The Jules Richard French-made Verasope F40 is a well-built European format stereo camera made around fifty years ago that can give truly excellent results. Unfortunately, many examples do not seem to perform well with today's films — the views often lack contrast and may show what appears to be lens flare. Such faults, however, should not be blamed on the Flor lenses, their shallowly recessed mounting, or inadequate control of normal scene lighting by the photographer.
      In many cases, the main cause of this poor performance is light entering the film chambers from the top portion of the camera, along channels where rangefinder actuating levers and other parts move. The following explains some basic steps you can take to enhance the performance of a Verascope F40 that suffers from such light leaks.
     While these procedures are simple, please understand that if you proceed, you do so at your own risk. Also, the following is based on my personal, limited experience. There may well be more sophisticated solutions which you can discover and implement to improve the results you get with your particular stereo camera.

     First, the top cover of the camera must be removed. When doing any camera work, be sure to use proper, well-fitting tools. Particularly when attempting to loosen slotted head screws that are tight, the screwdriver blade should fit perfectly and be as wide as the slot, in order to safely apply the necessary force. If you use a poorly fitting screwdriver, one that is either too small or too large, you risk damaging the slot, the camera or both. Small, inexpensive flat-blade screwdrivers that are slightly too large can be filed to fit.

     To gain access to the three screws indicated above, with the camera back open, simply place a stout blade in the slot that drives the film cassette spool, and turn the rewind knob against the direction of the arrow appearing on its top (turn it counterclockwise). After removing the knob, be careful to keep the rewind shaft at its highest position (pictured here). If allowed to drop down too far, the detent ball and spring that keeps the shaft properly positioned will fly out and there is a danger of losing these little parts.

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     Pictured below is the right portion of the camera, with the arrows indicating another three screws that must be removed before the top cover can be taken off. Note that the film advance knob has already been removed, by rotating it against the arrow indication on its top (clockwise). The film advance mechanism's positive stop should make unscrewing this knob easy.

     The slot of the far left screw pictured above is smaller than the other two, so the use of a different screwdriver is recommended. After removing this screw, the Stereoscopic / Monoscopic selector knob can be pulled up and away. After removing the three knobs and six screws, the top cover plate can be lifted off. At that time, the shutter release button, shutter button follower, and shutter button spring may come away or be left behind. The placement of these parts during reassembly should be obvious. The camera pictured above has a soft shutter release button screwed into the original shutter release.

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     The shot below shows the camera with the main portion of the top cover removed. The leftmost arrow points to the left half of the top cover, which now can simply be taken away. Some F40 cameras may have a one-piece top cover. The top right arrow indicates the shutter release button spring, while the middle and lower right arrows indicate the frame counter wheel and sprocket shaft disengaging device, respectively. These parts are free to move around when the top cover is off so you may wish to carefully remove and place them safely aside. Make a note of the original location and orientation of any other parts that come away so that reassembly will be easy, not confusing.

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     Below is a general view of the top of the camera showing the placement of the flocking paper pieces preventing light that enters the upper section through the viewfinder and rangefinder apertures from entering the film chamber below. This and the following images have been "equalized" to make the matte black surfaces appear more clearly.

     The arrows indicate some of the larger flocking paper pieces. The need for such treatment was first proven to me by a friend, Chuck Holzner. He discovered the severity and location of these internal light leaks by using a mini-Mag flashlight with the end lens assembly removed (such as when using it as an electric candle). By moving the bright miniature bulb around inside the rectangular left and right film aperture chambers and observing the top of the camera (with the top cover plate removed) in a darkened room, such problem areas can easily be illuminated.

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     One of the difficulties when fixing these light leaks is that the rangefinder mechanism and actuating levers travel over a considerable range as the camera is focused. The paper pieces must be placed so that they do not interfere with this movement, but nevertheless block as much light as possible from entering the interior of the camera.

     Above is a detail of some of the paper pieces. The top left arrow points to a brass pin that's part of the rangefinder mechanism and at the very top, a portion of a spring wire is visible. Here, the pin acts as a locator for a piece of paper that was simply pushed down over it. The bottom arrow indicates the end of one of the larger paper pieces, set right up against the focusing wheel, while the rightmost arrow points to a small piece of paper covering the gap caused by the thickness of the focusing wheel.
     I used an acrylic glue pen to attach the flocking paper pieces to the camera and moving parts of the rangefinder. You will have to work out the various shapes for the paper pieces and choose a method for securing them. Be sure that the entire range of movement is unimpeded and that none of the paper pieces interferes with the proper functioning of the rangefinder. It may be necessary to temporarily replace the top cover plate and sight through the viewfinder and rangefinder windows while moving the focusing wheel throughout its range, to verify that no optical paths are occluded and that everything functions properly at all times.

