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Steve T.
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, February 14, 2005 - 06:36 pm: | 
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Minolta XG1 with 50mm 1.4 Rokkor X. The lens was installed correctly it looks like, in other words, it wasn't forced on incorrectly. But the lens release button will not release the lens.
Also, the meter coupling device on the body seems to be stuck, so you can't change the aperture on the lens.
On the plus side, the camera still works, on that one aperture setting anyway.
I bought it (in this condition) for the 50mm 1.4 Rokkor X lens, primarily. If I could get the lens off the body I would be thrilled, brcause I'm sure it's a nice lens. The XG1 body would be OK too, but it's not as important to me because I already have an X-700 Minolta.
Any help or suggestions are appreciated. |
rick
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, February 14, 2005 - 08:18 pm: |
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It sounds like somehow the aperture stop-down pin on the lens has gotten stuck on the wrong side of the mating link in the body. What happens if you push the Depth of Field button? Try and see if fiddling with that can free the lens.
This doesn't look like a very accessible place when there's a lens on the camera, I don't know if there's much choice other than to force the lens off and then repair the linkage damaged in the process. |
Steve T.
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, February 14, 2005 - 09:23 pm: |
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The XG1 doesn't have a Depth of Field button.
I've partially figured it out. The MD lenses have those tabs on the aperture ring that engage the metering thing on the body (it's a rotating ring on the mount). That ring is stiff, like it's gummed up. The camera probably sat for years. I've got it so it will move back and forth, but it's still stiff, not moving easily like it should. I assume the lens release tab (which is in the same area on a Minolta) is gummed up too.
I know you aren't supposed to oil any part of a camera, but what about a drop or two of alcohol? Might that loosen it up?
No, I don't think I want to force anything. The lens might get damaged doing that, and it's a nice lens. |
Ezio
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, February 15, 2005 - 12:20 am: |
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Rather than alcohol which might have some damagaging effect on plastic parts, you could try with lighter fluid. This is normally very good at loosening gummed parts. In a desperate situation you may even use oil, and if this let the lens go free then wash it immediately with lighter fluid to remove the oil. But if the oil has got the time to migrate inside the lens and deposit itself on the inner glass surfaces, you are in deep trouble. |
Steve T.
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, February 15, 2005 - 12:42 am: |
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I got it loose!
I used lighter fluid. The lens release button was probably working fine all the while, because it works fine now. I guess the lens was simply stuck on the mounting ring. It probably sat unused with that lens on for years. The lens is OK, the body can be cleaned to become OK, because it seems to be fine and working except for that sluggish and gummed up meter coupling ring (?). Not sure how it would get that way, but it is.
It looks like you can take the mounting ring apart by the phillips head screws on the ring, and perhaps separate the parts for a good cleaning. Emphasis on looks like. I've never done it before. |
Lee C.
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, February 15, 2005 - 07:30 pm: |
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If this were an SRT series I would bet that the string that connects the apature ring to the match needle in the camera has jumped a pully. This string (assuming the XG1 has a similar setup) can be accessed by removing the top cover. Good luck. |
Steve Hall
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, February 15, 2005 - 08:39 pm: |
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Steve, The XG-1 aperture ring is relatively easy to remove and clean. If the mount was that gunked up the aperture resistor probably could use a cleaning also. The only cautions are the little spring fingers on the back of the aperture ring that wipe the aperture resistor and the long coil spring that attaches to the ring and the body and keeps the ring in contact with the aperture tab on the lens.
Remove the four phillips head screws. carefully lift the lens mounting ring straight up out of the body paying attention to its orientation. The wavy washer looking ring can be left in place. The aperture ring is now free. While holding the ring against the body, rotate it a little clockwise and lift the top up away from the body until the contact fingers clear and then just lift the ring clear. The coil spring should still be attached. Note where the spring is attached in case it comes off and you have to reinstall it.
You can clean the area with alcohol or lighter fluid. Be sure to clean the back side of the lens mounting ring, particularly the little shoulder on the back side that guides the aperture ring (this us where the gunk usually hides that binds up the ring). The aperture resistor is the curved ceramic piece at the top of the lens opening and should only be cleaned with a fresh Q-tip dipped in alcohol or lighter fluid. Also CAREFULLY clean the little spring fingers on the back of the aperture ring. I use a Q-tip and alcohol.
The installation is just the reverse of the above with one exception. Getting the aperture ring back into place and getting the spring tucked into its cavity can be challenging. Be careful of the contact springs when installing the ring.
I hope this helps. |
Steve T.
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, February 16, 2005 - 07:20 am: |
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Thank you all for your help.
The lens turned out to be only so-so. It seems to have nearly invisible scratches on the glass. I can't see them by looking at the lens from the front, but holding to light and looking through the lens from the back, they show up.
The body? I was cleaning it and things were going great, then I got up off the chair and my clothing snagged the camera's strap. The camera body crashed to the floor and cracked. That body would have been fine, if not for my mishap/stupidity. I put the mounting ring back together and it worked fine, but now it's just a parts camera, or perhaps the top plate could be replaced from another parts camera and it would be good again. The XG1 is not a very expensive camera though, so it's not worth putting much at all into it.
This is the first camera I've dropped, but I've learned something important from this.
Either remove the strap while working on a camera, or pay attention and keep the strap out of the way! |
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