Camera Talk

I recently acted to relive the days of my youth by purchasing a Ricoh Singlex TLS on eBay (I went through late grammar school and high school with a Cavalier RTL, Willoughby-Peerless's house rebadge of the Ricoh Singlex). It arrived super clean, with no dings or any visible problems, and the meter worked. What could possibly go wrong?

When I screwed on the lens supplied with the camera, it didn't line up centered -- the top of the lens where the f stop indicator is was at about 8 o'clock instead of at 12 o'clock where it should be, with the result that the foot that pushes the lens aperture step down pin can't engage the pin, which is too far on the side. The same lens lines up properly on several other M42 bodies (Spotmatic, Mamiya-Sekor, and a Ricoh Singlex TLS body I have with a bad shutter). Several other lenses show similar offsets, some to a lesser degree. I found one lens that tightens up far enough that I can shoot with it with correct stepping down action, but I'd love to get things right.

Lenses screw on tightly, with no slop, and there are no marks on the threads to indicate there's something blocking the lens. I have an M42 adaptall adapter (which doesn't line up correctly) that I screwed on without a lens, and I couldn't feel anything inside blocking things.

Does anyone have any ideas?

I know Yashica used the Practica registration on their M42 cameras for the longest time, and lenses with the Pentax registration will line up about five degrees right of center, but the aperture pin hits the auto actuator in a good enough spot. How many screws hold the screw mount onto the camera? If it's six, then someone having removed the mount, and replaced it two holes out of register would account for that much difference. But you would think it would be milled on the back side to keep that from happening.

Since you say that the lens supplied with the camera (same brand, no?) is the worst, with other lenses showing less of a difference, then maybe it's a compatibility issue with the brand of lens.

PF

How many screws hold the screw mount onto the camera? If it's six, then someone having removed the mount, and replaced it two holes out of register would account for that much difference. But you would think it would be milled on the back side to keep that from happening.

Hmm... there are three screws attaching the screw mount on the camera, and the lens is about 1/3 out of position. Will investigate once I finish the roll of Fujichrome in the camera at the moment. Fortunately, I have the non-functional body to experiment with first.

Since you say that the lens supplied with the camera (same brand, no?) is the worst, with other lenses showing less of a difference, then maybe it's a compatibility issue with the brand of lens.

Both the lens that came with the camera which doesn't line up and the lens that's close enough to work are f1.8 Auto Rikkenon lenses, so it's not a brand issue.

Thanks for the suggestion. It gives me something to try, and provides a logical explanation for what appeared to be incomprehensible, which is what was bothering me more.

I found one like that recently. I think someone had tried to do a conversion then changed their mind.

On the same subject, but not totally related, I too had a Ricoh Singlex re-brand camera outfit back in '71. Mine was a Sears TLS black body with the SR "butterfly" logo on the prism hump.

Like Larry mentioned, it could be that particular lens has been messed with, and that's why it is so far out of register. Since the one lens is only a little bit off, then that may be where the problem lies.

PF

It's definitely the camera, not the lens. I've tried multiple lenses, different brands, all of which line up correctly on a Pentax Spotmatic, a Mamiya-Sekor DTL 500, and a GAF M42 clone, and all of which (except for the current lens) don't align on this body.

Yep try to take off and rotate the mount .

The Sears TLS M42 body: Some people think it's a "later version" because it has that "Atomic symbol" on the front. Some people think it's a "butterfly" symbol. C'mon, the 'SR' on the front stands for SEARS ROEBUCK. You know, S and R.