Konica Auto S2 lens assembly is loose

I recently acquired a Konica Auto S2 with a stuck shutter and loose lens assembly. I cleaned the shutter which now works fine but I'm having difficulty figuring out how to remedy the loose lens. The glass itself isn't loose but the whole housing is. It seems like the entire lens assembly is loose as when I wiggle the front lens around the back of the lens also moves as well. I tightened the rear lens rings as well as when I removed the front lens to get to the shutter I also tightened the retaining ring but it still moves. I'm fairly new to camera repairs so I don't really have a clue of what to do next.

I had the same problem with the same camera decades ago. I continued to use the camera with a very loose lens, and ended up getting some of the best pictures I've ever take -- shortly before the lens completely fell off.

xkaes said:

I had the same problem with the same camera decades ago. I continued to use the camera with a very loose lens, and ended up getting some of the best pictures I've ever take -- shortly before the lens completely fell off.

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I guess just use it till it breaks itself

I think the problem may be either that the lens is loose from the focusing mount, or the focus helical itself is loose somehow. Usually the way these leaf shutter RFs are put together is that the front and rear lens groups screw into the shutter, and the shutter is held to the inner focusing mount by a rear retaining ring. I can't tell if the part you were tightening from the rear is screwing the rear lens group into the shutter, or holding the shutter onto the focusing mount.

You can try opening the back and rocking the lens, and seeing whether the lens moves relative to the lens board (the flat black painted metal around it). If the lens board doesn't rock, you need to tighten the shutter to lensboard mounting, and if the lens board does move, you need to address the looseness in the focusing mount.

reddesert said:

You can try opening the back and rocking the lens, and seeing whether the lens moves relative to the lens board (the flat black painted metal around it). If the lens board doesn't rock, you need to tighten the shutter to lensboard mounting, and if the lens board does move, you need to address the looseness in the focusing mount.

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I have to partially retract this comment; I found my Konica auto S2, and when you look at the lens from the rear, the flat black metal around the lens is a baffle fixed to the body, not to the lens mount board. So it doesn't tell you anything about whether the focusing mount is loose or not. I still think it's possible for the lens focus mount to be loose even if the rear retaining ring is tightened.

I've had a few and its a known issue on this model. Takes great pics so go out and enjoy it