Beaulieu Problems:-(

[Ernie Zahn]

The worst possible thing happened today. I was loosening my tripod, lost grip and the my Beaulieu 6008s toppled over landing on it's lens. I test the motor and all functions and everything seemed fine but then I looked through diopter and it looks really fuzzy like portions of the viewing area have been fudged out. The top left corner of the frame and vertical portion on the right side are fine. But the rest of the frame is fudged out, I'd say about 85%. I have never in the past had any kind of field damage or accidents before and my first one happened on my prize S-8 camera.

 

I took it to a camera place and they said it may be an issue inside the lens but when I detached the lens and looked through the body itself, it seemed that that same fudgy area was still there. It looks as though something is dirty and needs to be wiped but I don't want to run any risks on wiping those mirrors unless I thought it would be the right decision. I really have never seen this before as I've never ever damaged any of my cameras in the 15 years that I've been shooting S-8.

 

Has anyone seen this before? Is my camera a paperweight? Is the cost of repair waay to high? I paid about $800 for this camera. Also the drop was about 2.5 feet and landed on the lens.

 

It would mean the world to me if you could get some good news, but really feedback in general is really appreciated.

[Andries Molenaar]

Are you sure the front lens is still rotating smoothly? Many cameras have taken the same drop and often the distance adjustment is not so nice any more after that...

 

The image stays the same when then axis rotated?

Seems a bit like the mirroring-surfaces in the beam-splitter have come loose.

Or if you are lucky only the viewfinder tube could have become displaced a bit.

 

From a part-spender you could find a replacement splitter. Or buy one from Wittner.

It is not rocket-science but you need to know how to handle such a repair.

 

In USA you have Ernie at super16inc.com who knows his way with Beaulieu. Otherwise there are Wittner in Germany and Bjorn Anderson in Sweden. And possibly some others. But due to the dollar-euro rate shopping in Europe is not so funny at the moment.

Edited August 15, 2009 by Andries Molenaar

[Oliver Christoph Kochs]

Hi Ernie,

OK, if the strange image is still there with the lens taken off, it is a viewfinder / groundglass problem. I bet it's the groundglass that has gone out of alignment. (@ Andries: Beaulieus don't have beam splitters - they have a guillotine shutter). The dust spots you see now are in the viewfinder optics. Cleaning this is a real pain because these are old rubber or glue particles that really stick to the glass in the opitics. So it's probably not done with a dust off spray here.

 

You can try the following at your own risk:

1. Screw out your lens. What you're facing is the gulliotine mirror shutter.

2. Call a friend. Let him look through the viewfinder while you

3. use a clean wooden toothpick and gently press it against the tiny matte glass piece that sits 90 degrees on the left of the mirror. Thats the groundglass.

4. Let your friend tell you if your viewfinder image changes. If thats the case and sharpness goes something like normal and back you may even be able to re-align the position yourself but it's a very small piece of glass so it can easily break. Adjusting optical elements on the Beaulieu's is a pain.

 

Professional service is here:

In Germany the original Beaulieu reseller is still repairing the cameras. I personally recommend Bolex Switzerland. They also service Beaulieu stuff.

Good luck

Ollie

[Andries Molenaar]

I bet it's the groundglass that has gone out of alignment. (@ Andries: Beaulieus don't have beam splitters - they have a guillotine shutter).

 

Oh really, better open a body and see for yourself. The light comes from the mirror on the shutter.

Is then mirrored into the prisma where some light is diverted to the lightmeter.

 

http://www.beaulieu.de/pages/s8_azub8.php

Sucherprisma 4008

Strahlenteilerprisma für die Ausspiegelung Sucher/Belichtungsmessung der 4008er Kameras

Best.-Nr. PC249 - (198.28 EUR netto) 235.95 EUR brutto

At this price you could get 4-5 bodies :)

 

If this glued mirror surface is letting go you get partial images. Damage is not in focus.

 

If your groundglas is displaced (unlikely, don't hold your breath) you could try to swing it out. Was it swung in when it dropped?

Edited August 15, 2009 by Andries Molenaar

[Oliver Christoph Kochs]

Oh really, better open a body and see for yourself. The light comes from the mirror on the shutter.

Is then mirrored into the prisma where some light is diverted to the lightmeter.

 

I am sorry to maybe have given incorrect information here, Andries. As most cameras use some sort of prism to get the light into the viewfinder that can, of course, get out of alignment as well. I thought about the ground glass because that would be the only "user serviceable" part to be checked easily. So the light in a 6008 is mirrored directly into a prism? In my R16 it is: Guilliotine shutter (Mirror) -> Groundglass -> Prism -> Light meter -> Viewfinder Optics. Not so??!?

[Andries Molenaar]

I am sorry to maybe have given incorrect information here, Andries. As most cameras use some sort of prism to get the light into the viewfinder that can, of course, get out of alignment as well. I thought about the ground glass because that would be the only "user serviceable" part to be checked easily. So the light in a 6008 is mirrored directly into a prism? In my R16 it is: Guilliotine shutter (Mirror) -> Groundglass -> Prism -> Light meter -> Viewfinder Optics. Not so??!?

 

On 4008 the shutter mirror deflects the light into the prism. The viewfinder optics peer into this prism. With a little turn-knob one can swing in or out the ground-glass. The viewfinder thus either looks onto the ground-glass or into the aerial image. The lightmeter gets its light from a half permeable mirror. Part of the prism. I.e. the splitter. Not for image but just the light.

 

A 6008 doesn't have a swingable ground-glass. The prism is constructed differently. There is a permanent center field of ground-glass for focusing. DOF check is not possible