| Author |
Message |
    
Pushbutton
Tinkerer
Username: Pushbutton
Post Number: 2
Registered: 11-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, November 06, 2006 - 02:05 am: | 
|
My daughter borrowed the camera last weekend and after 1/2 dozen photos she said the viewfinder went black. Her student photography friend had a look and pulled down the top mirror !! Now the view is all blurred and the centre focus ring is dark.
This camera has been a friend for over 20 years, with NO other problems and I don't want to lose it.
1: What caused the orginal blackout ?
2: Is the camera damaged by the pulling down of the mirror ? I am sure it is not sitting correctly and wont stay up.
Any help or advice would be great.
Tried to download the repair manual, but it didn't work.
Have had cameras for over 35 years, yet have never had cause to pull any apart,probably lucky, after the early boxes and toys, I scored a Leica from a relative, then this Minolta. |
Pushbutton
Tinkerer
Username: Pushbutton
Post Number: 3
Registered: 11-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, November 06, 2006 - 06:23 am: |
|
ok, checked my manual (very long time no see) and think I have a handle on mirror op, but the view is still black or very out of focus, interchanging between them.
Whats up ? |
Glenn
Tinkerer
Username: Glenn
Post Number: 92
Registered: 07-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, November 06, 2006 - 05:44 pm: |
|
Sounds like the mirror and/or screen have been displaced/damaged. As I am not familiar with the adjustments on the 101, cannot tell you how to proceed with the re-alignment. |
Krp
Tinkerer
Username: Krp
Post Number: 7
Registered: 07-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, November 06, 2006 - 08:49 pm: |
|
There are a couple of possibilities. The 101 has a mirror up lever on the right side of the mirror box near the self timer lever. If this was engaged and then the mirror was pulled down by hand, then some bending has occured. There is also the possibilty that the shutter curtain speeds are not quite up to specs. The 2nd curtain at the end of its travel turns a small nylon (hard plastic in early versions) gear in the bottom of the camera. Its known as the 'kick' gear and it has a small tab that trips the mirror release lever to allow the mirror to return to the resting postion. If the kick gear didn't complete the cycle or is damaged, then pulling it down by hand likely caused damage the the mirror box. Either way, its a fairly big job |
Pushbutton
Tinkerer
Username: Pushbutton
Post Number: 4
Registered: 11-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, November 07, 2006 - 03:40 am: |
|
repair beyond amateur ? |
Wernerjb
Tinkerer
Username: Wernerjb
Post Number: 39
Registered: 07-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, November 07, 2006 - 08:46 am: |
|
Hey pushbutton, I have had my Minolta gear (several SRs and SR-Ts) since the mid-70s and can thus fully empathize with your being worried about the loss (which I think it is). Unfortunately I cannot help you because I have never repaired one of the Minolta SLRs, simply because there was no need to do that. But I know what I would do if I were you, which is getting myself two 101s off ebay (there are numerous good ones on offer there), a fully functional one as a replacement camera for daily use, and a junker for spare parts. I would then try to find info on the net how to dismantle, learn to repair and reassemble the defective one(s). This is similar to what I did when I started tinkering with RF cameras, and this is what I will do one day in a not too distant future with SLRs, as repair shops capable of professional repair are scarce and (too) expensive, good luck, W. |
Pushbutton
Tinkerer
Username: Pushbutton
Post Number: 5
Registered: 11-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, November 07, 2006 - 12:28 pm: |
|
Yeah, looks bad, I now see that the mirror lock up button doesn't go back to the vertical, (red dot), locking at about 1 o'clock.
So while the lock up works, the setting must be out, putting the mirror (and focus) out when it drops.
But still what caused the original blackout ?
Was it the mirror button being knocked ? |
Pushbutton
Tinkerer
Username: Pushbutton
Post Number: 6
Registered: 11-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, November 07, 2006 - 01:51 pm: |
|
Looks like it is the mirror sit.
When looking thru the body (no lens) and out the viewfinder, it is blurred but with a light push down, the view is PERFECT.
So it must be that the mirror needs to drop just a fraction more. A arm or lever slightly bent ? |
Krp
Tinkerer
Username: Krp
Post Number: 8
Registered: 07-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, November 07, 2006 - 03:04 pm: |
|
Yes, the mirror lock up button moves a small arm on the side of the mirror box. If it was indeed knocked (engaged) and then the mirror pulled down, well, you see the way the button sits now.
The repair would require removing the top cover and then the front plate. There are several tricky points to do this type of repair.
If you wish to attempt this yourself, let me know. I can walk you through it but it is time consuming. |
Pushbutton
Tinkerer
Username: Pushbutton
Post Number: 7
Registered: 11-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, November 09, 2006 - 08:12 pm: |
|
Ok, have taken apart plenty of car engines and such, but figure this more like a watch!
I have a set of jewellers screwdrivers, what else is required.
Problems:
Lots of springs ?
Remember all the settings ?
I would think because of actual use, LIGHT leakage or tight seals must be part of it.
oor is it a case of basically taking the WHOLE thing apart ?
***
What happens to the mirror when a photo is taken?
Does it spring up ?
Could I force the mirror control button up, maybe correcting the arm in process ? |
