Konica Auto S2 problems.

KerrKid · Jul 9, 2022

I received my Konica Auto S2 today. When I took it out of the box, it looked factory new. Amazing condition.

Then I discovered the rewinder wouldn’t pull up to release the film door latch.

I also discovered that the winder wouldn’t wind, the shutter wouldn’t fire, and the little rewind button was stuck in the release position.

Rats.

So, I gently but firmly pried up the rewinder with a small bamboo chisel and the film door popped open.

I read in an older Photrio thread that the rewind release button can get hung up due to old grease or light seal debri. The suggestion was to prudently apply naphtha to the part after removal of the base plate.

I tried something easier. With the film door open, I gave the black plastic roller that is right over the release button twenty firm rapidfire snaps with my finger. Suddenly, I heard the faint sound of the shutter firing. I closed the film door and checked the winder. It was working now. So was the shutter. The rewind button was released, too.

I posted this just in case someone else gets a Konica Auto S2 and has a similar problem. Instead of panicking, try the easy things I did. Sometimes, all it takes is the simplest things to fix something.

Helge · Jul 10, 2022

Never had an S2 that just worked through my hands.
There is always a problem, or a problem quickly develops.
A Hi-Matic 7/s on the other hand works nine times out of then.

KerrKid · Jul 10, 2022

Bummer. I hope mine is ok. I hadn’t read about any reliability problems in all the research I did prior to buying this camera.

The viewfinder on mine seems hazy and I think that is common. I can see through it fine, though.
I sure wouldn’t mind a Hi-matic.

Helge · Jul 10, 2022

KerrKid said:
Bummer. I hope mine is ok. I hadn’t read about any reliability problems in all the research I did prior to buying this camera.

The viewfinder on mine seems hazy and I think that is common. I can see through it fine, though.
I sure wouldn’t mind a Hi-matic.

Confirmation and survivor bias. You won’t hear people who bought a dog praise it.

It is a tremendous camera when is does work no doubt.
The telescope hood and the scaling parallax correction lines, the top lit finder lines window and the external meter reading are all superb features.

But the Hi-Matic 7 sold better for a reason.
It’s rock solid. And has an equally fantastic lens.

KerrKid · Jul 10, 2022

Helge said:
Confirmation and survivor bias. You won’t hear people who bought a dog praise it.

It is a tremendous camera when is does work no doubt.
The telescope hood and the scaling parallax correction lines, the top lit finder lines window and the external meter reading are all superb features.

But the Hi-Matic 7 sold better for a reason.
It’s rock solid. And has an equally fantastic lens.

Yes, there’s no substitute for personal experience.

I sure would like to get the haze out of the viewfinder but I’m not sure how. There’s a circular “plug” by it that could be hiding a screw head. I’m not sure if it is or how to remove it.

Very good to know about the Hi-matic. I was looking at a Hi-magic 9, but don’t know much about them. I have two SRT-101’s and a 201. I like like Minoltas a lot.

Helge · Jul 10, 2022

KerrKid said:
Yes, there’s no substitute for personal experience.

I sure would like to get the haze out of the viewfinder but I’m not sure how. There’s a circular “plug” by it that could be hiding a screw head. I’m not sure if it is or how to remove it.

Very good to know about the Hi-matic. I was looking at a Hi-magic 9, but don’t know much about them. I have two SRT-101’s and a 201. I like like Minoltas a lot.

The 9 is not worth the premium.
The GN system is useless for anything but straight flash (who wants that?) with a manual flash.
It’s deeper on account of the lens GN system.
The lens is the same or so close it doesn’t matter.
The f22 stop of the 7s is missed when you loaded 400 film and the sun is blaring down.

KerrKid · Jul 10, 2022

Helge said:
The 9 is not worth the premium.
The GN system is useless for anything but straight flash (who wants that?) with a manual flash.
It’s deeper on account of the lens GN system.
The lens is the same or so close it doesn’t matter.
The f22 stop of the 7s is missed when you loaded 400 film and the sun is blaring down.

The 7s is not very expensive; similar to the Konica Auto S2. I paid $35 for mine.

The 7sII seems more desirable with price tags to match.

What does the 7sII have that the 7s doesn’t?

Helge · Jul 10, 2022

KerrKid said:
The 7s is not very expensive; similar to the Konica Auto S2. I paid $35 for mine.

The 7sII seems more desirable with price tags to match.

What does the 7sII have that the 7s doesn’t?

Size.
And a shorter rangefinder base and smaller finder.
No manual metering.
An irritatingly wide normal lens. Without being proper wide.
Baseless hype.

A rangefinder doesn’t have to make amends by being smaller than an SLR. When you make it smaller you compromise the most important thing about the whole idea: The finder.

reddesert · Jul 10, 2022

I have a Konica auto S2 that I got in the late 1980s as my first rangefinder camera. It still works, but the meter stopped working quite a while ago. I have not bothered to try to look deeply into repairing the meter, since it's still usable. I also got another one from a camera shop in Japan as a trip souvenir - they had it on the "junk" bargain shelf because the meter was dead, but the rest of it is fine. Anyway, you can find dead ones like any 50 year old camera, but if it works now I don't think it's primed to die on you tomorrow.

