Ricoh 300 Shutter Repair

[br1078lum]

The camera that Todd sent me turned out to be a real jem, once I got it fixed.  It came with a jammed shutter, and I found a couple other things that needed attention while it was open.  There was some haze on one of the elements, and a small bumper inside the top that absorbed the recoil on the film winder was in bad shape.

I had the shutter fixed once, and last night before I went to bed, I checked it again.  It wouldn't fire at all speeds, so there was something else the matter.  I opened it back up this morning, and eventually found that a small burr had formed on one of the parts of the shutter mech.  A couple touches with a small file, and it was good to go.  It was kind of late when I finally got done working on it and the photos, so I'll have to check the focus tomorrow.  I need to get a filter adapter from 43 to 46mm so I don't have to buy another set of filters/hoods.

Here is a shot of the repair that initially fixed the shutter.  It is the ecentric that controls the throw distance of the shutter charging lever, which wasn't traveling far enough to allow the shutter to charge.


Charging Lever Ecentric 2 by br1078phot, on Flickr

Then here is a shot of the camera post repairs.


Ricoh 300 Front by br1078phot, on Flickr

For all of the 58 photos and four videos, see my Flickr set at: http://flic.kr/s/aHsjyd8ZUX

Now I have to get cracking on my Five-One-Nine.  Or the 500G.  Or the Zeiss Ikonta that's been waiting it's turn patiently.  Ahh, they all can wait, I've got photos to shoot.

PF

[Olypen]

PF:  That's a nice looking Ricoh.  And I saw the photos posted in another thread which show that it works very well, pulling nice contrast out of a soft day.  I hadn't heard of or seen a Ricoh 300 before.  At my school around 1957 or so, the AV director used to recommend a Ricoh 500 (I think) to students who asked him what they should buy; he was an excellent Leica-using photographer so I figure that he knew what he was talking about.  I think that you said in the other post that you had a 500 something coming up on your bench, so maybe I'll see if it looks like what I remember.  (By the way, I didn't buy a Ricoh then; bought an Aires 35-III which I still have.)  Bill D.

[br1078lum]

PF:  That's a nice looking Ricoh.  And I saw the photos posted in another thread which show that it works very well, pulling nice contrast out of a soft day.  I hadn't heard of or seen a Ricoh 300 before.  At my school around 1957 or so, the AV director used to recommend a Ricoh 500 (I think) to students who asked him what they should buy; he was an excellent Leica-using photographer so I figure that he knew what he was talking about.  I think that you said in the other post that you had a 500 something coming up on your bench, so maybe I'll see if it looks like what I remember.  (By the way, I didn't buy a Ricoh then; bought an Aires 35-III which I still have.)  Bill D.

Bill, I'll post a photo showing the two together.  The order of models is the 300 which has a 2.8/45 Riken Ricoh lens in a Riken 5 speed shutter (top speed 1/300, thus the name), hot shoe, LTM style focusing lever, and a swing open back.  

It was followed by the 35S, which was a little bigger (wider), put the film advance on the bottom with a trigger winder, the back comes off for film loading, finger wings were added for focusing, and introduced the EV interlock method of shutter speed/aperture linking so that if you changed the shutter speed, the aperture changed too.  Lens stayed the same.

Then the 500 (lens and body style did not change) with a top speed of 1/500 in a Seikosha shutter.  Later, there was a 500 with an enlarged viewfinder.

Top of the line was the Five-One-Nine (in script engraving on the top, or known as the 519), with a Riken Optical Rikenon 1.9/45.  This was followed up with the 519M, which added a meter.

I opened up the 519 today, but didn't get far, as it is a bit more sofisticated in it's construction, and I need a special pin wrench to get the shutter cover off.  I did sop up quite a bit of oil after giving it a Ronsonal treatment, but was not happy with the results.  The lens elements are all clean now, and I just hope the shutter doesn't stick anymore.  Still don't have B though, since I couldn't get to it.  Oh well, I hardly ever use that feature anyway.

PF

[br1078lum]

Comparison photo of the 300 (top), and the Five-One-Nine.


Ricoh 300 and Five-One-Nine by br1078phot, on Flickr

Strong family resemblance there.

PF