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MINOX Shutter Blades and Springs: A wonderful gentleman named Marty Doctor went to the trouble and expense to design, tool and produce a set of replacement shutter blades and springs for the MINOX subminiature cameras... parts which the manufacturer can't be bothered with any more. I can personally attest that these are not just equal but BETTER than the original blades, and Marty went to considerable trouble to prove them out and make improvements where he found the opportunity to do so. ORDER THEM HERE. Beautifully custom-machined tools and replacement parts: Joe Beljan's Beljan Manufacturing offers a line of beautifully designed and machined (made in the USA, no less) tools to fit the odd pin-faced screws and rings in a number of cameras.... some are specific to a model, such as his set of Olympus OM tools (I know a little about this stuff, I've made a special spanner to fit the little ring on top of the OM1 prism; Joe's is MUCH nicer), while others, like his adjustable pin-face spanner and his rubber-faced lens wrench, are more universal in application. Better still, Joe is also making chrome-plated brass replacement battery and motor drive covers, healing the Achilles' Heel of many otherwise perfect classic cameras. Beljan Mfg doesn't have a website, but their tools are regularly available on eBay; here's a current listing. Or, you can email them directly. Viewfinder Frames for OLYMPUS PEN FT: Also the result of considerable effort and investment, these are a newly manufactured, bolt-in replacement for the plastic eyepiece frame that is ALWAYS broken in the Pen FT, considerably reducing the value of an otherwise pristine classic camera. As an aside, the REASON that this is always broken is that the accessory flash shoe was made to slip into the slot in the eyepiece and was held in place by a stiff friction spring. As any competent plastics engineer today can tell you (and they should have known back then), the plastic cannot endure this constant stress.... so basically every Pen FT that had a flash now has a broken eyepiece. So, if you have the cute little flash shoe, DON'T USE IT on your camera. Anyhow, the replacement finder frames are available in limited quantities from Bill Knapp in Boise, Idaho. I haven't yet tried this in a meterless Pen F (which suffers from the same problem) to see if it fits that too.... (He also has eyepiece frames for Screwmount Leicas.) Speaking of Minoxes and Screwmount Leicas: One of the most famous repairers, certainly where Minoxes are concerned, is DAG Camera. In additon to repair services, though, he also carries a supply of Minox and Leica Parts. To the best of my knowledge, these are used parts harvested from unrepairable cameras, whereas Marty Doctor's and Bill Knapp's parts above are newly made reproduction/replacement parts. Semi-silvered Beamsplitter Mirror Stock: This stuff can be hard to find and expensive, especially in the usually-required 1mm thickness. Luckily, the "Scientifics" division of Edmund Scientific carries a selection of these at prices way below what the regular Edmund Scientific catalog charges (go figure). The most desirable version (in my opinion) with 50% reflectance, is actually coming DOWN in price over time: I paid $16.95 for a 50mm square of it last time, now it's down to $15.95. This may be a warning that they're phasing it out, so if you expect to need this stuff maybe you'd better hurry and ORDER SOME NOW. Black Flocked Paper: With or without self adhesive backing, just cut and stick for instant, perfect light baffling inside cameras whose original manufacturers failed to think of it. It's also good for light seals in some applications. Order some here. Light Seals, Mirror Bumper Foam, Etc: Materials for this aren't exactly hard to find, I guess; seems like everybody you run into either has advice on something to use or else actually has some for sale. However, Jon Goodman has put together some excellent kits that include precut pieces of a variety of materials (with and without adhesive backing) for your various needs, plus an excellent little installation tool and thorough, clear instructions based on his own experience with a large number of different camera types. In addition, he's also working on sourcing shutter curtain and ribbon stock for your more ambitious DIY projects. He's hoping to get a web site together soon, but in the meantime you can reach him by email at jon_goodman@yahoo.com. Be sure to put "LIGHT SEALS" in the subject line of your message when you write. Replacement quick-release shoes for Tripods This is sort of against my principles because I haven't dealt with them personally; but it's something that comes up pretty often and I hadn't realized it was out there until i got an email pointing it out. There's nothing more frustrating than not being able to use an expensive tripod because you can't find the stupid little foot thing to attach the camera to it. So, Here They Are. They seem to have a good selection.... Retina Cocking Racks, Leatherette, Shutter Fabric, Etc... You probably already know this one, but I'll include it just in case. Micro-Tools has the best selection of tools and general supplies for camera repair that I know of anywhere, and they also have a limited supply of a few hard-to-find special parts such as shutter-cocking racks for the Retina III series cameras. I also buy Morocco grain pigskin from Tandy Leather Company. The grain resembles the leather used by Zeiss Ikon and the material is easy to work with and attractive on most cameras. Split-Image Focusing Screens for Medium Format Cameras: The source for these is ... me! These are one-piece plastic screens with a matte surface on one side and a Fresnel field lens molded into the other. All screens currently have a split-image rangefinder spot in the center, but you have your choice of a variety of optional grid patterns. These are not ultra-bright screens like Beattie and Maxwell, but they're better than a lot of original TLR screens and they only cost $30 each, custom sized for your camera (up to 62x64mm maximum dimensions). Click here for more information. Need stuff in the UK?Give this site a try: Inter-Cam (not being in the UK, I haven't shopped here myself, but it looks good...) Haven't found what you need yet? Try Abdon's Spare Parts Bin..... you might get lucky! |
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