On my first one, I had to take the top cover off because the RF patch became sluggish in following the focus motion of the lens, and I had to clean a moving part. IIRC, in order to take the top off to clean the finder, you just need to remove the rewind knob and wind lever. (Edit: I forgot to say that you also have to take any obvious screws out of the sides of the top cover, of course.)

The rewind knob comes off in the usual way - block the rewind fork with a screwdriver and unscrew the top knob. The wind lever top cover is unscrewed by friction. See here: Once inside, you can clean pieces that need it - probably mostly the eyepiece. Don't touch the half silvered mirror.

KerrKid · Jul 10, 2022

reddesert said:
I have a Konica auto S2 that I got in the late 1980s as my first rangefinder camera. It still works, but the meter stopped working quite a while ago. I have not bothered to try to look deeply into repairing the meter, since it's still usable. I also got another one from a camera shop in Japan as a trip souvenir - they had it on the "junk" bargain shelf because the meter was dead, but the rest of it is fine. Anyway, you can find dead ones like any 50 year old camera, but if it works now I don't think it's primed to die on you tomorrow.

On my first one, I had to take the top cover off because the RF patch became sluggish in following the focus motion of the lens, and I had to clean a moving part. IIRC, in order to take the top off to clean the finder, you just need to remove the rewind knob and wind lever. The rewind knob comes off in the usual way - block the rewind fork with a screwdriver and unscrew the top knob. The wind lever top cover is unscrewed by friction. See here: Once inside, you can clean pieces that need it - probably mostly the eyepiece. Don't touch the half silvered mirror.

Thank you! I was looking in vain for instructions on how to do this.

The RF patch seems fine and bright in mine. I like how little the focus ring has to move to focus.

Can I use lens cleaner on the viewfinder?

KerrKid · Jul 11, 2022

I just watched the video. Excellent! Lots of critical tips.

Thank you!

Oren Grad · Jul 11, 2022

KerrKid said:
The 7s is not very expensive; similar to the Konica Auto S2. I paid $35 for mine.

The 7sII seems more desirable with price tags to match.

What does the 7sII have that the 7s doesn’t?

I have a 7SII that I purchased second-hand about 30 years ago. I much prefer it to the 7S. It's *much* smaller and lighter. I can stash the 7SII in a coat pocket and carry and use it unobtrusively when I travel - I've done that many times. The 7S is a boat anchor by comparison, completely defeats my purposes in carrying a fixed-lens RF. And I much prefer the 40mm focal length of the 7SII to the 45 of the 7S. The latter is on the long side of normal and is way too tight for me. (I'd like the 7SII even better if it had a 35, but you can't always get everything you want.)

A friend of mine when I was growing up long ago had a 7S, and I got to know it pretty well. It's a perfectly decent camera on its own merits, just doesn't meet my needs. YMMV - if you like the S2, you'll probably enjoy the 7S as well.

At any rate, good luck with your S2 - hope you can get the finder cleaned up to your satisfaction and that the camera will serve you well.

KerrKid · Jul 11, 2022

Oren Grad said:
I have a 7SII that I purchased second-hand about 30 years ago. I much prefer it to the 7S. It's *much* smaller and lighter. I can stash the 7SII in a coat pocket and carry and use it unobtrusively when I travel - I've done that many times. The 7S is a boat anchor by comparison, completely defeats my purposes in carrying a fixed-lens RF. And I much prefer the 40mm focal length of the 7SII to the 45 of the 7S. The latter is on the long side of normal and is way too tight for me. (I'd like the 7SII even better if it had a 35, but you can't always get everything you want.)

A friend of mine when I was growing up long ago had a 7S, and I got to know it pretty well. It's a perfectly decent camera on its own merits, just doesn't meet my needs. YMMV - if you like the S2, you'll probably enjoy the 7S as well.

At any rate, good luck with your S2 - hope you can get the finder cleaned up to your satisfaction and that the camera will serve you well.

Thanks for weighing in. No pun intended.

I have a Konica C35 Automatic for a smaller lighter RF. Plus I have a Ricoh 500G coming that should be smaller and lighter, too.

Time will tell which camera gets used the most, but the C35 sure is appealing.

Oren Grad · Jul 11, 2022

KerrKid said:
I have a Konica C35 Automatic for a smaller lighter RF. Plus I have a Ricoh 500G coming that should be smaller and lighter, too.

Time will tell which camera gets used the most, but the C35 sure is appealing.

Excellent - experience will tell you what you need to know, and you may well find that you like having both small and large options available to choose from depending on circumstances. Enjoy!

Helge · Jul 11, 2022

Oren Grad said:
I have a 7SII that I purchased second-hand about 30 years ago. I much prefer it to the 7S. It's *much* smaller and lighter. I can stash the 7SII in a coat pocket and carry and use it unobtrusively when I travel - I've done that many times. The 7S is a boat anchor by comparison, completely defeats my purposes in carrying a fixed-lens RF. And I much prefer the 40mm focal length of the 7SII to the 45 of the 7S. The latter is on the long side of normal and is way too tight for me. (I'd like the 7SII even better if it had a 35, but you can't always get everything you want.)

