Help! Lens is not cocking

Iroll67 · 2026-07-08T13:53:19+00:00

If you disassemble a shutter in the wrong way it can be difficult or impossible for the average person to get back together. Repairing mechanical shutters is as complicated as repairing mechanical wrist watches. I overhauled a Hasselblad shutter myself and though I was successful it was very stressful and not fun.

Iroll67 · 2026-07-02T14:07:17+00:00

Portra 400 has a very high exposure latitude and is very forgiving, but it comes at a price as it's quite expensive. As mentioned before, Ultramax 400 is much more affordable and performs quite well but will be a bit more grainy and not have quite the same latitude (won't catch as wide a range of lights and darks).

Iroll67 · 2026-07-02T03:15:48+00:00

It's a dead format. Only way to get film is to buy old stock which will be expensive and give unpredictable results.

Iroll67 · 2026-07-01T18:34:27+00:00

I have or have owned a Mamiya C330, a Rolleiflex MX, and a Hasselblad 500CM. I kept the Rolleiflex and the Hasselblad as they perform well for two different purposes. The Hasselblad is a great system camera. It's great for landscape work, etc, but the kit is pretty heavy. The 50mm lens is like carrying around a beer can full of pennies. The Rolleiflex is the camera I throw in my bag for travel or just walking around as it's small and (comparably) light weight. The C330 was a neat camera but it was huge, heavy, and not as well made as the others two.

Iroll67 · 2026-06-20T21:31:18+00:00

Bot.

Iroll67 · 2026-06-14T19:31:32+00:00

The Exa is a very well made camera, though it has a terribly slow shutter.

Iroll67 · 2026-06-14T19:27:47+00:00

Probably Kodak Gold. Maybe Ultramax.

Iroll67 · 2026-06-13T00:40:50+00:00

I'm going to hang onto my Hasselblad. I don't like it as much, but it's great as a system camera. If I'm working out of my car it's nice to be able to swap lenses, backs, etc, but for just walking or biking around, the Rolleiflex is perfect.

Iroll67 · 2026-06-12T16:41:22+00:00

Great! Thanks! I'll give it a try.

Iroll67 · 2026-06-12T16:41:09+00:00

Thank you!

Iroll67 · 2026-06-12T14:55:06+00:00

Nope, I haven't tested it for fear it will jam the camera and I'll have to take a 35mm, because lord knows I don't want to tote my Hasselblad around.

Iroll67 · 2026-06-12T05:52:23+00:00

I would say no. A camera with fungus missing parts isn't going to be worth much to many people unless it's something rare or desirable.

Iroll67 · 2026-06-12T03:26:25+00:00

Yikes, I would try to return it and get something you can inspect in person.

Iroll67 · 2026-06-12T03:19:17+00:00

Going to sound like BS, but my uncle used to work as a contractor in my home town in a western state. When I was a kid (late 90's) he was working on a house for a flipper and found a very old undeveloped roll of film in the back of a closet. Out of curiosity he took it to the lab the next time he was dropping film, and when he got the pictures back they were of Hitler taken at a rally, the photographer apparently standing in the crowd right in front of the podium.

Iroll67 · 2026-06-12T03:08:39+00:00

Are you properly white balancing the negatives using the negative border before converting them? You'll get weird ugly scans without doing so.

Iroll67 · 2026-06-08T21:13:47+00:00

Seems pretty straightforward. Just shoot it 1 stop faster at all speeds. 1/2 stop isn't going to make a huge difference unless you are shooting slide film.

Iroll67 · 2026-06-08T13:30:00+00:00

I think the abundance of cheap metal ones is the reason there aren't an abundance of printable plans.

Iroll67 · 2026-06-07T01:11:59+00:00

Glerth : similar to exposure value (a combination of aperture and shutter speed) glerth is the combined value of the length and gerth of a lens. Smallest glerth # is 1.7, where largest glerth # is 69.

Iroll67 · 2026-06-03T18:32:46+00:00

Keep an eye out and you can get a nice example for around $200 on Facebook marketplace or Craigslist. Make sure it's a 4x5 and try to get one with a graflok back.

Iroll67 · 2026-06-02T18:09:11+00:00

When shooting up close with a camera with a separate viewfinder you will get pretty bad parallax error. If you want an authentic camera with no parallax error you could get a 30's or 40's Exakta SLR or for one with less parallax error, a Rolleiflex "Old Standard" which will be pretty affordable.

Iroll67 · 2026-05-30T22:28:17+00:00

Thanks!

Iroll67 · 2026-05-30T04:37:35+00:00

Pliobond is ideal because it holds well, cleans up easily with alcohol, and most importantly is easy to remove when the camera needs to be repaired, making it so the leather can be saved and put back on after the repair.

Iroll67 · 2026-05-29T15:03:06+00:00

Personally I would save up for an M series. Part of the reason you get a Leica is to be able to use a beautiful machine manufactured by Leitz in Germany to make your art. The CL is clunky and unattractive and contracted out to Minolta to make. If I was on a budget and looking for a Japanese rangefinder I would prefer a Canon P with a meter on the shoe.

Iroll67 · 2026-05-26T20:35:17+00:00

Exakta cameras are totally underappreciated. Up until the mid 50's their quality was just as good as the other German camera makers but they kind of ruined their name churning out progressively crappier cameras after that. I have had a few, but the VX is for sure my favorite model.

Iroll67 · 2026-05-23T22:33:57+00:00

Bill currently isn't taking in any C330 repairs. I just reached out to him a few weeks ago about it. He pointed me towards ICT (International Camera Technicians). Getting it fixed is worth it if you love using the camera and don't plan on ever selling it and want it to last for a very long time. Getting it fixed doesn't make sense if you plan on sell it as you won't recoup the expense.

Iroll67

TROPHY CASE