Minolta HI-Matic F - Focusing problem

[yellowduff]

Hi everyone,

I got lately a Minolta HI-Matic F with a sticky shutter, that I disassembled to clean the shutter blades. Once I reassembled it, I realized that the ragefinder which was working fine before had now a problem : it won't focus when turning the focusing ring, the focus at the minimum (0.8m).

Maybe I forgot something when I reassembled the lense part ? I know that I wasn't really sure of myself when I did the focusing ring (I forgot to take a picture of it before disassembling it :bang🙂. Here you can see a picture of it now : did it seems ok to you ?


Besides this, do you have any clue of what could be the problem, or any lead of what could I check ?

Thanks in advance !

 

[monopix]

You're missing a part. It's the part arrowed in my picture

It presses against the end of the pin I've indicated in your picture

It's a plastic tapered part so the more you rotate the focus ring the more it presses down on the pin. The other end of the pin engages with the rangefinder mechanism.

It's a long time since I worked on one of these but that's as I remember it.

Edit: And I've just noticed the metal lever in the bottom right is the other side of the pin compared to mine.

 

[yellowduff]

😱I found this plastic piece coming out of nowhere and I thought it was something not related to this camera ! Thanks god i didn't trash it!!

For the metal lever, I wasn't sure if it was behind or in between either.

Thanks man, I'll try that this morning and keep you updated !

 

[yellowduff]

Well, problem fixed. You really solved that !!!

Funny thing, I was so desperate I bought a cheap other Hi-Matic F on ebay (for parts) in order to understand what I did wrong reassembling... I guess now I'll just have to try to fix that one too.

Thanks again 😀

 

[monopix]

Glad to help.

They're good little cameras when they work. I've had several. But they are a pain to repair if you have to dismantle them. Most common problem is a corroded wire from the battery compartment.

Here's the insides

 

[moggi1964]

Glad to help.

They're good little cameras when they work. I've had several. But they are a pain to repair if you have to dismantle them. Most common problem is a corroded wire from the battery compartment.

Here's the insides

Eek!

Reminds me of when I opened up one of my direct drive turntables a few years back. I didn't have a schematic so I just put the cover back on and gave it away for parts.

 

[OlivierAOP]

I wanted to piggy back on this thread to add a comment. I just replaced the corroded negative wire from the battery terminal to the little connector near the battery check switch. There is a tutorial on Reddit here (note: I wouldn't touch the potentiometer without testing with film first).

You'll find many tutorials where the new wire is soldered to the ground wire clip near that spot. Bad idea: that will drain the battery whenever the Cds cell is exposed to light.

When I reassembled the camera I found that the flash signal in the VF was always on and wasn't responding to the little toggle in the hot shoe. I found an extensive tutorial in Japanese here. There is a spring-loaded lever system under the lens board that needs to be pushed before reinserting the lens board, as outlined in the pic below (obtained form the guide).



Note that you don't need to remove the board to perform the repair, just lift it a little to fish the new wire. But it makes it mush easier to properly route the new cable.

 

[gascoyne999]

Hello! I literally did the exact same thing as yellowduff but this time I lost the plastic tapered component.

Is this something that I can replace or 3d print or something? My grandfathers camera, I'm kicking myself

 

[former member]

@gascoyne999

Minolta Hi-MATIC F 35mm Film Camera f/2.7 38mm - Works! | eBay

Minolta Hi-MATIC F 35mm Film Camera f/2.7 38mm - Works!. Missing small black plastic piece that goes on film advance lever

www.ebay.com

The easiest thing to do is buy a second camera and use it for parts. Even if it works. Also a chance to take apart and reassemble before finishing on your Grandfathers camera.

 

[ramurazor1]

You're missing a part. It's the part arrowed in my picture

It presses against the end of the pin I've indicated in your picture

It's a plastic tapered part so the more you rotate the focus ring the more it presses down on the pin. The other end of the pin engages with the rangefinder mechanism.

It's a long time since I worked on one of these but that's as I remember it.

Edit: And I've just noticed the metal lever in the bottom right is the other side of the pin compared to mine.

Hello, ive had a very similar problem with my Minolta Himatic S and wanted to see the images youve sent but they are no longer available , any chance you can reshare them for my reference? I would be very grateful, thank you

 

[monopix]

Hello, ive had a very similar problem with my Minolta Himatic S and wanted to see the images youve sent but they are no longer available , any chance you can reshare them for my reference? I would be very grateful, thank you

I'll see if I can find it.

 

[monopix]

Hello, ive had a very similar problem with my Minolta Himatic S and wanted to see the images youve sent but they are no longer available , any chance you can reshare them for my reference? I would be very grateful, thank you

I think this was the picture.