Project "Great Wall DF-4" (2/2)

spent the afternoon cleaning up the camera and working the shutter, everything seems fine now. it was very dusty inside, thankfully it wasn't hard at all to get it open.

i removed the top cover and cleaned up the internal optics

squeeky clean!

there is glass in the middle don't forget!

there was some sort of oily residue on the ground glass, shutter mirror and lens which i had to keep cleaning over and over before i was satisfied it was spotless.

the good news is that i managed to knock the flash shoe back into position! but the bad news is that i don't think i'll be able to do the same for the dent on the rim of the lens. this means that it is unable to mount any kind of filter, at least i THINK you can put a filter in the first place because i see the threads on the rim of the lens. anyway i kind of like it that way with the dent, god knows what this camera has seen or been through before i found it...

i was able to mount and secure my vivitar auto 2600 flash (which is also about 10-20 years old) and it fits nicely, if only i had the cable then i'd be able to test to see if the sync port on this camera works...

*EDIT* forgot to mention that it is also a hotshoe, meaning a normal flash would work on it as well. i tested this vivitar flash and it works fine in sync with the shutter.

the optics are much better now after cleaning, no more hazy vision as i've cleaned out the grime from the viewfinder and mirror and i've also manage to focus well enough to take a picture through the magnifier.

one minor problem is that this camera's shutter is very heavy (at least it sounds that way during operation) and since the internals are far from airtight no amount of cleaning is going to keep the dust away. there are a few corners that i am unable to clean out as well, and what this does is that each time the shutter slams shut, the air pressure from the shutter stirs up a little dust inside and lands on the mirror. so i have resigned myself to accept that the optics will never be 100% clean, but the bottom line is that it is much better now than in the beginning.

all that's left is a little more cosmetic surgery as the leatherette is loose in a few corners and it'll be good to go.



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Project "Great Wall DF-4" (1/2)

bought this camera yesterday, needs a little work but otherwise it's in working condition.







As you can probably tell from the name, it's made in China and came in a few variants. This one is a DF-4, and it has a flash shoe with a PC-sync contact (can't test whether it works as I don't have a sync cable), a self timer (working), cable release socket (working). This is a 120mm medium format SLR built in the 1980's.

it comes with a 90mm lens, with focusing from 1 meter to infinity. The aperture ring on the lens ranges from 3.5f to 22f.





the shutter speeds available are 1/200s, 1/125s, 1/60s, 1/30s and bulb.









cosmetically, the lens has a dent on the edge but otherwise is in good condition, definitely needs a little cleaning but I can't see any fungus or mold inside. The viewfinder is a little dusty with specks all around but does not obstruct or impair vision.

the flash shoe is also bent inwards as you can see from the picture, and i can't fit a flash into it now. hopefully i will be able to bend it back into position.

here's a closeup of how the viewing port looks like

since it is a SLR, what you're seeing through the viewfinder is the exact image through the lens. this means that the depth of field and overall brightness of the image in the viewfinder changes as well when you change the aperture (live preview).

the viewfinder comes with a flip up magnifier and would be very useful to get the precise focus. it is very clear and sharp but the pictured example doesn't do it justice as i couldn't get a proper focus.





there is a exposure chart just behind the viewfinder but it is in chinese. i never figured out how to use one even when it is in english, but it is nice to have one anyway.





the camera comes with a 4.5cm x 6cm frame which would fit 16 shots on a 120mm roll of film. there were other frames built for this camera that would fit other sizes like 6cm x 6cm or even for 35mm films but are rare and hard to find.

the shutter speed selector is also the winding knob for cocking the shutter. after the film is wound to the next frame, the shutter speed knob needs to be cranked anti-clockwise to wind the shutter into position and you're ready to shoot.

the knob above the shutter speed selector is actually a catch to prevent (or enable) double exposures. By default, after taking a picture, the shutter speed knob cannot be wound again until the film is advanced by one frame. but by pushing this knob upwards, the shutter can now be wound again and a double exposure can be taken.

this is very useful as it stops you from unintentionally taking a double exposure, while giving you the option do make one if you choose to.


so anyway, time to get to work!



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