Film Ricoh 500G

theoldsmithy

Hall of Famer
Location
Cheshire, England
Name
Martin Connolly
First results from this camera with Fomapan 400 film. I'm a bit puzzled - some of the photos have a darker section on the right hand side. Any thoughts, anyone? It's not a cloth shutter or anything so I have no idea. Error in the lab maybe? The dark patches are on the negs, not just the scans.
For example:
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Join to see EXIF info for this image (if available)


Here are some that worked:
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by Martin Connolly, on Flickr

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by Martin Connolly, on Flickr

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by Martin Connolly, on Flickr

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by Martin Connolly, on Flickr

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15900009-3.jpg
by Martin Connolly, on Flickr

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15900005-2.jpg
by Martin Connolly, on Flickr

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by Martin Connolly, on Flickr
 
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re: the patches/stripes... they look pretty much like a machine/developer error; or else like somewhat like double exposure due to insufficient film transport and frame overlap, but frankly, you'd spot that - the "second" shot is clearly missing. Maybe it's a one-off - I'd look into this after the next roll.

Anyhow, nice work with a nifty little camera.

M.
 
Lovely, gorgeous shots Martin, love them all!

It's so funny this has come up because just last night my local film seller posted on IG that he had just received a shipment of this film in 400, 200 and 100 and I was thinking of buying some. Very timely!
 
Lovely, gorgeous shots Martin, love them all!

It's so funny this has come up because just last night my local film seller posted on IG that he had just received a shipment of this film in 400, 200 and 100 and I was thinking of buying some. Very timely!
It does seem nice...i think I may prefer the Rollei Retro, but then again I haven't tried the 35mm version yet.
Note that I have a standard preset for film scans in Lightroom which makes them all a bit punchier:

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My 500G has hit a problem. The shutter button fell out! It can be fixed, but it seems to involve dismantling most of the camera. But as it’s no use to me without a shutter button, and a professional repair would certainly cost more than a new camera, I’m going to have a go. Wish me luck!

Good luck!

Is it sheared off a connecting rod or just unthreaded ? Maybe you can screw in a cable-release as a replacement ?
Or a careful drop of epoxy might do the trick ?
 
Good luck!

Is it sheared off a connecting rod or just unthreaded ? Maybe you can screw in a cable-release as a replacement ?
Or a careful drop of epoxy might do the trick ?
The button seems to be held in simply with a circlip under the top plate, from what I can glean from the page where someone fixed the same thing.
Here is that page
There is also a pin that is involved somehow... sadly there is no thread, and I don’t think glue of any sort would help.
 
I found this set of pictures and instructions on FLICKR.


More difficult than most top plate removals- but looks do-able.
 
I found this set of pictures and instructions on FLICKR.


More difficult than most top plate removals- but looks do-able.
Well, the little camera has bitten the dust. I followed the instructions as far as I could, but in the end, the screw on the film winding lever just would not budge. I soaked it in Zippo, tried sewing machine oil on it, but nothing would persuade it to move. So sadly I’ve binned it. I can always get another (or similar) quite easily so i wasn’t worth the effort in the end.
 
These are 50 year old devices and it's amazing that they last this long.
I think of "Wall-E" and his bin of parts to keep running. Think of the next cameras that way- lots of spares for repairs.
 
The Ricoh 500G- Light Seals are "intense" compared to other cameras. The light seal must encompass the viewfinder eyepiece. I did one of these years ago, sold it on one of the forums now merged. Lots of extra cutting and fitting the seal in. I can see where a light leak can easily pop-up with old seals.
 
thank you all for your ppt reply! really appreciated , i shot mine with new seals and gaffer tape and got this:
This camera is a light leak machine monster!
 

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Probably coming in between the Back and the Eyepiece. It's a nice camera, but there are better ones that do not require the thorough attention to the seals that this one does.
 
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