konica auto s2 shutter release problem

[rickxx]

greetings. i'm having a problem (i think) with the shutter release on the kas2 body. if i hold the camera in a horizotal position (lens pointed at a subject in front of you), the shutter won't release. if i hold the camera in a vertical position (lens pointed to the sky), the mechanism will release. is this normal or is there an adjustment i need to make to the mechanism to get the shutter plunger to release completely? i'm trying to get the camera back together again is the lens housing (shutter and aperture blades) is now working properly. any help you can give in helping me understand the mechanism would be appreciated.

 

[rickxx]

nuthin' huh. ok, well if someone could explain to me how the shutter mechanism on the body works in relation to lens housing levers and the auto aperture system, that may help. it appears that as the plunger moves down a lever on the lens housing tells the plunger "ok to fire" or not based on the meter reading(?)....although i thought the camera is available to work without the meter working, so maybe my hypothesis is wrong. any ideas?

 

[rickxx]

for those of you encountering the same problem 5 years from now....
in testing, i found if i pressed the battery check button and held it (thereby moving the needle meter into the yellow zone) the shutter would fire. that led me to believe i needed to get the meter working and into the acceptable zone in order to get the camera to work. i found a loose wire at the battery housing, re-soldered it and got the meter working. working meter means the shutter will now fire. problem fixed, another kas2 up and operating!

 

[mklw1954]

You don't say what you had the aperture ring set to. The shutter will not fire if the aperture ring is on Auto and the meter needle is not in the yellow zone, either because the meter is not working or because of light conditions. If not on Auto, i.e., aperture set manually, the shutter will fire whether or not the meter is operating. Wondering if you were on Auto and got the shutter to fire when the battery check got the meter needle in the yellow zone.

 

[rickxx]

i had it set both ways....on auto to get the lens housing on the body...no fire, which i figured would happen. then i set to 2.8 and various shutter speeds but still no fire. you would think it should fire, but it wouldn't. i could only get it to fire in manual mode if the meter was in the yellow zone. maybe there's still a problem with the camera. it does work now but only with meter operational.

 

[RichardASq]

Hello Everyone! Thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience, it is much appreciated. I have the exact same problem with my KAS2! I have nearly reached the point where i have a reliable, usable camera, but only if I have a good battery inserted and there is "enough" light can I use it in manual mode. When set to (say) 1/30sec and f/1:8, the camera "looks" for enough light and then delivers the speed and aperture I ordered. If there's not enough light (e.g. lens cap on) I can press the shutter button down, but it will not fire. It feels like the "trapped needle" mechanism is now working in both auto and manual modes on this camera. It should only worki in "auto" mode. This is a new symptom and I wonder if I have caused it somehow, during my shutter cleaning. I also had to gently remove a small piece of metal from inside the plastic housing around the meter. I am almost certain I caused no damage and the meter responds strongly to light. Could someone please explain how the "auto" setting on the shutter speed dial works, especially how that setting is relayed to the camera body? I have had the whole lens / shutter / iris diaphragm unit unscrewed from the body. I wonder whether one of the levers back there (a brass one?) is not springing back as it should, although I lubricated and it seemed fine. Also, cannot fathom why I am getting the speeds I request, not "auto" speeds, if that is the cause. Many thanks once again, and for reading this! Very much appreciated. Richard

 

[mklw1954]

You might want to check Camera Maintenance & Repair, Book 2, by Thomas Tomosy; there are several pages on common repairs of the Konica Auto S2, including how Auto works. Try your library as each volume is about $60 to buy.

 

[RichardASq]

Many thanks for your quick and helpful reply!

 

[curiositykatie]

Many thanks for your quick and helpful reply!

Hi Richard,
I am having this exact issue with my Konica Auto S2. Were you able to resolve the issue? I have requested the above-mentioned book from my library but it must be requested through inter-library loan and may take a while. Many thanks!