Bronica SQ-A Lens Release Mechanism

[agour]

Hey,

Just got an SQ-A body, bought it for really cheap after I was told the guy had problems removing the lens sometimes.

Anyway, i have looked at the mechanism, and as far as I can tell it seems ok. Once the mirror is down, I press the lens release button and it movies a little catch through around 20 degress.
As far as I can tell, this would move the shutter release latch on the rear of the camera. Am I missing something, or is this latch all their is to the removal of the lens?

Thanks,
Paul

 

[r-brian]

To remove the lens the body and lens has to be cocked, if not it won't release. I owned a SQa for 13 years and never had a problem. Bought a second back-up body and couldn't get the lens off the first time I mounted it. That's when I found out it needed to be cocked. You would have thought in 13 years it would have happened before, but it didn't.

 

[agour]

Spent more time looking at it, I was 99% sure I knew how the mechanism worked, so went for it and screwed it on.

Tried taking it off again..


... worked first time! Tried it a few more times, and had no problems!
£15 body, looks like a bargain.

I also tried timing the shutter speeds, but it the shutter didnt appear to fire. I reattached the lens, then it worked everytime. Il just put it down to dirty contacts on the lens, cant imagine what else it could be.

 

[David_A]

The shutters on these cameras are in the lenses themselves, if you want to find out if the shutter fires at different speeds then do the following.
Set the camera to multiple exposure
Take the film back off and look through from the back as you press the shutter release, you should see the aperture alter as well as the shutter open and close. Alter both the speed and aperture to check both are doing what they should be doing.

David

 

[film_man]

I had a 150S that would sometimes lockup. You'd have to wiggle it a bit and then it would fire. Sometimes it would fire all the time, other times it would get stuck if you shaked the camera or something like that. I also had a 75PE (for ETRS) that would basically misfire if the camera was pointed at anything but level!

It could be this guy didn't realise the shutter was stuck, thus couldn't remove the lens...?

 

[agour]

I had a 150S that would sometimes lockup. You'd have to wiggle it a bit and then it would fire. Sometimes it would fire all the time, other times it would get stuck if you shaked the camera or something like that. I also had a 75PE (for ETRS) that would basically misfire if the camera was pointed at anything but level!

It could be this guy didn't realise the shutter was stuck, thus couldn't remove the lens...?

I thought this could be a possibility, but who knows! I figured out how to manipulate the release mechanism through taking off the front panel, so should be ok if it ever decides to stop working.

David, I already checked the aperture by putting it onto 4 second exposures, and dry shooting it (with back etc on). Thanks for the tip anyway!

 

[Haz_1]

I had a 150S that would sometimes lockup. You'd have to wiggle it a bit and then it would fire. Sometimes it would fire all the time, other times it would get stuck if you shaked the camera or something like that. I also had a 75PE (for ETRS) that would basically misfire if the camera was pointed at anything but level!

It could be this guy didn't realise the shutter was stuck, thus couldn't remove the lens...?

 

[Haz_1]

Hi film_man, I just came across your comment about your sqA locking up every so often- mine has the same problem, but every 3 franes or so. Did you find the problem yo be the lens or body? Cheers!

 

[Paul Morison]

Hi All
Not exactly this problem-but I bought a Cromatek Filter holder Belows that fits on the filter screw at the front of the lens-seemed to go on ak, but wont come off the front of the lens? Am I missing somrthing?

 

[voceumana]

Filters on Bronica lenses are standard screw filters--it it is difficult to remove, perhaps it got cross threaded?

 

[Paul Morison]

Thanks very much-defo a problem, I dont think its cross threded as it spins around on ther lens-Ive never seen this before, so Im a bit stuck on how o remove it.

Many thanks

paul