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Post by John Farrell on Feb 11, 2023 1:51:51 GMT
Attachment DeletedLast year I replaced the shutter in this camera, with one from a Super TL2. The meter appears to work - I'm powering it with an AA cell, even though it's supposed to have a 4.5 volt battery the same size. These batteries are unobtainable here. The film is bulk loaded Kentmere 100.
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Post by nickr on Feb 11, 2023 9:05:21 GMT
One of my favourite cameras. Well three of my favourite cameras, if you count VLC, VLC2 and VLC3 as different models.  I'm very fond of them, and it came closest to the MX in my deliberations over which manual focus, manual exposure camera to use as my default. Having 20mm, 35mm, 50mm, 80mm and 135mm Carl Zeiss Jena Electric lenses helped its case, along with a few Pentacon Electric lenses to fill the gaps (29mm and 100mm particularly), and a wide range of electic accessories for macro in particular. One thing I really like about them is that unlike other L series Prakticas, the metering cell is in the body, so works with all 3 viewfinders and all the screens. The PX21 is more or less unobtainable anywhere these days. Hard enough to track down 20 years ago! I always test new-to-me cameras taking it with an AA, but I've a few (3) adapters that take 3 LR44 batteries to deliver the correct voltage. I'm far from convinced it's essential, but it's better for my peace of mind. I'm still on the lookout for a really nice VLC. Mine is pretty tatty. VLC2s are reasonably easy to find, 3s a fair bit harder, but round here, the original model in decent nick at a sane price is a rarity. Wish I was up to transplanting shutters. That's great work. Nobody - not even me - would miss a Super TL2, but a VLC2 deserves to keep going. |
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Post by gray1720 on Feb 11, 2023 15:17:50 GMT
Looks good to me, John. I should get some of the SLRs out this year, just trying to think what the list is...
Nikon F3, Nikkormat ELW, Praktica MTL3 Zenit 12cd, OM10, Edixa Reflex... I think that's the usable list (there is a paperweight as well). Still looking for that silver 135mm for the Edixa too!
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Post by John Farrell on Feb 11, 2023 19:05:43 GMT
Wish I was up to transplanting shutters. That's great work. Nobody - not even me - would miss a Super TL2, but a VLC2 deserves to keep going. These Prakticas are easier to dismantle than most other cameras, and they don't need special tools. A screwdriver with the blade thinned, to fit the screws, and acetone to loosen the glue on the caps on the wind lever and shutter speed dial...take off the top and bottom covers, remove the timing escapement (under the top cover), peel back the leatherette to remove the front plate. The mirror box comes out with this. There will be some wires to unsolder. The shutter is now accessible, held by 3 screws. |
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Post by gray1720 on Feb 11, 2023 19:26:49 GMT
The thinness of some of the screw slots never fails to surprise me when I have a camera apart. Even with picodrives I'm often forced to use a smaller driver than thr screwhead. Ironically this is where my cheapest set of jewellers comes in handy, as they have the thinnest blades.
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Post by John Farrell on Feb 26, 2023 6:50:35 GMT
The film in the VLC2 is finished, so I've loaded another victim - a Contaflex 1. I had this camera overhauled by Chris Sherlock in 2018, so it is working well. There is a Vivitar light meter in the accessory shoe. Attachment Deleted |
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Post by gray1720 on Feb 26, 2023 19:15:44 GMT
That meter looks just right! Is it period, or just luck?
Presumably you've been working out ready to carry that round your neck?
Hoping to get the scabrous Retinette sorted so I can put a film through it, but I've not got the shutter right yet, I don't think the main spring and the driving cam are in the right place. More fickering needed (hopefully with fewer parts sailing across the room, this time).
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Post by John Farrell on Feb 26, 2023 20:54:47 GMT
That meter looks just right! Is it period, or just luck? Presumably you've been working out ready to carry that round your neck? Hoping to get the scabrous Retinette sorted so I can put a film through it, but I've not got the shutter right yet, I don't think the main spring and the driving cam are in the right place. More fickering needed (hopefully with fewer parts sailing across the room, this time). The meter is from the late 70s - a Vivitar 24. I don't find cameras awkward to carry - my Canon 60D with its usual lens is a lot heavier than the Contaflex. |
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Post by gray1720 on Feb 26, 2023 21:07:02 GMT
True - my D200 is a classic Nikon, built from lead bricks!
I've just found a Chris Sherlock teardown of an almost identical shutter, which is good. I'll get the spring and cam back on, and then see if I need to take the (deleted) apart again.