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     Here's a view from above showing eight pieces of flocking paper. It's not a pretty sight, but they do the job. The difference in the results obtainable before and after this flocking and other attention given to the camera was like night and day. Prior to this work, views were often spoiled, though at times the camera gave acceptable results. After these improvements, the results are reliably as good as I have obtained with any veteran stereo camera. In bright sun, the level of detail, contrast and tonality range is very pleasing.

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     In addition to preventing light from entering the film chamber from above by using bits of flocking paper, the performance of the camera can be further improved by minimizing light reflections along internal surfaces wherever possible, for example by painting the interior of the top cover with a good flat black paint before reassembly. While OEM non-reflective paint for optical or aerospace applications would be ideal, small and economical quantities are hard to procure. I've gotten better results with acrylic flat black model paint than enamel or lacquer types.

     Prudent use of flocking paper or good flat black paint on relevant surfaces in the film chamber interior and the inner circumference of the lens apertures near the shutter blades is worthwhile, but considerable care is required. Access to these surfaces may be easier if the film aperture block is first removed, which can be accomplished by removing the five screws indicated above. These are apt to be quite tight, so use a well-fitting screwdriver with a nice handle. Note that the top center screw is also the axle for the focusing wheel, although the wheel will remain more or less in place when the axle is withdrawn. If you decide that removing the film aperture block is warranted, be sure to heed the WARNING below.

     BEFORE removing the film aperture block, be sure to back out the setscrew indicated by the lower arrow and remove the detent spring and follower that presses upon the internal S/M selector wheel. Failure to do this will result in these little parts flying out and probably being lost if the aperture block is forcibly removed after its securing screws are fully loosened. The top right arrow indicates the top right screw of the film aperture block. The bright little "V" shaped bit of metal between the arrows is one of the four machined locating bosses that keeps film nicely centered in its travels on the film rails. This is just one more example of the fine attention to detail and craftsmanship inherent in the F40.
     The gearing and parts controlling the shutter that covers the right film chamber when Monoscopic mode is selected are simple and easy to understand. Some parts may come loose when the film aperture block is removed, but reassembly should be straightforward, particularly if the film aperture block is inserted slightly to the right and then slid into its proper position. Of course, check that the blanking shutter movement is coordinated with the S/M knob and indicator at the top of the camera during final assembly.

      With the film aperture block removed, the black inner baffle that covers most of the interior, with openings located at the rear of the lenses, can be coaxed free. The inner circumference of the lens apertures can then be painted flat black or flocked. You may want to check for reflections off the inner faces of the shutter plate with the camera pointed at a bright light, off axis, and the lenses and shutter wide open. A minimal amount of flat black paint may be delicately applied, but there will be trouble if any excess enters the mechanism.
    If you decide to flock the flat insides of the film apertures, you must take into account the thickness of the paper. If paper of any appreciable thickness is used, the edges of the paper pieces should stop well before the edges of the rectangular apertures where they meet the film guide rails, or else shadows may be cast upon the film that will reduce the image chip size to the point where normal mounting is impossible.
     Some F40 owners have dealt with internal reflections by machining or filing the aperture block, removing enough metal to significantly change the angle of the inside faces, prior to repainting. This may require that the Monoscopic mode blanking shutter and some related parts be permanently removed, so the camera henceforth functions only in the Stereoscopic mode. In my experience, excellent performance can be had just by flocking the top rangefinder section and simple interior painting.

     If light leaks originating from the joint between the camera back and the camera are suspected, a good way to test for their presence is to rig up a small battery light that can be placed inside the camera. Then, with the back closed and sufficient time in a pitch-black room, dark-adapted eyesight should be able to see if any edge leaks are present.

     The Verascope F40 can be a particularly enjoyable stereo camera to use, once any existing problems of light leaks or internal reflections have been resolved. Its mechanical systems are robust and the controls for lens aperture and shutter speed are easy to use and can be freely adjusted to any setting. With only three veteran European format stereo cameras readily available on the used market, the Belplasca and FED being the other two, a Verascope in fine working condition is a valuable ally in the quest for high quality stereoscopic images.