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Flexaret VII ( dark fresnel lens problem)
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I got my first TLR today it is a Flexaret VII.
Quoting from the ebay sellers description says "Camera looks very clean both inside & out. Camera body in very good condition , leather case also in very good condition. This vintage camera appears almost new."
But the TLR viewfinder is dark and foggy with orange hue rendering the camera as useless, maybe that is why the seller did post 10 pictures but did not include the viewfinders image.
The darkness of the viewfinder makes the camera unusable.
The picture below is an actual shot of the Flexaret VII's viewfinder pointed at a large bright CRT Monitor in a very bright environment, yet you barely see the monitor.
Has any of you encountered this problem?
Contacting the seller now. :(
July 25 update:
The seller gave a partial refund to cover (hopefully) the repair of the viewing lens, if I can find someone who can do it.
Originally posted at 5:23AM, 23 July 2008 PDT
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reynan.ali edited this topic 47 months ago.
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hi,
i had the same problem
the fresnel lens of flexaret is made of plastic material, so with years it become of a dark colour.
The only solution is to disassemble the machine and remove the lens of fresnel, although in this way focusing becomes difficult.
To dismantle the machine you must remove the leatherette on the front and unscrew the four screws below.
Posted 47 months ago.
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Hi Marco, thank you for the reply.
Is there any possibility that the lens can be cleaned and restored to it's original usable state?
Originally posted 47 months ago.
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reynan.ali edited this topic 47 months ago.
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i think no, sorry.
You can search on e-bay the lens of fresnel, that is a flat piece of transparent plastic mounted with the focusing screen
Posted 47 months ago.
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You can get a used focusing screen for a Mamiya RB67 on ebay (or at KEH) for maybe $20. Disassemble it to separate the fresnel screen from the glass and then cut the fresnel down to the correct size for your Flexaret using its original fresnel lens as a template and then replace the old with your new fresnel lens. You can do the cutting for example with a dremmel tool. I did this for my Rolleicord Va and it works very well.
Posted 47 months ago.
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I found a website dismantling a viewfinder from Fflexaret VI and VII, it's a bit hard as I see it, in comparison to the much easier Rollei and Yashica, here is the website photocom.hp.infoseek.co.jp/Flexaret repair/page02.html#top
Hi Marco, when you said that "focusing becomes difficult" is it because it is not as bright as before or the focusing will be off? Thanks
Hi Markus, thank you for the tip, unfortunately there aren't any of that available right now both in ebay and in keh.com
By the way guys, as I have researched the purpose of the fresnel lens is to make the groundglass brighter (as far as I know).
If I just removed it, will it affect the focusing accuracy?
Cheers
Reynan
Originally posted 47 months ago.
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reynan.ali edited this topic 47 months ago.
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yes, the focusing screen is dark without a good fresnel lens, especially in the corners.
Posted 47 months ago.
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Actually, keh.com has a bunch of them. If you just want the matte version without the micro prism, you can pick one up for $8 from them in EX condition (see the RZ67 section under focussing screens). Also, see the following website for instructions:
www.panum.de/rolleiflex_screen.htm
Good luck.
- Markus
Posted 47 months ago.
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Thank you guys, much appreciated.
And very nice galleries you got by the way.
Posted 47 months ago.
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Hi Marco, thank you for the reply.
Hi Markus, thank you for the tip, unfortunately there aren't any of that available right now both in ebay and in keh.com
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