Dropped X-570. Lens stuck, etc. etc.

KerrKid · Dec 26, 2022

I just dropped my Minolta X-570 about 4 feet to the ground. It was in a camera case but still….

No cosmetic damage but the view was funky through the vf. Managed to fire the shutter and all went black through the vf. I can’t remove the lens. Can’t move the film advance lever. The focus and aperture rings move fine on the lens.

Mirror trouble? Any ideas how to fix it or is it off to the repairman?

Sirius Glass · Dec 27, 2022

Time for a repair or CLA. Call KEH and see what they would charge to realign the camera body et al.

KerrKid · Dec 27, 2022

Bump. No pun intended.))

cmacd123 · Dec 27, 2022

from the decription, anything from a minor Part out of Position, to a good for parts only write off. Sounds like your Mirror did not return after the shot. That could mean the second curtain did not strike the Mirror release with the right amount of Force. the mechanism being still in the Shutter running position, the wind mechanism is not ready to allow an Advance.

First step is to unload the camera in teh dark, (if the back will open) and try to find out where the shutter is located in it's cycle. Can you advance with the rewind button pushed in?

if the main casting is bent, then you have a for parts only special.

I can't think of why the lens might not come off, unless that appature aculator was out of place.

jwd722 · Dec 27, 2022

My thoughts would be to just purchase another. Relatively inexpensive and plentiful.

Send it to garryscamera.com for a cla which is $68.00 and have a nice working camera. Turnaround for mine was 1 week.

You could also contact him about repairing yours.

Sirius Glass · Dec 27, 2022

jwd722 said:
My thoughts would be to just purchase another. Relatively inexpensive and plentiful.

Send it to garryscamera.com for a cla which is $68.00 and have a nice working camera. Turnaround for mine was 1 week.

You could also contact him about repairing yours.

But once it is repaired the camera will be a known item but buying another one can have any of many problems and then he will be worse off.

KerrKid · Dec 27, 2022

cmacd123 said:
from the decription, anything from a minor Part out of Position, to a good for parts only write off. Sounds like your Mirror did not return after the shot. That could mean the second curtain did not strike the Mirror release with the right amount of Force. the mechanism being still in the Shutter running position, the wind mechanism is not ready to allow an Advance.

First step is to unload the camera in teh dark, (if the back will open) and try to find out where the shutter is located in it's cycle. Can you advance with the rewind button pushed in?

if the main casting is bent, then you have a for parts only special.

I can't think of why the lens might not come off, unless that appature aculator was out of place.

I think you are correct in describing the problem. I think it’s mirror-related but I can’t figure out how to remedy it. The back opens easily and there was no film in it. I tried advancing it with the rewind button depressed but couldn’t. I can’t tell where the shutter is in it’s cycle.

Hopefully it isn’t a parts special now because it was in perfect condition prior to this.

KerrKid · Dec 27, 2022

jwd722 said:
My thoughts would be to just purchase another. Relatively inexpensive and plentiful.

Send it to garryscamera.com for a cla which is $68.00 and have a nice working camera. Turnaround for mine was 1 week.

You could also contact him about repairing yours.

I really don’t want to buy another one unless I know this one is toast. It was in perfect condition and I hadn’t even put a roll of film in it, yet. It’s still cosmetically perfect and I can see in the VF that the meter still works.

I contacted John Titterington about a repair but haven’t heard back from him. Holidays. He’s the one who sold me the camera.

jwd722 · Dec 28, 2022

Sirius Glass said:
But once it is repaired the camera will be a known item but buying another one can have any of many problems and then he will be worse off.

The fact that the lens is stuck and can't be removed sounds like one of the "many problems". Repairs may cost more, if a repair is even possible, than buying another so he must decide which way to go. I bought mine very cheap with a stuck film advance which usually means bad capacitors, had it repaired and still cost less than most "original condition" 570's.

Purchasing another can be easier and possibly cheaper in the long run. The sellers description can go a long way in telling of problems. 99% of X-570 problems are probably bad capacitors and, just like any other camera, a cla can fix most, if not all the problems. A cla for less than $70.00 is a pretty good deal.

I agree it's not an ideal solution but dropping a camera is not recommended either. Plus I did mention sending it in to see if it can be fixed. All are just suggestions.

