Hi-Matic Build Quality

[patois]

Are Minolta Hi-Matic's really built that poorly or is there something I'm missing about the little rangefinders? I made one work briefly and I loved it. I've tried almost every battery solution that I could find. Different types of batteries, different types of spacers and I even bought adapters to put in the battery compartment.

I have three Hi-Matic F's and one Hi-matic E.

The hi-matic E worked briefly with four batteries in it but then stopped.

Any help would be useful.

Gordon

 

[sig]

Corroding battery contacts/cables to the battery contacts is a problem. Resoldering may be the solution.

 

[former member]

Is it working at all? Does the light come up? Have you checked the batteries with a Voltmeter? If the camera has a short, the batteries will become depleted in hours. If they go in minutes froma short, they would get very hot. Chanes are they are not making good contact with the leads. Try removing the batteries, testing them, cleaning the leads, and retrying.

With that stated: the HiMatic E and F use a number of custom electronic components, including an IC. They are 40 years old. Electronics tend to go, and are not easily replaceable.

My Hi-Matic 9, mechanical operation- trap-needle automatic- works perfectly. The build quality of my Hi-Matic E is every bit as good, but the electronics have failed.

Very few 40-year old TV's and Stereo's still operate. My Zenith world-band Tube Radio works, but I Disassembled and cleaned it.

 

[ElectroWNED]

I have a 7s that looks like it was never taken off the shelf, but the meter doesn't work. Built solidly otherwise...

 

[sparrow6224]

The meter seems to ahve stopped working in my 7sII but it could just be a drained battery. otherwise no problems.

 

[farlymac]

Here is something I do know about the Hi-Matics: The Hi-Matic G, and the Yashica 35 ME are the same camera on the inside. Only the corners of the body, the lenses, and the top and bottom covers (mostly because of the corners) are different. The ME works just fine, and as soon as I get the meter rewired on the G, it should too.

I've also got two Hi-Matic AF2's, both working fine, except on one the flash will not trigger. But then they are not 'classics', or true rangefinders as they are autofocus (still, they do use the two window method). And they don't have Rokkor lenses, but they fit in the compact group of 35mm cameras. They'll be the new classics in a few years.

PF

 

[patois]

Thanks everyone. What I have learned is that they are old and some work and some don't. For some reason I became obsessed with rokkor lenses and I think I'm now a little bit over it.