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on Mar 14, 2015 1:11:29 GMT
Posted: Mar 14, 2015 1:11:29 GMT
I had to do a little haranguing to get them to ship the camera, but it finally got here yesterday. It came with the winder, and special ERC that covers the camera with the winder attached. Too bad that it's made out of that faux leather that is disintegrating into a gooey mess. I placed it in a plastic bag for later (maybe I can get a leather worker to make me one out of the real stuff).
The camera was of course DOA, but all it needed was a fresh 4LR44 to bring it back to life. Everything appears to be working okay, except the frame counter which is sticking. New seals are in order too.
Now the winder is a different story. It doesn't look bad (well, other than the mismatched coverings which seem to be factory applied), with just a little corrosion on one of the battery terminals. However, the latch that holds the battery pack to the winder bottom is broken, so I'll have to open things up to see if it's repairable. I can see the parts floating around inside the winder base, and they look sort of flimsy to me, so likely I'll have to either produce a replacement, or get another winder. I could always use rubber bands to hold the thing in place. That would look pro.
I'll do some work on it before I post any photos. The DSB 1.9/50 looks good, with no oil on the aperture blades.
PF
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on Mar 15, 2015 3:47:45 GMT
Posted: Mar 15, 2015 3:47:45 GMT
Great fun to have another camera from the FR series - the FRII is the only C/Y Yashica I've never bought but I'd be tempted now, even if only to complete the set... Not surprising to discover the problem with the frame counter - along with the self-timer, it is the only recognised weak spot on the FR series cameras, though a fix has been published for the frame counter's plastic gear.
Sorry to hear about the winder; although externally the Contax RTW and FR Winder look very similar, the hinge assemblies for the battery holder and contact mounts are completely different. The RTW utilises the entire battery compartment to make the electrical connections, whereas, as you know, the Yashica has the terminals on the main body of the winder. This means that the FR Winder has to be removed from a tripod to change batteries while the Contax RTW can be used with the battery compartment opened and hinged downwards, giving unfettered access to the batteries.
I have been able to repair a broken hinge on a FR Winder using epoxy resin though it did eventually fail - the advantage that the Yashica winder has over the Contax is that you only need sufficient pressure for the battery holder to press against the 2 contacts on the winder for the unit to work properly - with the Contax, the electrical contacts run through the hinge making any break a nightmare. Rubber bands or strong tape will certainly do the trick - and, as you say, would look pro! If that fails, I'm sure you can pick up either a s/h RTW or FR Winder very cheaply these days.
In the unlikely event you have difficulties, I do have a FR Winder which I bought in 1978 here in the UK and have never even opened the box so it's still untouched. I suppose I should really put some batteries in it and test it.... I also have several Contax Interval Timers if you ever need one for remote/timed operation.
I look forward to seeing your piccies. The DSB 1.9/50 is rather under-appreciated (like the ML 50 f2) but is capable of producing outstanding images.
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on Mar 16, 2015 2:01:10 GMT
Posted: Mar 16, 2015 2:01:10 GMT
Thanks for the info, Graham. I did happen to see one really cheap that I might go ahead and get before too long. At least it's not like the Canon drive I have that one has to dismantle to get it off the camera. I should put some batteries in it to see if it even works.
On a side note, the FX-7 that appeared to be jammed up came out okay. The winding lever was loose, and I had to reset it to complete the stroke. Add a couple of new batteries, and it's working like a charm. It needs seals really bad though. I think I'll just buy the stuff in bulk
I had a Yashica SLR site in my bookmarks, but apparently it's gone now, and I deleted the link a while ago. It had a lot of good info, but I don't recall that they covered the AF or century series models. I'll have to do another search and see what comes up. Either that, or break down and print out that PDF spreadsheet of the Yashica History (really a glorified battery use list).
PF
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on Mar 25, 2015 1:53:05 GMT
Posted: Mar 25, 2015 1:53:05 GMT
The replacement winder arrived in good shape today. Contacts and battery holder are in much better condition. It's missing a bit of the front block covering, but I can always get that piece off the first one.
At first it didn't work. I had used the first battery carrier instead of swapping the batteries. After swapping the batteries, there was still no action, so I cleaned all the contacts (camera and winder), and that did the trick. One thing I still wonder though is with the spring pad on the first winder being deteriorated as it is, that there isn't enough pressure on the battery carrier to make good contact with the winder.
Gotta get some new seals in the camera before I can use it though. Crumbs all over the place, and some wicked mirror slap too.
PF
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on Mar 25, 2015 4:41:32 GMT
Posted: Mar 25, 2015 4:41:32 GMT
The replacement winder arrived in good shape today. Contacts and battery holder are in much better condition. It's missing a bit of the front block covering, but I can always get that piece off the first one. At first it didn't work. I had used the first battery carrier instead of swapping the batteries. After swapping the batteries, there was still no action, so I cleaned all the contacts (camera and winder), and that did the trick. One thing I still wonder though is with the spring pad on the first winder being deteriorated as it is, that there isn't enough pressure on the battery carrier to make good contact with the winder. Gotta get some new seals in the camera before I can use it though. Crumbs all over the place, and some wicked mirror slap too. PF
Great to hear that your Winder issues are pretty much sorted.
Prompted by your original message, I went back to the box in which I have the untouched Yashica FR Winder and spotted a few more Contax items one of which was a RTW Ni-Cd Pack, again unused since the late 1970s. Now, I know new Ni-Cds are verboten here in the European Union but I find I have 3 of them along with chargers and RTW Power Packs so I charged one for 20 minutes, put it in the Yashica Winder and fired off with a FRI - superb. I wasn't expecting that.
At least I now know that the winder works and have found some more goodies - including a RTF540 attached to a RTSII, PMD and Zeiss 85/2.8 I'd forgotten about!
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on Mar 25, 2015 23:07:41 GMT
Posted: Mar 25, 2015 23:07:41 GMT
Now, I know new Ni-Cds are verboten here in the European Union (...)
 Seeing that there is this widespread perception of the EU as a bureaucratic monster dominated by the Huns, I wish to emphasize that I never voted for Mrs. Merkel...  Michael |
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on Mar 26, 2015 1:01:40 GMT
Posted: Mar 26, 2015 1:01:40 GMT
I was going to comment about how does one forget they have a Zeiss 85/2.8, but then I started recalling all the senior moments I've had lately. Many a time I've had to clean up my Watch Lists after rummaging through the gear.
PF
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on Mar 26, 2015 18:37:22 GMT
Posted: Mar 26, 2015 18:37:22 GMT
I was going to comment about how does one forget they have a Zeiss 85/2.8, but then I started recalling all the senior moments I've had lately. Many a time I've had to clean up my Watch Lists after rummaging through the gear. PF Your comment embarrassed me sufficiently to go and check my Excel sheets - ooops!
Just as well (and understandable) that I'm no longer married: 21 Yashica cameras; 71 Yashica lenses; 109 Contax cameras; 127 Zeiss lenses, 33 non-Zeiss/Yashica lenses and I daren't mention the numbers of accessories in case men in white coats come to take me away for some kind of obsessive compulsive disorder: is there such a condition as Yashicopathology??
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on Mar 27, 2015 3:18:58 GMT
Posted: Mar 27, 2015 3:18:58 GMT
Naw, you've just got a virus. PF |
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