Meopta Flexaret automatic

Mississippiqueen · 2006-12-02T22:51:33+00:00

Ach ja genau! Da hab ich auch lange überlegen müssen, wozu dieses Rädchen denn nützt. Habe mir meine Flexaret vor einem Jahr in Prag gekauft. Dabei war ein...

Mississippiqueen

Hello Among other things, I own a Meopta Flexaret Automat (grey version) and have the following question about it: Beneath the film advance/winding knob there is a small toothed disc marked with the numbers 1 to 3. Is this disc intended for setting multiple exposures? If anyone might have a manual for me, that would be very kind. Many thanks in advance. Best regards, StePH

Rocketman

Oh yes, that’s right! I had to think long and hard about what that little dial was actually for. I bought my Flexaret a year ago in Prague. It came with a manual written in Czech dialect. Thanks to the lovely little pictures, a bit of puzzling and some logical thinking *laughs*, it eventually clicked. There’s an accessory for the Flexaret that lets you use 35mm film in it. But the wobbly counter only has 12 numbers for 12 shots. It stops at 12 and the transport lock releases the film so you can wind it all the way through. But a 35mm film has more than 12 exposures; nowadays, 36 is standard. If you use this 35mm adapter, proceed as follows: Take 11 shots and then turn the little dial to the next number. It doesn’t matter which number you’re on. It’s just easier to remember if you start at 0. And whoosh... ...the counter jumps back to 1. So that’s shot 12. Carry on taking photos until shot 11, which is actually shot 22. And so on and so forth!# Clear? =)

drbue

Hello, # I'm curious to know what you've found with the Flexaret – I mean the image quality and so on. Best regards

EugenMezei

Sorry for just dumping my query here. But in my desperation, I’m reaching out to anyone who’s even remotely familiar with Flexaret. The problem is, I can’t find a manual anywhere for my newly acquired Flexaret VI Automat. Does anyone happen to have one and would be kind enough to scan it for me? Eugen

Mississippiqueen

@massa: What do you mean by "image"? @Eugen: I've sent you a private message – also regarding the enlargers Steph

EugenMezei

There is an accessory for the Flexaret that allows you to use 35mm film in it. However, the advance counter only has 12 notches for 12 exposures. Once it reaches 12, the film advance lock releases the film so that it can be wound back completely. But a 35mm film has more than 12 exposures; nowadays, 36 is standard. If you use this 35mm adapter, proceed as follows: Take 11 shots and then turn the little wheel to the next number. It doesn’t matter which number you’re on. It’s just recommended to start at 0 to make it easier to remember. And whoosh... ...the counter jumps back to 1. So that’s shot 12. Carry on shooting until shot 11, which is actually shot 22. And so on and so forth!#

Is it possible to perform exposure on the Flexaret 220 film whilst doing this?

SamuliSchielke

Hi Eugen, 220 won’t work in the Flexaret. I have a manual for my Flexaret V. Things will no doubt have changed quite a bit between the different models. If you’re interested, I can scan it and send it to you. S.

EugenMezei

I thought the lock would be released and you could then perform another 12-exposure exposure. Presumably, the step size is much smaller with KB, though. How has the step size been reduced? Is a gear changed there as with the Rollei adapter, or is a gear ratio used between the camera’s transport mechanism and the adapter’s transport mechanism? Unfortunately, I don’t have the adapter. Missisipiqueen also promised me a scan, I just didn’t understand which Flexaret model it was for. Thanks to both of you. Eugen

SamuliSchielke

I’m not exactly sure how it works, but something is actually adjusted during transport so that the step length becomes shorter. There’s also an adapter that ensures only a 35mm film length is exposed at a time – so 36mm instead of 55mm. I’m not sure where a 220 roll would fit in there either. If you’d like the user manual for the Model V, which also has this adapter, send me a private message and I’ll email it to you. Enjoy Samuli

ChristianKolinski

I’m not exactly sure how it works, but something does actually shift during transport so that the step length becomes shorter.

So, I dug out my Flexaret automatic and: Nothing needs to be adjusted there – thanks to its ingenious design. The frame advance is determined by a roller (located between the take-up spool and the viewfinder), which has small rubber rings for this purpose. It’s thicker on the outside (for 6x6), with a 35mm-wide, thinner section in the middle to which another set of rubber rings is attached. This means that with 36mm film, the roller rotates just as often as it does with 6cm roll film. I don’t have the adapter; in my opinion, it’s a bit overpriced, but as far as I recall, it consists only of a mask for the image field, a holder for the cassette and a take-up spool. So there shouldn’t really be anything to stop using 220 film – the film advance is always set correctly by the film width, and the frame counter can probably be tricked. The only question is whether the film pressure plate is suitable for this; it can’t be adjusted like on other cameras. Regards Christian