Konica Auto S2 Lens Disassembly

s-roll89 · Apr 20, 2020

Hello all.

I'm having problems trying to remove the lens nameplate assembly of an old Auto S2. I'm using the website and old forum thread listed at the bottom as a guide.

The poster in the old Photrio thread ran into the same problem I'm having, where after removing the lens hood assembly successfully, the nameplate stays in place and does not budge.

Another poster suggested that a "thin threaded metal ring" was holding the nameplate in place and had to be removed to release the nameplate. Based on the vague descriptions in the following two replies, I assumed this "thin metal ring" was the unpainted metal ring with the spanner wrench slots circled in green below:

Turning this piece CCW required what seemed to be way too much force, and in the process I heard/felt something let go in the camera and now the shutter speed selection ring spins well past where its range. The metal ring piece also now seems to be able to spin independently of the rest of the lens assembly, but the ^$&*^#% nameplate seems to be attached to it!

Assuming I did not just permanently destroy the camera, is the metal ring the correct part holding the nameplate in place, or is there something else I'm missing?

Thanks!

Sources:

https://www.photrio.com/forum/threads/taking-apart-the-lens-on-a-konica-auto-s2.38596/
http://feuerbacher.net/photo/repair/KonicaAutoS2/KonicaAutoS2.html

Kino · Apr 20, 2020

I am sorry, but you just broke off the locator pin that holds the shutter face in place.

Don't feel bad, I did the same thing; it's a weak point of this camera; the entire front assembly is held in place by one thin, brittle pin that sticks up through a sheet metal plate.

The next thing you will break, if you have my luck, will be the wires leading to the CDS cell in the lens ring.

After breaking two of these cameras very early on in my camera repair journey, I discovered two things; (wait, three, thin... amongst the things I discovered were...)

1. Always put a few drops of alcohol or naptha in the thread grooves around the lens rings before attempting to remove them. The aluminum oxidizes and can be quite difficult to unscrew...
2. ALWAYS grasp the outermost lens barrel with grippy rubber gloves and DO NOT LET IT TURN A FRACTION OF AN INCH WHEN REMOVING ANY LENS RING ON THIS CAMERA!
3. Try first with reasonable force, tightly gripping the lens barrel. If that doesn't work, stop, put more solvent in the threads and try again an hour later; repeat until it backs out.
4. Leave this camera alone until you have more skill with other cameras. There are plenty of other vintage cameras out there that are MUCH easier to repair than this camera, due to its all aluminum construction, which oxidizes and seizes.

Don't pitch it; put it in a box and revisit when you don't want to throw it across the room.

Still try to take it apart as correctly as possible and do an autopsy so you can tell HOW to correctly repair the next S2 you get. They are quite inexpensive to purchase in a non-functional state, so don't despair and keep this camera as a parts donor.

I love the styling of the S2, but they can be quite difficult to disassemble without destroying them...

s-roll89 · Apr 20, 2020

Hi Kino.

Sounds like another lockdown project just went down the tubes . I doubt there is no way to salvage the whole thing, but I can try Rosonol on the threads later to get it apart at least.

Kino · Apr 20, 2020

s-roll89 said:
Hi Kino.

Sounds like another lockdown project just went down the tubes . I doubt there is no way to salvage the whole thing, but I can try Rosonol on the threads later to get it apart at least.

It's all part of the learning curve; albeit a painful one!

oldche · May 11, 2020

I have an Auto S2 in excellent shape, and I was even able to find an Auto-Up attachment for it, which are hard to find. Unfortunately, I can't figure out how to remove the sliding lens hood from the camera, which I understand I will have to remove to use the Auto-Up. Is the "filter ring" supposed to unscrew, and then the hood slides off? I can't seem to budge the filter ring - does it unscrew in the normal anti-clockwise fashion? Does anyone have any photographs showing the process of removing the hood? Any advice would be most welcome. Thanks - Richard.

reddesert · May 11, 2020

The lens hood on a Konica Auto S2 is simply held on by friction of a piece of felt. It should just pull right off, if there is no other attachment screwed to the front blocking it.

When the lens hood is pushed back as far as it will go, it still sticks out a little bit. This can interfere with many lens caps (and possibly your Auto-Up). Is the lens hood protruding, or is there something else in the original filter threads? A picture would help.

oldche · May 11, 2020

I've read that the lens hood was held on by a ring that screwed into the filter ring. I'll take a look, maybe if I pull hard enough it will come off as you say.

Helios 1984 · May 11, 2020

I found this album on Flickr, maybe there's something in there that will help you.

oldche · May 16, 2020

Helios 1984 said:
I found this album on Flickr, maybe there's something in there that will help you.

Thanks! Unfortunately, it doesn't look like any of those pics clearly show anything that might help on the lens hood removal. But, I bookmarked it for future refernce.

Helios 1984 · May 17, 2020

oldche said:
Thanks! Unfortunately, it doesn't look like any of those pics clearly show anything that might help on the lens hood removal. But, I bookmarked it for future refernce.

