De: Carlos Manuel Freaza <cmfreaza@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
Asunto: [rollei_list] A tape too thin
Para: rollei_list@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Fecha: sábado, 27 de septiembre de 2008, 3:32 pm
Last night I was photographing my city spring students
festival with the Rolleiflex 3.5F, the Vivitar flash and the
Rollei grip, after to use the first Agfa RSXII 100 slide
roll film (from the freezer), I loaded to the camera a new
Fuji Superia color negative film, I closed the camera back
and advanced the film to the number 1 moving the crank very
quick; I perceived the film travel seemed long too much but
I was in a hurry and had no time to think about it.
I took the first photograph, no problem, however the crank
became stiff to advance the film up to the frame 2, anyway
the number two appeared in the window but the shutter did
not shoot, it was not cocked. I open the camera back and
according the film paper back numbers for 120 it advanced up
to the frame 4; I rewound the film having the idea to
advance it with the crank shooting the shutter up to the
frame 6 to use the last 6 frames, this time I advanced the
complete roll from spool to spool and the film counter
mechanism never engaged.
I considered the film was lost, at home I rewound it again
and advanced it up to the frame number 1 very slowly, this
time the camera film counter mechanism engaged firmly and
film advance and shutter release were normal up to the frame
12, I repeated the sequence again, it was OK. The third time
I advanced the film very quick (like the original first and
second time) and the film counter did not engage, I advanced
the film from spool to spool without stop. I discovered the
cause for the problem soon, the tape to join the film with
the paper back was thin too much, a very perceptible
thickness difference regarding other films and even
regarding other Fuji Superia batches, a film I use
regularly.
This is the first time I had this problem in almost 40
years using Rolleiflexes with the film feeler automat
mechanism, I had already used the 3.5F with any kind of 120
film and never had the problem and then it's not an
adjustment issue. I could see now one of the reasons
(explained in the Report IV) to eliminate the film feeler
automat mechanism for the GX could be right, I lost 12
valuable images I could take last night because the paper
back and tape for the film were thin too much.
Carlos
