I use a number of Compur shutters from the '20s. I would like to live long enough to see how long a Copal shutter really lasts. Longer than I will, even if they don't hold up well, I'm afraid.
I use a number of Compur shutters from the '20s. I would like to live long enough to see how long a Copal shutter really lasts. Longer than I will, even if they don't hold up well, I'm afraid.
It's hard to add to what Bob said above, but the late S.K. Grimes told me that it was better to have my Compurs replaced with Copals than to get them CLA'd.
Just to add a reference, the late model 1980s-90s Prontors look a lot like Compurs but are entirely different animals in use. I thought that I liked them, but then I noticed that the increased force needed to fire a self-cocking "press" shutter was imparting a fair amount of vibration into my handheld work.
They also seemed a bit buggier than Compur/Copals and only went to 1/125th of a sec.
I realize that the late SKG is revered in an almost saintly way and his words are often repeated as if Gospel... but that just isn't correct, unless your Compurs needed parts.Originally Posted by Dave Brown
FWIW, the Compur Electronic I have for my 16 1/2" R.D Artar is extremely reliable, right on on every shutter speed(right up to 32 seconds), but when it dies I`m [toast]...
Last edited by Ralph Barker; 13-Jun-2008 at 15:27. Reason: language
Amund
_________________________________________
Digital is nice but film is like having sex with light.
My experience is only with the Compur mechanical shutters. If Dave was talking about electronic shutter, then I take my words back. Amund sums up the situation with Compur Electronic shutters quite eloquently. ... now go was your mouth out with soap
My experience is only with the Compur mechanical shutters. If Dave was talking about electronic shutter, then I take my words back. Amund sums up the situation with Compur Electronic shutters quite eloquently. ... now go was your mouth out with soap
Amund
_________________________________________
Digital is nice but film is like having sex with light.
As an obsessive ounce counter, I've always liked the late all-black Compur 0 shutters as they weigh a little over an ounce less than a Copal No. 0. However, my experience echoes Brian's - my Compur shutters require much more frequent CLAs than my Copals.
Conversely, the few late all-black Compur 1 shutters I've had were significantly heavier than a Copal No. 1.
Late Compur 0 and 1 shutters also lack a "T" setting, which makes them slightly less convenient for really long exposures. Also, I can't stand the location of the "B" setting on the late Compur 1 shutters. It's at the high end of the shutter speed scale, next to 1/500 sec - not at the low end of the scale next to 1 sec where it belongs. Oddly, they got it right on the Compur 0. So, not only did they get it wrong on the Compur 1, they aren't even consistent.
BTW, the Copal shutters have been around for over 45 years now. So, while they might not have quite the track record of the Compur shutters, they aren't exactly unproven.
Kerry Thalmann
Really Big Cameras
I'm no shutter expert, but I have used a number of different shutters over the years and really didn't find a whole lot of difference between the Copals and Rim-set Compurs. But, I have always preferred the old Dial-set Compurs the best . . . they just keep on truckin'. To clean 'em, just swish 'em around in some trichloroethane or acetone, blow dry 'em, screw the lenses back in place, and go shoot some more.
EuGene
P.S. Make sure you get the ones with metal iris & shutter blades - the hard rubber ones don't get along with most solvents.
Yup, dial set compurs rock!
"I would feel more optimistic about a bright future for man if he spent less time proving that he can outwit Nature and more time tasting her sweetness and respecting her seniority"---EB White
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