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on Mar 7, 2014 18:40:30 GMT
Last Edit: Mar 23, 2014 22:58:19 GMT by Deleted
Still haven't bought another Yashica (well, yes, I did get an Electro 35 recently, but that was just for parts)... Instead, the mailman, bringing a vintage East German Weltaflex, made for another Commie Camera Day in my home: It's kinda cute too and feels well-built and reliable, quite unlike the Russian Lubitel or the Czech Meopta. Unfortunately, there is an issue shared by all Welta TLRs, and that is the reflective coating on their mirrors going to the dogs: Must find something to replace it with. I was thinking of cutting a cheap thin glass mirror to match the shape of the original but I'm not sure if or how much this might affect focusing. Michael
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on Mar 8, 2014 2:08:33 GMT
Posted: Mar 8, 2014 2:08:33 GMT
That doesn't look like it has a spring back to the mirror mount, Michael, so you will have to get something the same thickness, or shim it up if it's thinner. And it will have to be front surface coated, not like your regular wall mirror glass. You may find a suitable replacement stripping down an old Polaroid 600 series. There are also mirrors for sale on eBay that may fit your camera, or after a trimming. I would measure it, and see what's available.
PF
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on Mar 8, 2014 18:43:25 GMT
Last Edit: Mar 8, 2014 19:18:06 GMT by Deleted
That doesn't look like it has a spring back to the mirror mount, Michael, so you will have to get something the same thickness, or shim it up if it's thinner. You could not see it in my picture, but it does have a spring, PF: Yep, so they say. Of course, with a back-coated mirror, the glass surface will cause some diffusion and, more importantly, refraction, so that I expect the image to hit the focusing screen with an offset of some tenths of a millimeter (please excuse my layman's way of expressing myself). Obviously, such are the laws of physics. However, the decisive question to me is, Does this really matter?
I decided to give it a try and found a cheap framed wall mirror at the local Woolworth store (~2.50 USD) which I took apart: The mirror glass is just a little more than 1mm thick, thus matching the original mirror pretty closely. (to be continued)
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on Mar 8, 2014 18:57:41 GMT
Posted: Mar 8, 2014 18:57:41 GMT
Then I managed to cut a new mirror from it, using an ordinary class cutter. One should put some oil on the blade of the cutter to reduce surface tension when using it. The result wasn't too accurate, so I smoothed the edges down a little. Finally, I ended up with a mirror still almost a millimeter too wide which nevertheless fitted nicely into the slot in the viewfinder. Before inserting it, I put some black tape on the back of the mirror, lest the sensitive reflective coating be scratched by the spring of the viewfinder... (to be continued)
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on Mar 8, 2014 19:17:01 GMT
Last Edit: Mar 8, 2014 19:19:58 GMT by Deleted
...and blackened the edges with an Edding (not knowing whether this makes any sense or not ); Then, the final moment of reward-- transplantation... Edit: In the meantime, I talked to a buddy from my German photography group, who told me he had done the very same thing with his Ikoflex mirror and had not encountered any focusing problems afterwards. So I'm keeping my fingers crossed until the first test roll comes back from the lab... Michael
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on Mar 9, 2014 1:45:36 GMT
Last Edit: Mar 9, 2014 1:49:21 GMT by ridgeblue99
Wow! You still have Woolworths! All our are just historical edifices now, if anything.
A rear surface mirror does change the distance from where the image strikes the reflector on its way to the focusing screen, Michael. If it's a small enough distance, then stopping down the lens could alleviate any focus shift. Only way to tell for sure is to check it against a measured distance on a cloudy day (measure from the film plane to the object), shooting wide open. Another check is a ground glass at the film plane should agree with what you see on the focusing screen. And refraction is always a possibility, making it hard to tell where the focus is.
PF
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on Mar 9, 2014 11:42:52 GMT
Posted: Mar 9, 2014 11:42:52 GMT
I see, PF. Well, the only way to find out just how much focusing is affected in practice is to run a couple of films through the camera. The real challenge will be close-up shots at open apertures, of course (but so they are with the original mirror . Michael P.S.: It seems Woolworth Germany is no longer an American company but owned by a German holding. However, the buildings and real estate of the approx. 100 German stores are in the hands of Cerberus Capital Management, a US financial investor.
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