Information on ROBOT Star

Hi all,

I recently received a Robot STAR (Biotar 4cm/2.0, D1516xx) as a Birthday
present. Several questions have come up.

How do you reset the film counter; there is part of a toothed wheel that
protrudes at the back just to the back left of the film counter. It
doesn't budge?? Solution?

There is a small (2mm wide x 3mm high) button that is 2 cm to the right
of the shutter release. What is it's function? Sometimes, I can push
it down flush with the top. Other times, it won't move. I pulled up
the film advance knob above the film counter and I was able to depress
that little 2 cm button. Function?

The camera comes with a take up spool that is on the right side (looking
at open back) and the 35 mm cassette fits on the left side. To rewind
the film back into the 35 mm cassette, I have to use the awkward "oval"
rewind next to the accessory shoe and set the lever on the right side to
R (rewind) with red showing through the slot? Right??? It also says
inside "N-Kassette, on the take-up spool side; is the film advance knob
above the film counter there to be used with the N-Kassette?

How far can I wind the spring mechanism (until it turns no further?) and
how many shots can I get off with one complete winding of the mechanism?
So far I have wound it until it is quite tight and have been able to
get 15 shots off.

Which other Robots take the 26 mm rear threaded lenses (Robot I & II ??)?

In McK, the list of available lenses are marked Screw mount or Bayonet
Mount. Do all the SM lenses have a 26 mm rear mount?

I have the opportunity to acquire a Primotar 30mm/3.5 (Gorliz Meyer) 4
element lens. How does it rate for contrast, low/high???

Any other suggestions or comments concerning the STAR are dearly welcome.

Cheers,
Bogdan

--
__________________________________________________ ________________
Bogdan Karasek
Montréal, Québec e-mail:
Canada

"Wovon man nicht sprechen kann, darüber muss man schweigen"
"What we cannot speak about we must pass over in silence"
Ludwig Wittgenstein
__________________________________________________ ______________

"Bogdan Karasek" wrote
I recently received a Robot STAR (Biotar 4cm/2.0, D1516xx) as a Birthday
present.

Congratulations: You have probably become rpe35's resident Robot expert.

Several questions have come up.

Lots I can't answer.

I have the opportunity to acquire a Primotar 30mm/3.5 (Gorliz Meyer) 4
element lens.

Now, if this is the same Meyer Gorliz as made lenses for Exaktas I would
stay away. And I can't imagine their being more than one M-G, on the other
hand there are/were two Zeissen [plural of Zeiss?].

"What we cannot speak about we must pass over in silence"
- Wittgenstein.

What we cannot [and should not] speak about we write about on Usenet.

--
Nicholas O. Lindan, Cleveland, Ohio
Consulting Engineer: Electronics; Informatics; Photonics.
To reply, remove spaces: n o lindan at ix . netcom . com
Fstop timer - http://www.nolindan.com/da/fstop/index.htm

On Sun, 22 Jan 2006 01:16:14 GMT, "Nicholas O. Lindan"
wrote:


I have the opportunity to acquire a Primotar 30mm/3.5 (Gorliz Meyer) 4
element lens.

Now, if this is the same Meyer Gorliz as made lenses for Exaktas I would
stay away. And I can't imagine their being more than one M-G, on the other
hand there are/were two Zeissen [plural of Zeiss?].

I had a Robot years ago with a couple of Gorliz Meyer lens. As I
recall they were very good lens.


--
Colyn Goodson

http://www.colyngoodson.com

Nicholas O. Lindan wrote:
"Bogdan Karasek" wrote

I have the opportunity to acquire a Primotar 30mm/3.5 (Gorliz Meyer) 4
element lens.


Now, if this is the same Meyer Gorliz as made lenses for Exaktas I would
stay away. And I can't imagine their being more than one M-G, on the other
hand there are/were two Zeissen [plural of Zeiss?].


Many Meyer lenses are very good (and some not). It is a case by case
decision, not a brand one.
A 4 element 30mm doesn't sound promising, but Primotars are the
"quality" range of Meyer.

Most lenses for the Robot were Schneiders, with a few Meyer, Enna,
Kilfitt & Zeiss lenses as well.

Kadlubeks lens catalogue lists 48 lenses for the Robot, from 30 to 400mm.

Chris Loffredo wrote:

Many Meyer lenses are very good (and some not). It is a case by case
decision, not a brand one.
A 4 element 30mm doesn't sound promising, but Primotars are the
"quality" range of Meyer.

Adding to my previous post:

Meyer later(?) came out with an excellent 30mm f/3.5 Lydith, which had 5
elements (not for the Robot, though).

I'd be curious to know how good a 4 element 30mm can be (Zeiss and Zeiss
Jena made some too).

"Colyn" wrote in message On Sun, 22 Jan 2006
01:16:14 GMT, "Nicholas O. Lindan"
wrote:
I have the opportunity to acquire a Primotar 30mm/3.5 (Gorliz Meyer)
[sic] 4 element lens.
Now, if this is the same Meyer Gorliz as made lenses for Exaktas I would
stay away.
I had a Robot years ago with a couple of Gorliz Meyer [sic] lens. As I
recall they were very good lens.

That seems to be the web consensus. It was c. 1969 and it was the only
MG lens I ever had. I was young and so one bad example condemned them all
without much further thought.

--
Nicholas O. Lindan, Cleveland, Ohio
Consulting Engineer: Electronics; Informatics; Photonics.
To reply, remove spaces: n o lindan at ix . netcom . com

On Sun, 22 Jan 2006 16:40:50 GMT, "Nicholas O. Lindan"
wrote:



That seems to be the web consensus. It was c. 1969 and it was the only
MG lens I ever had. I was young and so one bad example condemned them all
without much further thought.

Remember the Nikkor 43-86 zoom?? Now that was a dog..


--
Colyn Goodson

http://www.colyngoodson.com

In article , Colyn
wrote:

Remember the Nikkor 43-86 zoom?? Now that was a dog..

See? You'll even get a argument on this one! The 43-86 wasn't a GREAT
lens; but for it's day it wasn't all that bad. It was quite variable,
samples ranging from fairly poor to quite adequate. I still own a very
late example with the improved coating that served me quite well.

(Of course, I DID manage the store at the time and picked the best one
we had in stock...)