Konica Auto S2 rangefinder mirror

[Jesus Cueva]

Hello,

My name is Jesus, and I'm new here and to the world of old cameras. I recently picked up a Minolta SRT101 (sorry) which I had to fiddle with, and loved the experience. Most recently, I picked up an Auto S2 which sadly came in with a few problems: stuck shutter, stuck film advance lever, missing rangefinder split square. Feeling confident from successfully fiddling with the SRT, I broke into this one.

After successfully addressing the shutter issue and the lever issue, I am now stuck on fixing the missing yellow square. Doing some google searches resulted in me tearing the top off the camera hoping to find a loose mirror floating around somewhere in there, but that wasn't the case. I am a bit confused as to if it truly is missing, since I am also a bit confused as to where the mirror belongs. I will attach some photos in hopes of getting some help from you guys.

In the first photo, I am pointing at the area where I believe the mirror should be, please correct me if i'm wrong. I am also attaching images of the entire rangefinder area, in case you guys see any other things out of place.

Thanks in advance for any help.

 

[awilder]

Assuming the area you point area slightly rotates around the silver flat headed screw when turning the lens focus ring, it should have a mirror affixed to the flat side. If there is no mirror, it explains why there is no yellow rf patch in the finder. If no mirror is found anywhere, maybe a prior owner removed it for parts to be used on another Konica S2.

 

[sevo]

By the image, at least the glass of all three involved mirrors appears to be in place. Probably the mirror coating on one of them has deteriorated - most likely the beam splitting mirror inside the finder, as the thick coatings on the other two are unlikely to fade. Does the finder still show a frame line?

 

[Jesus Cueva]

awilder, that was my concern. It did seem as if someone had been in there before, as there were paint marker marking inside the shutter mechanism.

sevo, Yes, the frame lines show up nice and clear.

Do you guys know where to find a replacement? Wouldn't really want to buy another body just to tear the mirror out.

 

[btgc]

You normally can't buy another camera bad enough to have just parts you need. 95% of cases spare donor will be better and end up as a user. Just not worth to wreck otherwise good camera to repair this one, best would be to receive just needed parts from someone who scavenges his donor cam.

 

[awilder]

If the rf mirror is really gone, buy another S2 on ebay or elsewhere and use your body for parts, I doubt they are terribly expensive. But first, shoot test images at infinity (where rf focus isn't really required) to see if you are happy with lens IQ or camera handling before pursuing another body. Also make certain the next body comes with a return option if not as represented in the ad.

 

[Jesus Cueva]

If the rf mirror is really gone, buy another S2 on ebay or elsewhere and use your body for parts, I doubt they are terribly expensive. But first, shoot test images at infinity (where rf focus isn't really required) to see if you are happy with lens IQ or camera handling before pursuing another body. Also make certain the next body comes with a return option if not as represented in the ad.

Sounds like a good idea, that. Will have to give this a shot.

Is there any possibility of retrofitting something to replace the original mirror? Found a parts donor body on ebay, but the seller is asking as much as what I paid for this body...

 

[awilder]

I wouldn't bother, just get another camera. I'm sure there are plenty out there. Use the opportunity to see how accurate the meter is with silver oxide batteries since mercury batteries are no longer made. If these 40+ year meters aren't very accurate and you need to rely on a hand held meter, consider the far superior Konica IIIA like this: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Konica-IIIA...th-Lens-Cap-/231704766183?hash=item35f2ae26e7. This series had a better lens, rf and of course their famous parallax and field correcting frame lines.

 

[Jesus Cueva]

awlider, thanks for the advice!

 

[olisones]

Hi all, figured I'd pick up on this thread as my mirror has annoyingly come off from my S2. Frustrating as I've been getting some lovely shots with it recently. I've been trying to affix it all evening but no luck. I'm based in the uk so would rather send it away to get fixed than buy a whole new camera (I've become quite attached to it and don't want to give up just yet). Does anyone know if the usual suspects will repair at S2? Thinking Newton Ellis etc.

Any thoughts?

Thanks!