Fantastic!

Thank you and that's a great find!

Thank you!

Thank you and I agree completely!

Thank you! It can be very nice to hold a camera that those we've lost have held and used. It's a connection to them without a doubt.

Thank you! Those are excellent points that hadn't occurred to me.

Thank you!

Yes, the old cameras are really susceptible to this. I know of one repairman in the U.S. and maybe a second who will work on these, but there aren't many. I also released my video on the Continamatic II the other night, too, if that's of interest.

I'm from South Africa and I only know of one repairman, it is very sad that there are not a lot of people who can repair these old cameras. They really are incredible to use. Thanks, I've already watched and liked it. :)

Nice! These are fun to use.

Thank you!

Thank you!

Thank you!

Nice!

:)

I did a review of this camera a few months ago and it now works fine. Recently, there was a video on the Chris Sherlock channel about servicing this model, which I also subscribe to because I am learning to repair cameras from my collection.

Thank you!

Nice! Thank you!

Thank you!

Definitely.

Nice! That's an awesome gift.

Thank you, Samar!

Good point about the repair cost for sure. The prisms are replaceable but it's worth asking if the price is justified.

Thank you! Yeah, these are super complex. Zeiss and Rollei cameras of the era were exceedingly complex to help prevent Japanese and Chinese camera makers from copying the engineering. The Germans couldn't stop the Asian clone cameras with trademark and intellectual property rights, so they just designed them with such complexity that they couldn't be copied.

Thank you!

If you set the shutter at different speeds and look through the camera, back open, no film, while pointing the camera at a room light (not the sun), can you see light flash in the shutter when you fire it?

I'm not sure if it's known or common, but at least it shouldn't affect the camera in a serious way.

Try footing the shutter at different speeds. Sometimes old camera mirrors get stuck at slow speeds. If that doesn't work it probably needs a professional repair as there may be some thick lubricating grease in the mechanism.

@@DavidHancock Thank you a lot ^-^

That's a bit spendy for these. I think they run in the $35-50 range, typically. I could be wrong, though, as camera prices have gone up a LOT in the last year or so.

Yeah, it has really been crazy living just outside of San Francisco, prices have been jumping up incredibly.

I know. I live in East Bay and camera prices in the Martinez antique stores, for instance, have become unaffordable.

The thing with any camera is condition. I spent $75 for my first one but it was in like new condition. It was immaculate and is one of my favorites. I have 2 others that I spend about $30 but they both seem to be suffering from corrosion on the mirror. Both of those are still serviceable too but it is a bit distracting when trying to focus through the viewfinder.

The only way to do that is to do exactly what I do, but don't open the film door until the film is rewound. The process for rewinding and removing the film is identical, but this video shows what's happening inside the camera.

@@DavidHancock i didnt see the part about the actual rewinding. tinestamp?

@@edwardbedrosian2272 The video description has an index with time stamps. You'll want to check the one labeled "Loading and Unloading Film."

@@DavidHancock okay at your behest i watched it yet again, and again im telling you that you did not cover how to rewind.

@@edwardbedrosian2272 Well that's curious. Usually I do.

There are some good online forums for camera repairs. Photrio also has a sub-forum on the subject, I believe. Those will be helpful resources.

@@DavidHancock thank you!

Do you mean how to remove the cassette from the camera after the film is rewound?

@@DavidHancock how to remove the film after I used it. once, unaware, I took the film out in the sunlight and when I took it to develop there was no photo. then I found out that I have to do it in the dark. yesterday I took it off and I hope the photos are there.

@@denisagal5732 Basically, just be sure to fully rewind the film into the cassette when you've finished a roll. Then open the camera back and remove the film. That will prevent the film from being erased by exposure to light.

Thank you. Mirror shake isn't so much of an issue with this camera because of the leaf shutter and because of the camera's weight. It takes a lot of force to move a heavy camera and the mirror simply doesn't have that.

That price sounds about right. These are insanely complex cameras and repairing them takes a long time. I'm surprised they only quoted you an hour. I know a couple people in the U.S. who have repaired these and it's usually a half-to-full-day ordeal. I believe there is a guy in New York who repairs them, though I'm blanking on his name. A good place to check for recommendations in the EU would be either the MFLenses (manual focus lenses) forum or Photo.net. APUG's forum might also have good recommendations.

Thanks for the quick reply! Well, they just said that is how much they charge per hour, they never said how long it would take. Like I said before, they were just trying to tell me that it isn't worth it. Apparently one way to fix that problem is to use lighter fluid to clean the shutter blades, as this problem is caused by old grease or something like that, and that the lighter fluid would dissolve that or free it up somehow. This seems to be the only DIY fix I have heard of for this problem. And of course it is very risky. If I can't fix it, I might just buy another one as it really seems like a solid camera and I have only heard good things about it. What is the absolute maximum I should spend on one of these?

