Help repairing a Konica Autoreflex T4

[requierd__field]

Hello,


Symptoms:

-The mirror is locked in the up position.
-Shutter button depresses but doesn't fire the shutter.
-Advance lever locked, although I still can turn the meter on and off.


Additional Info:

-If I turn the self timer lever it automatically returns to its initial position without depressing the shutter button, and eventually without firing the shutter.
-If I mount a lens, the lens is fully stopped down at the minimum aperture in the EE/AE position.


When and How did this happen?:

-I was taking some photographs (please feel free to correct the following prepositions) *in a concert *on the beach *at night (Which are the correct?). The camera was set to ISO 800, the speed @ 1/60 and the aperture @EE mark on my Hexanon 85mm/1.8 (Chrome ring), I recall that the automatic aperture was 1.8 (actually 1.7 displayed). I took the first picture, then I shot the second one but the viewfinder suddenly turned black. What I can't remember is if the shutter was already fired or not.


I have searched the net, and I have found this TC dissasembling http://members.tripod.com/rick_oleson/index-49.html
I have searched through the entire archives from
http://www.kyphoto.com/classics/forum/
And also have found this Konica T4 repairing book
http://www.photobooksonline.com/books/manual18.html
(I would buy it if they sold an online version)

I tried to dissasemble my T4, but a day before I reassembled it because I realized that I didn't know what excatly to do.


Any suggestion? What has happened to my camera? Which are the possible causes?(I'm not gonna send my camera to a camera repair specialist, that wouldn't have any sense to me. Because the T4 + Hex 50/1.7 + Flash + Konica Case + neckstrap... costed 38€)

Thanks and greetings from Spain.

 

[Jon Goodman]

Your shutter only fired halfway. I do not know why...without seeing the camera, it is impossible to say. Here is something you can try...it sounds odd, but it may help. Hold the camera in one hand and smack the heel of your other hand with the base of the camera. Your camera has a mechanical shutter. There is no reason it should lock halfway through its travel.

Please let us know...buena suerte!
Jon

 

[requierd__field]

Jon, last night I received an email from a Polish user of the "Konica SLR users" Yahoo Group. He owns a T4 that a couple of moths ago got jammed...Here's the message:

"It sounds like the camera is jammed. It is very likely that something
simply got stuck. I would try to open the bottom of the camera and
delicately try to wiggle the linkages about very gently, without
force. If you tug gently on the winder level while looking inside the
camera from the bottom, you can figure out what linkage does what. I
had this same problem with my T4 just a couple of months ago, and
after playing around with it for 5 minutes it got unstuck. I really
don't know what got it stuck in the first place, but that did it.
Good luck. You just might get lucky. Just remember to be gentle, slow,
and don't force anything (what does this remind me of...?). "


I had already tried before similar methods to yours (...smack the heel of your other hand with the base of the camera...) and to the one described in the email with no succes.

After reading that email I opened back the bottom plate and tried to find the misterious linkage...and I was lucky...I found a kind of lever with a metallic cylinder head (more or less described), moved it and the shutter fired completely.

If someone needs detailed info I could send him some photos.

Thanks Jon.

Saludos.

 

[Jon Goodman]

That is good...sometimes hitting the camera on the heel of your hand will do the same thing. I hesitate to suggest people begin taking a camera apart. You know, sometimes this can be dangerous...peligroso, you know.

I am glad you made it work again. Sometimes this indicates another problem, however. If your camera does this again, you might want to look for somebody who could service it.
Saludos!
Jon