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

[KerrKid]

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.

I would say that’s exactly what happened. Rather than risk further damage, I’m going to send it to John to repair just in case something additional is wrong with it. A man has to know his limitations.

 

[KerrKid]

Update: I sent the camera to John Titterington and he just emailed me and said he'd gotten the camera, reinstalled the focusing screen, and said all it would cost me is the money to ship it back. He's awesome!

Good ending to what seemed like a tragedy.

As for the "bad" advice I got on this....well, it was largely my fault in that my description of the problem was in error. I can hardly expect good advice based on bad intel. The lens was not stuck at all. I just was not pushing the button in far enough to release it. Lesson learned and now I know that focusing screens can get jarred lose and what it looks like when they do.

 

[neilt3]

It's good you've got it fixed , also good he's not charging you for he's time .
That said it'll only have taken him a few seconds to pop the screen in and check its functions !

Regards the "bad" advice , you received good advice based on the facts given in the OP.
It's just the incorrect information given in the OP that was the problem!
But no matter , all's well that ends well , and you'll know if you have a problem in the future.
Enjoy the camera , I have one as well as the X700 ( and many more ) and it's my preferred Minolta MF camera .

 

[Sirius Glass]

Update: I sent the camera to John Titterington and he just emailed me and said he'd gotten the camera, reinstalled the focusing screen, and said all it would cost me is the money to ship it back. He's awesome!

Good ending to what seemed like a tragedy.

As for the "bad" advice I got on this....well, it was largely my fault in that my description of the problem was in error. I can hardly expect good advice based on bad intel. The lens was not stuck at all. I just was not pushing the button in far enough to release it. Lesson learned and now I know that focusing mirrors can get jarred lose and what it looks like when they do.

​

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O*U*T*S*T*A*N*D*I*N*G!!​

 

[MattKing]

Lesson learned and now I know that focusing mirrors can get jarred lose and what it looks like when they do.

Ah, it wasn't the mirror that was jarred loose. It was the screen above the mirror.
If the mirror comes loose, you would have needed a repair.

 

[KerrKid]

Ah, it wasn't the mirror that was jarred loose. It was the screen above the mirror.
If the mirror comes loose, you would have needed a repair.

Correct. I'll edit my post to say "screen" instead of "mirror".

 

[KerrKid]

It's good you've got it fixed , also good he's not charging you for he's time .
That said it'll only have taken him a few seconds to pop the screen in and check its functions !

Regards the "bad" advice , you received good advice based on the facts given in the OP.
It's just the incorrect information given in the OP that was the problem!
But no matter , all's well that ends well , and you'll know if you have a problem in the future.
Enjoy the camera , I have one as well as the X700 ( and many more ) and it's my preferred Minolta MF camera .

Glad to hear that the X-570 is your favorite Minolta 35mm camera. I think it may become mine, too. It's such a handy package with the 45mm lens on it. It's a bit heavier than the N75's that I'm crowing about, but it's so much lighter than the SRT's that I'll think I'll be grabbing it a lot more than those.

 

[Brendan Quirk]

I have had great results with the X-570 myself.

 

[xkaes]

Glad to hear that the X-570 is your favorite Minolta 35mm camera. I think it may become mine, too. It's such a handy package with the 45mm lens on it. It's a bit heavier than the N75's that I'm crowing about, but it's so much lighter than the SRT's that I'll think I'll be grabbing it a lot more than those.

I like the X-570 too, but check out the MAXXUM 5 -- you won't believe how much it does and how light it is. You can buy them for under $25 -- no kidding!

 

[neilt3]

Glad to hear that the X-570 is your favorite Minolta 35mm camera. I think it may become mine, too. It's such a handy package with the 45mm lens on it. It's a bit heavier than the N75's that I'm crowing about, but it's so much lighter than the SRT's that I'll think I'll be grabbing it a lot more than those.

