Minolta SRT's -- Gotta Love 'Em.

NEVER clean elements with naphtha..................... It can damage the coating....

Go to an eye glasses shop and buy lens cleaner instead.. This cleaner is safe for all coatings..
 
colyn said:
NEVER clean elements with naphtha..................... It can damage the coating....

Go to an eye glasses shop and buy lens cleaner instead.. This cleaner is safe for all coatings..
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Absolutely nonsense. You do *not* know what you're talking about.

Do some research on polar vs non-polar solvents and then come back after you've done your homework. The majority of lens technicians (either independent or manufacturer) use some combination of isopropanol, ethanol, hexane, or naphtha. Naphtha mainly contains hexane and heptane with zero water or detergents, *unlike* lens cleaner.
 
clayne said:
Absolutely nonsense. You do *not* know what you're talking about.
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First off you need to cool the attitude.. I simply disagreed with your comment and stated fact.. I won't argue with attitude.

Second: Been doing it for nearly 50 years so I do know a thing or 2 about cameras and optics.

naphtha is an isopar. Isopars eat lens as well as other coatings..

clayne said:
Do some research on polar vs non-polar solvents and then come back after you've done your homework. The majority of lens technicians (either independent or manufacturer) use some combination of isopropanol, ethanol, hexane, or naphtha. Naphtha mainly contains hexane and heptane with zero water or detergents, *unlike* lens cleaner.
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Most techs use rubbing alcohol..

Industrial solvents should never be used on lens coatings. The correct waterless lens cleaners are the best lens cleaners. Lens cleaning kits are worthless..
 
colyn said:
First off you need to cool the attitude.. I simply disagreed with your comment and stated fact.. I won't argue with attitude.
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ignore him, he is the most obvious troll on the forum and one of the more confrontational ones at that. if you need help putting him on your ignore list, let me know.

I mean if you stepped in dog excrement you wouldn't stop to argue with it, would you?
 
Right because the hundreds of lenses I've cleaned with naphtha have all been super duper lenses with infallible coatings. Seriously, a light petroleum distillate isn't going to affect an inorganic coating baked onto the glass. Additionally no serious lens tech is using lens cleaner to service lenses other than a benign external cleaning. Naphtha as commonly used is simply Ronsonol or Coleman camp fuel. That is a light naphtha and nothing to do with isopars other than being derived from petroleum. Rubbing alcohol? Water is not going to be used at all and only 99.5% isopropanol would be appropriate if using alcohol. Otherwise light petroleum distillates are preferred due to the lack of water and preferred solvency towards typical greases and oils. Hexane is a well known one. Most techs use ethanol or a light petroleum distillate like Ronsonol or white gas. Lens coatings and glass are not made out of grease.

Troll? Hardly. I just tell like it is. I provided useful background on common ailments to this specific Rokkor lens and this colyn guy felt the need to respond to my recommendations (do you even own a Rokkor lens or Minolta camera?) with irrational statements. I don't have any inherent beef with him but people should know the truth about what actually is needed to clean lenses without irrational fears. I mentioned naphtha due to what's most likely to affect a lens of this age: evaporated grease. I've also cleaned multiple specimens of this exact lens with the exact ailment and have direct experience with it. If you want to use isopropanol go ahead - the end result is going to be the same: removal of grease. But let us do without misinformation and unfounded fears.

Other opinions: http://www.cloudynights.com/ubbthre...ge/0/view/collapsed/sb/5/o/all/fpart/all/vc/1
 
Minolta SRT Flashgun Deluxe III.

Minolta SRT Flashgun Deluxe III.

I just received this Minolta SRT original Flashgun Deluxe III, apparently new in carrying case and original instruction book (notice the SRT on the cover). I put an Eveready #505 15V battery in the unit, but it doesn't fire. It has the original capacitor in good visual shape, and I took the battery to Batteries Plus, who tested it, and it's reading 15.5 volts.

Any ideas on how to get this unit going? I would like to use it, on my SRT's. I have M2, 25&25B, and focal-plane #26 bulbs to fire in it.
 

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redisburning said:
ignore him, he is the most obvious troll on the forum and one of the more confrontational ones at that. if you need help putting him on your ignore list, let me know.

I mean if you stepped in dog excrement you wouldn't stop to argue with it, would you?
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Don't worry. I won't be commenting on any of his posts. I've seen others by him and agree with you.

I now have 2 in my ignore list...
 
Nokton48 said:
I just received this Minolta SRT original Flashgun Deluxe III, apparently new in carrying case and original instruction book (notice the SRT on the cover). I put an Eveready #505 15V battery in the unit, but it doesn't fire. It has the original capacitor in good visual shape, and I took the battery to Batteries Plus, who tested it, and it's reading 15.5 volts.

Any ideas on how to get this unit going? I would like to use it, on my SRT's. I have M2, 25&25B, and focal-plane #26 bulbs to fire in it.
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Have you checked the wiring to see if any connections are broken? Also check the pc end for proper fit and that the center post is present..
 
Who was the genius that decided to use the string pulleys for the tell tale circle in the SRT? I've just got the meter needle of my newest acquistion working fairly well, now I have to try to get this preposterous design failure onto its pulleys and running sweetly. Now I remember why I like German SLRs better than Japanese ones. And people reckon a Contaflex is hard to work on. Give me a break...I've said it before and will say it again--these Minoltas may be pretty on the outside, but they are pig ugly inside.
 
