Edited by author 07-15-2009 06:32 AM
It might come alive with a bit of exerise. unfortunatly the nicer cameras like the Rollei have the most complex mechanisms, so they break whereas the cheap kodaks just keep going because there's nothing to go wrong.

The Rollei's still a nice camera, and if you can find the right person to do it, its worth a repair. It probably just needs a clean. Leaf shutters do seize up if they're not used for a while, but it's an easy fix, and the camera is probably worth more than the repair cost.

Hope you get it working!

I presently have 8 working cameras. Upon arrival I run one roll of film to see what I get. Shortly thereafter I send them off to be CLAed. Cameras being precision equipment need to be Clean, Properly Lubricated and Properly Adjusted in order to work as intended. I would think your baby Rollei could be CLAed for $100-$120 USD. B&H in New York City sells efke R-100 B&W 127 film for your camera. It is made by Fotokemike in Samopbora, Croatia so you should be able to find it in Europe. I have been shooting with it for about 18 months and like the results. You can judge for yourself at: http://www.kelticknot.us/page%2008.05.10_1.html
Enjoy your working vacation and do drop me a line at: tom@kelticknot.us and please include some photos.

Happy Shooting and the Best of luck ... Tom

I hate paying for repairs. It's quite likely that just the shutter blades themselves are stuck together with dirt or oil. If it were mine, I'd try to unscrew the rear lens element, and wipe the shutter blades (very gently) with a cotton bud moistened with a little lighter fuel. Do this a few times, changing the cotton bud when it starts to show the dirt. Eventually the shutter should loosen up a bit. If you can get it to fire, keep wiping and firing it, then stop the wiping, but keep on firing the shutter while the fuel dries out. Don't be put off if it siezes up again once dry - you just need to do the cleaning for a bit longer. Leave the lens glass out for a while - at least an hour - for the last fuel to evaporate.
You can't do a thorough clean approaching only from one side like this, but it may be enough to get the thing going.

Pete ... repairs should be put only in the hands of a qualified technician. The Lebanese have an expression I love and it applies to all areas ... "Leave the bread to the baker."

excelent suggestion - I'll give it go.
Scott

2009/7/17 QT - Pete <qtopic-25-BGkZmPSaMg9K@quicktopic.com>:
>
< replied-to message removed by QT >

Some time ago I was saying the Haco-44 camera was not related to Haking, the HongKong-based camera manufacturer; in fact Haking never sourced cameras from Japan, although their names bear some resemblence.

The 6X6 "Hacoflex" is well known, made by Tougodo Optical Co. of Japan, this page shows an example close to the bottom of the page:

http://www.tlr-cameras.com/Japanese/Tougodo.html

In fact, the Hacoflex was distributed by Hagemeyer in HongKong in the 1950s, and Haking cameras were not sold in any quantity there. Therefore, it would not be logical if Haking wanted to distribute a camera made by another company, branded "Haco-something" and then get Hagemeyer to distribute it in HK. Besides, Haking was (and still is) a manufacturer, not distributor, so the similarity in their names would be nothing but a coincidence.

This is an interesting page to check out:

http://www.camerapedia.org/wiki/Tougodo_4%C3%974_TLR

I have a very clean example of the above box camera which of course is of 120 film 6x9cm format. Having run one Fuji Velvia film through it the results are quite amazing for a meniscus lens. No noteable vignetting, no light flare or light leakage. The lens is giving high sharpness in some areas and a lot less in others. I believe this is due to the lack of a film pressure plate to hold the floppy 6x9cm flat, otherwise the lens is obviously very good for a cheap box camera circa 1927/30. Can anyone point me to where I can get some detailed info on the lens, focal length, aperture size etc?
I am considering the possibility of applying a simple pressure plate so that I can really determine the best quality of the lens. Idealy I need the original design drawings for the lens assembly. Can you help?
 
Regards, Graham Lockyear Cambridgeshire UK.

Sorry. The camera is a Kodak No2 cartridge Hawkeye model B.

