ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 5 ก.ค. 2024
- In this video we're taking a look at an Edixa Reflex camera, made by Wirgin in Wiesbaden, Germany somewhere around 1956. Details of exactly which model my camera is appears to be a bit sketchy - it might be a Model II, or a Model A, but the original instruction manual just says "Edixa Reflex", so maybe it was the first generation and didn't have any other model number.
The Edixa Reflex features a removable viewfinder, giving the choice of a prism or a waist level viewfinder as seen on my example. The lens mount is the pretty common M42 screw mount, my example being fitted with a 50mm Steinheil Munchen Cassar S f2.8
There were a few repairs to do on this camera when I first got it - I'll briefly cover these, but this isn't a repair video as such.
Film used in the Edixa: Ilford FP4 125 ISO
Here are links to a couple of my other vintage photography related videos:
Zeiss Ikon Contaflex Super B • Zeiss Ikon Contaflex S...
Helios 28mm f2.8 lens • Vintage Lens Test - He...
Start 00:00
Camera Info and History 00:27
Camera Features and Controls 01:10
Viewfinder 03:32
Changing a Film 05:11
Gallery 1 06:50
Repairs 07:44
Gallery 2 10:19
Using the Edixa Reflex 11:03
Gallery 3 13:18
Summary and Outro 15:10
If you've enjoyed this video and you'd like to help support the channel, you can make a one off, no obligation donation, using the PayPal link below:
www.paypal.com/paypalme/Grump...
Outro Music
"As Yet Untitled"
by GrumpyTim (available to download from GrumpyTim's Bandcamp page)
grumpytim.bandcamp.com/
Additional Music
"Where Was I Going"
by GrumpyTim (available to download from GrumpyTim's Bandcamp Page)
grumpytim.bandcamp.com/
www.grumpytim.com - วิทยาศาสตร์และเทคโนโลยี
Around 1959, as a teenager, I went shopping for my first serious 35mm SLR camera. The Edixa Reflex, a later version from this one, was one of the contenders. Built by one of the "middle class" German manufacturers. Good lens quality tests. Good features. Easy to handle. I didn't buy it because I worried about the long term. I wanted a camera where there was some stated commitment to long term compatibility of lenses and accessories. Keep in mind that in this period of camera development, manufacturers were introducing, then abandoning, lens mounts, metering systems, etc., orphaning whole systems every few years (Canon!). Nikon made the commitment to long term product compatibility (and they kept the promise). A NIkon F was vastly beyond me, but my wallet managed to fit around a NIkkorex F, which I shot for the next 14 years. (Thanks to Mamiya.) As for the Edixa Reflex, Wirgen went out of business about three years after I took my leap of faith. The Reflex used a unique lens mount. As far as I know, no one made third party lenses for it, and lenses from Edixa/Wirgin were like hens' teeth to find at the time.
Hi Randall, that's a very good point about lens mounts and systems just disappearing - it would be really disappointing buying into one of those systems and then finding there was nothing available to fit it - top of my collection for that would be the Soviet made KMZ Start, for which they only ever made one lens, a version of the Helios 44 - they did sell adapters so you could use old L39 (or Leica Thread Mount if you prefer) lenses, but those lost out on the ability to auto stop down the lens.
I'm a big fan of Nikon, my main digital for serious photography is Nikon, along with a whole bunch of lenses, and I love it to bits.
I thought all the Edixa Reflex cameras used the M42 screw mount, which was as common as muck, that said, I haven't tried any of the later models, once they'd introduced auto stop down lenses - I have one Isco Gottingen Edixa lens and it does have an unusual stop down roller rather than a pin as seen on virtually every other manufacturers lenses, so maybe they did something different on the Reflex which left it needing the lenses made specifically for it in order to auto stop down the lenses.
I'd not come across the Mamiya made Nikkorex before you mentioned it, that's an interesting camera - another one to keep an eye open for, if I see one for a bargain price.
Wonderful presentation indeed.If this lovely vintage camera could talk what tales it might tell😊
Cheers Michael, wouldn't it be awesome if you could see some of the old shots that these cameras have taken. Occasionally I'll get a camera with an old film in it, and I'll get it processed just to see if there's anything interesting on it - no little gems so far, but one day I'm sure there'll be something interesting.