Two more links with good pictures for future reference.
Link 1
Link 2

reddesert · May 17, 2020

oldche said:
I've read that the lens hood was held on by a ring that screwed into the filter ring. I'll take a look, maybe if I pull hard enough it will come off as you say.

oldche, please post a picture of what you are looking at. The lens hood should just slide right off, unless someone has screwed something else into the original filter threads that is blocking it.

Helios 1984, your second pair of links are for a Konica S II, which is a different older rangefinder to the Auto S2.

Here is a photo of a Konica Auto S2 with the lens hood off. I am shining a flashlight on the felt inside the hood so that you can see that it's got a slightly raised ridge that holds the hood on by friction. When retracted, the hood sticks out a bit too much to fit a modern lens cap. You can use a 55mm cap, or here I show an empty 55mm filter ring that screws on, allowing a 55mm snap in cap to fit.

Konical · May 17, 2020

Good Evening,

I agree with the last post. I have an Auto S2; the shade actually falls off, often enough that I no longer bother to use it.
Konical

oldche · May 17, 2020

Thanks very much for the helpful comments. Here is what mine looks like. There is a threaded portion at the end of the lens with a slightly knurled edge. I at first thought this was a ring that could be unscrewed, but I can't unscrew it. Of course with this camera's lens I'm nervous about twisting too hard. These pics show the hood fully retracted and also fully extended. I can't pull it off. The hood will rotate freely, but is not loose (I suppose the felt friction holds it well). Is the camera supposed to look like mine? Do you thing I have a ring screwed in there?

MattKing · May 17, 2020

It looks to me like someone may have added a step-up ring to your camera.
If so, with so little space to get any purchase on it, it isn't surprising that you are having trouble removing it.

reddesert · May 17, 2020

You have a something-else screwed into the original 55mm filter threads. I don't know what it is, but it could be a filter with the glass removed, like the ring I showed in my picture above. If it is slightly fatter than the original lens barrel, that could keep the lens hood from coming off.

With the glass removed, filter rings are a little more flexible and less rigid, which makes them liable to bind when you try to remove them. I would try wrapping a rubber band around it and grabbing a large section of the circumference while you turn. Or you could put the camera lens-down on a grippy surface like a sheet of rubber or silicone (like a placemat or potholder) and try turning it off.

A more destructive method would be to cover the lens surface and then carefully cut slots in the ring to take it off with a spanner. This could cause other problems.

oldche · May 18, 2020

MattKing said:
It looks to me like someone may have added a step-up ring to your camera.
If so, with so little space to get any purchase on it, it isn't surprising that you are having trouble removing it.

reddesert said:
You have a something-else screwed into the original 55mm filter threads. I don't know what it is, but it could be a filter with the glass removed, like the ring I showed in my picture above. If it is slightly fatter than the original lens barrel, that could keep the lens hood from coming off.

With the glass removed, filter rings are a little more flexible and less rigid, which makes them liable to bind when you try to remove them. I would try wrapping a rubber band around it and grabbing a large section of the circumference while you turn. Or you could put the camera lens-down on a grippy surface like a sheet of rubber or silicone (like a placemat or potholder) and try turning it off.

A more destructive method would be to cover the lens surface and then carefully cut slots in the ring to take it off with a spanner. This could cause other problems.

Thanks very much! Could someone post a close up picture of the front threads of the actual lens, so I have a better idea of what it should look like? Thanks!

MattKing · May 18, 2020

From a camera I sold in 2012 - I don't know whether the angles will help you:

And yes, I still have stuff on file that sometimes amazes me!

Helge · May 18, 2020

Can’t believe the bad advice given here with regards to the lens hood retaining ring
.
Of course it’s not meant to just slide off!

There was always a ring to keep the hood on in extended position.
If it is missing, it’s purely because some idiot forgot to put it on after playing with filters.

if you try to force it off with the retaining ring on, the lip will at best strip the felt from the inside of the hood. Worst case you will destroy the ring, the treads and the hood

The lens hood is one of the best features of the camera.
Lens hoods and rangefinders don’t often go that well together, unless they are specifically designed for each other.
In this case you got one right out of the box.
One that is exceedingly easy to use, and to put away again.

reddesert · May 18, 2020

Here is an image of the front of the Konica auto S2 from the owners manual, courtesy of Mike Butkus's vast collection of downloadable owner's manuals. The felt liner will keep the lens hood from coming off in normal use.

Helge · May 19, 2020

The one in the image doesn’t have the hood on.
Early models didn’t come with one per default.

I have never seen an Auto S2 where the hood fits securely onto the lens, without the screw on lip.
It will always be on the verge of falling off when extended.

oldche · May 19, 2020

Helge said:
The one in the image doesn’t have the hood on.
Early models didn’t come with one per default.

I have never seen an Auto S2 where the hood fits securely onto the lens, without the screw on lip.
It will always be on the verge of falling off when extended.

Do you have a close up picture that shows the retaining ring?

oldche · May 19, 2020

MattKing said:
From a camera I sold in 2012 - I don't know whether the angles will help you:
View attachment 246493
View attachment 246494
And yes, I still have stuff on file that sometimes amazes me!

That second picture isn't bad - however, the threads look similar to what I have, except you seem to have two notches in the ring that might be good to help removal. I have no notches.

Konica Auto S2 Lens Disassembly

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