To correct that, I ran a small bead of silicon glue down the inside corners of the back and then carefully attached black yarn. I ran a piece of felt across the bottom. I locked open the shutter on T" and performed a flashlight test. I couldn't see any light coming through, but the real test is taking some photos.
Black yarn was used in a number of cameras to block light in key areas. I'm not sure that foam had been invented, and in any case German cameras didn't use it as light blocking material (although it was used as a cushion under the top deck in some SLRs).
Out I went with a roll of Ilford Pan F and my light meter. I happen to have the correct lens shade, which came with a pile of stuff about six or seven years before I bought the camera. A lens shade helps with any lens, particularly with the early Rolleiflexes, because the front element is right out there. As well, it's an uncoated lens.
This Rolleiflex has the f/3.8 7.5cm Tessar set in a Compur shutter. The top speed is 1/300. It has the original mirror and focusing screen, which are clean but still result in a dim image.
It operates like most other Rolleilexes with a couple of exceptions:
• There is no body release for the shutter. Like a Rolleicord, you use the lever below the shutter to both tension and release the shutter. That means there is no double-exposure prevention, which also makes it possible to wind on to the next frame without taking a photo. I did that twice.
• With this camera, you must make a mental note of your previous frame number or have a routine for using the camera. That is, wind to the next frame immediately after you take a photo or wind just before you take a photo.
• Obviously, it doesn't have "Automat" film loading. With this camera, load your film and turn the crank until "1" appears in the red window on the back. Reset the frame counter to "1," and from that point onward, the film is automatically positioned. I had good frame centering - no overlapping images.
I found the camera very easy to use, although focusing and composing on the dim screen was a challenge. The placement of the shutter release lever is a bit awkward, but I practiced beforehand, so I didn't pull the camera to the left or right. You can see in the two shots taken at 1/10 that I had a steady hand.
The Tessar still holds its own some 80+ years since rolling off the assembly line. Not bad at all. It's noticeably smaller and lighter than later Rolleiflexes, particularly the Planar/Xenotar cameras.
Next up will be a 1950s Rolleiflex with the 80mm 2.8 Zeiss-Opton Tesssar. It just needs some work.
Exposuure: 1/10, f/4.0 - the round out-of-focus background is typical of a Tessar.
Exposure: 1/100, f/11 - First Presbyterian Church, Cranbury, N.J., which was established in the mid-1700s.
Exposure: 1/25, f/8.0 - This woman died in 1780 at the age of 58.
Exposure: 1/100, f/8.0 - A white picket fence that caught my eye. I was pleased with this, considering the backlight. I really like the shadows in this photo.
Exposure: 1/10, f/4.0 - Some tiny flowers near the sidewalk just before I got back into my car.
Still kicking 35mm butt after 80 years! Lovely photos, Mike.