[MF3D.FORUM:384] Re: Sputnik fix up kit - Part I

[Paul Talbot <ptww@xxxxxxxxx>]

William Rosenberg wrote:

> Is there anyone out there that would do the labor with the
> Sputnik fix-up kit for a reasonable rate?

What do you consider reasonable?  On the RMM price list I
quote $200 for "as manufactured" Sputniks, $275 for "improved."
Although I don't yet know for sure, I've figured the kit
would price at about $25.  That makes the labor component
$50.  This is for a specified list of improvements, some of
which are addressed by the kit and some which are not.  There
is nothing in the kit for setting focus, for example.  So the
$50 covers more than just installing the stuff from the kit.

> I am really not a technical camera fix-up hands on person.  I definitely
> have an internal reflection in my spud.

How did you determine it is an internal reflection?  I'm not
sure I can definitively determine between reflections and light
leaks just by looking at the film.  (For some reason, the Spud
light leaks I've seen are not an orange streak like Realist light
leaks.)

That said, if the internal chambers are still all glossy
black, you will definitely have reflection problems in
certain lighting conditions.  Tom Deering once explained
here how to visually observe the conditions that cause the
reflection problem.  With no film in the camera, open the
back, and lock the shutter open on "B."  Point the camera
in various directions and look at the glossy black surfaces.
At some points you'll see bright reflections bouncing off
the glossy black.  Contrary to what you might expect ahead
of time, you don't get much reflection if you point the
camera right at a bright light.

You'll probably notice the reflections most looking at the
bottom surface of the area just in front of the film plane.
But keep in mind that depending on the angle of the light,
the same reflections are possible off the top and the sides.
It's just that looking into the camera while standing up and
holding it normally in front of you, that bottom area is
most readily visible.  At least that's my theory.  ;-)

If that's the only problem you need to address, the baffle
that I'll be including in the kit is quite easy to install.
It can be used by just placing it inside each of the chambers
behind the lenses.  This simple installation, however, will
likely end up cropping out a small bit of the on-film image--
though a lot less than is cropped by the mounts anyway.  The
"advanced" installation of the baffle is to dab some contact
cement on four sides of it and affix it to the chamber.  That
eliminates the small image loss problem.

I haven't yet advanced to the level of disassembling Sputnik
lenses to blacken the edges, as some folks recommend.  In my
shooting I've found the baffle sufficient so far.

Paul Talbot