F. A. Kümmel
Newbie
Hi guys,
I bought an old Minolta af-s on the internet. Unfortunately it doesn't work properly - it only triggers very rarely. It's not really a valuable camera, but since I like to fix things, I'd be glad if you guys could help me.
So: after I put new batteries in, there are signs of life. When I press the shutter button halfway there is a noise when there is too little light. And a red light is on. When I adjust the ISO wheel or go to a brighter place, the green lamp lights up. So the brightness metering works.
If I press the shutter button all the way down, mostly nothing happens. There is a very soft noise - like from a motor that gets power briefly but can't move. But only very quietly and briefly.
When I opened the housing of the camera, I tried to operate the contacts of the shutter (three on top of each other) manually or to bridge them. As a result, it triggered (worked) for the first time. After that it triggered a few more times. Then it stopped again.
Then I noticed that it triggered after I opened and closed the film box (back of the cam). The camera rewound to the position: new film. And after that it worked once. Then it didn't work again. If I repeated this step it worked for one shoot. Every time. Until it stopped worked with this combination.
When I reassembled it, it worked again after a few tries. It released 36 times in a row. Then it didn't work again.
I know, it is difficult to judge from a distance. But maybe someone can give me a hint. Something I could still try.
I rather guess a mechanical problem, or some dirty contact. Maybe I could check components with the voltmeter.
If you want me to upload pictures, I'll be happy to do so.
I am grateful for any tip.
Oh and sorry for the bad English, I used deepl to translate from German.
Best regard,
Clemens
I bought an old Minolta af-s on the internet. Unfortunately it doesn't work properly - it only triggers very rarely. It's not really a valuable camera, but since I like to fix things, I'd be glad if you guys could help me.
So: after I put new batteries in, there are signs of life. When I press the shutter button halfway there is a noise when there is too little light. And a red light is on. When I adjust the ISO wheel or go to a brighter place, the green lamp lights up. So the brightness metering works.
If I press the shutter button all the way down, mostly nothing happens. There is a very soft noise - like from a motor that gets power briefly but can't move. But only very quietly and briefly.
When I opened the housing of the camera, I tried to operate the contacts of the shutter (three on top of each other) manually or to bridge them. As a result, it triggered (worked) for the first time. After that it triggered a few more times. Then it stopped again.
Then I noticed that it triggered after I opened and closed the film box (back of the cam). The camera rewound to the position: new film. And after that it worked once. Then it didn't work again. If I repeated this step it worked for one shoot. Every time. Until it stopped worked with this combination.
When I reassembled it, it worked again after a few tries. It released 36 times in a row. Then it didn't work again.
I know, it is difficult to judge from a distance. But maybe someone can give me a hint. Something I could still try.
I rather guess a mechanical problem, or some dirty contact. Maybe I could check components with the voltmeter.
If you want me to upload pictures, I'll be happy to do so.
I am grateful for any tip.
Oh and sorry for the bad English, I used deepl to translate from German.
Best regard,
Clemens