And what are those purposes, if I may ask for clarity?

Oren Grad · Jul 11, 2022

Helge said:
And what are those purposes, if I may ask for clarity?

At this point, unencumbered, unobtrusive, walk-around general snapshooting with a semi-wide FOV is my primary use for 35mm.

KerrKid · Jul 11, 2022

The dew has come off the lily.

The camera is not in as good a shape as I thought. I've got the top of the camera off and cleaning things up. I had to disassemble more than I'd planned but it should go back together ok.

There is some light seal material or something above the rear finder glass that disintegrated and will need replacing. It looks like the rest of the rangefinder glass will just need some compressed air to clean it up. The rear viewfinder glass was hideously dirty and the thin metal frame it was in was corroded. I got that assembly out of its holder in the top of the camera with naptha and some careful prying. Once out, I got the glass separated from the thin metal frame with some naptha and very gentle prying since there was a thin bead of glue holding the metal frame to the glass. Bending that thin metal frame was not an option.

There is a little hair thin spring which attaches to the moveable parallax correction framework that's visible once the top of the camera is off. I accidentally and unknowingly must have bumped that and dislodged it. Luckily it was still mostly in place and I figured out how to reposition it. I really averted disaster with that because I could easily have lost it and may not have even noticed there was something wrong until long after I had the top back on.

The biggest problem with the camera is one I should have checked immediately upon receiving it. There is a patch of fungus and lots of large dust particles on one of the interior lenses which means I get to practice working on a lens and getting the tools required to do so. Even then, I don't know if cleaning up the patch of fungus will affect the picture badly. Rats, rats, rats.

I've learned a lesson. With cameras this old, I think it makes sense to buy one from a reputable dealer, forum member, etc. instead of trusting just anyone on eBay. This camera was not represented as in excellent shape and was listed as untested, so it was a gamble for me. I think I would be money ahead to have bought one CLA'd and in excellent condition from someone I trusted.

Oh well, I'll practice on it and maybe it will turn out ok.

reddesert · Jul 11, 2022

IMO, if a lens has a little patch of fungus and some dust particles somewhere in the middle, you may be able to leave it as is and not see any effects other than probably a little increase in flare. (If the fungus is still alive, you should kill it by exposure to UV light, like leaving the lens in the sun with the shutter open. Make sure it isn't bringing the sun to a focus on anything, of course.) Haze, IME, is worse than little patches of debris/damage.

Markings on lenses are probably worst when they occur on the rear element, because they are closer to being in focus on the film. But in the middle ... I have an SLR lens that literally has a tiny dead insect smack in the middle. You can't see it in the viewfinder.

Paul Howell · Jul 11, 2022

That's too bad, I guess I was lucky with my Wards version, all it cost me $35 for the camera with shipping + $75 for CLA, glass was clear when I got, no issues with mold.

KerrKid · Jul 11, 2022

reddesert said:
IMO, if a lens has a little patch of fungus and some dust particles somewhere in the middle, you may be able to leave it as is and not see any effects other than probably a little increase in flare. (If the fungus is still alive, you should kill it by exposure to UV light, like leaving the lens in the sun with the shutter open. Make sure it isn't bringing the sun to a focus on anything, of course.) Haze, IME, is worse than little patches of debris/damage.

Markings on lenses are probably worst when they occur on the rear element, because they are closer to being in focus on the film. But in the middle ... I have an SLR lens that literally has a tiny dead insect smack in the middle. You can't see it in the viewfinder.

Thanks for the info!

I have light seals coming. I’ll put a roll through the camera when I get those in and see what happens. Meanwhile I’ll give the lens some UV light.

KerrKid · Jul 11, 2022

Paul Howell said:
That's too bad, I guess I was lucky with my Wards version, all it cost me $35 for the camera with shipping + $75 for CLA, glass was clear when I got, no issues with mold.

Yes, you were lucky. I usually am, too. If the fungus on the lens doesn’t affect things then I’ll have a great camera.

Who did the CLA on your camera?

Paul Howell · Jul 12, 2022

My local shop Wilson Camera had a tech, he has moved to Portland, so not sure if they will mailing cameras to him. Tempe Camera Repair will work on some old film cameras as long parts are not needed.

KerrKid · Jul 12, 2022

Paul Howell said:
My local shop Wilson Camera had a tech, he has moved to Portland, so not sure if they will mailing cameras to him. Tempe Camera Repair will work on some old film cameras as long parts are not needed.

Oh ok. Greg Weber is supposed to be good with Konica's, too. I'd need the lens cleaned, but I'm not sure it's worth it since these cameras don't cost a lot of money. Still, I dislike the disposable mentality and tend to keep things and fix them even when it doesn't make much financial sense.

I'd really like to see if I could repair the lens myself just to gain a new skill.

Paul Howell · Jul 12, 2022

If the lens has fungus, I would keep the camera for parts and get a cleaner example.

KerrKid · Jul 12, 2022

Paul Howell said:
If the lens has fungus, I would keep the camera for parts and get a cleaner example.

That’s good advice, of course.

Konica Auto S2 problems.

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