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Post by Chester PB on Feb 27, 2023 17:48:16 GMT
My fist real camera was an Exakta RTL1000, which I believe is this camera (or an earlier model with no metering in the body) with an Exakta mount and differently shaped shutter release button. Mine came with the metering pentaprism and a Pancolor 50 mm F 1.8 lens, and cost me £50 in (I think) early 1974. It was large, heavy and reliable. I only replaced it when I had the chance to get a Pentax MX with a 50 mm F1.7 lens for about £100 in 1980, when a friend of my father's got it for me whilst on a business trip to Hong Kong (at that time they sold for nearly twice this price in the UK).
Much as liked the Exakta, moving to the MX was like moving from an old Rover to an E-Type.
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Post by nickr on Feb 27, 2023 19:34:09 GMT
My fist real camera was an Exakta RTL1000, which I believe is this camera (or an earlier model with no metering in the body) with an Exakta mount and differently shaped shutter release button. Mine came with the metering pentaprism and a Pancolor 50 mm F 1.8 lens, and cost me £50 in (I think) early 1974. It was large, heavy and reliable. I only replaced it when I had the chance to get a Pentax MX with a 50 mm F1.7 lens for about £100 in 1980, when a friend of my father's got it for me whilst on a business trip to Hong Kong (at that time they sold for nearly twice this price in the UK). Much as liked the Exakta, moving to the MX was like moving from an old Rover to an E-Type. The RTL is very similar to the VLC, but not identical - the meter not being body-integral is the biggest difference, as not only does the Exakta not have a metering cell built in, it doesn't have the semi-silvered mirror and so on. Lens mount is the most obvious difference, and the shutter button is another. Effectively the RTL is a predecessor model to the VLC - it was discontinued before VLC production started. I've always felt that the VLCs feel slightly more sorted than the RTL, a little more refined in use - there may well be lots of minor refinements I'm not aware of. But that's not to speak ill of the RTL, a pretty decent camera in its own way, but not a match for the MX. |
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Post by John Farrell on Feb 27, 2023 19:55:15 GMT
The RTL1000 has a tapered body, similar to older Exaktas, whereas the VLC (this one is the VLC2) has the parallel sided Praktica body. The cosmetics are different, too, the Exakta having the early L series features. The Exakta has chromed metal top plates, the VLC chromed plastic. Attachment Deleted |
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Post by Chester PB on Mar 4, 2023 17:31:59 GMT
My fist real camera was an Exakta RTL1000, which I believe is this camera (or an earlier model with no metering in the body) with an Exakta mount and differently shaped shutter release button. Mine came with the metering pentaprism and a Pancolor 50 mm F 1.8 lens, and cost me £50 in (I think) early 1974. It was large, heavy and reliable. I only replaced it when I had the chance to get a Pentax MX with a 50 mm F1.7 lens for about £100 in 1980, when a friend of my father's got it for me whilst on a business trip to Hong Kong (at that time they sold for nearly twice this price in the UK). Much as liked the Exakta, moving to the MX was like moving from an old Rover to an E-Type. The RTL is very similar to the VLC, but not identical - the meter not being body-integral is the biggest difference, as not only does the Exakta not have a metering cell built in, it doesn't have the semi-silvered mirror and so on. Lens mount is the most obvious difference, and the shutter button is another. Effectively the RTL is a predecessor model to the VLC - it was discontinued before VLC production started. I've always felt that the VLCs feel slightly more sorted than the RTL, a little more refined in use - there may well be lots of minor refinements I'm not aware of. But that's not to speak ill of the RTL, a pretty decent camera in its own way, but not a match for the MX. My Exakta was being sold off as a discontinued model, hence £50 with the metering prism and the Pancolor lens. I had saved up £30 from school holiday jobs, with the intention of buying a Zenit E with the Helios 55mm lens, but was offered the Exakta by the retailer. My father was with me, and loaned me the additional £20, stating that a German camera would be much better than a Russian one. At that time he had been using a German-made Kodak rangefinder camera for many years. |
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I'm very fond of them, and it came closest to the MX in my deliberations over which manual focus, manual exposure camera to use as my default. Having 20mm, 35mm, 50mm, 80mm and 135mm Carl Zeiss Jena Electric lenses helped its case, along with a few Pentacon Electric lenses to fill the gaps (29mm and 100mm particularly), and a wide range of electic accessories for macro in particular. 
