[Aristophanes]

9 - Body Repair Prices

MY Oly 35RC arrived today and I was excited in opening up the package and testing first if everything works...
I inserted an LR44 for testing since it is the one that I have for the moment.
..so, viewfinder looks bright and clean
..manual setting works
.."A" setting works, which means, light meter works
..timer lever works
..body and lens looks ok but became better (like new) once I cleaned it!
I was stoked..yeeyyyy, I got a working Rangefinder.
Once I opened the film bay door to look on condition inside, I was happy too since it was clean, only to find out when I was to close the film door again that something was off.
The film door didn't seem to line up, so after a bit of inspecting why..
..I find out that the top hinge was broken due to rust!
Big..big..big..disappointment!
This was listed as being in great condition with no marks (there was an etching at bottom plate), scratches (a few, which was normal), scrapes (same as scratches - forgivable), and no dents (there was a very small one almost unnoticeable until further inspection at side corner).
All of the other ones I was almost ready to forgive and forgo, but I guess the broken hinge is unacceptable.
I guess I will be returning this to the seller and have to be patient again and look for a good one.
Bummer!
..to think I even bought an old style compact flash to go with this set-up..

[psur45]

As I said before get a Rollei 35S. It is built like a tank (it was designed in Germany). There are no hinges to rust. There is no light leakage - the design makes it impossible. There is no foam, no plastic only steel and glass and premium quality at that. It is not light - it feels substantial and like a real camera. As for ergonomics - it APPEARS awkward. When you start using it all doubts disappear quickly. You set the speed, aperture and set the match needle exposure meter (it is a German made Gossen!) - all in ONE action sequence which makes the whole procedure really FAST (do NOT get the SE which has a LED meter in the viewfinder - it is not intuitive and slows you down). Yes it is not a rangefinder - but that is not a big deal. You need to guess the distance and set it on the lens (there is a depth of field scale on the lens). If you use a fast film (ISO 400) and are shooting outdoors set shutter speed at 1/500 sec (nearest reciprocal). If it is bright sunny aperture will be f/22 or f/16, if cloudy bright it will be f/11, cloudy f/8, very dull f/5.6. For these apertures the depth of field will be from about 3 feet to infinity! Even if you forget to set the distance for every shot everything will still be in focus! You just compose and shoot - the camera does not get in your way. And the camera is so compact (the smallest 35 mm film camera ever built) you will be always carrying it with you - you will never have to say "I wish I had my camera with me". It is tailor made for street photography and travel photography (rural and urban lanscapes). The slightly wide angle lens (40 mm, f2.8) gives context in street and urban landscape photography. You have to get up close and personal to use the Rollei 35 - as Robert Capa said "If your photos are'nt good enough, you're not close enough". When you scan the negatives produced by the Sonnar the images pop up at you almost in 3-D - it is after all a Zeiss designed 5 element lens made by Rollei under license. The Rollei 35S can use a 1.35 volt zinc-oxide Wein Cell button battery which is widely available from any good photo store. A good source for the Rollei 35/35T/35S etc. is KEH (I do not work for KEH). But a Rollei 35S is not cheap - it is a Rollei. Even a BGN condition Rollei 35 / 35T (with the excellent 40 mm f3.5 Tessar) is around $100. At KEH you can return the camera for a full refund within 14 days. My 1976 Rollei 35S performs better today than my 1980 Pentax MX. But it is not as versatile as my MX - it is not very good for close up and flash photography and distant landscapes. But it is still my favorite camera I carry with me all the time. It has never let me down - its middle name is reliable. Good luck.

[stevebrot]

As I said before get a Rollei 35S...

Ummmm...the camera apparently has its fans...persistent ones too...



Steve

[Bruspeed]

Ummmm...the camera apparently has its fans...persistent ones too...



Steve

I did a quick search after the first mention of the Rollei, and came to the same conclusion as you. I'll stick to my cheap Yashicas.

[GerryL]

I did a quick search after the first mention of the Rollei, and came to the same conclusion as you. I'll stick to my cheap Yashicas.

I'll try top get one of these too!
I guess I'll be stuck with my broken hinged Oly since seller offered partial refund.
I might be spending more for the fix if I don't find a cheap one or fix it myself (if I can).
I'll try it out once I get it fixed.

[stevebrot]

I guess I'll be stuck with my broken hinged Oly since seller offered partial refund.

The camera was described as being in great condition. Rust normally is not normally consistent with that description. Rust indicates moisture and the high likelihood of deeper damage. I would insist on full refund including shipping. If the seller balks, threaten to contact both PayPal and eBay immediately to halt payment and to start the "discipline" process. If he still balks, carry through with the threat. Time is of the essence here.

