Gast
:ph34r:As I’ve just joined this forum, I’d like to
start by saying hello to everyone.
I’m delighted to see that there are still quite a few analogue enthusiasts out there,
who are out and about with their – in some cases – ‘old’ treasures.
A bit about myself: I’m 42 years young and work as a radio technician
at an electronics company. I’ve been into photography for quite a
few years now. I use a full-frame NIKON F80 ANALOG, and tried out a borrowed Canon digital camera,
which I personally didn’t enjoy at all.
A year ago, I was given a Pentacon Six and various lenses as a gift.
(35mm, 50mm, 80mm, 180mm and 500mm) Because digital is better?! According to the person who gave them to me. (Lucky me)
Since then, I’ve picked up a DUKA with all the trimmings.
I’ve gained some experience and the best part is, I’ve really enjoyed it.
At the moment, the P.Six is giving me problems in cold weather below 5°C.
After much go-round on the internet, I took the camera apart, cleaned it
and lubricated it with fully synthetic watch oil.
Overall, it works better than before, but at around 0°C the cloth
shutter remains open by about 1mm at all shutter speeds.
This raises the question for me:
Send the camera in for repair (will it actually work in sub-zero temperatures then?)
Switch to a different camera whilst hoping to continue using my existing lenses. (Hasselblad,
Kiev etc.)
I spend a lot of time out on my motorbike taking photos in winter, without the
ability to keep my equipment warm.
A camera without a rechargeable or standard battery would suit me fine.
Digital cameras often failed at these temperatures. Battery capacity issues during long
exposures were a nuisance.
I’d be grateful for any tips or information on continuing to use the Six or other camera bodies under these conditions
.
The price range should be around €500
cfb_de
Hi Dirk,
P-Sixe cameras inherently have a drawback in really cold weather. Does the 1/125 shutter speed work on yours at temperatures below 0°C? No? Then your camera needs to be sent to a professional repair service. For example, Baier in Emmendingen, Olbrich in Gölitz, Krenkel in Treuen, or many others.
A Kiev-60 would be a viable alternative. You can buy one for around a hundred euros; Baier (see above) or Wiese in Hamburg can then service it.
Or you could do it yourself. The K-60 is very well documented online in English and, whilst mechanically tricky, isn’t overly demanding (which is more than I can say for the P-Six).
I adjusted my K-60 for modern film myself and then, at some point, completely dismantled it together with a precision engineer. Just for fun.
He was impressed by how the Ukrainians/Russians had built such a robust camera with such a simple design and such modest-quality parts.
True. It is robust. I once dropped it on the kitchen floor. Tile smashed, camera intact :-)
The P-Six is, of course, in a different league: that’s precision engineering of German origin. Unfortunately from the GDR, with the resulting compromises in build quality. Much of the design was skilful, but unfortunately only came across as ‘deliberate’ in the finished product.
Best regards,
Franz
Wolf_XL
Hi Dirk,
The Six is a bit fussy in cold weather, and so are its lenses – unless they’ve already been taken apart and treated with modern lubricants. That’s hardly surprising – for one thing, the lubricants from the GDR era aren’t exactly the best, and for another, some lenses have rather unusual aperture mechanisms... On the 180mm Sonnar, for example, the aperture is operated by a Bowden cable – very strange... ;-)
Alternatives? As well as the Kiev 60 mentioned earlier, there’s also a modified Kiev 88 with a Pentacon bayonet mount. However, both struggle with the typical ailments of Eastern Bloc cameras – in other words, they’re either ‘indestructible’ or you’re constantly tinkering with something. Furthermore, there’s the Mamiya 645. A great system camera with everything your heart desires and – the P’Six lenses can still be used with an adapter. Mind you, only with the aperture ring... Or you could get yourself a ‘winter camera’ – I’m thinking, for example, of the ‘Texas Leica’ Fuji GW690. It doesn’t have interchangeable lenses, but it’s so big that you can even operate it whilst wearing motorbike gloves... ;-)
Gast
Thanks for the quick replies. I reckon I might really like the Mamiya.
I’ve had a bit of a googling already. I’ll start looking around. Have a lovely weekend!
Off to dive into DUKA now, see you soon.
Black-and-white regards, Dirk :) <_< :D
orwograph
Sorry, I posted my comment in the wrong place and have therefore deleted it. For some reason, I can’t seem to delete this message.
Peter.
