ElusiveFigure
Newbie
New here, and complete photography neophyte. After about 2 months with an SLR I decided to pick up a rangefinder as well. Found the Hi-Matic 9 for what seemed a good price, $30, on ebay and took the risk. In decent cosmetic condition, and everything works...mostly. The shutter won't consistently fire. I can't for the life of me figure out what's going on. I don't have a battery in the camera and I'm just talking purely in manual mode. I've opened the back and put it on B to check lens condition, and for a while it worked, but then the shutter would just stop working at random. I could see the shutter shake a little, but it wouldn't fire. Sometimes I'd press the button and it wouldn't even register that I'd pressed it and I'd have to hit it a few times before I heard a small click but saw no shutter movement.
If I had to guess, there is something loose. In fact, though I'd have no way of knowing, the lens feels a bit looser than I imagine it should. Sometimes when I press the shutter I can see the whole lens shift slightly. I'm wondering though if anyone more familiar with the camera had a better idea, and what fixing it would require? I've never worked on cameras, but I'm fairly handy, and this camera, though I really don't want to ruin it, seems like it'd be okay to tinker with and try to fix, especially since in this condition I don't think it's worth running film through if I have no idea that I'll even get anything off it. If not though, what kind of cost is involved in professional repair? Cause I don't think I'd be willing to spend too much on a camera I bought for only $30.
Anyway, thanks for the help if anyone has any ideas.
If I had to guess, there is something loose. In fact, though I'd have no way of knowing, the lens feels a bit looser than I imagine it should. Sometimes when I press the shutter I can see the whole lens shift slightly. I'm wondering though if anyone more familiar with the camera had a better idea, and what fixing it would require? I've never worked on cameras, but I'm fairly handy, and this camera, though I really don't want to ruin it, seems like it'd be okay to tinker with and try to fix, especially since in this condition I don't think it's worth running film through if I have no idea that I'll even get anything off it. If not though, what kind of cost is involved in professional repair? Cause I don't think I'd be willing to spend too much on a camera I bought for only $30.
Anyway, thanks for the help if anyone has any ideas.
pinkarmy
Well-known
i have a Hi-Matic 9 with a dead meter, otherwise it works great in manual mode.
the lens barrel is a bit loose and wobble, the shutter won't fire every time if i just hold the camera body only, and if i hold the camera the way like i am using a SLR camera (ie. hold the lens barrel tight with my left hand) it will fire surely.
i guess if i could tighten a certain loose screw, that would fix the problem.
if i know which, and how.
the lens barrel is a bit loose and wobble, the shutter won't fire every time if i just hold the camera body only, and if i hold the camera the way like i am using a SLR camera (ie. hold the lens barrel tight with my left hand) it will fire surely.
i guess if i could tighten a certain loose screw, that would fix the problem.
if i know which, and how.