TLR… to CLA or not?

[Jakemico AE-1P]

G’day folks!

Wanted to dust off my Yashicamat 124G and found it not firing consistently. It winds on, doesn’t cock the shutter 50% of the time and then seems to work relatively well.

So… do I send for a CLA? Or resign it to a paperweight.

Who is best for TLR CLAs?

What TLR would you upgrade to?
I have a Rolleicord VA which I love but want one with a light meter built in.

Mamiya C330?

 

[Peter B]

I had fungus problems with the taking lens on both my Yashicamats, so I think it would be worthwhile examining yours closely before making any decision. I replaced it with a Rolleicord Vb and a handheld meter.

 

[Jakemico AE-1P]

I had fungus problems with the taking lens on both my Yashicamats, so I think it would be worthwhile examining yours closely before making any decision. I replaced it with a Rolleicord Vb and a handheld meter.

Thanks Peter!

The lens looks to be suffering from some hazing or maybe fungus.

Think I’ll keep my eyes peeled for a 3.5 Planar Rolleiflex.

 

[droj]

TLR lenses tend to be quite easy to clean - they don't have a huge no of elements! So it's not always the best answer to try & shop your way out of trouble. The fantasy may be appealing, but grit may appear inside the heel of any new boot.

I find it hard to see the advantage of an integrated meter in a tlr, also. A hand-held meter is a kind of freedom ...

If you want to shop, and have money, then of course that's your privilege.

Hazing, dust & fungus are clearly distinguishable, so pull focus on that one.

It's good to keep old things in working order.

Overall, the image is the thing. Buying different stuff is often a way of sidestepping that.

 

[Jakemico AE-1P]

It's good to keep old things in working order.

Overall, the image is the thing. Buying different stuff is often a way of sidestepping that.

Thank you and yes, I agree with keeping things working but after seeing a CLA costing 3-400 I’m cautious of investing that much.

Tempted to trade in the Pentax 645 towards a flex.

 

[StephenM]

Personally, I'd go the CLA route, but in my case the cost wouldn't influence my decision as it's not a lot in the grand scheme of things. Here we usually estimate if we can afford things in terms of how many meals we can have in a local fish and chip restaurant/take away; but given the cost you estimate for a CLA I'd put that as filling the fuel tank on my car 5 times. I can manage that (at least until the chancellor sticks £10 a litre on fuel and cuts my pension either by a direct reduction or another Gordon Brown type raid on my pension fund).

As far as built in meters go, unless they are TTL type I prefer a separate meter anyway as one less thing to go wrong with a camera.

I have a Mamiya C330f (I was given it by someone who tried and failed to sell it!) and that's probably my almost ideal TLR; the only advantage I see in other makes is in the size and weight. The close focussing bellows and the paramender to enable parallax free photography on a tripod are big plus points.

In passing, we were in Worthing today for the Artists' Open Houses.

 

[trypdal]

I have a few TLRs (including a Yashicamat 124G) and a professional CLA was what made them all sing. I would really recommend getting a pro to look at them if you want to take pictures with them and enjoy them to the fullest. Brian Mickleboro is a great UK-based TLR expert I can recommend, if he's still in the business.

The difference in operation and image quality a CLA made to my Rollei 3.5F was staggering. Night and day.

Don't do self-repair. You'll mess things up. Many of these crippled, mint-looking TLRs end up on the ebay when the repair goes wrong, which means wasted time and money for seller and especially buyer.