I got a Minolta Autocord

JeremyLangford

JeremyLangford

I'd really Leica Leica
Local time
6:34 PM
Joined
Jul 13, 2007
Messages
685
Location
Knoxville, TN
View My Gallery
I have a Minolta Autocord with Seikosha-MX shutter and no light meter that I am borrowing from my photography teacher so i can try medium format.

1)Does it take 120 film only?
2)What do the 3 modes (M,F,X) mean?
3)I had the shutter goin perfect earlier but now the button you press to take a picture is stuck down and won't come back up for me to press it. How do I fix that?
 
Did you adjust the shutter speed after you had cocked the shutter? That is generally bad for TLRs, with it affecting some more than others. I cooked the shutter in my seagull that way.

Even if the autocord will take 220 (i dont think it does, however), i would recommend sticking with 120, as it is slightly more forgiving of loading and unloading mistakes, since the paper backing runs the entire length of the film, instead of just the beginning and end. Give Ilford Delta 100 a try!

M, F, and X are flash sync settings. I am not sure what F is, but M, which if i am not mistaken stands for medium, is for old fashioned flash bulbs, and x, which stands for xenon, is for modern xenon flash units. If you see someone talk about the 'x speed' of a given camera, they are talking about the flash sync speed. If I am not mistaken, your autocord will sync at all speeds due to its shutter design.
 
Merkin said:
M, F, and X are flash sync settings. I am not sure what F is, but M, which if i am not mistaken stands for medium, is for old fashioned flash bulbs, and x, which stands for xenon, is for modern xenon flash units. If you see someone talk about the 'x speed' of a given camera, they are talking about the flash sync speed. If I am not mistaken, your autocord will sync at all speeds due to its shutter design.
Click to expand...

So they do absolutely nothing unless I am using a flash?
 
JeremyLangford said:
So they do absolutely nothing unless I am using a flash?
Click to expand...

Unless I am sorely mistaken, that is correct. Do some googling, you should be able to find a .pdf of the manual somewhere, just to double check. I might get my man card revoked for this, but I am of the opinion that the most important thing you can do when you first lay hands on a new (to you) camera is read the manual. Most cameras have bizarre quirks that are far from obvious when you are using them. One of the most notorious would be removing lenses from Hasselblads, which is incredibly perilous for people who don't know what they are doing.
 
X sych is zero delay ~ as soon as the shutter is fully open it fires the flash. Flash bulbs take time to get a good burn going and give maximum brightness. M sych closes the flash contacts (switch) 30 milliseconds before the shutter is at maximum opening so the bulb ca attain full brightness. F synch has a 5 millisecond delay for fast firing bulbs which aren't as bright. They were never very common. Leaf shutters like in the Autocord will synch at any shutter speed.

Bizarre quirk: on the side of the camera right next to the crank handle there is a little button that you can slide back a few millimeters. This allows you to wind the handle backwards, which will cock the shutter without winding the film. Most cameras make it about impossible to make a double exposure, but you can do it with this one if you want to. Google "Minolta Autocord". There's tons of info on line.
 
Last edited:
I just found this.....

"Have you noticed the two dots on the rings surrounding the shutter button? These can be used to lock the shutter to prevent accidental exposures, but they also can be used to lock it *open* for long time exposures. With the camera on a sturdy tripod, set the shutter on B; turn the ring so the dots are 'unmatched'; press the button to open the shutter; and turn the ring so the dots match. Now the shutter will stay open until you turn the ring and 'unmatch' the dots again; convenient for making long, nighttime exposures. Note: Make sure you do not turn the advance crank while the shutter is locked open, as the manual warns this can cause mechanical problems with the camera."

I may have turned the advance crank while the shutter was locked open somehow because I cannot get the shutter button to come up no matter what I do. I really need to fix it so I can try out this camera.
 
try opening up the back and looking to see if the shutter on the taking lens is open or closed. If it is closed, toggle that bulb switch back and forth a couple of times, and try to crank the shutter to see if perhaps you didn't fully wind it. If the shutter is open, I don't really know what to suggest.

ETA: this is a bit of a longshot, but try using a cable release to see if that will trip the shutter.
 
Merkin said:
try opening up the back and looking to see if the shutter on the taking lens is open or closed. If it is closed, toggle that bulb switch back and forth a couple of times, and try to crank the shutter to see if perhaps you didn't fully wind it. If the shutter is open, I don't really know what to suggest.

ETA: this is a bit of a longshot, but try using a cable release to see if that will trip the shutter.
Click to expand...

The shutter is definitely closed. I can't get the darn thing to reset itself for another picture no matter what I try. Everything else works fine so it would really suck to have to send it in somewhere to get fixed for something like this.
 
I guess I am going to have to send this in to someone so I can get a CLA, the locked shutter button fixed, and new leather put on because it is all falling off. Where is the best place to send a Minolta Autocord?
 
Hi.

On my Autocord, there's a ring on the outside of the shutter release button that has a dot on it. There's also a dot on the ring between the shutter release button and the outer ring. If the shutter's fired, and those two dots are lined up, the shutter button does not "come up". Turning the outer ring so the dots do not line up will make the shutter release button "come up".
 
350D_user said:
Hi.

On my Autocord, there's a ring on the outside of the shutter release button that has a dot on it. There's also a dot on the ring between the shutter release button and the outer ring. If the shutter's fired, and those two dots are lined up, the shutter button does not "come up". Turning the outer ring so the dots do not line up will make the shutter release button "come up".
Click to expand...

I know about this and I've tryed everything possible to fix it. My only choice is to send it somewhere.
 
I would just the let the person you borrowed it from know about your problem. We've all made unintentional mistakes. You were enthusiastic and curious--I wouldn't penalize you for that. A CLA is going to be near $100 bucks, including shipping, if you don't have a competent camera repair person nearby. A CLA might make the Autocord a better camera than the owner had in the first place. Good luck!
 
JeremyLangford said:
I guess I am going to have to send this in to someone so I can get a CLA, the locked shutter button fixed, and new leather put on because it is all falling off. Where is the best place to send a Minolta Autocord?
Click to expand...


The best place to send an Autocord is Karl Bryan. He is an expert on Autocords and used to sell CLA'd Autocords on evilbay for less than $150. Lost his address but some other members might know it?

Thomas (wallace)
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

lxforrest
A DIY retro digital camera project - Blog #9 First ever shutter lag testing for screen-free digital camera
Replies
9
Views
347
shawn
S
lxforrest
A DIY retro digital camera project - Blog #6 detail of screen free camera design
Replies
3
Views
272
lxforrest
lxforrest
J
  • Article Article
What exactly is a point & shoot camera? Glad you asked!The Kodak of 1888 may have been the first, and even Leica got into the act!
Replies
17
Views
1K
Mos6502
Mos6502
A
My Leica SL2-S settings
Replies
0
Views
2K
Archiver
A
L
Just got a Zorki 4K and I think I broke it
Replies
7
Views
2K
lollybo
L
Back
Top Bottom