Certo w/Xenar -anyone know how to adjust rf?

[Nesster]

the new Certo Super Sport Dolly arrived...



The lens is a bit cloudy, let's see if it cleans up. The shutter needs a cleaning, it is sticky. Lens probably would be better if it were slower.

But: the damn thing has helical focusing with a range finder. And looks like it has an extinction meter too - that's the center panel on the superstructure. The view finder's adjustable for 6x6 or 645 (the 645 mask is long lost)...



The second arm extending forward is the coupling lever to the focusing helix. You focus via a second tab behind the shutter cock.

This one is not an interchangeable lens model, nor is this one of the convertible to cut film ones.

I immediately thought of my Rokkor, but that lens is of a different gauge than this S-K monstrosity.

I have to give the whole camera a good cleaning, and adjust the range finder (it's not coinciding at infinity)...

Does anyone have instructions for cleaning and calibrating this kind of a rf?

[Katastrofo]

Are the bellows light-tight? Just trying to get a complete list of woes.
They look like leather so you might be OK. I'm trying to remember what
site I was on that went into adjusting the rf on a Bessa 6x9, is this system
completely different from that?

Man that looks like a lotta work...

[Nesster]

Yeah, maybe too much work... on the other hand, I have a second simpler S S Dolly that I can use for parts - the bellows on that one I know to be good.

[Katastrofo]

Getting the lens apart so you can clean it ought to be fun. I was thinking this
camera might be salvage from the Titanic, but that went down in 1912.

This might be worth it, tho, coupled rangefinder and what looks like a decent
EDIT: Tessar-type lens, if you can remove the "a bit cloudy".

[Nesster]

Yes, seeing how much I can bring the lens back is the first step - the rest won't be as worthwhile if the lens itself is naff.

[Katastrofo]

Keep us posted, Nesster, good luck!

[Nesster]

Had an enjoyable evening cleaning and adjusting the Certo.

First - the lens cleaned up crystal clear. There are the little air bubbles that in the old days reeked of quality German glass

I cleaned the shutter blades and got them going... at some point this will need a shutter cleaning I can tell, but that's beyond what I can take on at this point.

I cleaned the viewfinder and rangefinder windows. Unfortunately the only adjustment screw I could find adjusts the vertical for the split image. I couldn't find where the distance can be adjusted. Oh well, I verified it is accurate at 40 feet, and 5 feet.

The button that opens the folder has lost its top plate and spring... I thought I could cannibalize the part from my other C SSD - but the gauge is different on that button. Oh well, this still gets the job done.

The bellows has been repaired, and one of the repairs still leaks. I'll have to figure out some goop to fix the leak before I run film through.

I'll ask this on a separate thread and I'll ask around:

what is the tool called that grabs a threaded sleeve at three points along the edge? Not for this camera, but for the Rollfilmkamera, I think I need to extend the sleeve the front elements screw into, in order to get a good infinity. But I don't have the tool nor do I know what to call it!

[Katastrofo]

Nesster, dunno the tool, a spanner wrench wouldn't work? You made a lot
of headway with this, must be the music you're listening to.