Re: Belplasca repairman?

[P3D Eric Goldstein <egoldste@xxxxxx>]

John B asks:
> 
> Who's a top notch Belplasca mechanic?  I have
> a Belplasca here which is a stop fast at slow
> shutter speeds and a stop slow at fast shutter
> speeds.  I'd also like to know about what it
> costs to have one worked on.

I used Ken Ruth of Photography on Bald Mountain, PO Box 113, 133 Bald
Mountain, Davenport, CA 95017 (408) 423-4465  <baldmtn@xxxxxxxxxxx>. He
was referred to my by BobH, and is also listed in Ivor Matanle's Classic
Camera book as a classic repair expert.

When I got my Belplasca (from one of the overseas members of this list,
who swore it was excellent and sharp!), it was a basket case. Lenses and
viewfinder cloudy, focus not even close at infinity, exposure mismatch
between chips, exposure counter not working properly, shutter button
sticking, light leaks. Not pretty.

Although it took two trips to Ken and several months of collaboration,
he did a masterful job of making this camera a killer! This man
understands both stereo and old equipment, and took a lot of time and a
great deal of care carefully cleaning and matching the lenses for both
focus and alignment, the irises, the shutters (including a graph of
shutter performance!), and making the camera a very reliable user. He
even found a non-volatile lubricant that keeps the glass clear
(Belplascas are prone to clouding).

The result is a camera which produces chromes comparable to or better
than any of those from modern twin rigs or RBTs I've seen (especially
those with zoom lenses) in a package more convenient than the twin rigs
and half the price of RBTs (but without, of course, all the modern
conveniences).

Ken is a delightful man to deal with. His price for the extensive work
he did for me was roughly what Ron Zackowski charges for a realist
c/l/a, and he fully guarantees his work. The only thing is the repair
will likely take a while; Ken usually has lots of cameras in the queue,
so it may be a while before he can get to yours. If you really need the
work done quickly, talk with him and see if he can accomodate you...


Eric G.


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