The photos are very good
Cheers ericky648, glad you liked them.
The Edixa line of Reflex SLSs, is for me, one of the most attractive group of cameras from it’s time…. I love mine, of which I have one of each of the basic models.
Despite the damaged lens, your photos are quite good, and I love your subject matter… you live in an interesting and picturesque area!!
Thanks for your cool review of a sometimes maligned camera!
Cheers Donald, I also have an Edixa Flex that I need to repair sometime too. They are rather gorgeous cameras and they feel great - I quite fancy one of the versions with the auto lens stop down mechanism, only so I don't have to remember that extra step each time. My battered old lens does take some excellent shots, but I do find it a bit tricky to focus on the waist level viewfinder.
I just ordered an Edixa Reflex like yours, but possibly an earlier version, as there is no shutter button lock….. but, no matter…. I do love it, so ordered an ISCO EDIXA WESTROMAT 1.9, 50mm lens for it!
It did come with a early aluminum version of an A. Schacht Ulm Travenar, 3.5/135mm lens, that views beautifully. Will shoot with it on the next sunny warm day….. it is still winter in the US midwest!
Great video and great mental approach. I have several of the old east german cameras that need to be brought back alive. Styling of them is what made me buy them. Winter will be fascinating.
I think so many of the cameras from that period were lovely things, and for the moment many of them can still be found fairly cheaply, albeit that many of them (or at least the ones I buy) need some TLC before they work again. The next one I'll be featuring needed a massive repair, but I'm really happy now it's working and I've nearly completed the first roll of film.
Thanks for the video. There is one on my bench now for a complete CLA. I think i ll spent some interesting moments :)
Keep it up!
Cheers Chris - looks like you've got some interesting stuff on your channel, I'll take a proper look when I get a chance.
That's a lovely looking camera and I kinda like the soft glow on some of these images. I still have a love-hate relationship with film, but I can't help but appreciate how lovely a lot of the cameras are. Great video, Tim🖖
Cheers David, I agree, that lens does produce some lovely images, and it's pretty easy to tame when using it on a digital body. I think the main issue with it on that particular viewfinder is the fact that it has very nearly 360 degrees of travel from stop to stop, so you can't just rock it backwards and forwards to find the sweet spot of focus. In fact it's so good, I think it will be used quite a bit on my Lumix - I might try to find, or make, a really short close up tube, because the minimum focusing distance is something like a quarter of a mile, and it would be an amazing lens for mild macro work.
I've kind of fallen back in love with film photography - I'd had all these beautiful old cameras sitting in boxes, and now I'm getting to play with them, which is ace. However, I have been reminded of the main reason I adopted digital in the first place, which is the lack of control in film processing and printing - you're at the mercy of whoever does the printing and how they think your shots should look - several of the shots that were supposed to be dark and moody have been brightened up, blowing out all the highlights - the detail is there on the negatives but just burnt out on the prints and also the scans. The temptation to do my own processing grows with each film I shoot......
It looks like a jewel!
It's a pretty camera, and on the whole they're not too expensive to buy. I'd like to get a Zeiss Ikon Contarex but so far I haven't seen any in my sort of budget, and it's not as if I NEED another camera so I'm not going to spend a whole lot of money on one.
Lovely images, although it's always disappointing what people try to pass off as working cameras these days. Good thing you were able to bring it back to working order. These early SLRs are beautiful machines.
Thanks diegoscopia, I'll forgive the seller of this particular camera because they were just a general seller who probably wouldn't even know that the slow shutter speeds and so on weren't working correctly - it's less forgivable when it's a seller who specialises in photography gear. I quite enjoy fixing cameras, so it's not such a disaster if I need to do a bit of work on them.
Very envious of this. I'd love to get a working Model B to play with. Many thanks for the video
Cheers Ian, it is rather fun to play with, must pop another film in it soon. Cheers for watching.
Interesting camera and good photos! I am lucky that all the film cameras I use work well.
Cheers Ben, I think I've only bought 2 or 3 vintage cameras that haven't needed some work doing, certainly 100% of the ones I've bought as "working" have not been working - but as we all know, the only way to learn about them is to take them apart, something I wouldn't do if they actually were in perfect working order.
