Repair Yashica Drive light meter

[mister_ju]

Hello,

I have a Fujica Drive (half frame RF) that was used by my father and that I'd like to put through some rolls.
The camera seems globally OK when in manual mode, but the light meter (selenium kind...) is not responding for use in auto mode : in the range finder, the needle for speed stays at the bottom.

Does anyone have any information on how to dismantle the camera ? I can't seem to find any useful information on the Internet.

Thanks in advance.

 

[farlymac]

Is this camera like the Minimatic-C, where the only use for manual settings is when a flash is being used, and the Auto feature is supposed to govern things normally? I made the mistake of putting the Minimatic-C in manual, and it set the default flash sync speed at 1/30 (or maybe it's 1/25, I don't remember). So I think without the selenium cell working properly, you may not be able to use the camera except for flash pictures.

Some selenium cells are just clipped in (and you can clean the contacts to get them to come back to life), while others are hard wired, and when they go, they're gone for good. Moisture is the biggest killer, as some cells might not have been properly sealed.

I couldn't find a good reference for the Drive (though I've seen the name before), so maybe that was a home market moniker, and it was called something else for export. See if it matches an image of the 72-E, or the Mimy. You might have better luck getting info on one of those cameras.

PF

 

[mister_ju]

Well, I got the brand wrong.... It's not a yashica, it's a FUJICA.
I changed the post accordingly

The Auto mode is used for flash I think, but not only.
If you set the aperture to 'A' setting, it also sets the speed to 'A'.
But, you can manually select any aperture you want and use 'A' speed, and that's what I'd like to be able to do.

If only I knew how to disassemble it.... I could have a look at the selenium cell.

 

[farlymac]

I knew I'd heard that Drive name before. Glad we got that all sorted out.

Some info I found:

http://828882783155.blog62.fc2.com/blog-entry-265.html

http://mojiner.exblog.jp/11511205

http://kanscamera.sakura.ne.jp/html/p260.html

They are all in Japanese, and with page translators being the way they are, you should get a good enough idea of what is going on from the photos.

You have to remove the front coverings to get at the mounting screws underneath to take off the front shell.

And here is a user manual that covers many Fujica cameras. The Drive is mentioned in the last page of Part 1, but the manual states it's the same as the Fujica Half with the addition of the wind-up motor, which is already covered. Of course, you can always download both sections to have all the information available.

http://www.butkus.org/chinon/fujica/fujica_35mm_guide_1967/fujica_35mm_guide.htm

Hope you get it working again.

PF

 

[mister_ju]

Thank you a lot farlymac, these links are exactly what I was looking for, but being in Japanese, I would have never found them.

I'll try this approach soon, although I'm a bit scared to remove the front cover... I don't know how it will end up in the end.

As for tha manual, I already had it, but it'll serve as a reminder for anyone looking at this thread.