Flexaret red glass

[Majk369]

hi everyone!
so recently i've bought a tlr FLEXARET VI and it's just awesome! exposure times are good as well as everything else... the only problem is that the ground glass is very dark and red! i can only see a very well lightened things, such as sunny day. i first thought, that its caused by a filter on lens, but it doesn't seem to havet it, so it should be a filter on the glass itself. if you can, please help...

 

[vintagesnaps]

I'm not sure why it would be red, I'm thinking if it's dark maybe over time (depending on age and how it was stored, etc.) silver flaked off and it's no longer very reflective. I don't know if you opened the back and looked in/thru the camera to see what you can see in there.

I find with some vintage cameras they're best used on a nice bright sunny day since they seem to need plenty of light and aren't the best to use in low light.

 

[Majk369]

I'm not sure why it would be red, I'm thinking if it's dark maybe over time (depending on age and how it was stored, etc.) silver flaked off and it's no longer very reflective. I don't know if you opened the back and looked in/thru the camera to see what you can see in there.

I find with some vintage cameras they're best used on a nice bright sunny day since they seem to need plenty of light and aren't the best to use in low light.

Yes, ive already found out that it is caused by age. The best thing to do would be to remove the old glass and clean it. There is also a tut on youtube, but the front leather will be gone and thats a pitty... Anyway, thanks for the reply

 

[Dave Colangelo]

The red and some of the dark may be caused by a press on red filter improperly installed on the camera. Filters of this era for these cameras generally press on or screw into the lens (some times a bayonet mount on the area around the lens) and can be improperly placed on the upper lens. Most red filters are also -2 stops which makes them quite dark to look through so simply removing it should solve that.

As for the darkness of the ground glass there are a few things. The glass its self could be dark. Ground glass can be changed and you may be able to find a lighter, drop in replacement. You can generally remove the hood on most TLR's and easily pull the glass (depending on design). It could be dark from grime and dirt which would make it worth pulling and simply cleaning. As for the mirror they are fairly easy to replace if you can get a replacement. The mirrors come in two basic types. Some have the reflective surface applied to the top of the glass. On these you generally see it flake off or oxidize. Others had it applied to the bottom (light goes through the glass first) with this style some times the glue eats through the reflective material or as the mirror may start to pull away from the body the glue pulls the reflective material from the glass. If you do replace the mirror its important to clean all the old glue off so the new mirror seats properly, don't be afraid to use sand paper to do so.

 

[Majk369]

I'm affraid of doing it myself. I'd better contact someone, who could.

 

[Dave Colangelo]

The filters are intended to be added and removed by the user, its more than likely that it was put on the top lens as a place to store it. That should just pop out, screw out or twist out.

As for having it serviced you are going to need to find someone who works on vintage stuff. You have a few options, you can look locally, ask at your local lab or camera shop if they have a go to person. This may allow you to meet them and discuss what you want done. Otherwise you may need to send it out. I did some research and about 5 other forum threads on this camera point to an eBay seller by the name of Cupog (you can find their store here). From what I can tell it sounds like they do CLA's on the stuff they sell and might either be able to do a CLA on yours or point you to the right person. For reference a CLA is a Clean Lubricate and Adjust usually during this process any issues will be tended to as well as swapping screens should you chose to do that or fixing a degraded mirror etc. If you search for "flexaret repair cupog" you should see all the threads on their work. I have never bought anything from this seller nor sent him anything so I cant vouch much.

Your other option is to ask some of the related repair people if they will do the work. Im sure internally this is not all that different from a Rolleiflex a quick search yields lots of results on that front.

You can also just look for someone that does general work, you should ask them about your specific camera before sending anything out but I would think a screen swap or clean is in the wheel house of most repair people.

WARNING: CLA's are not always cheap, especially if you go to a generic repair situation and they charge you regular rates. The above mentioned eBay shop is selling CLA'ed Flexarets for under $100 and at some point it simply becomes cheaper and easier to buy a new camera than tend to the one you have. If the camera holds no special sentimental value etc, then you need to consider the cost of bringing it back to life. A new mirror, new ground class and a CLA may very well put you over the $100 mark.

There is a lengthy walkthrough here (google translate is your friend) you can use for reference should you decide to go down the road your self.

The red note is perhaps the strangest in your description, you should not be seeing red through a view finder unless something else was inserted. Even the most degraded mirrors would not result in this typically things turn orange or yellow in tone when they degrade, especially old resins and glues.

Can you post a picture of the finder screen and what you are seeing?

 

[dxqcanada]

Sounds like the ground screen material has aged, so it becomes discoloured (and from what I read online, it was never very bright to begin with).
Some people have bought a screen from Rick Oleson, and fitted it in (you have to take the hood off/apart) ... also if you take the hood off, you can also clean off the mirror (which probably really needs it).

 

[dxqcanada]

OK, forget what I said about taking off the hood ... it is not that straight forward as many other TLR cameras (as in it is not a separate part that is screwed on the top) ... Meopta： Flexaret(フレクサレット) VIのレストア ... it sounds like you already knew this from the youtube video, and from Dave's link.

 

[Majk369]

i've already found a person who will do it for like 9€, but thanks for the replies. here is the picture

 

[Dave Colangelo]

Thats a red filter for sure, here is a pic of a red filter applied over the finder lens on my Rollei

You should be able to just remove the filter (twist off on the flexaret it appears). This should make the screen much much brighter and not red.

On a side note 9€ sounds a bit cheap for a CLA (really cheap for that matter).

 

[Majk369]

that guy is working in an official workshop in Au but he has a personal workshop here in Sk, were he does these repairs for less money than in the official shop. he wont make it to make money, but to save mine

 

[Majk369]

and on my photo it looks more red than it really is. its a sort of gilded orange or what...

 

[Majk369]

as you can see, there's no filter on the lens. it also can be done by a "fresnel lens" thats situated under the ground glass. it was clear, when manufactured, but the time darkened it.

 

[Dave Colangelo]

Hmmm interesting. What is strange here is the "why". There is no reason to install a red lens under ground glass as it serves no purpose other than to darken the finder which is generally considered a bad thing.

Fresnel overlays are, in my experience, not red/orange/amber they are clear. Here is a fresnel insert from a 40's speed graphic for comparison

All interesting! I'm curious what they will find in there!

 

[Majk369]

Yes, really interesting. On forums from my country they say, that the fresnels were made from such material that tended to darken and change its color over the time. Originally it was clear...