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Scott
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, June 13, 2005 - 10:11 am: | 
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Hi everyone this site is great. I hope someone can lead me in the right direction. I just bought a Minolta himatic 7s. It is in near perfect cosmetic condition and I can't believe it doesn't work. The problem is with the shutter- it doesn't open when the button is depressed. It was working sporadically but now nothing. I really think it's some linkage issue dealing with the shutter button release as I have seen it work properly for a short while. I am hesitant to take such a beautiful camera apart but if I can't use it it does me no good. Any suggestions would be appreciated. I've looked at the other postings regarding Himatics and am concerned about losing proper lens focus if I start by disassembling the lens. Furthermore I have seen the shutter open and the aperature blades stop down in conjuction with each other and also just the aperature work alone. |
charlie
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, June 13, 2005 - 12:45 pm: |
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Is this the case in both automatic and manual modes?
If only in automatic have you checked the battery? |
CJ
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, June 13, 2005 - 11:55 pm: |
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Hi Scott,
My Hi-Matic 7s--also in excellent cosmetic condition--has the very same problem.
That being the case, it's my guess that the 7s has some 'fatal flaw' where some sort of mechanical linkage becomes detached or slips a cog or something. I haven't taken mine apart yet. I can hear the sound of the shutter releasing, but the leaves do not move.
FWIW, I shot a test roll with this camera; the entire roll was unexposed except one of the last frames, so yes, it appears to me that this is a relatively minor problem, and one which doesn't take much to occur. The key is to not turn the camera into a disaster case trying to get to the problem.
Please keep us posted on this; if you're successful in getting the shutter to function again, it would be great to have a record of that fix in the archive.
-CJ |
Scott
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, June 14, 2005 - 07:27 am: |
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Hi,
I think the problem you guys are describing is actually the dirty-blade syndrome, which is very common on metal-bladed shutters. I've had the exact same problem many times, and almost every time, all it took was cleaning the blades.
IF that's your problem, it's the result of oil, grease, or dirt on the blades which is preventing the spring from returning the blades to their open position. That spring is so weak that it doesn't take much oil, etc. to make them stick together. In the "articles" section of this website, there are good instructions for cleaning baldes like this. One of the articles involves a Canonet, and the other a Konica S2, but the basic problem and remedy is the same for your Minolta. Besides a few drops of lighter fluid and some long tweezers, you'll need an adjustable lens spanner and maybe a set of precision screwdrivers to get access to the blades. Good luck. |
Scott
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, June 15, 2005 - 02:13 pm: |
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If oil on the blades is the issue I find it strange that it was working some of the time. I must have gotten mine to work consistently about 6 to 10 times. I'll check out the other articles and see what I can do. I will aslo tear apart my himatic that I bought off ebay that's only worth parts. I guess I didn't overpay for a junk camera for nothing and it's a good thing I didn't throw it out although I was considering it. Thanks for the info. |
CJ
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, June 15, 2005 - 06:37 pm: |
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To All:
I suspect, as other have noted in this thread, that my 7s has dirty or gummed up blades.
I have no problem with getting down to the blades themselves, but having dealt with the same problem on my Auto S2, I'm looking for suggestions (actual recipes and procedures) on how to flood the aperture & shutter blades.
I've flooded the aperture blades numerous times on my Auto S2, but I think I need to take more drastic action: I'm going to take the camera out to the back yard, spritz Ronsonol into the blades, and blow the liquid out moments later with canned air.
I've found that merely flooding the blades--then letting the camera sit and dry out--isn't working for me. The Ronsonol just dries in-place, along with the grit or lubricant.
Is this a correct assumtion? Can anybody suggest a better procedure?
-CJ |
Scott
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, June 16, 2005 - 09:39 am: |
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I'm speaking only from my own experience...but I think "flooding" with any solvent is the wrong approach. It usually only takes a few drops at a time. In most cases, you really only need to clean the exposed surfaces of the blades. Even though they might look clean, they can still have enough gunk on them to stick.
I think squirting solvent into a shutter only makes the problem worse. The small amount of lubricant that is where it should be (focus threads, certain friction and pivot points inside the shutter, etc.) gets flushed onto surfaces where it will cause problems. I once squirted a lot of lighter fluid into a shutter (without the lens, and removed from the camera) over a period of days, and never did get it working right. I think it was an early 60s Minolta A5. The result was that it WOULD work, but ONLY until the solvent evaporated.
My advice: First, remove the front lens elements. The front lens is in two pieces (groups) on the Hi-Matic 7s, I believe. Then swab the blades with a tiny, rolled-up wad of tissue dampened (not saturated) with solvent. Then use another wad, and another, until you've got it very clean. If that doesn't fix it, then take out the rear lens group and do the same thing from the back.
If that doesn't do it, then the only way might be a complete disassembly and cleaning |
CJ
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, June 18, 2005 - 12:14 am: |
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Scott: Thank you for the info & suggestions. I'll revisit my S2 Konica S2 problem and try that. |
scott
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, June 20, 2005 - 12:37 pm: |
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Hi guys. This weekend I tore apart my himatic that was for sacraficial purposes only. The shutter is working on this one. Before I accept the oil on the shutter blades theory as the problem with my other one let me tell you about something. On working Himatics as you wind the film advance there is a noise almost like the ticking when you release the self timer. It happens at the begining of the stroke. On mine that is not working that noise is not present and the advance lever is very slow to return. This combination leads me to believe that something somewhere is disconnected or hung up. I do not know how to remove the entire lens assembly in order look and see what might be happening. If anyone has some directions on safe removal please let me know.
Also if anyone has a dirty viewfinder on the himatic and they want to clean it it is very easy. Just remove the top cover, get some canned air and gently blow all the dust away. Then take a q tip moistened with lens cleaning fluid and GENTLY clean the inner viewfinder surfaces including the one on the inside of the top cover housing. Reassemble and it should be as good as new. I did this on my fathers that he bought in 1966 and it is as good as new. I'm currently running a roll of film through it and we'll see how it comes out.
Best and let me know.
Scott |
Jon Flanders
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, July 04, 2005 - 06:28 pm: |
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My formula for the Hi-Matic, I've cleaned two 9s, is to remove the front lens element, put several drops of lighter fluid on the shutter blades, fire the shutter several times, then swab up the fluid with a q tip. Keep firing the shutter until the fluid is all swabbed up.
Then repeat, and repeat. It might take three days to get all the dried lube off the blades.
I don't put the lens element back until I am sure that the shutter fires when dry, which means leaving it overnight and trying it the next day.
As I said, you might need a few days. Patience and lots of q tips is the key. |
WernerJB
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, July 05, 2005 - 09:48 am: |
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I fully share Jon's advice about the continuous repetition of the cleaning and swabbing, but according to my experience doing just that and nothing else the camera will definitely pack up again after a while (try one of the "clean" ones after, say two months or so on the shelf !) if you do not clean the blades from behind, that is to say from that side pointing to the film. This usually requires (a must, someting indispensable !) removal of the rear lens group to have access to the blades from there. In other words, give it an overhaul or leave it as it is. Otherwise you will have to open the camera again and again, with repeatedly gummed up blades, what a waste of time and effort! |
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