Steve

[stevebrot]

Repair, if possible, will be costly, especially if done by Camtech/John Hermanson.

I take it you mean that Camtech is good, but pricey? In general, camera repair can be quite expensive, particularly for leaf shutter cameras and lenses. Many times the repair is well worth the money to bring a treasured older camera back into shooting condition. Other times, it may be better to find try your hand at the repair yourself. This is an excellent way to acquire many non-working bodies as a source of parts. The more common solution is to find a working replacement and move on.


Steve

(Spent well over $100 a year ago to bring my Mamiya 1000 DTL back to full working condition...too bad the camera is still worth less than $50!)

[Bruspeed]

I'll try top get one of these too!

I hate to conflict you but I paid less than $50 shipped for this sweet setup. Included original Yashica branded filters, lens hood, the works.

[stevebrot]

I hate to conflict you but I paid less than $50 shipped for this sweet setup. Included original Yashica branded filters, lens hood, the works.

You are to be loathed and hated


...just kidding! What a deal!

[GerryL]

Thanks for all the replies but I already accepted the partial refund.
It came to a point that I dictated the amount of partial refund and it would seem that I got this camera for something like a parts and repair listing.
It is very low in price compared to what these babies are actually going for.
I'll try my hand at fixing it myself since the only really major part that need attention is the broken hinge.
Since all that needs to matter that should be working on this camera IS working and that in itself is gratification.
Shutter works, timer works, "A" setting works and the scratches, I can live with. The dent is unnoticeable since it was hammered back.
Flash setting also works.
The rust is just on that hinge area and I think was forced open, being the reason why it broke.
Now, I just need to find a way to fix the hinge.
I already replace some of the light seals and already cleaned the camera so if I was to send it back, it would be in a better condition than it originally was.
Overall, I'm happy..plus I know that I can find a fix for this..I usually do.
Now, to move on and find a Yashica GSN.
Once I test the Oly, I will post photos.
As Steve said..yeah Chris, you got a good deal on that Yashica..and we hate you..

[Simian Summit]

I've been following this thread for quite some time now, partially because I had the same questions/quest as Gerry and partially because I loved seeing the pics of everyone's setups. I have to say, I think it was Steve (maybe someone one else here...It's too late to think straight) who said that he thought that this may be the friendliest forum on on the friendliest camera site and I think that as we're now on page 12 of a discussion that probably is more appropriate somewhere else (RFF comes to mind) I think proves this right. Thanks for all the great discussion guys.

Elliot

[stevebrot]

Thanks for all the great discussion guys.

You are very welcome.


Steve

[rt22306]

Thanks for all the replies but I already accepted the partial refund.
It came to a point that I dictated the amount of partial refund and it would seem that I got this camera for something like a parts and repair listing.
It is very low in price compared to what these babies are actually going for.
I'll try my hand at fixing it myself since the only really major part that need attention is the broken hinge.
Since all that needs to matter that should be working on this camera IS working and that in itself is gratification.
Shutter works, timer works, "A" setting works and the scratches, I can live with. The dent is unnoticeable since it was hammered back.
Flash setting also works.
The rust is just on that hinge area and I think was forced open, being the reason why it broke.
Now, I just need to find a way to fix the hinge.
I already replace some of the light seals and already cleaned the camera so if I was to send it back, it would be in a better condition than it originally was.
Overall, I'm happy..plus I know that I can find a fix for this..I usually do.
Now, to move on and find a Yashica GSN.
Once I test the Oly, I will post photos.
As Steve said..yeah Chris, you got a good deal on that Yashica..and we hate you..

Bummer, I know of an EBay vendor that has never done me or others wrong (100% approval, 3,000+ transactions) with a Yashica Electro GS, filters, wide and tele auxillary lens, hard case. If you want, I'll give you his name.

[rt22306]

I hate to conflict you but I paid less than $50 shipped for this sweet setup. Included original Yashica branded filters, lens hood, the works.

One of my saved sellers on Ebay has a similar outfit up for bid; purchased at an Estate sale. He does know Yashicas (see my previous post).

[Bruspeed]

Bummer, I know of an EBay vendor that has never done me or others wrong (100% approval, 3,000+ transactions) with a Yashica Electro GS, filters, wide and tele auxillary lens, hard case. If you want, I'll give you his name.

Mine is not a GS, although I don't believe there is much of difference in the optics, just some internal focus gearing changes. Personally, I would search out a "GSN" not only due to the fact that they're potentially ten years newer, but the flash hotshoe would be very nice!