HanSolex
Member
I hope nobody is offended that I am asking a question about a Hasselblad clone in this subforum. I've gotten really good advice here for other cameras and didn't see a more appropriate sub. Plus it's a question about the film back, which seems to very similar to the A12 filmback it copied. (Feel free to direct me somewhere more appropriate!)
So, this is actually a Mepro Zenit, a Japanese-market version of the Arsenal Salyut/Zenith 80. The full kit came with two film backs. One works fine, but the other is not closing properly. The tabs that hold the film reels in both seem a little bent. They appear to interface with the film back canister locking mechanism, it won't rotate fully to closed either. I assume it's not fully seating. The geared nub on the tab on the takeup side appears to not be sitting square, and probably not inserting fully into its geared hole. It appears to be slightly off in several axes. The hold-down tab on the other side is more bent, but doesn't seem quite as important.
Should I go gently trying to bend things back to square with a couple of (blue tape protected) needle-nose pliers? It'd be fantastic to have a second back, but I'm just curious how someone with an A12 would adjust these. This is my first camera of this type, and I've got limited experience with repair, although I'm sure I could carefully bend things to match. If it's toast, I'll look for a new reel insert.
Any advice appreciated! Photos below. (And yes, I know, I know, typical Soviet quality, right?)
So, this is actually a Mepro Zenit, a Japanese-market version of the Arsenal Salyut/Zenith 80. The full kit came with two film backs. One works fine, but the other is not closing properly. The tabs that hold the film reels in both seem a little bent. They appear to interface with the film back canister locking mechanism, it won't rotate fully to closed either. I assume it's not fully seating. The geared nub on the tab on the takeup side appears to not be sitting square, and probably not inserting fully into its geared hole. It appears to be slightly off in several axes. The hold-down tab on the other side is more bent, but doesn't seem quite as important.
Should I go gently trying to bend things back to square with a couple of (blue tape protected) needle-nose pliers? It'd be fantastic to have a second back, but I'm just curious how someone with an A12 would adjust these. This is my first camera of this type, and I've got limited experience with repair, although I'm sure I could carefully bend things to match. If it's toast, I'll look for a new reel insert.
Any advice appreciated! Photos below. (And yes, I know, I know, typical Soviet quality, right?)
