It’s raining again. I know, I’ll repair that Zenit E that came with a job lot of cameras, I thought to myself.
Now what’s wrong? First up the film advance is bent…
and moves freely without advancing the film.
Secondly, the mirror lifting armature has come out of alignment.
Finally, the shutter curtain needs reseating.
This should be interesting.🤓
However I was going to be stopped in my tracks. As I took off the base plate I was greeted by the sight below.
The shutter release plate, a long thin piece of metal was completely missing. This camera was not going to get the new lease of life I was hoping for it. It was now raining even heavier. So there was only one thing to do. Enjoy and learn from the experience of taking the Zenit E completely apart with a view to providing parts for other cameras.
So I went about taking the top plate off. Oooooh
I then progressively removed this screw and took off that lever, until nothing was left to remove. I then looked up to see..
I had the Zenit E in bits in front of me. Wow!
I actually found the whole process rather therapeutic.😌 It did deepen my appreciation for these mechanical cameras, some of which have been working for several decades. I’ll show them a little more respect in the future, even when they go wrong! Which actually isn’t that often, from my limited experience with them. Testimony to their craftsmanship.
arhphotographic 