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Lonytynch
Tinkerer
Username: Lonytynch
Post Number: 1
Registered: 03-2007
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, March 20, 2007 - 08:05 pm: | 
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I just paid literally $140 to get a Minolta SRT-201 back into perfect working order for a photography class I'm taking. I could have bought one off ebay for cheaper than that, but alas I just wanted to fix the one I already had. I got it back today and shot two rolls worth of film just to see how it would come out. When I developed it, the same problem was still happening: I had no pictures exposed on the negatives, just faint streaks and the information above and below these streaks to indicate the film was processed properly. What could be the problem here? Obviously I need to take it back and get a refund because it wasn't in the proper working order they implied it would be, but what do you guys think could be the problem? Is this something fixable? |
Rick_oleson
Tinkerer
Username: Rick_oleson
Post Number: 206
Registered: 07-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, March 20, 2007 - 08:36 pm: |
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Open the camera back, remove the lens and hold the camera up to a light; fire the shutter at all speeds while looking through it. You should see the light clearly and uniformly at all speeds (though it will look dimmer at the fastest speeds). From your description you should see practically nothing through the shutter. If you do see light through it, repeat the process (at the faster speeds) using your TV screen as the light source; look at http://rick_oleson.tripod.com/index-135.html to see how things should look. If it looks right here, your shutter is good.
Next put the lens back on, set it to f/16 and repeat the process (not using the TV this time though) at a middle speed like 1/60 or 1/125. You should see an f/16-size spot of light (about 1/8" in diameter); it should not change in size as you look at it through the shutter (you can also try slower speeds to confirm that it holds a steady size).
If things still look okay, about the only remaining cause is the film failing to go through the camera. The most common cause of this is the leader slipping off of the takeup spool after loading. Did you feel the wind lever refuse to advance at the end of each of your 2 rolls, or did you just shoot the number of frames you had on the roll and then stop and rewind? If the latter, it's possible that the film never passed through the camera. It can happen, I've done it ..... |
Wernerjb
Tinkerer
Username: Wernerjb
Post Number: 108
Registered: 07-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, March 21, 2007 - 01:26 am: |
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Hi, all it takes to be able to repair your favourite SLRs is info by people like Rick, some appropriate tools and the right attitude. I never thought it was possible for ordinary mortals to be better than those expert "experts" in the repair business, but it definitely is. What you experienced with "professional" repair people is not unusual. I can't help thinking that nowadays one has the the choice only between awfully expensive very sophisticated arrogant repairers on the one hand and absolutely ignorant phoney repair shops on the other, there is nothing else on the market in my reach.
Try this link http://www.willegal.net/photo/srt/srt-operation.htm and find out for yourself if you are courageous to go deeper into the matter, W. |
Krp
Tinkerer
Username: Krp
Post Number: 32
Registered: 07-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, March 21, 2007 - 08:24 am: |
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Rick's answer is spot on. A bit of testing may prove invaluable
Certainly at 140$, a warranty came with the repairs? If so, any attempts to make repairs on your own would void that.
BTW: I've never charged more than 65$ for any SRT repair, and I thought that was a bit high for the value of the camera.
Kevin |
Rick_oleson
Tinkerer
Username: Rick_oleson
Post Number: 207
Registered: 07-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, March 21, 2007 - 05:00 pm: |
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By all means, make the repairer make this good - you paid PLENTY for it. But it's best, if possible, to have as good an idea as possible of exactly what's wrong with it before you go back. |
Wernerjb
Tinkerer
Username: Wernerjb
Post Number: 109
Registered: 07-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, March 22, 2007 - 05:10 am: |
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I wasn't opting for a DIY repair in this case, of course not, as asking for refund first is the most reasonable thing to do.
But at present I would never give a camera away for repair because what I experienced in similar cases is that you are either literally exploited of half of your money for a repair that does not deserve that name or you are told that a camera is beyond repair or a repair is no longer possible for lack of parts etc., respectively.
So I was just trying to explain what one can do if everything else fails or cannot be opted for, W. |
Rick_oleson
Tinkerer
Username: Rick_oleson
Post Number: 208
Registered: 07-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, March 22, 2007 - 04:47 pm: |
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If it comes to that, I'll be happy to donate some sketches on how to disassemble it.... |
