Kodak Focus -

[P3D <BD3D@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi all.  Please forgive me if this is a repost but I have the
sneaking suspicion that I wrote it then forgot to post it.


Bill Davis wrote:
>> Today it flew off, leaving me with only the one Kodak with the
>> jammed shutter. That was the motivation I needed, so this
>>evening I took it all apart, cleaned the blades (and everything
>>else) and put it back together. snick-snick.. Tomorrow I'll worry
>>about the focus.

Then John B. wrote:

>If I remember correctly (it's been quite a while) the focus is by
>screws pulling the shutter/lens assembly back against an
>elastomer.
>You can shift the assembly around to make the two images agree
>with each other top and bottom.

So now Bill Davis writes:
The elastomeric pads would probably work to a degree to ensure that
the lenses are parallel to the film plane, although frankly I never
gave this much thought.  I have just tried to torque all four bolts
evenly and equally during re-assembly.  But I may not be as
critical as the next guy.

The lenses are fixed to a lens board which doesn't allow them to
move independently of each other save for the screw-in mounts,
which is how focusing is done. When focusing the Kodak, only the
front elements of the lenses move. When reassembling the lenses, I
screw them all the way in then back out three full turns.  This
usually puts me in the ballpark. I finish assembling the camera
then set the camera on a tripod with printed pages at various
(known) distances.  Bulb at f/3.5, cable locked.  With a 30x
magnifier and glass slide, I adjust the focus till I can read the
print, then loosen the retainer ring, move the outer ring to
indicate the proper distance then lock it back down.  Check several
distances, hope they match and shoot for the middle if they don't.
:-)  Seems to work for me, but again, I may not be as critical,
etc....(see below)

>And that's where I ran into trouble -
>the elastomer had taken a set and wouldn't allow me to shift the
>lenses to make the two images match along the bottom.  They're
>around 0.1 mm (.004") different in height.  So what does one do?


Um, I guess for 0.1 mm, this one would just let the mounting and/or
masking take care of it. Doesn't that equate to only 1/8" on the
screen?  Or is my ignorance displaying itself again? :-)

>Is there a source for new gaskets or do you make your own?  What's
>the preferred material for making your own?

1)I don't know  2) Haven't yet 3) I would probably grab the nearest
inner-tube and sacrifice it for the cause :-)

>Thanks,
>John B

Best regards,
Bill Davis


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