KerrKid · Dec 28, 2022

jwd722 said:
The fact that the lens is stuck and can't be removed sounds like one of the "many problems". Repairs may cost more, if a repair is even possible, than buying another so he must decide which way to go. I bought mine very cheap with a stuck film advance which usually means bad capacitors, had it repaired and still cost less than most "original condition" 570's.

Purchasing another can be easier and possibly cheaper in the long run. The sellers description can go a long way in telling of problems. 99% of X-570 problems are probably bad capacitors and, just like any other camera, a cla can fix most, if not all the problems. A cla for less than $70.00 is a pretty good deal.

I agree it's not an ideal solution but dropping a camera is not recommended either. Plus I did mention sending it in to see if it can be fixed. All are just suggestions.

I've heard about the caps problem and I just don't want to risk purchasing another X-570 off of eBay. If I have to buy another one, I'll just wait until John gets another one in. I'll pay more than I would on eBay but I know it will look and function like new.

But, I'm hoping that the problem isnt a big one.

summicron1 · Dec 28, 2022

if you can't get the lens off then the camera took more than a minor bump and either warped the body or lens or both.
Whichever -- the camera is probably dead. Repair of a warped body would be prohibitive and probably impossible. Buy another, have it serviced and you're off to the races.

Sirius Glass · Dec 28, 2022

jwd722 said:
The fact that the lens is stuck and can't be removed sounds like one of the "many problems". Repairs may cost more, if a repair is even possible, than buying another so he must decide which way to go. I bought mine very cheap with a stuck film advance which usually means bad capacitors, had it repaired and still cost less than most "original condition" 570's.

Purchasing another can be easier and possibly cheaper in the long run. The sellers description can go a long way in telling of problems. 99% of X-570 problems are probably bad capacitors and, just like any other camera, a cla can fix most, if not all the problems. A cla for less than $70.00 is a pretty good deal.

I agree it's not an ideal solution but dropping a camera is not recommended either. Plus I did mention sending it in to see if it can be fixed. All are just suggestions.

We are on the same page.

cmacd123 · Dec 28, 2022

summicron1 said:
if you can't get the lens off then the camera took more than a minor bump and either warped the body or lens or both.

yes, that is the one that I find disturbing. Just a pin locks the Bayonet mount on a Minolta, so their is little that COULD cause the lens to get stuck. The folks at Learn Camaera repair have the shop manual online for download. Look at the exploded diagram page that shows the mount and tell me what could jamb the lens?

depending on the version, either

the 570 is in the first one

Minolta X-Series Service Manual

Factory service manual. Covers X-500, X-570, X300, X-370

learncamerarepair.com

and this one mentoins a different version of the 370

Minolta X370 Service Manual

Factory service manual for Minolta X370 and X300 cameras

learncamerarepair.com

KerrKid · Dec 28, 2022

cmacd123 said:
yes, that is the one that I find disturbing. Just a pin locks the Bayonet mount on a Minolta, so their is little that COULD cause the lens to get stuck. The folks at Learn Camaera repair have the shop manual online for download. Look at the exploded diagram page that shows the mount and tell me what could jamb the lens?

depending on the version, either

the 570 is in the first one

Minolta X-Series Service Manual

Factory service manual. Covers X-500, X-570, X300, X-370

learncamerarepair.com

and this one mentoins a different version of the 370

Minolta X370 Service Manual

Factory service manual for Minolta X370 and X300 cameras

learncamerarepair.com

Thanks for the link! I looked at the manual. Very informative. I often go where angels fear to tread, but a real Minolta repairmen needs to address this problem. The X-570 sure isn’t an SRT101.

cmacd123 · Dec 28, 2022

yes, the x series started to be very much electronically controlled. that siplified the Camera mechanically, and probably made for more accurate shutter speeds, but much of the logic of the unit is in a very large and no longer made Flex circuit. if that is damaged the only source is to get it from another camera.

I find that even with other more modern cameras I often Grab one of my x370s, or even my X-500 (yes originaly sold in europe.)

KerrKid · Dec 28, 2022

cmacd123 said:
yes, the x series started to be very much electronically controlled. that siplified the Camera mechanically, and probably made for more accurate shutter speeds, but much of the logic of the unit is in a very large and no longer made Flex circuit. if that is damaged the only source is to get it from another camera.

