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dls182
Joined: 29 Jul 2008
Posts: 4
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 Posted: Tue Jul 29, 2008 6:08 am Post subject: Sticky Mirror on a Praktica Nova... |
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dls182 wrote:
I just acquired a Praktica Nova and I'm having a lot of trouble with the mirror. A lot of the time when I cock the camera, the mirror does not go down, leaving me with a view of my own eye through the view finder...
However, on some shots, it will function correctly! It's making me go crazy!
Any help would be greatly appreciated |
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Attila
Joined: 24 Feb 2007
Posts: 57849
Location: Hungary
Expire: 2025-11-18
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| Posted: Tue Jul 29, 2008 11:16 am Post subject: |
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Attila wrote:
Nice to see you here ! I hope somebody able to answer to your problem soon.
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peterqd
Joined: 28 Feb 2007
Posts: 7448
Location: near High Wycombe, UK
Expire: 2014-01-04
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| Posted: Tue Jul 29, 2008 2:26 pm Post subject: |
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peterqd wrote:
The mirror is held down by a spring. The shutter release mechanism lifts it against the spring pressure before opening the shutter and then holds it while the shutter is open. When the shutter closes the mirror is released and the spring pulls it down again. When you lift the mirror up with your finger can you feel the spring pressure?
I've never dismantled mine so I can't help a lot, but if you can't feel the spring then it obviously means a complicated job. The camera isn't really worth the cost of a professional repairer.
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themoleman342
Joined: 21 Oct 2007
Posts: 2190
Location: East Coast (CT), U.S.A.
Expire: 2013-01-24
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| Posted: Tue Jul 29, 2008 3:40 pm Post subject: |
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themoleman342 wrote:
In a lot of cases a mirror problem can be worked out by simply exercising the camera at every speed about a thousand times. These cameras tend to sit in someones closet for 15 years and never have their mechanisms worked so they become sticky. I had an older spotmatic that had the same issue and by just sitting in front of a movie or the television and just winding + firing at various speeds it seems to work out the problem. Like Peter said it's just not valuable enough to have it professionally repaired. But I would try doing this before attempting a dismantle session. A camera is worth nothing if you can't trust it to work the way it should.
~Marc |
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bob955i
Joined: 15 Apr 2007
Posts: 2495
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| Posted: Tue Jul 29, 2008 8:14 pm Post subject: |
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bob955i wrote:
In addition to the above, take the lens off and have a look at the mirror cushion foam as it might have gone sticky thus causing the mirror itself to stick. |
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dls182
Joined: 29 Jul 2008
Posts: 4
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| Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2008 6:18 am Post subject: |
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dls182 wrote:
Thanks for all the advice so far.
It doesn't seem to be the spring, as there is pressure when the mirror is down, however the mirror only comes down after you cock the camera, not as soon as the shutter closes...
It doesn't seem to be the cushion foam either...
And to be honest, I don't understand how the shutter speed control on the nova works...
As you may be able to tell, I'm new to the world of older cameras...  |
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dls182
Joined: 29 Jul 2008
Posts: 4
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| Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2008 6:38 am Post subject: |
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dls182 wrote:
Never mind about the shutter speed controls, I just figured them out 
The mirror problem appears to be because of the little clip inside the camera that holds it in place. It appears to move slightly when the camera is cocked, but it doesn't always release the mirror. A slight flick seems to let it go, I just have to be careful that i don't stick a great big fingerprint on the mirror...
Thanks again for all the suggestions, I wouldn't have figured it out otherwise! |
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peterqd
Joined: 28 Feb 2007
Posts: 7448
Location: near High Wycombe, UK
Expire: 2014-01-04
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| Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2008 12:47 pm Post subject: |
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peterqd wrote:
| dls182 wrote: |
Thanks for all the advice so far.
It doesn't seem to be the spring, as there is pressure when the mirror is down, however the mirror only comes down after you cock the camera, not as soon as the shutter closes...
It doesn't seem to be the cushion foam either...
And to be honest, I don't understand how the shutter speed control on the nova works...
As you may be able to tell, I'm new to the world of older cameras... |
My apologies, I've just realised you have the original Nova and I was describing the mirror on the later model, Nova 1. 
The Nova 1 had a number of design modifications. On your model, you're right, the mirror remains up until the shutter is cocked and you also have the lift-up shutter speed dial. I'm glad you figured it out in spite of my mistake!
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Farside
Joined: 01 Sep 2007
Posts: 6549
Location: Ireland
Expire: 2013-12-27
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| Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2008 6:07 pm Post subject: |
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Farside wrote:
| themoleman342 wrote: |
| In a lot of cases a mirror problem can be worked out by simply exercising the camera at every speed about a thousand times. These cameras tend to sit in someones closet for 15 years and never have their mechanisms worked so they become sticky. I had an older spotmatic that had the same issue and by just sitting in front of a movie or the television and just winding + firing at various speeds it seems to work out the problem. |
Same here - that Paxette I bought stuck its shutter again, but it turns out it's just sticky through disuse - there's nothing broken on it, even though they are a bit known for broken shutters. I got it working again by use of the palm hammer and jolted the self-timer into action. Once that freed up the mech it was easy enough to keep it working and firing. I'd hazard a guess this one probably lay unused for a couple of decades.
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dls182
Joined: 29 Jul 2008
Posts: 4
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| Posted: Sat Aug 02, 2008 6:47 am Post subject: |
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dls182 wrote:
I think the camera must have been laying around for a while - it was a bit dusty...
It came with a lense which, from the info in these forums, seems to a good one. Its a Carl Zeiss Jena DDR. I'm still learning my way around it, but I think I'm getting my head around it
I've found that if I jiggle the lever thingy pefore cocking it completely, the mirror comes down a bit, then when I cock it completely, it comes all the way down. I'm a little worried that the film is progressing a little further than it should though, so I'm not getting as many shots or something...
I guess I'll find out when I get it developed
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