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40 minutes ago, ph. said:

This is why camera fairs like the biogg annual one at Bievres is the ideal place for transactions beyond small-change. Large corporations are too busy to bother about one single customer. With the Leicina as with all battery-powered devices,I would look closely at corrosion inside the removable battery box.

The battery compartment was completely clean. The contacts between the battery box/headrest and the camera were slightly oxidised but I have cleaned those with IPA and a soft brass buffing brush. I suspect the problem lies either in the motor or its control circuitry. Hopefully I am well on the way to acquiring a very cosmetically challenged Leicina body only, which has a working motor. I will get Sendean in London to swap over the motor and control circuits from that one to my like new example with a dead motor. 

Wilson

Edited by wlaidlaw
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  • 8 months later...

Hi Arnaud, 

Because I have not been up to London since I got back to the UK, I have not yet taken it up to Sendean. I don't want to just send it to them. I want to discuss some options depending on what they find, when they open it up. I am not too worried if it just ends up as a single speed camera, without the single frame option. 

Someone else told me that he thinks the Leicina Special may use the same motor as one of the Nizo/Braun cameras and also the same as is used in one of the super 8 Bolex cameras. I am hoping that when I finally get it up to Sendean and they take apart, they will recognise which motor Leica used or there will be a label on the motor. If the worst arrives, that it is a special motor and is burnt out, I can always get it rewound by one of the specialist small motor repairers, that there are in the London area. I am actually more worried that it might be the motor control circuit, which I am guessing will not be a proprietary part like the motor but made specially for Leica and using obsolete microchips. Someone else told me that it is often the mode switch  (control #21 in the picture in the instruction manual) that fails. I hope so, as that would be a very easy repair. 

I fear this may be a weakness of the Leicina Special, as the other cheap one that another forum member found for me in Brazil, hoping to cannibalise its motor, also had the same problem and now your one. I will let you know if I make any progress. Obviously with the lock in, it may now be some time now, before I can go up to London

Wilson

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Hi Wilson, 

 

Thank you for your reply and tips on the motor.

Yes I love this camera, I got to shoot it and used the ST-1 intervalometer, which is really fun for long exposures.

The camera was temperamental from the day I received it (bought from ebay). It had some battery contact issues that would disappear when I fiddled with the screws on the contact plate.

But this time, it just stopped working for no reason, I shot it the day before and it was fine. The automatic zoom still works, so I imagine it's the same issue as on yours...

Do let me know if you manage to make any progress, after the lock down is over, I will do the same if I get mine fixed...

Arnaud

 

 

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These two are always working well, posted here when we spoke about 22228

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Arnaud and JC, 

I spoke at length to Sendean and got an idea of the likely investigation costs let alone the repair costs of trying to get my Leicina Special working again. It would start at around £300 upwards as they normally work on media industry cameras. I have therefore bought another Leicina Special body for the same price as the investigation but this one is from a well known German dealer. It comes with a warranty plus return agreement. They have just tested it with batteries and it works on all frame speeds and in single frame mode. An easier solution than spending a lot of money, which might be thrown away if Sendean still are unable to repair it, due to lack of parts etc. 

Wilson

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Hi Wilson,

 

Thank you for the update. Hope you have fun with your new Leicina.

So today I decided to open my Leicina Special (quite simple to open, 2 screws at the front underneath the leather and 1 screw at the back where the battery pack goes), and I noticed that something was stuck in between the shutter gear mechanism, so the gears couldn't go forward.

I took it out with tweezers, and it seems to be a daylight filter.

After having removed it, the camera now runs smoothly. I am so relieved I don't need to go go through an expensive repair.

 

Arnaud

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Arnaud, 

Could you please mark for me with an arrow on your picture of the innards of the Leicina, the area where the filter was sticking the shutter gears. As I have nothing to lose with my old body, I will give it a go as well. At the moment, I am batting a 100% record on mending Leicas, having repaired my R4-MOT and Leicaflex SL2. 

Thanks 

Wilson

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Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

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The daylight filter

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I finally have a working Leicina. It is a bit more cosmetically challenged than my dead one and if I feel very brave at some time in the future, I may transfer the works of the working one into the bodywork of the dead one. I tried the 80-200/4 Vario-Elmar-R  and I am surprised how well it works. Now to try the 500 MR Telyt-R and APO 2X Extender which gives me an EFOV of 3000mm! I have a couple of unexposed cassettes of Ektachrome 100D but I want to get the hang of using the cine camera, before I waste the very expensive film (and expensive processing). In any case I still have to get the projector I am acquiring from a forum member and my daughter forgot to forward the required drive belts that I ordered in the USA to me in the UK. 

QUESTION: What is the purpose of the control ring on the Auto Optivaron zoom lens, on the camera side of the diaphragm control ring, indicated by the red arrow in my photo below. The manual (unless I have missed it) is silent on the purpose of this control. Is it to do de-focus fade-outs?  

Wilson

PS Someone has suggested it is an extremely close focus macro control. It must be exceeding close, almost on the front element of the lens.

 

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Edited by wlaidlaw
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