Nokton48 said:
Sarcophilus Harrisii said:
I've just got the meter needle of my newest acquistion working fairly well, now I have to try to get this preposterous design failure onto its pulleys and running sweetly. /QUOTE]

I must say, you have more patience than I do😀 I pay someone else to work on mine.

Here is the factory service manual. The metering system starts on page 27:

http://acuravigorclub.com/Minolta/SRT-101ServiceManual.pdf
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Yes, I've got that--thanks. To its credit the manual is very big on diagrams and part numbers, but was clearly written back in the days when translations of Japanese text were, well, quaint. But I've sort of got the idea, I think. I hit a hurdle at the 11th hour, after getting the meter needle to respond to light correctly again. Rather irritating.

The first time is always the hardest, whether it's a Rollei, a Contaflex or a Bessamatic. It usually gets easier after that. I still prefer the German way of gears and shafts, rather than pulleys and bits of string that resemble a mad woman's macrame, though.
Cheers,
Brett
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The SRT101 is finally coming good. I had to persuade the Av & Tv strings back into their respective routes from pulley to pulley, but eventually, it all looked sweet. Then the two-pronged marker for the shutter speed display in the viewfinder came adrift from its pulley, so I had to remove the viewfinder eyepiece and reset it. At least the spacing between the shutter increments is perfect now, as it was a bit wonky previously. I managed to re-attach it to its string and tweak it into the correct position. A small dab of contact adhesive should keep it there.

Getting the shutter speed dial and ASA adjuster back together was painful, as the manual suggested 1/30 & ASA 50 as a starting point. No matter what I did, I couldn't get the full range of ASA to select. Eventually I decided to ignore the manual and found that 1/125 is the sweet spot in the range (which, when assembled at this speed, starts you off at the max meter ASA of 6400). I was able to select the full ASA range at all shutter speed settings that way. A win.

I had the circle lever in the VF that is coupled to the Av & Tv perfectly matched to the one in an immaculate, unmolested SRT I acquired last month. The light meter needle was a little out, but I was able to calibrate it to the good SRT with the two trim pots inside the lower cover and it now corresponds at high, medium, and low EVs.

I was just beginning to congratulate myself on a job well done, when the shutter dial started to misbehave, and wouldn't move far. Removing the shutter and ASA dials from the control knob failed to improve things. I decided, depressingly, that I would have to remove the top cover (again). After which I was greeted by the sight of a broken Tv string. Bugger!!

Mr Minolta makes a point of stating in the repair manual that the string length has to be bang on (plus or minus a millimetre). With a spare old 101 body on hand, I nicked the Tv string from that and, cleverly, before I had it fitted, turned the left pulley just far enough to dismount the Av string, thus ensuring I had the pleasure of doing both strings all over again. Oh bliss.

Eventually both strings capitulated, and I was able to calibrate (again) the circle pointer in the viewfinder. I'll have to do a parallax check on the viewfinder lens before the top cover goes on, and then, fingers crossed, it will actually be back together and working.

It's been a very long day. I'm off to bed now.
Cheers,
Brett
 
The SRT101 is back together now and working well. If I was really keen, perhaps I should have removed the auxiliary prisms for the meter cells and cleaned and reattached them, because the original cement looks spotty and is becoming opaque, likely the cause of needing to re-calibrate the meter for accuracy. But never having delved too deeply into one before and having had to stuff around with the pulleys ad nauseum after one of the strings breaking, I've had enough of their insides for one week and just wanted to get it back together and working, which I've done. I learned a lot along the way which is always good, and this should put me in the position of being able to take on future prospects with a few issues at the right price.
Cheers,
Brett
 
Now the Minolta SRT Deluxe III Flashgun works!

Now the Minolta SRT Deluxe III Flashgun works!

As you can see from the freshly-burned flashbulb, my Minolta SRT Deluxe III Flashgun has suddenly "woken-up". The test circuitry works AOK (it lights up orange if the bulb, battery and sockets are making good contacts, so you don't waste any film).

Purchased for $5 on Ebay. So I'm back in business, my first one stopped working, as well. This one still has the original cap in it, I went to Radio Shack and put a new cap in the first unit. But no-go after a while. Hence, this second unit. Recently I picked up some focal plane #26B flashbulbs and was looking forward to playing with them.

The fact that this stuff can always be restored and repaired never ceases to amaze me.
 

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Here is one from my first roll of black and white in a Minolta. Not the example I recently repaired, as I am yet to use that particular one. The roll was exposed using another 101 body I acquired a couple of months ago, ex-ebay.

Film is Ilford Pan F Plus in Ilford ID-11
Lens was Rokkor 50mm f/1.7, can't recall if it was my MC or MD type. The scene is Victoria Dock in Hobart, Tasmania, home of the local lobster fishing fleet.
Cheers,
Brett
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Here is something you won't see every day.

The motorized Minolta SR-M for what I think is a very fair price. About what I paid for my second body, which I sort of fell-into. See my avatar. This one looks like it could use new coverings, and has some user wear. These things are TANKS and in my opinion are very collectable. 🙂 I always have a kneejerk reaction when I see any SR-M. There are not that many around.

Not affiliated with the seller in any way

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...keTrack=true&ssPageName=VIP:watchlink:top:en:
 
Greg Stelz is a name new to me -- he specializes in Minoltas? Always good to know about experienced repairers, so if he has a website or other contact information, that would be good to share with the group.
 
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