Minolta Hi-Matic 9 Repair Report

[refinder]

many thanks to many good people here at this forum and others, i finally got my Minolta Hi-Matic 9 fixed. the process is partially documented here:

geocities.com/zzhuy

problems fixed include:
stuck shutter
wobbly lens
selftimer
set lens infinity, and
rf adjustment

i still feel there's somethong wrong with the focusing, for i didn't get very sharp pictures with test shots, and DOF seems to be rather shallow, even at f16.

oh well, i'll enjoy shooting for awhile, then back to it...

- refinder

 

[Kat]

I also had a problem with the focusing of mine, even after I had the RF aligned by a professional repair guy. Wasted many a roll with all blurred pictures. Anyway, I returned it to the repair guy, and last I called him he said something needed to be replaced, but I didn't fully understand what part that was. Perhaps that might be yours, too.

 

[Wimpler]

Thanks for the notes. I'ùm going to get my hi-matic 7 back from the parts drawer. I have 2 hi-matic 7s's that work fine (except for the self timer on one. But who really cares about that?).

 

[filmgoerjuan]

Excellent photos and notes. I keep meaning to take apart my Hi-Matic 7s to clean the shutter blades; yours is easily the most useful detail of the process that I've seen!

 

[refinder]

I also had a problem with the focusing of mine, even after I had the RF aligned by a professional repair guy. Wasted many a roll with all blurred pictures. Anyway, I returned it to the repair guy, and last I called him he said something needed to be replaced, but I didn't fully understand what part that was. Perhaps that might be yours, too.

thank you for the tip Kat! i saw your posting on blurred pictures earlier. mine is not as blurred as yours, the feeling i got is that it's just not really sharp and with good DOF. it is wierd, i couldn't figure out what's wrong with it.

if it is the front and rear lens alignment with the lens axis, i suppose there's nothing i could do then, because one just simply screw them in place. i did notice the helicoid has some play though. at some point within the focusing range, the image on the groundglass jumps a bit, caused by old dried up grease i guess. that i could fix, but don't know what impact it will have on improving the sharpness of the lens.

i took everythingh apart short of the shutter assembly and the helicoid, and didn't see anything broken and need to be replaced. i really don't know what made it not as sharp as others have shown. searching...experimenting...trying...

- refinder

 

[refinder]

Thanks for the notes. I'ùm going to get my hi-matic 7 back from the parts drawer. I have 2 hi-matic 7s's that work fine (except for the self timer on one. But who really cares about that?).

hi Wimpler, i envy people who have plenty of spares, i mean, backups! i do like my hi-matic 9 better than the Yashica Electro 35. i like its big bright viewfinder, and its fully manual mode.

one thing i've noticed with my hi-matic 9 is that the 1.4v zinc air battery i put in it always runs out of power within 4 or 5 shots, i take it out let it rest (recover?) over night, then it's working again the next day. there are two little holes on the battery cover, but stopped by the aluminum foil i put in. could that be the cause?

- refinder

 

[refinder]

Excellent photos and notes. I keep meaning to take apart my Hi-Matic 7s to clean the shutter blades; yours is easily the most useful detail of the process that I've seen!

hey thanks for the kind words filmgoerjuan, you pointed me to the online repair manual in the first place!

so many good people have helped me with this, and it's nice to be a contributor for a change.

good luck with your 7s!

- refinder

 

[jon_flanders]

That's the cause alright. I had that problem with my M Hi-Matic E., for a different reason, i had pushed the hearing aid battery flat up against the contact on one side, blocking the holes. Ruined several batteries until I cobbed a piece of solder between the battery and the contact to let the holes breathe.

 

[refinder]

That's the cause alright. I had that problem with my M Hi-Matic E., for a different reason, i had pushed the hearing aid battery flat up against the contact on one side, blocking the holes. Ruined several batteries until I cobbed a piece of solder between the battery and the contact to let the holes breathe.

thank you for confirming that Jon! i'll have to find a way to let the battery breathe then.

i saw you showing off the sharpness of your Yashica Electro 35 lens. envy you man. mine Electro 35 is like my Hi-Matic 9, sort of fuzzy, not really sharp, with seemingly rather shallow DOF to my newbie eyes, (but not as bad as blurring). have no clue on why they are like that. any ideas?

- refinder

 

[Wimpler]

Here is one with my hi-matic 7s. It is my main camera so I have lots of shots from it. The lenses are sharp, and they give a very nice 3D effect. Not very visible on this shot. Maybe I should start a gallery here on RFF.

When working right batteries last long. You can turn the meter off (with the film speed selector) so I don't think they would be using any power.

 

[jon_flanders]

i saw you showing off the sharpness of your Yashica Electro 35 lens. envy you man. mine Electro 35 is like my Hi-Matic 9, sort of fuzzy, not really sharp, with seemingly rather shallow DOF to my newbie eyes, (but not as bad as blurring). have no clue on why they are like that. any ideas?

No ideas without more information. Is the pad of death OK? When you advance the film, do you hear a clunk? If not, the pad will have to be replaced.

A bad pad will cause all sorts of strange problems with exposures.

 

[refinder]

Here is one with my hi-matic 7s. It is my main camera so I have lots of shots from it. The lenses are sharp, and they give a very nice 3D effect. Not very visible on this shot. Maybe I should start a gallery here on RFF.

When working right batteries last long. You can turn the meter off (with the film speed selector) so I don't think they would be using any power.

wow, that's a very impressive picture, i do see what you mean, it's a very good photo. very sharp image too! mine is not nearly as sharp as that. sorry i don't have any pictures to show at the moment. if i were you, i would not touch the camera about the selftimer. to me it's much better to keep it sharp, than having a good selftimer but a lens that's not sharp.

- refinder

 

[XAos]

I have a nice looking 9 with a stuck shutter. I suppose I should try to get it fixed. I like my GSN, but sometimes manual would be nice.