Bronica SQ Ai battery problem

Robin H. · Dec 12, 2017

Lately my camera has been showing what seems to be a common problem with this type, it will randomly not fire the shutter.
I've tried all the suggestions that I've found on this site and elsewhere:

- clean all electrical contacts in the battery compartment
- add tape to the battery door and battery holder to provide extra pressure
- use new batteries
I even bought a longer quick release plate that covers the battery door to keep it tightly closed, but nothing seems to be a permanent solution. Sometimes the camera will work after removing and reinserting the batteries but other times it won't.

Has anyone found a way to resolve this problem, or knows which camera technicians in Europe can still fix this? I would really like to keep using this system but these kinds of problems are turning what is supposed to be an enjoyable experience into a frustrating one...

hoffy · Dec 12, 2017

OK, a couple of things.

Have you tried another lens? Circuitry exists inside the lens and shutter assemblies and this could be at fault.

Does it fire at 1/500? This is the default speed (but obviously, you still need the circuit to be powered for the shutter to fire).

Does the battery indicator light still work when you press the button on the side? (this may not be indicative, as this only worked for a while on my SQAi).

I have had shutter and flash sync issues before with the SQAi, which have always been traced back to the lens.

mshchem · Dec 12, 2017

Robin H. said:
Lately my camera has been showing what seems to be a common problem with this type, it will randomly not fire the shutter.
I've tried all the suggestions that I've found on this site and elsewhere:

- clean all electrical contacts in the battery compartment
- add tape to the battery door and battery holder to provide extra pressure
- use new batteries
I even bought a longer quick release plate that covers the battery door to keep it tightly closed, but nothing seems to be a permanent solution. Sometimes the camera will work after removing and reinserting the batteries but other times it won't.

Has anyone found a way to resolve this problem, or knows which camera technicians in Europe can still fix this? I would really like to keep using this system but these kinds of problems are turning what is supposed to be an enjoyable experience into a frustrating one...

I have 4 of these cameras. Only time I've had trouble was with bad batteries. As you know it takes 4 individual cells. I've had good luck with silver oxide cells. Eveready 357. Bronica recommended alkaline cells. I will not put cheap China cells in my cameras, I look for cells made in Japan, USA or Europe. The problem will go away with the SQ-i motor drive. Everything will run off the batteries in the motor drive. These drive units have a great feel, nice hand strap and a hot shoe. Usually sell for 100 to 200 USD on ebay. I love these cameras, I have 3 cameras set up with the motors and one with just the basic crank, waist level finder. The Bronica system is high tech, all the lenses are timed by a central unit in the body. But unlike a good old Hasselblad you need batteries to make them work.
Best Regards, Mike

ITD · Dec 13, 2017

I use a piece of card between the battery insert and the door, took me several attempts to find the right thickness and size of card before I could rely on it. Maybe the tape needs a couple more layers or to be replaced with something a bit stiffer?

Robin H. · Dec 13, 2017

I've just tested it again and everything seems fine now for some reason. All my lenses (80 PS, 150 S and 250 PS) fire at different speeds. When the camera didn't work, it wouldn't fire at any speed.
The battery indicator light doesn't work when I press the side button, but it lights up when the shutter fires.

The strange thing is that I didn't do anything in particular, I just took it out of my bag and it functioned like it should...

If anyone knows a camera technician in Europe that could still service these cameras, please let me know!

wiltw · Dec 13, 2017

I had two ETRSi bodies that I had originally purchased new, and I had a number of film backs, one of which I had purchased used. I found that intermittently the camera would NOT FIRE the shutter. I determined the problem was isolate to the use of ONE back, the used one.
At the time I contacted the Bronica distributor in the US (before Tamron), and they instructed me to send both body and back to them. They determined that the 'film advance' interlock pin in the film back was just a bit too long and protruded into the body a bit too much, thereby not allowing the reflex mirror to swing up fully, thereby not triggering the lens mechanical interlock to permit the shutter to fire. They modified the length of the interlock pin on the film back, and all was fixed.

Benoît99 · Dec 15, 2017

I don’t use any batteries in my SQ-ai. Instead I bought a motorized hand grip. It takes ordinary AA batteries and also gives you motorized film advance. Using the motorized hand grip eliminates the need for batteries in the body and makes hand-holding the camera much easier, especially when not using waist-level viewfinder.

mshchem · Dec 19, 2017

Benoît99 said:
I don’t use any batteries in my SQ-ai. Instead I bought a motorized hand grip. It takes ordinary AA batteries and also gives you motorized film advance. Using the motorized hand grip eliminates the need for batteries in the body and makes hand-holding the camera much easier, especially when not using waist-level viewfinder.

+1

Bronica SQ Ai battery problem

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