Camera Talk

Timing is everything. Glad you all made it out safe and sound. I know you will miss it at times, but you have many good memories in your photos to remind yourself. I hope the Customs folks don't give you a hard time.

PF

Just saw this. Glad you’re home and safe Alex.

PFMcFarland wrote: ↑

Mon Feb 28, 2022 9:09 pm

Timing is everything. Glad you all made it out safe and sound. I know you will miss it at times, but you have many good memories in your photos to remind yourself. I hope the Customs folks don't give you a hard time.

PF

Today we have been told by the customs broker that our boxes are in the EU side already, expected delivery in my town 18th March.

Good news Alex!

The 532/16 (postwar) is among my favorite cameras. The prewar is good, but that coated Tessar gives it a slight edge. I bet one of the aperture pins jumped its track. That could be easy to fix, but then you have the overall experience of having to remove the lens/shutter assembly, etc.

Oddly enough, almost none of the parts between the prewar 532/16 and postwar 532/16 are interchangeable.

Thanks Mike. Yes, one blade indeed became entirely dislodged and floated freely around, blocking the light as it moved around. So I carefully removed it. The blade is very thin, has a couple of tiny rust spots and even a small tear in it, probably from the stress after the camera lay unused for many years. I totally don't have the skills to do the repair job myself, but perhaps Alex could have a look. I could mail the camera to him now that he's back in Spain.
Alternatively, I could try to use the camera as-is and always leave the iris in more or less the same position as it is now, at about f/11, even though the opening is not perfectly round - it has an almond shape... I leave it there because at smaller or larger aperture values the opening becomes really funky. And the aperture ring does not always move freely from one end to the other either. I will shoot a test roll next week to see if the camera is any usable at all.
Alex, I hope you are settling back well in Spain but I guess that your tools and gear will have a hard time getting to you from Russia right now...?

Hopefully next Friday will be here, I will let you know.

Thanks Alex. Take care

Things arrived, setting up things, I will pm you with my address.

I can’t pm you, it seems you disabled that option??
You can pm me