Re: I Need Realist help

[P3D Dr. George A. Themelis <fj834@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

>Question:  is it possible to fiddle with a Realist 3.5 and tell if it's 
>in working order?  

You can tell if something is obviously wrong.  One very common problem that
you should ignore (or use it to negotiate a lower price) is a rangefinder
that is out of alignment.

>     What specific tests should I run?  

Fire the camera at 1 sec and makes sure that it fires.  Try to advance a 
few frames with a test roll.

>      Is it adequate to run a roll of film through and find out the 
>camera works with that one roll?

Yes, you can catch 95% of things that might be wrong.  You can see things
that you cannot see otherwise like vertical misalignment, etc.  Try leaving
the camera in the sun (not possible in Cleveland ;)) to test for light
leak.  Try flash too, if possible.

>     What kind of problems can I fix myself?

Clean, lubricate take up spool, align rangefinder...

>He's also got a 'Kodak viewer.'      Any suggestions there?

Make sure that you know if you are buying the model I or the model II
(these look similar but model I has single element lenses and should cost
less).  If buying model II with AC components, make sure that the light
comes on and does not flicker (on-off) when you handle the cord.

George Themelis


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