I find that even with other more modern cameras I often Grab one of my x370s, or even my X-500 (yes originaly sold in europe.)

I really like the way the X-570 feels in my hands. I have the pancake 45mm f2 lens on it which is really a good match I think. I was really looking forward to shooting with it for the first time. Sigh.

KerrKid · Dec 29, 2022

Got home from vacation. Took another look at the X-570. The lens came off easily. I wasn’t pushing the release button correctly.

Found the mirror down. A little fiddling and it went up easily, but noticed the focusing screen sitting on top of it so I took that out. It’s not damaged.

The camera advances and the shutter fires. Looks like the camera may be repairable.

Still haven’t heard back from J. Titterington, so I may need to find an alternative Minolta guru.

Sirius Glass · Dec 29, 2022

KerrKid said:
Got home from vacation. Took another look at the X-570. The lens came off easily. I wasn’t pushing the release button correctly.

Found the mirror down. A little fiddling and it went up easily, but noticed the focusing screen sitting on top of it so I took that out. It’s not damaged.

The camera advances and the shutter fires. Looks like the camera may be repairable.

Still haven’t heard back from J. Titterington, so I may need to find an alternative Minolta guru.

It sounds like things are looking up!

KerrKid · Dec 29, 2022

Sirius Glass said:
It sounds like things are looking up!

Yes! I discovered that John did get back to me and he nailed the problem. Said it sounded like the focusing screen became dislodged. It did. Not sure if I can repair it myself or if it needs to go to him. I asked.

cmacd123 · Dec 29, 2022

does this help?

jwd722 · Dec 29, 2022

Well that's good news and (hopefully) an easy fix.
Treat the focus screen carefully. They can sometimes be a bit fiddly putting back in and scratch easily which can make viewing distracting. Also, the screen frame is thin and can be easily bent so proceed with caution. When all is lined up correctly they snap in with minimal effort.
Take your time and enjoy the camera.

neilt3 · Dec 29, 2022

KerrKid said:
Got home from vacation. Took another look at the X-570. The lens came off easily. I wasn’t pushing the release button correctly.

Found the mirror down. A little fiddling and it went up easily, but noticed the focusing screen sitting on top of it so I took that out. It’s not damaged.

The camera advances and the shutter fires. Looks like the camera may be repairable.

Still haven’t heard back from J. Titterington, so I may need to find an alternative Minolta guru.

Sounds more like you need to reinsert the focus screen correctly , clip the holder back securely , put some film in and shoot a test roll and inspect the results .

Regards your service guy , if you've emailed at Christmas and not had a reply , it's safe to assume he's close for a couple of weeks .
Let him get over he's New Years hangover before he respond's .
By them you might have shot a test roll and found there's nothing wrong with your camera rather than panicking in advance .

KerrKid · Dec 29, 2022

cmacd123 said:
does this help?

Yes! Thanks!

gone · Dec 29, 2022

I think you got lucky, maybe you should buy a lottery ticket. I've never heard of taking the lens off a camera and finding the focus screen sitting on top of the mirror. There's a new one every day, but I'm doubtful that one will be repeated anytime soon.

Let us know how it works out.

MattKing · Dec 29, 2022

momus said:
I think you got lucky, maybe you should buy a lottery ticket. I've never heard of taking the lens off a camera and finding the focus screen sitting on top of the mirror. There's a new one every day, but I'm doubtful that one will be repeated anytime soon.

Let us know how it works out.

It looks like there are some similarities between how the X-570 and the Olympus OM 1, 2, 3 and 4 models deal with interchangeable focusing screens.
The Olympus approach uses a hinged-at-the-back frame which drops to make screen switching simple, and a spring loaded latch to hold that frame and the nested screen back up in place.
I've dropped an OM camera before (over just under 50 years of use) and had the shock of the impact cause the latch to release, allowing the frame to swing down and the screen to come loose in the mirror box, over top of the mirror and frame.
I expect something similar happened to KerrKid.

Dropped X-570. Lens stuck, etc. etc.

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Minolta X-Series Service Manual

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Minolta X370 Service Manual

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