Minolta 600 Repair

[CMoore]

I bought one of these for my wife, from Ebay.
It is the A-Mount, second generation i guess.
Maxxum 600 maybe.?

Anyway.....Everything seems to "work".....but the shutter sounds Weird/Slow/Bad.
Any of you guys send an auto-focus Minolta to a tech that you would recommend.?
Thank You

 

[anfenglin]

I had a Maxxum 600si classic, called Dynax 600si classic over here.
Is it that one? It says so on the camera.

Anyway, what do you mean by "sounds wierd/slow/bad"? In some AF cameras like Canon EOS 500s and such, the mirror seems to move slowly but it just works like that.
Do you have a lens for it? Any A-mount or Sony alpha lens will do although some more modern alpha lens do not work on all Minolta bodies.
I'm not that knowledgeable about AF stuff.

If you have a lens, why not test the camera with some film? See if everything is working right.
These cameras tend not to break and if, the electronics go first but that is very unlikely.
Minolta Dynax / Maxxum cameras are really very good IMHO.

 

[Paul Howell]

Set the camera to M for manual, set shutter to 1sec and see if it is open about a second. With my 600, the shutter sounds less like the off fashion click of a mechanical shutter, more muted, thudish, I would run a roll of film to test the shutter and meter.

 

[CMoore]

anfenglin - what do you mean by "sounds wierd/slow/bad"?
THAT is not descriptive enough.?

Paul H -
I will give that a try. I have never owned or used a camera like this. It is possible i am not used to the sound maybe.?
Thank You

 

[anfenglin]

Hm, maybe, I have no way of telling what "weird" means to you.
The ideal thing to do here is for one, set the camera to 1sec an fire it with the back open to see if it really is one second,
if you are still unsure, a test film might help to see if the shutter fuctions correctly.

 

[CMoore]

Set the camera to M for manual, set shutter to 1sec and see if it is open about a second. With my 600, the shutter sounds less like the off fashion click of a mechanical shutter, more muted, thudish, I would run a roll of film to test the shutter and meter.

Yeah, i tried that and it seemed to work fine.
I pushed the film rewind button, the rewind motor operated and then stopped, i opened the back but the film was still there. The film counter is stuck on '9'
The LCD said "HELP".....i rewound the film by hand, reinserted the battery, put the film back in, and it sill says Help. Looks like tech time, not sure if it will be worth it or not, but i suppose i will find out.
Thanks Again

 

[Paul Howell]

600s are really cheap, I would just pick up another.

 

[CMoore]

You are probably right. Are the single digit Minoltas worth the Money...like the Number 7.?
Thanks

 

[Paul Howell]

The Minolta 7 was a pro level body, not as fast shutter speed as the 9, not as well constructed, but it as the last film body it will work with all Minolta A Mount, Konica Minolta A mount and Sony A mount, gear driven and micro motor lens. Not Sony E mount. The 9 was top of the line Pro level camera, stainless steel body, weather sealed, top shutter speed of 1/12000 of a second 1/350 flash syn. The 5 was the entry level body. I would stay away from the 7SI and 9 SI, they were a generation earlier and used a set of command cards for advanced features, like action, landscape, multiple exposure. If you decide on a 7 or 9, buy from a dealer with a return policy or warranty, like KEH.

I know that you are interested in Minolta, which is my main 35mm system. I pulled out my Pentax PZ 30, a step above the entry level PZ10. I used mine for street shooting for several years, even took off the plastic shell and painted it olive green, used with 50 1.7 KA manual focus lens and AF lens. I had forgotten how many features it has, only lacks mirror lock up. Very quite. Light weight, Pentax makes really good lens.

 

[CMoore]

I got a great deal (so i thought) on a 7000 and this 600 plus 3 Minolta branded lens for 100 bux with shipping included from Ebay. It also came with a decent bag. The 7000 seems to be working. I ran a roll of test film through it. It did the 36 frames with no problems and rewound with no troubles.
It is probably all my wife will Need/Want, but it would be nice to have a back-up body in case the 7000 gives up.
The single digit bodies are way more expensive.....i might just keep my eye peeled for another 600. It seemed like a well made camera.
My wife had a very "Entry Level" Minolta auto focus from about 20-25 years ago. That bit the dust 4-5 years back, and she has been wanting another Minolta.....so that is why i pursued the whole Minolta thing. They seem to be well thought of.
I do not know anything about Nikon AF, and i have no Nikon AF Lens. Minolta seemed to be more affordable, so i went that route.
Thanks For Your Advice...I Appreciate It

 

[anfenglin]

I would stay away from the 7. I have been down that route and two died on me. One would not let me rewind the film and the back cannot be opened if film is inserted, so I had to screw open the little flap and open the back that way. The other one all of a sudden stopped working, just like that.
When it would work, it was a great camera but by then I was off autofocus cameras so I gave up on getting another one.
My 600 never let me down.

 

[Paul Howell]

I would think about a Minolta 5 or 300si, the 300 has Program and Manual mode, DX coded, will work all Minolta and Konica Minolta 5 and 8 pin lens. As basic as you can get, more like a point and shoot with interchangeable lens, one draw back is the flash is detachable not a pop up, so you need to one with the flash, it was in a case that attached to the camera strap. Uses the camera body's battery for power.

 

[Cork]

I got a great deal (so i thought) on a 7000 and this 600 plus 3 Minolta branded lens for 100 bux with shipping included from Ebay. It also came with a decent bag. The 7000 seems to be working. I ran a roll of test film through it. It did the 36 frames with no problems and rewound with no troubles.
It is probably all my wife will Need/Want, but it would be nice to have a back-up body in case the 7000 gives up.

As inexpensive as the film bodies are now it should be fairly easy to find a good backup. The si-series are fine, and their exposure and autofocus systems are more advanced than those of the 7000. I have an XTsi as backup for my 9xi; it's a nice, light camera. The 600si is a great choice as well and you should be able to find an operating sample pretty easily.

 

[anfenglin]

The 700si is a nice camera, too.