Graham Lockyear.

----- Original Message -----
From: "QT - Graham Lockyear"> I am considering the possibility of applying a simple pressure
> plate so that I can really determine the best quality of the
> lens. Idealy I need the original design drawings for the lens
> assembly. Can you help?
>
> Regards, Graham Lockyear Cambridgeshire UK.

Graham

A meniscus lens has a curved focus plane, so it will be impossible to get the film in focus right accross a flat film frame. In fact, a slight curl in the film can help the focus, at least in one direction. This was why Instamatic cameras with a simple lens gave such good results, the cartridge did not have a pressure plate. Later simple plastic 120 and 127 cameras had a slightly curved film path which compensated for the spherical field of focus in one direction.

Brian
http://www.secalis.co.uk/P127/P127a.html

Thanks Brian!

just acquired a 1930's vintage Exakta VP camera which Google tells me uses 127 film.
the camera seems to work fine so I thought I would put a few rolls through it

additional on line searching has shown me several sites where I can purchase the film on line
have done some B&W developing in the past so if I shoot B&W I should be ok

however if I shoot colour I don't know what my next steps would be
who develops this non-standard size
and can you get the negatives scanned
I currently can scan 35mm and 120 on my Epson V500
but don't have a holder for 127

any input would be appreciated

by the way I am located in Toronto Canada
am mainly a digital shooter but like to play with film occassionally

thx
Frank

Have you checked the shutter for holes?

I have been using some Maco colour negative film this summer, and tried developing it myself, using a Tetenal kit (I bought this with the film, from the Macodirect.de website). I found it really easy. There are three solutions to make up; a developer, a combined bleach and fix in one solution, lots of water rinses, then finally a stabiliser. Only the developer is really critical for temperature. I don't have a thermostatted waterbath; just used my washing-up bowl and the same thermometer I use for B/W developing. The standard process is at 38 °C, but there's an alternative set of times at 30 °, which gives slightly longer times, and I used those. Also, the kit is intended for rotary processing, as you'd do with a Jobo machine. That means continuous agitation; I guessed one inversion every half-minute, and that gave reasonable results.

I made my own film holders for my scanner (an Epson 4870) out of card. I usually have to have a couple of goes lining the film up, and getting a new preview to check it's straight. I always scan one frame at a time, so 127 is only a bit slower than any other format.

Good luck!

< replied-to message removed by QT >

----- Original Message -----
From: "QT - Frank E" > however if I shoot colour I don't know what my next steps would
> be
> who develops this non-standard size
> and can you get the negatives scanned
> I currently can scan 35mm and 120 on my Epson V500
> but don't have a holder for 127
>
Frank

Congratulations on the Exacta - one of the best 127 cameras ever made. I usually shoot B/W, but I used a roll of MacoColor with blue flashnulbs in a Gevalux - you can see the results at
http://www.secalis.co.uk/P127/Gevalux/GevaluxR.html

I sent the film away to be processed - I used
http://www.spectrumimaging.co.uk/photo.htm in the UK. Any large laboratory who process 120 film should be able to do it (ask them first), but I doubt if anyone will print it for you. I scanned the negs with an Epson 2880 - I cut an aperture in some card and taped the film to it. Getting the colour right was very tricky.
I've given up scanning negatives now as it was too slow - I use my Canon 40D and a macro lens to photograph them and process them in Photoshop.
Brian

Edited by author 09-15-2009 12:08 PM
Seems like you can get slightly outdated Maco 127 colour negative film at significant discounts from Maco Direct.

http://macodirect.de/negativ-film-maco-c-416_427_119.html

Has anyone come across an Omega 127 negative carrier for the B-22 enlarger? I'm adding 127 print making to my darkroom and I've been trying to fabricate a 127 negative holder by inserting a mask of some kind within the 6x6 negative carrier but thought I'd try to find the Omega version of the real thing.
Any suggestions on making a mask?
thanks,
Robert

rjyoung67@gmail.com