lawnpotter
Well-known
Hi I have a polaroid 100 and it seems the shutter is sticking. With out film I exercised the shutter and it seemed to start working, but once I put the film in, the results were bad. Has any body worked on the shutters on these cameras?
Thanks
Thanks
Dwig
Well-known
Saying "the results were bad" is of absolutely no help. Exactly what was wrong with the prints?
There is nothing in a Polaroid 100 that senses the presence of film so there is no way that loading film changed the way the shutter functioned.
The best quick check of the shutter's function is to cover the meter cell with your finder and seeing if the camera makes a rather long exposure when fired. You hear two clicks (one for opening and one for closing) and be able to see light through the lens during the "exposure".
Common failure points on most of the 100, 200, 300, & 400 series:
If there has been a history of batteries leaking, simply cleaning the battery contacts is very often not enough. The corrosive material leaking from the battery will very often wick up into the wire causing it to fail inside of its insulation. The only solution is to replace the wire, either all of it or at least a long enough length to get past the corrosion.
There is nothing in a Polaroid 100 that senses the presence of film so there is no way that loading film changed the way the shutter functioned.
The best quick check of the shutter's function is to cover the meter cell with your finder and seeing if the camera makes a rather long exposure when fired. You hear two clicks (one for opening and one for closing) and be able to see light through the lens during the "exposure".
Common failure points on most of the 100, 200, 300, & 400 series:
- weak or dead battery
- corroded battery terminals
- corroded wiring leading from the battery terminals
- dirty switch contacts in the shutter
If there has been a history of batteries leaking, simply cleaning the battery contacts is very often not enough. The corrosive material leaking from the battery will very often wick up into the wire causing it to fail inside of its insulation. The only solution is to replace the wire, either all of it or at least a long enough length to get past the corrosion.
lawnpotter
Well-known
Thanks for the reply Dwig
Thanks for the reply Dwig
By bad I mean either totally black, partially black or sometimes (as in 2 minutes ago) perfectly fine. Last week, with no film in the camera I looked through the camera and fired shutter. At first I saw no light but the more I fired the shutter it got better and consistent. Batteries are new and not rusted any where. I will check out the dirty switch contacts like you mentioned. Thanks
Thanks for the reply Dwig
By bad I mean either totally black, partially black or sometimes (as in 2 minutes ago) perfectly fine. Last week, with no film in the camera I looked through the camera and fired shutter. At first I saw no light but the more I fired the shutter it got better and consistent. Batteries are new and not rusted any where. I will check out the dirty switch contacts like you mentioned. Thanks
Dwig
Well-known
The inconsistent results with the failures being totally black points strongly toward the switch in the shutter housing. These have very thin delicate plating so be careful cleaning it. If the plating is abraded away they will oxidize quickly making the camera unreliable until replacements are installed.