Konica Hexar AF unreported problem?

[ben_y]

I literally just received my black Konica Hexar AF in the mail. There were batteries in the camera already. Upon switching it on and firing the shutter, all the 'segments' on the LCD screen 'light up' for lack of a better word, and the camera is frozen. The only reaction I get is the red light on the front comes on in time with pressing the shutter down.

I can reset it by removing the battery for a minute but it does the same thing when I switch it back on and fire the shutter. It also does this in silent mode.

I replaced the battery with a brand new one but the same thing happens.

Did I receive a faulty camera, or am I missing something obvious? I thought maybe I needed film inside but I've seen people fire the shutter without film and without any problems.

 

[Paul T.]

I\ve owned an AF for a decade or so and follow reports about them; I've never seen this. Sounds like a logic board problem. Does it happen randomly? If it's an eBay purchase I would send it back. A logic board problem might imply corrosion or damage from damp, so even if the board is fixed, you might have further problems down the line.

Good luck; these are wonderful cameras, I hope you end up with a fully-working one.

 

[ben_y]

Paul thanks for the quick response. The camera seems to work fine up until I fully depress the shutter button and then it becomes unresponsive/freezes every time.

I asked the seller if she knows what the problem is but I think the chances are I will have to send the camera back 🙁

 

[sniki]

Paul thanks for the quick response. The camera seems to work fine up until I fully depress the shutter button and then it becomes unresponsive/freezes every time.

I asked the seller if she knows what the problem is but I think the chances are I will have to send the camera back 🙁

Just to know, does the camera lens have any filter on it?
On Hexar AF when the lens has a filter on it, and the lens goes to near focus (all the way out), the lens jams into the back of the filter, and gets an error. The only way out of this is to remove the battery. Konica used to have a spacer that gave the lens a little room.

 

[ben_y]

Hi Sniki, I have heard of this problem before but no the camera does not have a filter attached to it.

 

[raytoei@gmail.com]

ben_y: very sad to hear of your hexar af problem.

 

[johannielscom]

Agree with Paul, this sounds like a logic board problem and it could very well be a corrosion issue on the board.

I've serviced faulty shutter buttons numerous times and it's not very hard to do but you should negotiate a substantial refund with the seller before taking the risk of servicing the camera yourself, IMHO...😱

 

[mep]

Ah...I have this same problem with my second Hexar.
Last year my first Hexar simply died. It started off by waking slowly, and gradually got worse. I found that Kenko-Tokina still services Konicas here in Japan, (http://www.kenko-tokina.co.jp/konicaminolta/price_film_camera.html) but I ended up having it repaired locally by someone recommended by a friend.
It was fine after that (the explanation of the problem was 'loose connections'), but I ended up selling it a few months later.
I regretted it and bought a second one. It was perfect for a while, but a few weeks ago it began having issues. Sometimes it's fine, at other times I get the 'EEE' message when I switch it on, and occasionally, like you, I have all the LCD 'segments' turn on when I press the shutter, and subsequently the camera freezes. Usually, I remove the battery and wait for the LCD to fade, put it back in and either get the 'EEE', all 'segments', or the camera will be fine.
I love the camera, but am wondering about longevity. Both of mine were/are in excellent condition and early model black date-backs.
I'll be contacting Kenko-Tokina in the next day or so, so I'll post here how it pans out.

 

[Paul T.]

I don't recall all the segments firing up with the filter 'problem'. Likewise, this doesn't sound like the shutter problem.

AS I mentioned, if it were me I'd look for a new one. It would be easy to negotiate a settlement then find a repair is tricky.

For reference sake, the leading Konica repairman in the US is GReg Weber. He fixed my RF (which is a far more cantankerous beast than the AF).

Weber Camera Repair

 

[ben_y]

Thanks for all the timely responses. It is my first time on rff and pleasantly surprised by how active it is. Based on the responses I will return the camera to the seller, any further thoughts/comments welcome.

 

[gilpen123]

Do you have film in it? My 1st time camera won't react to the shutter button and won't focus until I put a film and everything worked fine.

 

[Frontman]

Do you have film in it? My 1st time camera won't react to the shutter button and won't focus until I put a film and everything worked fine.

The Hexar AF should work fine with no film in it, I have four of these buggers, and all have been dry-fired many times.

Send it back and get another one, any repair is likely to cost more than what you paid for the camera. Hexars are usually quite reliable, and it's not often that I come across one which has serious problems.

 

[mep]

Do you have film in it? My 1st time camera won't react to the shutter button and won't focus until I put a film and everything worked fine.

A Hexar? Mine would focus/fire without film.

But yeah, I'd go for the refund...Especially as you've just bought it and don't have an attachment.

 

[gilpen123]

I don't know that's how it acted on mine until I put a film. It does great when it works.

 

[yossarian123]

i'm having a similar problem with my ebay purchased hexar. After I unboxed it, the first few frames were fine. Then I started getting the dreaded shutter button issue. I also noticed that intermittently the camera LCD would display "---" no matter what mode the camera was in.

I called Weber camera and described the issue. He thought it sounded like a board issue - in which case he has no replacements. Konica in Japan sounds like they could fix it, but it would probably be about $300 after shipping.

Unfortunately the seller is being a bit stubborn about returns. Looks like I'll have to file a claim on ebay or paypal.