Minolta Hi-Matic 7s rangefinder adjustment diagram?

S

santiagorozco

Newbie
Local time
12:01 PM
Joined
Aug 1, 2024
Messages
4
Location
San Diego, California, USA
View My Gallery
Hi, all. New to this site so apologies if this comment posts out of order or whatever the case may be.
I bought and received a Himatic 7s this last week, and though the shutter speeds seem to be working normally, I’m pretty sure the focusing system is misaligned (horizontally). I tried to take the cover off to access the “guts” but could not figure out how to take off the film advance or the reverse lever. If anyone could help me with that or has any tips it’d be greatly appreciated.
 
Thanks for the images. Had found them online when looking, but am honestly still a little confused? Do I lift the advance by inserting the needle-nosed pliers into those notches? I also can’t fully figure out what’s going on with the rewind knob.

Thanks for the help!
 
I don’t. I’m new to all this to be completely transparent, but I just don’t want to pay the $200+ repair fees for what seems to be a simple alignment if everything else works fine.
Searched up online and the spanner wrench seems cheap enough. Where would I have to use it?
 
With due respect, if you've never opened a camera before, and don't have the proper tools, I wouldn't count on getting this adjusted. You should just use it as a learning experience and if you do get it working, that would be a bonus. 🙂 You're actually likely to encounter other issues, some of them self-inflicted...

Tell us more about the focusing and why you think it is off.
 
I feel you. So I think the focus is off based on the fact that the rangefinder patch and the viewfinder image do not overlap when set tho and focusing on infinity. They’re off by maybe two or three centimeters. Vertical axis is completely fine, all issues are on the horizontal axis. Haven’t tested the batteries so don’t know if the light meter or any of the electrical components are in working order but quite honestly don’t care about them all too much.
If I were to proceed with trying to crack this open, how would I get those two levers and knobs off?
Thanks again for the advice!
 
To get the top off; I use the Craftsman Needle Nosed Pliers as a spanner. The ends are small enough to fit the slots. Turn counter-clockwise. BUT- I learned camera repair by taking apart junk cameras, suitable for parts. Learned some 50 years ago.
 
I took off the cover of one of these about a year ago -- it was new to me and the VF/RF was quite fogged up. I didn't need to adjust the rangefinder, so I'm not sure how that is done. I suggest you find a guide online that tells you which screws to adjust, once the cover is off.

As for the cover -- the cap for the advance lever does not have any holes for a spanner wrench. You will need a rubber stopper or some other very grippy material to loosen it. Once you have that off, as I recall there's a locknut that requires a spanner wrench.

Over on the other side, the illustrations show that removing the rewind crank is pretty easy -- insert a screwdriver or something similar in the prong that holds the film canister, and unscrew the crank/knob by hand.

I forget whether there are sundry screws to remove (like from the ends of the top cover) as well.

One thing I encountered that was unexpected upon putting the advance crank back on: The bottom of the crank has parallel sides that fit on top of the wind shaft (note the piece in the middle of the frame counter disc). You will need something to turn the top of the wind shaft to rotate it far enough so that you can fit the advance crank down on top of it. It's spring loaded so this is a rather tricky step.

Oh, and be careful to not misplace the shutter release button. Note how it's seated on its post -- maybe just take it off once you've removed the top cover, and set it aside.

But really, removing the top cover is pretty easy with the right tools.
 
Wait -- these pictures are of a HiMatic 9 -- maybe the 7s does have holes for a spanner on the advance crank cap? I'm too lazy to dig mine out just now. 🙂 If so, ignore my comment about needing a rubber stopper -- though actually, once you've budged it loose, use a stopper (or your thumb) to loosen it the rest of the way, and not scratch the finish.
 
The Hi-Matic 7s has the same holes for the advance lever cap, I use the same needle-nosed pliers for both.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom