One of the challenging aspects of collecting and maintaining vintage cameras is the sheer lack of detailed historical technical information available for the vast majority of them. Many of the companies who made all this camera gear are long since gone, and virtually all of them who are still around have shifted their business models, often quite dramatically. That can make it a big challenge to figure-out how to solve weird problems that just shouldn’t be happening to start with. And such as it was for me recently.
Continue reading…Troubleshooting
Camera Repair: Specialist, or Generalist?
As my camera collection has now reached the point where the cameras can be counted in dozens instead of one at a time, there’s one aspect of old cameras I’ve come to know pretty well: getting them repaired. And recent experiences have driven home a choice we often make when having our older cars repaired too — do I take it to a generalist, or a specialist?
Continue reading…Calibrating a Kalart Rangefinder (Yes, You Can DIY)
I recently acquired a Graflex Pacemaker 45 Crown Graphic camera from National Camera Exchange in Minnesota (see my Vendor Directory for a link). The camera is in really outstanding physical condition (look for a review soon), but it does (or did) have a couple of unsurprising issues.
Continue reading…Diagnosing Light Edges on Images (Dark Edges on Negatives)
Since I’ve started developing my own film, I’m pleased to say I have yet to ruin any of the dozens of rolls of film I’ve processed at home — every single roll has resulted in usable negatives, with seemingly proper density. However, something has been dogging me, and I only recently discovered that it was my own fault: Images with light edges (on the positives), dark edges (on the negatives).
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