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Rhughes
Tinkerer
Username: Rhughes
Post Number: 3
Registered: 05-2010
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, May 15, 2010 - 12:31 pm: | 
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I have recently acquired a very nice Minolta XK. The meter appears responds OK and seems to control shutter speed ok on Auto. The problem is that the meter scale is only visible when I hold the scale illumination window under a bright light. Is this typical with the XK meter? Can it be easily fixed, do I use the camera on Auto, look for a replacement meter or put it on a shelf?
Bob Hughes
New Member |
Mndean
Tinkerer
Username: Mndean
Post Number: 229
Registered: 08-2007
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, May 15, 2010 - 02:33 pm: |
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It may be that the prism has desilvered in that area or the mirror is not correctly directing the light beam down due to desilvering or misalignment. Mind you, these are guesses.The scale is illuminated through a translucent white window in the meter head and is the standard CdS meter head? I don't think I've ever seen disassembly instructions for it, but that doesn't mean they aren't out there.
I'd say if you can't (or won't) disassemble it then make it a shelf queen, as long as you have another viewfinder before relegating this one to the shelf. I've seen them for sale, but less often than bodies. Using it on auto is a compromise for the time being, as long as it's accurate. I don't think this is very typical, but XE viewfinders have prisms that can desilver, so it's not unknown in the Minolta world. |
Teraforce88
Tinkerer
Username: Teraforce88
Post Number: 15
Registered: 08-2009
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, May 15, 2010 - 09:55 pm: |
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With the XK, the finders and focusing screens are user interchangeable, just like on a Nikon F or F2, or on a Canon F-1. Try finding a different finder/focusing screens first to see if it is indeed the finder (which it probably is).
Now, I'm not sure if the meter scale is illuminated by the finder itself or if it has its own light-pipe. If it is the former, then its most likely a desilvering issue. If it is the latter, then it might be an optics issue with the way the scale is illuminated (broken or deteriorated light-pipe, etc.) |
Richsbv
Tinkerer
Username: Richsbv
Post Number: 1
Registered: 05-2010
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, May 18, 2010 - 11:34 pm: |
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This is not an uncommon problem with old AE finders.
Under the cover is a plastic light-pipe that points to a small mirror mounted to the assembly, not the cover, about 2 to 3mm as I remember. This tiny mirror has a tendency to fall off when the glue fails. If you gently shake the finder, you will probably hear the mirror rattle. It's a fairly easy task to remove the cover and re-glue that mirror. You do have to take off the dial on top first, held on by s small screw. Just about any decent glue will hold the mirror back on. Be careful not to lose it when you take off the cover!
I did this once, so just about anyone can do it...
I would offer the pages of the service manual, but it would only consist of a very poor diagram and two lines that say take off the dial and cover...
And if anyone ever finds a reputable service person that can CLA and repair XK's, please let me know. They are my favorite camera and they're getting pretty old now (like me)...
P.S. Been reading here for longer than I remember but this XK thing was the first time I thought I could contribute anything... |
Oddrishshyo
Tinkerer
Username: Oddrishshyo
Post Number: 1
Registered: 05-2013
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, May 15, 2013 - 08:47 am: |
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Thanks a lot Richbv! have been guestimating my shutter speeds since I experienced the same problem last year. I couldn't find the mirror inside the finder but some nicely shaped aluminium foil did the trick for me. Metering looks almost as good as it used to. |
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