If your into macro that benefits from flash , especially with bellows , I find the TTL flash metering especially useful .
Goodbye to complicated maths !
I'm not sure if you've seen this website , but for lot's of information on Minolta manual focus gear , see here ; http://www.rokkorfiles.com/equipment.htm

I like the X-570 too, but check out the MAXXUM 5 -- you won't believe how much it does and how light it is. You can buy them for under $25 -- no kidding!

It should be noted however that the Minolta X-570 and Maxxum 5 are two different lens mounts , the manual focus SR lenses and autofocus A mount lenses are not interchangeable .
Your right it is a bargain of a camera and very cheap , but well specified .
Often £15 over here , sometimes £20 with the kit lens .
Anyone want's a budget A mount camera can't go wrong with it , I have several !
It was actually the first film camera I bought new in a shop when it was on clearance around 2006 .
I paid £30 , including the kit lens , as an upgrade for my Minolta 7000AF that I bought used in the early 90's .
Still own and use it .

 

[xkaes]

I'm not sure if you've seen this website , but for lot's of information on Minolta manual focus gear , see here ; http://www.rokkorfiles.com/equipment.htm

For a more comprehensive look at ALL of Minolta's film-based, still, manual-focusing cameras (NOT just 35mm) and lenses (NOT just SLR), check out

www.subclub.org/minman

 

[xkaes]

It should be noted however that the Minolta X-570 and Maxxum 5 are two different lens mounts , the manual focus SR lenses and autofocus A mount lenses are not interchangeable .

They are not the same mount, for sure, but you can put Minolta SR/MC/MD lenses on MAXXUM & SONY a-mount cameras with simple, inexpensive adapters. I do it all the time.

I only mentioned the MAXXUM 5 because Kerr was praising the Nikon N75 -- which is AF. I suspect it is very similar to the MAXXUM 5 in terms of features and weight -- and maybe even cost???

 

[Sirius Glass]

I used the Minolta X570 and later migrated to the X700. All the Minolta cameras are well built and great cameras.

 

[KerrKid]

I like the X-570 too, but check out the MAXXUM 5 -- you won't believe how much it does and how light it is. You can buy them for under $25 -- no kidding!

Thanks for the tip!

 

[KerrKid]

If your into macro that benefits from flash , especially with bellows , I find the TTL flash metering especially useful .
Goodbye to complicated maths !
I'm not sure if you've seen this website , but for lot's of information on Minolta manual focus gear , see here ; http://www.rokkorfiles.com/equipment.htm



It should be noted however that the Minolta X-570 and Maxxum 5 are two different lens mounts , the manual focus SR lenses and autofocus A mount lenses are not interchangeable .
Your right it is a bargain of a camera and very cheap , but well specified .
Often £15 over here , sometimes £20 with the kit lens .
Anyone want's a budget A mount camera can't go wrong with it , I have several !
It was actually the first film camera I bought new in a shop when it was on clearance around 2006 .
I paid £30 , including the kit lens , as an upgrade for my Minolta 7000AF that I bought used in the early 90's .
Still own and use it .

Yes, I’ve spent a lot of time on the rokkor files. Very informative.

 

[KerrKid]

For a more comprehensive look at ALL of Minolta's film-based, still, manual-focusing cameras (NOT just 35mm) and lenses (NOT just SLR), check out

www.subclub.org/minman

Thanks for the link!

 

[neilt3]

They are not the same mount, for sure, but you can put Minolta SR/MC/MD lenses on MAXXUM & SONY a-mount cameras with simple, inexpensive adapters. I do it all the time.

I've a couple of those adapters too .
I have a glassless one that acts like an extension tube ( so no infinity focus ) that I use on bellows or with macro lenses that I get good results with .
I've also used it on long telephotos, where the reduced maximum focus distance isn't always an issue.
I've a glassless one for Nikon F to Minolta/Sony A mount that I've used a friend's Nikon 500mm f/4 ( or f/4.5 ) with good results , again no infinity , but for shooting small birds fairly close up , it helps fill the frame .

