SimonPJ
Well-known
Can anyone recommend a technician who is experienced in repairing the Kodak Extra shutter, and still willing to take them on?
I have a full outfit of Extra lenses, but my Extra has been out of action for several years after its shutter ribbons gave up the ghost.
I'm based in the UK, but would be happy to ship the camera anywhere in the world if there's someone who can do a really good job.
Many thanks,
Simon
I have a full outfit of Extra lenses, but my Extra has been out of action for several years after its shutter ribbons gave up the ghost.
I'm based in the UK, but would be happy to ship the camera anywhere in the world if there's someone who can do a really good job.
Many thanks,
Simon
Have you enquired with Newton Ellis? They're in your country and can repair a wide range of mechanisms. Otherwise, the first person I'd suggest is Radu Lesaru at 3r camera in New York. He's demonstrated a consistent willingness to work on difficult and/or unusual designs many repairers won't even consider. And has a fantastic reputation. I'd suggest emailing him to enquire. I suspect Frank Marshman could probably repair one, too. Whether he'd want to, or not, is another matter though. But nothing seems to faze Radu so I would probably start with him if Newton Ellis aren't an option.
Cheers
Brett
SimonPJ
Well-known
Thanks Brett.
I understand that the Ektra is considered to be particularly difficult to work on, and the shutter particularly delicate. I’ll enquire with your recommendations as to their appetite to take on the challenge.
Yes, incredibly innovative and still very much a desirable camera today, but one with a reputation for being problematic. The suggested people were mentioned with this fact very much in mind. Please follow up and let us know how you go—I'll be interested to find out—and it might help other owners thinking about using one.
Cheers
Brett
furcafe
Mentor
Just seeing this now, but on the off-chance you're still looking for someone to fix your camera, I can confirm that Hayata Camera in Tokyo does work on Ektras (they fixed U.S. Ambassador Howard Baker's Ektras back in the day, which is how I heard of them). They don't typically work with customers outside of Japan, so when the shutter on 1 of my Ektras finally gave up the ghost (last serviced in 1962!), I used the services of Bellamy Hunt of Japan Camera Hunter who worked w/Hayata on my behalf. Certainly not the cheapest or fastest option, but Hayata did a great job (they offered to calibrate the body w/all my lenses, but I decided not to bother as I haven't had any focus issues & didn't want to send all of them to Japan).
SimonPJ
Well-known
Many thanks Christopher. That is very useful to know. I have used Bellamy to arrange a Konica Hexar RF shutter repair before, and would be happy to use him again.
I would love to have the Ektra functioning again. When I bought it, back in 2003, the shutter was operational - but unfortunately only stayed that way for a few rolls. I then sent it to a well-known technician in the UK for an overhaul. It came back to me three years later working beautifully. This time, it managed two rolls before the shutter ribbons detached.
Your experience gives me hope that with the benefit of competent servicing it may be possible to have a reasonably reliable Ektra. As you said in the other Ektra thread, the lenses are quite special. I can use them adapted to a digital Sony, but would love to be able to use them on film as intended.
furcafe
Mentor
Glad to be of assistance! What Kodak-to-Sony adapter are you using for the Ektra lenses (I bought 1 off eBay that works, but the build quality is terrible), or are you using modified lenses?
SimonPJ
Well-known
The one I am using was from eBay. Probably the same as yours. Very basic, but it does do the job.
Those eighty year-old lenses hold up very well on a modern digital sensor. I assume their (very beautiful) lens coatings play a role here. Were Kodak ahead of the game with their lens coatings in the early 40s?
furcafe
Mentor
Thanks, the adapter I bought uses screws to hold the lens in place, which isn't merely primitive but brutal to the metal on the lens. I've been thinking of sending the adapter to an engineer friend (& Ektra owner), who can use it to get the approximate lens-to-film distance correct; I hope he could then reverse-engineer the threads on the body's lens mount or a storage can/rear lens cap to make an adapter that's more stable & elegant.
Not sure if Kodak was ahead of the game in the '40s, since Zeiss already had pioneered hard coatings in the late 1930s, & most Ektra lenses only had soft coatings on the interior surfaces. However, according to articles like this on Brian Wallen's page, Kodak was certainly on the leading edge w/other Allied optical companies like Taylor, Taylor & Hobson & were known to be experimenting w/hard coatings starting in 1940 though they didn't advertise it until after the war. In Japan, I've read that Nippon Kogaku was using very high quality lens coatings on military optics just before & during WWII, but I'm not sure if that was native tech or if it was borrowed from Zeiss. The only Ektra lens I have that has hard coatings (though it isn't marked w/the Lumenized "L") has a CAMEROSITY date of 1945.
flavio81
Well-known
Yes, in the '40s they were ahead of Zeiss in many respects, for example glass types. There are articles about that. The bible on lens design (Rudolph Kingslake) was written by... the Kodak optical design chief.