A "new" Rolleiflex!

MVPernula

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Heya gang!

Today I got a rolleiflex on the mail, first taste of medium format. Exciting!
It looks to be in good shape, bought it from an old man who apparently spontaneously bought it from a garage sale over 30 years ago. Shutter works, but it's a but unreliable on slower shutter speeds, nothing weird.

It's a Rolleiflex K4 by the looks of it, they're hard to tell apart... The only thing actually bothering me would be that the dial for the shutter speed is very hard to turn between 1/250s - 1/500s. So much that I have to use both hands to turn it.

Do you guys know of a smart fix for this? Do I have to send it in for repair or do I just need some oil?

Thanks!
-William
 
I have the Automat MX, also called the K4a, it's currently being repaired and fully serviced, they are great cameras.

The 1/500 speed on Compur shutters uses additional tensioning and is often quite still to set, idealy you set it before winding on and cocking the shutter. It sounds like the shutter needs a CLA, the repairer I use always gives cameras a complete service that's not cheap - £120 + 20% VAT but he does an excellent jop he serviced my 3.5E2 a decade ago and it's still works perfectly.

Ian
 
The 1/500 speed on Compur shutters uses additional tensioning and is often quite still to set, idealy you set it before winding on and cocking the shutter.
Ian
This was great to hear! Because after cocking the shutter it was stiffer than before, so there's that. I'll see if just using it will loosen it up as well. Just sitting in a cabinet for 30+ years wont do it any good!
 
My Rolleiflex 3.5E2 is in mint condition, I was given it because the shutter fired every other wind on and it had had less than a dozen rolls through the camera from new. The lubricants dried out over the 40+ years it was stored, some of that was after I'd been given it. A full service and it's perfect.

I also have a Yashicamat 124 and the slow speeds were sticky that was serviced at the same time, using the Yashica and Rollei TLRS I discovered I quite like the square format (I don't crop) and use them a lot thee days alongside my LF cameras.

Ian
 
My Rolleiflex 3.5E2 is in mint condition, I was given it because the shutter fired every other wind on and it had had less than a dozen rolls through the camera from new. The lubricants dried out over the 40+ years it was stored, some of that was after I'd been given it. A full service and it's perfect.

I also have a Yashicamat 124 and the slow speeds were sticky that was serviced at the same time, using the Yashica and Rollei TLRS I discovered I quite like the square format (I don't crop) and use them a lot thee days alongside my LF cameras.

Ian
My, that's lovely!

After having shot a roll of film with the Rollei today I can tell you that the stubbornness on the shutter dial completely let up, it's buttery smooth now. Will pick up the negatives from my local photo developing company tomorrow! Hopefully it worked as well as it felt.

I thoroughly enjoyed the square format, composing and playing with it felt fresh and exciting to me. Really looking forward to seeing the results!

A few weeks back I was really close at getting a Yashica 125G for about 20$, sadly the guy selling it sold it to someone else despite us having made a deal.

-Will
 
Which lens is on your Rolleiflex ?

Ian
This is the one!
IMG_20200306_123726.jpg
 
If you are worried about it a CLA will clean up all the issues, in the meantime some things to lament over:

- as has been noted the 1/500 may not be moving into place correctly under tension
- the adjuster may have fallen off (or is not properly slotted into) the housing. Since the rollei's use the small wheels there is an inner ring that has a hole in which a pin sits on the actual compur system this may be messed up and causing issues at the extents.
- your wheel is mis-aligned: its possible some teeth slipped over the years and you are in the 1/500 slot before forcing it over.
- The slow speeds are sticky since they have some extra bits in the timing system which need to be independently lubricated.

You may need oil or perhaps more applicably naphthalene. A light application of naphthalene will thin out any gummed oil. If you are feeling bold all you need to strip the camera down is a GOOD set of watch makers screw drivers, two pairs of tweezers and a magnifying glass (depending on your vision).
 

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