Camera Talk

Yesterday a third member joined the Ikonta family : a beautiful 532/16.
It is in very nice condition and the 8cm/F2.8 Jena Tessar is extraordinarily clean and clear - no haze or fungus whatsoever. After cleaning the front glass of the viewfinder the view through it is also bright and clear. The rangefinder works well too.
The focusing via the focusing wheel or the lens rim is rather stiff, but maybe this will improve with time.
There is one problem though : the diaphragm has an odd shape (see picture) and the aperture ring cannot be turned all the way to F/2.8 - there is a strong resistance at about F/3.5
I do not have the same repair skills that Alex has, so I'm afraid that this camera will remain a beautiful paper weight.

Probably one or more pins are out of their place, only opening that part can see the damage or just reposition then.
I should have spare blades for that lens if needed or just the whole back shutter part with the working aperture ring, from a 530/16 same stuff.
Nice cameras!

Definitely a beautiful group, Benny. Most likely what has happened with the 532/16 is the reason it was sitting in storage for so long. A disassembly, clean, and lube are in order.

PF

Thanks for the replies Alex and PF.
Yesterday I carefully turned the aperture ring back and forth a few times without forcing it beyond about f/3.5 where it blocks. That opening changed its shape almost every time. Suddenly I could see one dislocated iris blade move across the gate.
I carefully screwed out the back lens and removed that iris blade to avoid further damage. That's about how far my repair skills go. The blade is semi-circular and has a few rust spots, a wrinkle and a small tear in it.
As it is now the camera is probably not going to produce good exposures.
Alex, could you perhaps repair it? I could ship it to you, unless you are in Russia of course...

Well... good news... We just arrived to Spain, not coming back for sure.
Bad news my entire workshop is still there and I hope it will arrive in a couple of weeks, otherwise I should start building up the repair tools from scratch.
I was only able to take with me the 501cm plus two lenses and three backs, my new and not tested GSW690, Super Isolette and the Old Rolleiflex. Imagine what is in those boxes... btw, I took all the film, bad news the film thing in Spain is underdeveloped badly, only one place found in Bilbao for C-41 and BW but no scanning. Anyway there are more important things going on, I will let you know if I get my workshop here so I should have the spare parts from 530/16.

Thanks Alex. Moving is a lot of work, take your time

Terrible, whishing you the best now that you are back home
Enjoy some pil-pil on our behalf!

alexvaras wrote: ↑

Sat Feb 26, 2022 1:52 pm

Well... good news... We just arrived to Spain, not coming back for sure.
Bad news my entire workshop is still there and I hope it will arrive in a couple of weeks, otherwise I should start building up the repair tools from scratch.
I was only able to take with me the 501cm plus two lenses and three backs, my new and not tested GSW690, Super Isolette and the Old Rolleiflex. Imagine what is in those boxes... btw, I took all the film, bad news the film thing in Spain is underdeveloped badly, only one place found in Bilbao for C-41 and BW but no scanning. Anyway there are more important things going on, I will let you know if I get my workshop here so I should have the spare parts from 530/16.

All the best, Alex, tough times for sure. Regarding the developing: well, you should be doing your own B&W anyway.

Robert

Best wishes, Alex. I hope everything turns up and that you and your family are all o.k.

All the best, Alex. Take the opportunity to do your own B&W. You selected a nice set to bring along.