The one with the glass element in I find degrades image quality too much ( for me ) and with faster lenses reduced the effective aperture anyway .
I'd removed the glass from that one with a hammer before I found a glassless one with a larger opening .

I've a full range of A mount lenses from a 12-24mm sigma to the Minolta 400mm f/4 and 500mm Reflex , so have a need to adapt SR to A mount .

The SR lenses do do well on mirror less cameras though .

 

[xkaes]

I have both types of adapters as well, and since I typically shoot stopped-down -- at least to f8 -- the quality is fine. And most of my lenses over 200mm are M42 or T-mount, so no problem there -- but it is stop-down photography on my MAXXUM & SONY cameras.

 

[KerrKid]

I got my X-570 back today. It looked fine except there was a black dust spot near the center when looking through the viewfinder. Nuts. I tried tapping the focusing screen and the spot just shifted instead of going away.

So...I looked at how the focusing screen was held and removed it. Ah, easy peasy. I cleaned it up good and reinstalled it. I know how to do that now!))

Gosh, I sure like this camera. There's isn't anything quite like my butch yet elegant SRT's, but this camera just handles so nicely. Can't wait to finally shoot with it.

 

[Sirius Glass]

I got my X-570 back today. It looked fine except there was a black dust spot near the center when looking through the viewfinder. Nuts. I tried tapping the focusing screen and the spot just shifted instead of going away.

So...I looked at how the focusing screen was held and removed it. Ah, easy peasy. I cleaned it up good and reinstalled it. I know how to do that now!))

Gosh, I sure like this camera. There's isn't anything quite like my butch yet elegant SRT's, but this camera just handles so nicely. Can't wait to finally shoot with it.

How about using a neck strap and not dropping it in the future?

 

[KerrKid]

How about using a neck strap and not dropping it in the future?

Listen, wiseacre.) It was in a camera case. Juggling stuff to go into the hotel and it dropped. And not far. First time I've dropped a camera in 50 years. Stuff happens no matter how much you plan for it not to. It could have been worse. I could have fallen down instead.

 

[xkaes]

Gosh, I sure like this camera. There's isn't anything quite like my butch yet elegant SRT's, but this camera just handles so nicely. Can't wait to finally shoot with it.

Yeah, the X-570 is a winner in my book. It has 90% of what the X-700 has, and is much less expensive.

I'd get one except I have a couple of these (one Seagull, one Phoenix) which is really a X-570 in wolf's clothing:

 

[KerrKid]

Yeah, the X-570 is a winner in my book. It has 90% of what the X-700 has, and is much less expensive.

I'd get one except I have a couple of these (one Seagull, one Phoenix) which is really a X-570 in wolf's clothing:

View attachment 326522

What the heck. Never heard of it. I guess I have some learnin' to do.

 

[Brendan Quirk]

I have done a lot of work with the x-570 - much of it posted here.

 

[xkaes]

What the heck. Never heard of it. I guess I have some learnin' to do.

The final years of Minolta's manual-focus camera production was done in China by Seagull. This included the X-700, X-570, X-370, X-300, X-9 and several other similar models. These are usually marked on the bottom, "Made in China". After Minolta stopped production, in 200?, Seagull continued to make these cameras -- with Seagull and other labels, such as Kalimar, Vivitar, Soligor, Argus, Zenit, and many others -- with a lot of variation from what Minolta had designed, such as the Seagull DF5000 above -- in a covering designed by Colani. Most of these cameras had the same horizontal, electronic, cloth shutter as the Minolta-branded SLRs, but some had metal, vertical, mechanical shutters to 1/2,000s, for example. Others kept Minolta's horizontal, electronic, cloth shutter, but dropped the TTL completely for total manual operation only. Some offered a T shutter setting in addition to a B setting. Some had extra long shutter speeds. The list goes on and on.

In short, Minolta's 35mm SLRs did not die when Minolta stopped manufacturing them. It actually flourished at Seagull -- under various names. And Minolta-style SLR lenses were made as well -- some still are.

www.subclub.org/minchin