for the Secret Police.  It only meant that the camera was made by a factory which was managed by the NKVD.  “FED” after all stood for F E Dzerzhinskij, the founder of the NKVD.

The shutter crate bottom is bent and distorted.  The crate isn’t a single cast part, like in later cameras.  In this one, it’s made of several stamped plates joined together.  The crate looks to have been hand stamped and assembled.

At least the parts involved in the shutter and range-finding operations seem to be complete.  Dirty, but intact.  No broken gear teeth.  Gear trains still meshed.

And despite its damage, the viewfinder is very bright and contrasty.  The rangefinder window is also clear, with a very clear patch showing a snappy moving image.  Better than what I’ve seen in better graded old Leicas!.   The Soviets must have used a different, more corrosion-resistant reflective coating on their RF beam-splitters.

The shutter blinds, made of highly perishable cloth and rubber are totally gone.  The fabric tapes which pulled the blinds to and fro appear to still be doing their work.  In fact the long tapes ( looped on brown coloured brass roller on the right) can be seen still tight, reeling in what remains of the long shutter blind.    The shutter blinds and tapes (ribbons) can be easily replaced.

The Rangefinder Coupling “sensor” (the silver coloured part at the top part of the shutter crate) is oblong shaped, not the small tear-dropped shape found in later FED-1 cameras.  Some references say that cameras of this type should have the tear drop-shaped focus follower.  This one still has the oblong version of the first type.

Somewhere on the shutter crate (in the part next to the film cassette) is engraved “II/11/XII” and “5.42″.  Both sets of figures appear to correspond to date marks.  “5.42″, i.e, May 1942 may refer to a later servicing date since the camera’s serial number dates it from 1937.  Russian date notations use a mixture of hindu-arabic and roman numerals:  roman for months and hindu-arabic for month and year.  The usual order is day-month-year; so 28 October 2009 would be inscribed as “28/X/09″.  “II/11/XII does not seem to refer to a proper date.  Is “II” the second year of manufacture?  11/XII may refer to December 11.  But again, the serial number of this camera, starting with “31″ puts it at an earlier date in 1937 since the number range covered by that year goes to “53xxx”.

Restoration will be done soon.  The works can be cleaned, and the shutter blinds replaced and new fastening screws attached.  However, this FED won’t be functional until it gets a pressure plate and a lens mount.   Something with a standard Leica flange would be great to have, and have this camera calibrated to the correct Leica Standard.   This FED originally had a non-standard lens mount and lens working distance.  Only the original lens which the factory issued with the camera would properly work.   Having neither lens or lens mount means more flexibility in restoring this camera.

A special wrench made from fibre or soft metal like copper or aluminium was made for that purpose.  The wrench can be quite expensive for one-off jobs.  It can also be made, if you have access to a machine shop.

Substitute procedures like using long-nosed pliers lined with rubber tape or heat shrink tubes have been proposed, and worked.  Often though, it lead to the deformation of the bezel from the heavy grip of the plier jaws.    Using rubber pads to remove the bezels have been proposed too.  This worked only if the bezel has not siezed on its threads yet.  But old bezels tend to be stuck.  And in the factory, the workers made sure that it would remain in place by really tightening it in place.

There is a simple and inexpensive alternative to all methods described above: The “Zorkikat Wrench”.  It’s a DIY tool made from thick aluminium or copper wire.  Single strand copper wire with insulation removed or aluminum wire 2-3mm thick is needed.  Cut a 6-8cm [edited] length.  Then bend it around a metal pen or whatever object which has a diameter slightly smaller than the bezel or retainer nut (it can also be used for removing retainers from advance levers, eyepiece rings, etc).  The two ends serve as the handle and the grip.

The tool can easily lose its shape.  But it can easily be reshaped.  However too much bending can cause fatigue to the metal and cause it to break at the bends.  Nothing to worry about really since a new one can always be easily made when the old tool breaks.

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