The lighter fluid trick works if it is in fact grease. If it's a shot or weak spring, corrosion, or a mis-aligned gear, it won't work. The lighter fluid trick also is not always a permanent fix. The method of action behind it is that the lighter fluid is a thinner, more volatile (evaporates quickly) petroleum compound compared to the heavier petroleum-based grease. So the lighter fluid thins and dissolves the grease. Actuating the shutter flings the thinned grease to the insides of the shutter away from the mechanisms. Then the lighter fluid evaporates leaving the thicker grease in places where ti can't do any harm. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. If you remove the lens elements, there's really no risk. If you can't and you get lighter fluid on the lens, it's not the end of the world as the residue can be cleaned easily with 91% rubbing alcohol or standard lens cleaning fluid. If the thinned grease does not get fully removed, then when the lighter fluid evaporates the problem will return. I've done this before and sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.

Alright, I will give it a try this weekend! I am assuming that the problem is grease related as this camera hasn't been used in at least 15 years. Will the shutter blades "open up" right after I apply the lighter fluid or will it take a few minutes before something happens? Also how do I remove the lens elements?

How they respond is different for every camera. Some will work quickly, others will take a little time. It depends on whether or not grease is the only (or primary) culprit and how bad the issue is.

Fair point, though I think my remark was more due to the relative scarcity and high price of SLRs and that viewfinder and rangefinder cameras still dominated the 35mm market at the time.

Do you have a different camera model?

@@DavidHancock It's a Zeiss Ikon Contaflex. IDK. I'm trying to figure out of both shutters are working. I've already gotten the lens out (it sucked).

What is it doing or not doing differently from what's demonstrated in this video?

@@DavidHancock I mean it does the same with or without film , I'm not really sure what else to say or how to explain it

When you look at the film, was the leader (the very front) dark black? Also, can you read any numbers in the perforations? If yes to those questions, then with no film in the camera look through it and point it at a light with the camera's back open. Then test the shutter at different speeds. Can you see light through it? Let me know and I can probably tell you what happened.

@@DavidHancock yes, the leader is dark... and also when i did the test without the cap i could see the light coming through....

@@ConstaMClose Most likely, the film wasn't attached to the take-up spool correctly and the film didn't advance through the camera.

Thank you and nice find! Which attachment are you asking about? The lens hood on the front of the lens?

David Hancock Yes! That one

Yes! That one

They're available from time to time on eBay. They just push-on. You could also use a thread-on hood.

Thanks for the reply! I'll be sure to check it out :)

That sounds like a timing issue or a buildup of sticky lubricant. These are VERY hard camera to work on and I would not recommend trying it yourself unless you're extremely comfortable with complex mechanical repairs. There are people who repair these in the U.S. and Europe, but the repairs aren't cheap.

Thaks for the answer. I gonna see and take it with me to a shop tomorrow, and ask them what it might cost. Lets hope its not that expensive. :/ Really would love to try this camera out!

Hey, got good news. Fiddled around with the camera and cocked and released it over and over again, and the mirror got unstuck! Super cool, iam so looking forward to make some photographs with it! Lets hope the light-meter is still accurate, but I think so! :D

Fantastic! These are lots of fun to shoot with and it's great to have a working one.

But the Focussing ring is so stiff, its like a real workout to focus xD. Nothing for fast shots, but probably great for landscapes! Got a Tripod of similar age...."made in west germany"...but its heavy as fuck. I have been thinking about getting myself a proper Tripod. Any suggestions? Iam gonna be visiting Iceland in September this year, and I really want to take nice landscape photos with my nex-7, so I gonna need a proper tripod that does not weight a ton. ^^

For this camera specifically or for film photography in general?

@@DavidHancock I mean a bit of both I guess. I know next to nothing about what kind of film to use and I don't know anything about iso or shutter speed. My model also has a light meter but the numbers on it don't mean anything to me. A point in the right direction would really be very much appreciated

That should be in this video. The description has a time-linked index and loading and unloading film should be one of those items.

Any 35mm film will work. Everything is mechanical so the film advance process arms all the springs. As for value, a camera is as valuable as the photos you can take with it.

Nice find! $50 is definitely fair to help keep someone from getting ripped off by a mean store owner.

eBay is the place to go.

Good point and thank you.

How do you recommend storing it ?

@@kareemsakr41 I keep my cameras in a sealed case with rechargable desiccant packs to prevent mold.

I'm going with funny.