Contessa 35- Help, Melek!

[Santiago Montenegro]

I just got my "new" Contessa 35 in the mail. WOW. I love the way this thing looks and feels. But... the interlock between the shutter and the film advance is crazy. It needs me to roll about 5 frames before it lets me trip the shutter, and then the film transport remains locked until I manually rotate the film sprockets and fire the shutter again. Also, sometimes the interlock just lets go, and you can use the shutter several times without advancing the sprockets. Is there a reasonably simple fix, or shoudl I send it back ($$$ from Venezuela)? It was advertised as working perfectly and freshly CLA'd. BTW, it is the early, Compur model, and in very good external shape.

[titrisol]

Somehow the advance interlock is gunked up; my guess is that a dab of grease gunked duroing the temperature changes in transport between Venezuela and you
I'm not sure if the contessa 35 lets you fire without film, but try to exercise the camera many times

[Santiago Montenegro]

"I'm not sure if the contessa 35 lets you fire without film"

It lets me if I fool it by rotating the film sprockets manually, but it takes an inordinately long time, and my fingers are starting to feel tender . I already started a return procedure on Ebay (no response so far).

[Santiago Montenegro]

Hmm, now the seller is offering 40% of the price back, and I keep the camera.

[titrisol]

Lucky dog!!!!!

[PFMcFarland]

If you have a good repair shop there, I'd take the partial refund (maybe ask for a bit more), and put it towards getting the camera fixed. Whomever worked on it didn't know what they were doing.

PF

[Santiago Montenegro]

Whomever worked on it didn't know what they were doing.

PF

That is also my diagnosis Of course, I am my own repairman. Good, not so much
Now, does anybody have a trick for unscrewing the pesky rewind button?

[Mike Kovacs]

can't remember the exact details of this model but normally I just jam a small screwdriver into the forks and twist the rewind knob.

[Santiago Montenegro]

Mike, the rewind knob is easy enough. But the rewind button doubles as a smooth, cruel screw that holds the winding knob in place. Try as I might, I haven't been able to budge it.

[Mike Kovacs]

sorry I just can't remember though I've done several of these.