I'm a couple of videos behind on your channel - I should get round to those soon.
@@GrumpyTim Well, the ones I actually use I have been lucky with. The others are just nice to look at one of which takes sheet film.
I tend to buy the "bargains" on the whole, many of which haven't been cared for over the years. I think some models will fail, cared for or not, if the grease and oil used breaks down and becomes like glue - the Halina 35X springs to mind, I doubt there's a single example out there that hasn't got a really stiff focusing ring because whatever grease they used just turns to glue. Some of the other faults, such as mould and fungus can be attributed to poor storage conditions. It would be interesting to examine masses of old cameras to see which manufacturers used better lubricants that didn't break down and so on, but maybe I won't carry out that experiment just now!!!
@@GrumpyTim Ye, storage conditions and the original oil will play a part. I have been lucky.
Lovely camera and accessories Tim. Some great shots in there too. I’d love a couple of vintage cameras but wouldn’t know how to go about repairing and improving them. Nice work. Cheers. Lee
Cheers Lee, there must be plenty of vintage cameras out there that just work and don't need fixing - I mostly tend to home in on the non working (cheap) stuff, because I can usually fix it, and I get to learn more with every camera I dismantle, which in turn, increases the likelihood of fixing the next one. I had loads of beautiful old cameras just sitting there gathering dust, so it's a real treat that I'm getting to play with them now I've ventured back into film photography.
Great video, I love silver/chrome/aluminium camera's and lenses, that's something you really don't see anymore these days. 800 grams sounds nice too, heavy and reliable.
I'm totally hooked on the silver and black look, love it to bits, and I definitely like a nice heavy camera like this. I'm still envious of your Jupiter 6 though, both silver and heavy!!!!!!
Great video, it really helped getting to know this camera (first time analog).
But sadly I have a slight issue on mine. The mirror wont come back down. Moments ago it worked, but I don’t know what I’ve done, but it’s stuck in front of the viewfinder.
Any tips?
Hi Sinan, glad you enjoyed the video. Is your camera still firing the shutter? If advance the film advancing lever with the lens off, you should see the mirror being lowered by a little pin in the back left corner of the mirror box area, the front left edge of the mirror should then be caught by a little catch so you can see through the viewfinder. If you press the shutter button once the shutter has been fired, you should see the little catch moving with the shutter button (the catch sits about half way up on the left hand side of the mirror box. If that catch has stuck in the forward position, try giving it a gentle touch to move it backwards - it's pushed forward by the shutter button and returns with a spring, if the mechanism has got sticky it might have stuck in the forward position and therefore isn't catching the mirror.
Those are just my initial thoughts without taking the camera apart. Let me know how you get on.
Portrait with a WLF is indeed very challenging. I use the 'sports-finder' on my Kine Exacta (a rectangular hole in the front part of the WLF cover). Does the Edixa not have one, Tim?
Very good set of images from that lovely piece of engineering and art.
Hi Morris, they didn't throw in a sports viewfinder, at least not on the early Edixa's like mine - maybe they were hoping to sell you a prism viewfinder as well!!! The sports viewfinders always make me smile, they're kind of primitive yet functional.
Great work. I'd be interested to see what you could get from a typical snapshot camera of the period, like a Brownie.
I've got a load of cameras to work my way through (both fixing and using with film), nothing quite as basic as a Brownie but it'll be fun (for me) anyway trying them all. And I never know what camera is just around the corner, that's half the fun of it. Cheers for watching.
Very nice hobby mate.
Cheers, it is rather fun going back to film after shooting digital for so many years it's a bit like getting an old stationary engine running, you just don't get the same experience with new stuff.
Amazing video.
I have some questions, how did you restitch the shutter curtain?
And when the slow speeds were not working, was the camera doing only 1/25th on any of the slow shutter speeds? Mine works perfectly besides the slow shutter speeds (1/10, 1/5, 1/2, 1s) however, mine is a model D and has slow shutter speeds down to 10s and they work perfectly. they are engaged to a different, wind up clock mechanism, same as the self timer, you just flip a lever to engage the slow shutter mode instead of self timer. any more in depth help on the repair of the edixa would be incredibly appreciated! :D
Hi kirchbergphotography - nice videos by the way, I'd watched your first Edixa Reflex video in the past and I think it was one of the things that influenced me to buy one myself.
