Fujica Half

Hi,

I just picked up a Fujica Half at a garage sale, but I'm not sure what
sort of condition it's in. I haven't tried loading any film yet, since a
roll of film would cost about as much as the camera. It looks like the
meter might not work, and if I press the shutter release button, nothing
happens. I figure the shutter might only cock when the film is wound, but
I can't pull the film advance lever all the way out. Manually turning the
film sprocket wheel and the film take-up spool doesn't help.

I'm hoping the issue is just that nothing will happen until the film trips
or depresses something, and I might go buy a cheap roll today just to see.
But if anyone has any advice, I'd really appreciate it. If it turns out to
be broken, is it feasible for a novice to take this camera apart?

Thanks a lot,
prashant.

Its always feasible to take it apart.
Putting it back together and getting it to work is another thing.
Why would you buy this except as a paperweight?

Its always feasible to take it apart.
Putting it back together and getting it to work is another thing.
Why would you buy this except as a paperweight?

On Sat, 30 Apr 2005 23:14:16 +0000, birdman wrote:

Its always feasible to take it apart.
Putting it back together and getting it to work is another thing.
Why would you buy this except as a paperweight?

Well, I figured even as a paperweight, it's only a couple of bucks. It
didn't look super fancy, so I thought there was a chance it might work.
And it's got lenses and looks cool, so maybe it could prove useful somehow.

The thing is, if there's some broken gear or mechanical connection, I'd
expect the film-advance lever to move easily but not do anything. Right
now it stops right about where you'd expect it to start doing some work.

Taking it apart and getting it functional would certainly be nice, if it's
feasible. But if not, is there anything cool to see inside if I just take
it apart? Maybe any interesting mechanisms or parts?

Thanks,
prashant.

On Sat, 30 Apr 2005 23:14:16 +0000, birdman wrote:

Its always feasible to take it apart.
Putting it back together and getting it to work is another thing.
Why would you buy this except as a paperweight?

Well, I figured even as a paperweight, it's only a couple of bucks. It
didn't look super fancy, so I thought there was a chance it might work.
And it's got lenses and looks cool, so maybe it could prove useful somehow.

The thing is, if there's some broken gear or mechanical connection, I'd
expect the film-advance lever to move easily but not do anything. Right
now it stops right about where you'd expect it to start doing some work.

Taking it apart and getting it functional would certainly be nice, if it's
feasible. But if not, is there anything cool to see inside if I just take
it apart? Maybe any interesting mechanisms or parts?

Thanks,
prashant.

I owned one for awhile. It took respectable pictures but had a top
shutter speed of 1/300 sec., which was too slow for my taste. I sold it
while it was still operating, and later obtained a Canon Multi-Tele --
which does very well as a half-frame AF camera.

-Cardamon Dave

I owned one for awhile. It took respectable pictures but had a top
shutter speed of 1/300 sec., which was too slow for my taste. I sold it
while it was still operating, and later obtained a Canon Multi-Tele --
which does very well as a half-frame AF camera.

-Cardamon Dave

On Sat, 30 Apr 2005 18:45:37 -0700, Cardamon Dave wrote:

I owned one for awhile. It took respectable pictures but had a top
shutter speed of 1/300 sec., which was too slow for my taste. I sold it
while it was still operating, and later obtained a Canon Multi-Tele --
which does very well as a half-frame AF camera.

-Cardamon Dave

Well, if I get it to work, I might just use it for still life or scenic
shots or that sort of thing. I don't know much about cameras or
photography, but I guess it all starts somewhere.

I wonder if the problem could be that the shutter is sticking or
something. Could it be that the mechanism for the film-advance lever
thinks it's done its job, and that's why it won't crank the sprocket? Is
there a way for me to check this out without tearing the whole thing apart?

Thanks,
prashant.

On Sat, 30 Apr 2005 18:45:37 -0700, Cardamon Dave wrote:

I owned one for awhile. It took respectable pictures but had a top
shutter speed of 1/300 sec., which was too slow for my taste. I sold it
while it was still operating, and later obtained a Canon Multi-Tele --
which does very well as a half-frame AF camera.

-Cardamon Dave

Well, if I get it to work, I might just use it for still life or scenic
shots or that sort of thing. I don't know much about cameras or
photography, but I guess it all starts somewhere.

I wonder if the problem could be that the shutter is sticking or
something. Could it be that the mechanism for the film-advance lever
thinks it's done its job, and that's why it won't crank the sprocket? Is
there a way for me to check this out without tearing the whole thing apart?

Thanks,
prashant.

In article , birdman
wrote:

Why would you buy this except as a paperweight?

Because all half frame cameras are cool! They're smaller and lighter,
the lenses don't have to cover as large an area and can be less
expensive, (never mind the "crop factor") the "sensor" (film) costs
less, and any increase in noise (grain) is the product of a fevered
imagination...!

Wait, isn't this rec.photo.digital?

--------------------------------------------

Seriously, there's a certain charm in playing with odd technological
offshoots like this. I used to shoot a lot of portraits, and 1/2
frames' vertical format tickled me; I used to load the old Ilford
72-frame film and shoot 144 times before reloading...