Shocked to learn how many Rolleiflex cameras have shutter issues at 1/500

I was going through a box of old repair logs from a shop in Chicago that closed in the 80s and found a note saying nearly 60 percent of the Rolleiflexes they serviced had the 1/500 speed stuck. That surprised me because I always thought those cameras were built like tanks. I double checked my own collection and sure enough, two of my three have the same problem. Has anyone else found a reliable fix for this besides a full CLA?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_paul1mo agoMost Upvoted

That 60 percent number from a Chicago shop is interesting but I think it paints a way too gloomy picture. Ive been fixing these things for a hobby for about ten years and my experience is way different. Most of the Rolleiflexes I pick up at estate sales or from old photographers have sticky 1/500 speeds but its usually just a gunk issue, not a broken spring. A lot of those old repair logs probably counted "sticky" as "stuck" and called it a day. A full CLA is almost always the right call because the whole shutter mechanism gets slow and crusty, not just one speed. Trying to fix just the 1/500 with some solvent or a quick adjustment usually makes things worse in the long run. So yeah, its common but I wouldnt call it a design flaw. More like a sign the camera needs love.

cole_flores441mo ago

Sixty percent with stuck 1/500 is wild, I had no idea it was that common. I always figured theyd just need a simple speed adjustment and not a full CLA for a specific shutter speed. Gonna check my own Rolleis tonight, I bet I got a dud too.

dixon.james1mo ago

Man that "sixty percent with stuck 1/500" line really hit home for me. I bought my first Rolleiflex off eBay like five years ago and thought I got a steal until I tried shooting at 1/500 and the shutter just sat there. Then I got a second one from a flea market and same thing, that speed barely moves. I guess those old Compur shutters just really hate that one setting, maybe the springs get weak or something. It's wild how common it is but nobody talks about it until you start digging into repair logs like that.