I like walking through antiques stores. A couple of weeks ago I came across a box where a pêle-mêle of old photography equipment and parts were thrown. Most were useless, except two cameras – a Yashica Electro and a Ricoh Singlex TLS. The Yashica was just the shell (someone had used the parts for repair) but the Ricoh looked in good shape. I recalled using that 1960s camera decades ago before the speeds got so erratic that I retired it to a display shelve.
Both cameras were without a lens and the inside of the Ricoh was filled with debris and the mirror almost opaque with dust and grime. The rewind was turning loose, and I noticed that the rewind release button was stuck due to a ding on the bottom plate the camera. So I could not test if the shutter was working. However, since the asking price was less than that of a cup of coffee, I picked it up.
A few days later I decided to take the base plate off and see if there were any ”insides” to the camera. To my surprise it was all there! So, it was time to go back in time and see if I can get a 60 year old camera work again.
With the dented base plate off, the release button popped out nicely. Now I could rewind, and cock the shutter. But the shutter did not release when pressed. Upon inspection, I realized that someone had tried to “repair” that camera and had bent the horizontal bar that triggers the shutter. However the bending had not worked since the plunger that pushes that bar was not touching the bar. I had repaired such issues before but knew that bending the bar can also upset its weight balance just enough to affect the timing of the speed dial. But at this point I just wanted to see if I can take on the challenge.
So after an hour of careful manipulation, I got the bar close enough so the plunger can touch the bar. And, the sweet sound of a Copal metal curtain came alive, as the camera did rewind, cock and fire again! For those who have used a Ricoh Simplex, that sound is unique and comforting, albeit very loud.
Finally, I tested the speeds, and after a few dozen rewinds all speeds seemed reasonably good to the ear. I blow dusted the inside getting fine debris to fly out, and lubricated all the moving parts.
Time to find a lens. I have a number of M42 mount vintage lenses from cameras I have used in the past 50 years. Among my favorites from the 1960-1970s screw mount M42s is the Asahi Super-Multi-Coated Takumar 55mm 1.8, a friend had given me along with his father's Honeywell Pentax camera. So, I loaded a roll of film and took my new camera for a test to a downtown Holidays Kids gathering.
Here is the Ricoh Singlex with the Takumar lens
Results
Kids were riding ponies and there was a carriage ride. I was more interested in testing the camera than capturing a moment in the streets. So, I tested the speeds using various light combinations.
The photo of the horses atop the page was taken at 1/1000 sec (which a rarely use) and f5.6 on that very bright mid-day. It seems like the speed is accurate enough, but it is more a testimony to the lens – a 50+ old lens accommodating the untested shutter!
This photo was to test both speed and aperture in a mix of shade and light. There are issues with the corners of the frame, but also a lovely 3D feel to the center of it. A bit of unintentional creativity.
The horses were trotting at a good pace and my 1/125 sec speed with a f8 aperture was not a good combination. Still the lines on the building are free of distortion.
Finally a nostalgic shot with Thumb Butte, the iconic 6,514 feet high natural landmark of Prescott in the background. This can be mistaken for a 1970s photo ….
So, was it worth spending time to rehabilitate an old camera found in a box in an antiques shop? For all who like to take their digital camera out and take dozens of pictures in a second, I assume not.
Yet, when that camera, its feel, the winding noise of the steel gears, and its loud metal curtain come alive, it is less about taking pictures but more about nostalgia. Just like the old camera sitting in a dusty box for decades, hearing the shutter trip, is for me a lovely trip in time.
December 25, 2023
© Vahé A. Kazandjian, 2023
PS/ I put a 1.35v battery to test the step-down meter but the needle did not move. I forgot to take the battery out, and a day later, when I flipped the switch again, just for fun, the meter was functional! I have seen this happen in early vintage cameras – some call it “capacitor freeze” when after decades of non use, the circuitry sort of hibernates, and can come back to life when electricity “warms it up”. But, I think it is the sliding of the switch up and down that cleans the oxidation and re-establishes current flow.
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