The shutter curtain had quite obviously been either replaced or at very least, re-stuck onto the winding drum and it had been glued out of square - it was firmly attached and I didn't really want to do a complete strip down, so, as the curtain was just sitting out of square, I wound the curtain on a little, so I could easily get to the leading edge. I then carefully pulled it further across the film plane and wedged both of the ribbons/tapes so they wouldn't get dragged back onto the drum. After that I carefully unpicked the stitching where the ribbon/tape attaches to the metal curtain edge, re folded the tape so it was the correct length and re stitched it onto the metal carrier. I only had to do that for the one ribbon/tape to bring the curtain back into square. Your camera is slightly newer than mine, so they could have changed the curtain attachment method since my camera, so it might not apply to yours. For what it's worth, if I came across the same problem again, I'd probably strip the entire camera and re glue the curtain onto the drum, but I guess it would depend on how impatient I was to get playing with the camera.
If I remember correctly, my slow shutter speeds were just sluggish, and they'd even stall when set to the slowest speed. I've fixed so many cameras since the Edixa I can't remember how it engages the standard slow timer - If I get the chance, I'll look over my footage and notes to see what I can remember - if it was just a case of your standard slow timer being dirty, you would be getting slow speeds that were sluggish or even it might stick completely - it's possible that whatever linkage that initiates the slow timer is sticking or otherwise out of adjustment, but it's also possible that someone has in the past, removed that timer because it was playing up, which would just leave you with 1/25. It might be very obvious if you remove the bottom cover of the camera (assuming your camera still has the slow timer situated down there).
Hi! @@GrumpyTim
Wow really! That is very cool to hear, that makes me glad! It is really a piece of art as well as a camera!
Sorry for the late answer, you really took your time to give me a thorough reply! I really appreciate it :)
I think its really cool that you have that sort of knowledge, are you just really mechanically savvy? I would love to be able to restore cameras mechanically, only thing i have done to mine is replace grips, light seals, mirror dampers, leather, and cleaning them.
Very cool man and great information as well if i am going to give that a try at some point!
As for the slow speeds, thats interesting. Both of my Edixas, the B, and the D (which i use the most) i can hear the slow escapement engage when i choose the shutter speed, that sort of clockwork sound you know. But nothing more happens, i just fires at either 1/25th or the shutter doesnt travel, until i switch the slow speed dial into the "0" position.
I will remove the bottom cover and check if the escapement is indeed located there, and if something looks like it has disengaged or so! Thank you so much for the thorough reply. I have been wanting to get the Edixa working completely for a long time now and this is really the only video on all of youtube that i have found which mentions how to repair it.
I may get back to you if i run into something and maybe you are able to figure it out!
All the best / Nils
Hi Nils, I've written myself a big note to take a look at the Edixa next week - reading your message has reminded me about the actual dial that you turn to select the shutter speeds, which has a pin that locates in various holes in the plate below. The fact that you're hearing the clockwork sound makes me think that the slow timer is there, and it's probably something else that's stopping it engaging when you fire the shutter. Feel free to remind me in a couple of weeks if I haven't got back to you by then.....
LOVE ALL MY EDIXA MAT REFLEX/FLEX AND PRISMAT CAMERAS. JUST BOUGHT ANOTHER ONE ON MONDAY. B-L MODEL WITH OLDER VERSION ISCOTAR ( LOOKS GREAT BUT WISH THE QUALITY WAS THAT OF MY CZJ 50MM PANCOLAR. WISH SOMEONE WOULD FIGURE OUT HOW TO SWAP THE OUTER FOR THE INNER ON THESE LENSES🤩). AGREE THAT THE FEELING, EVEN WITHOUT TAKING PHOTOS IS SPECIAL. GREAT VID. WHO DOES THE GUITARING.arou d 13:30 -14:15.Thanks
Hi Thor, there is something rather magical about using cameras like this - I also have an Edixa Flex that I haven't repaired yet - it has the same lens as the one in this video. The music on my videos is all self written and performed - the guitar is my best attempt to sound like Pink Floyd or that kind of thing (I'm not very good) - the guitar was an Alden Western Star.
Great video, but I'm wondering, does it have a cable release port?
