Newbiw rangefinder question

[radiobob]

I have a Minolta 7S that I picked up at a garage sale a couple years ago. I'm just starting in photography so I have a question. This camera is in good shape, except for a cracked view finder glass, it doesn't look to have been used much, if it was it was well taken care of. But it sat on a dusty book shelf in a smoking environment for quite a while. I cleaned a lot of dust off of the outside and it looks good, the inside looks clean as well, but I'm wondering if it's safe to go ahead and start using. Should I have it cleaned and adjusted first? If so, do camera shops still work on these? What would it cost? I know these go cheap on Ebay and such, but I still would like to just care for the one I already have and don't want to mess it up. Also, what about availability of lens hood and filters and lenses? Thanks!

Bob

 

[ch1]

Shoot a roll or two and see how the camera performs and what kind of results you get. That will enable you to make an informed decision as to whether to spend $ on a full CLA.

 

[radiobob]

Thanks for the reply George. I plan to do that, though as a beginner I'm not sure about my evaluation skills. I'm worried most about dust or dirt inside and on the lens mechanisms wearing down parts, though as I said everything looks pretty clean. One thing I notice is the forward lever has tension when you first move it and them lets off quickly, feels kinda weird and mushy to me but what do I know, it does work O.K. And I wonder how easy these are knocked out of adjustment internally by jostling and careless storage.

Bob

 

[louis]

If it's the Hi-Matic 7S, then that was my first 35mm camera. It was a good camera, similar to the Konica Auto S2 or the Canonet GII7 It takes 55mm thread filters which are easily available. My next camera was a Minolta SRT102 and many Minolta lenses also took 55mm thread filters. You'll have no trouble getting filters.

If the meter breaks, I think the shutter will still fire at all speeds. Over time, I found that my lens wobbled slightly but it didn't seem to affect the pictures.

My only complaint was that it was big for a non-interchangeable lens camera. I now use an SLR and an Olympus XA, which was a tiny, slip into your pocket, full frame 35mm rangefinder. I gave away the 7s a few years ago.

 

[back alley]

if you can find someone locally who is willing to work on these older, fixed lens cameras it will likely cost about 80 to 100 bucks for a good cla (clean, lube adjust).

i had my oly 35rc done a few years ago and it was 100 cdn.

there are a few gents here that might do it and for less money.

joe

 

[jonasv]

If you can't fix/CLA it yourself, I think you'd be better off selling it to someone who can for a low price and getting another one yourself. The price of that camera in good condition is less than that of a CLA.

The Minolta 7s was my first film camera. It's wonderfull. I still use mine, though I have to admit I usually prefer my Yashica Electro's or my XA. I do however believe that the Rokkor on the 7s is a slightly better lens than the reputed DX Color-Yashinons on the Yashicas. Just slightly. I like the looks of the out-of-focus areas a bit better, and it seems to be just a tad sharper wide open. Maybe I have an exceptionally good one, but the optical quality is amazing.

 

[jonasv]

I'm sorry, I didn't read your first post all that attentively. If it looks good, why not try and start using it? Mine is one of the very first ones (it was my dad's camera, he bought it when they were just new) and it's still going perfectly without ever needing a CLA. I did recently put some new foam at the film compartment edges, just because I didn't like the gummy looks of the previous foam - it never affected image quality though.

Nothing to lose if you just shoot some film through it! I think that's what I am going to do right now, actually... 😉

 

[Trius]

Bob: The easiest thing to do is shoot some C41 colour or b&w (Kodak B&W C41 or Ilford XP2 Super) and see what happens. Just set the exposure to auto (The A on the shutter and aperture dials), but make sure you have a fresh battery for the meter. It needs either a PX625 mercury battery (1.35v), which is now illegal in most of hte world, or a zinc-air (1.4v) equivalent.