LCDs and retracting lenses (or self heal Ricohs)

[fotobiblios]

I am the lucky owner/user of 3 compact film ricohs: a less-used GR21 (21mmf3.5), which is fine; a well used GR1 (28mmf2.8), which stopped working - lens would't extend, and a much used R1E (30f3.5 (no panoramic 24 on this rarer version)), which just about lost all LCD readout, although it seemed to work.

I'd just about given up on the latter, but then thought, why not practice without the LCD (after all, I remember the stories when LCDs first came out, of a 10 year life) eg I like to shoot flash off - so press the flash-mode button twice, and yes, it works --- so I went out snapping -- and was pleased with how it went but then, to my surprise,shot by shot parts of the LCD became operational again - by this evening a fully functional camera again. -- Any LCD experts out there - is this to be expected? (use it or lose it??)

Even better, I then tried my jammed GR1 and it un-jammed and seems fine -- less mystery here, I think -- it seems to happen quite often that a retractible, zooming or front cover/cap on a compact lens may jam (grit?) and then why shouldn't it unjam -- in hope I tried my Fuji Silvi (24-50f2.8-5.6) , but no, it stayed jammed.

Why don't Ricoh make more play of the self-healing aspect of their film compacts?

More seriously - how do you unjam these delicate mechanisms? - compressed air can?, graphite lube (3B pencil) or?

Anyway I'm off to shoot more with thr GR1E tomorrow morning - that 30f3.5 seems in the same class as the lauded 28 and 21.

Danny

 

[spaceman spif]

Well, I can't speak to the grit in the gears problem (if that's the problem), but I have also experienced a self-healing LCD, this time on a Minolta. I'd bought it cheap on a well-known auction site, and it was in pristine condition EXCEPT for some segments of the LCD being MIA.

Like you, I figured I could still use it, so I loaded up a battery and some film, shot a couple of shots, and then turned it off and put it away for the day. The next day, the LCD was fine.

There's probably a logical technical explanation for this, but I don't know what it is. Not complaining, mind you...

 

[weihsuan]

I own a GR1 with a partially faulty LCD top. The frame counter numbers dont display fully. Now I'm hoping it heals itself permanently (it does 'heal' every now and then, but goes cranky after awhile)

 

[kkdanamatt]

LCD's are strange

LCD's are strange

Indeed, dead LCD's have been known to come back to life. I've seen it happen on Ricoh GR's and Contax T2's. I think it has to do with the liquid that is activated by an electrical impulse. Perhaps viscosity also plays a role. In any event, I have often inserted new batteries in a "dead" LCD-type camera and smiled as it magically sprung to life.