Hi Malte, yes it does have a cable release port, but not necessarily the type that your used to - certainly I hadn't come across this type before - the release cable screws over the shutter release button rather than into a hole in the middle of the button - you should be able to see what the end of the cable looks like at the beginning of the video (about 30 seconds in). I believe that fitting of cable release is also used on some Leica cameras. I also think I've seen some adapters listed on ebay that convert one of the more common cable releases into the the correct fitting for the Edixa.
@@GrumpyTim thank you very much! I am actually Thinking of buying one. I think they look nice and they seam like good cameras from what I've read. What Would you say Is a fair price to pay for one of these?
Hi Malte, pricing is a tricky thing, I tend to buy cheaper cameras and fix them myself, and so far, 100% of the cameras I've paid a bit more for that were sold as "working" or "serviced and working" haven't been working. In some cases I think the seller has advanced the film and clicked the shutter, the camera went click an so they deemed it to be working. In those cases I can probably forgive them for not realizing that the shutter was dragging, none of the slow speeds were working and the self timer was sticking etc etc. Less forgivable are the cameras that have come from dedicated camera sellers or shops, one of those, a KMZ Start had been badly botched and needed a complete rebuild to actually get it working. More recently, a Nikon F-501 was sold as fully working and tested, and the AF wasn't working at all - that camera was replaced with another of the same model, and the second one almost worked when it arrived, but I still had to repair 2 faults.
So, my thinking on pricing is, I would probably want to pay between £30 and £70 for an Edixa Reflex that may or may not work, at the higher end of that range I'd definitely like a lens with that camera. If I was paying any more than £100 I'd want a guarantee that it was working and that I could return it if it wasn't. My guess is that a properly tested and serviced camera would cost quite a bit more, bearing in mind that I'll usually spend a couple of days or so servicing a camera for myself, so anyone else doing the job properly would want a fair chunk of money for their time.
There must be untouched cameras out there that are working perfectly well, and you could feasibly buy a couple of cheaper copies in the hopes that one of them would work.
@@GrumpyTim Thank you very much for the answer. I guess I'l have to test my luck. I am not a very good technician but theese cameras seem rather forgiving to repair of course depending on what went wrong. And the one im biding on is in good condition and is probably not going to sell for to much because the camera market in Sweden is not that competitive so prices aren't usually as high as in the UK or America.
Hi again. i finally got one and everything works as i should except for the slow shutter speeds. The mirror goes up and the shutter opens as it should but it takes a while longer to close accompanied by a woroing noise from the bottom of the camera. I wonder if it perhaps
is the same problem that you had and if it is i, do you know where i can find an easy to follow guide on how to fix it.
Cool👍What film scanner do you use?
Hi burevestnikmolodoy, although I do have an Epson V700 or V750 (can't remember which) packed away somewhere, I haven't dug it out and found a space for it yet, so I'm relying on getting the labs to do the scanning at the moment. This film would have been scanned on one of the Noritsu scanners, and they made a bit of a hash of the scans - blew out all the highlights - I had to send the film back for a rescan, but I used the original set for the video. The place I used for most of my processing is a one man lab, and he does DSLR scanning, which tends to be better than the big labs, but that might just be because he takes more time over each film rather than just churning them out. I suspect, whatever method you use, the more time you spend getting it right, the better the scans.
really good video matey, but can I ask a question? what is your accent? i come from Bedworth, so i feel like it's sort of a between Brum and the Black country accent?
Cheers Drobium, glad you liked the video. I guess my accent will probably be from around the location where the bike on your home page was made.
@@GrumpyTim Aww bloody hell, I've never heard a Redditch accent before, it threw me right off 😀
I don't know if it's pure Redditch, I'll have been influenced by family and other people I've spent time with - I never really give it any consideration - people have always taken the mickey out of the way I talk, so I probably just talk funny!!!!
@@GrumpyTim my accent from my vlogs is just as broad as yours, don't begrudge it , it's you heritage matey 🙂
Cheers, I don't really worry about it nowadays - if I did, I guess I wouldn't be talking on my videos - which is how I started, it took me a while to pluck up the courage to speak, and I definitely haven't mastered the art - the cutting room floor is littered with out takes as I fail to pronounce the simplest of words!!!