Minolta Hi-Matic 7s

[denmark.yuzon]

thanks galah for your help.. ive found some replacement batteries in ebay.. but, im not worrying about it that much since it can be used without batteries.. though, im still wondering if the meters work.. im excited to see my pictures already.. i hope the theres no light leaks or whatsoever..

 

[denmark.yuzon]

MINOLTA HI-MATIC DIY TIPS

my minolta hi-matic 7s rokkor lens is wobbly.. is there any way i can DIY this wobbly problem? can any of you help me?

 

[Galah]

.. what batteries do you use with yours? they say, hearing aid batteries works best as the 1.4V is close to the 1.35V from mercury batteries..

OK, as I said, I still have an "original" 1.35v Varta mercury battery which is still going, however the replacement I have been given by my local photoshop owner is a Duracell "Photo" 1.5v 625A (cost Aus$5-95). He claims it will do the job and I believe him as he is a longtime specialist rangefinder collector/user and has several 7s's himself.

 

[denmark.yuzon]

hi guys.. i just recieved my scans from the lab.. it seems that some of my shots were in focus.. other were not where i thought, i focused well by lining up the ghost image.. it might be due to the fact that i focus then i would hold the lens back in which unfocuses on my subject so that the shutter would fire.. please help me.. is there anyway i can DIY the lens wobble and also calibrate the lens for focusing..

 

[elekm]

I think that you need to get that lens properly attached to the body before shooting any more film with it.

You might want to check in the film chamber to see if there are any screws that can be tightened. Or maybe it's a spanner ring. Or perhaps the lens panel is secured to the camera with screws in the front.

Open the back and move the lens and see if you see any screws inside the film chamber move. If so, tighten them.

I can't be sure, but it sounds like someone else might have worked on the camera and then didn't reassemble properly. Or maybe it's something else.

I'm not familiar with this camera, so I can't offer more than general advice.

 

[denmark.yuzon]

thank you mike! i will certainly try this.. im in a middle of a test roll now.. ill do this right after i finish this roll...

 

[Tonglen]

Came across a 7sII in a local thrift shop a couple days ago, $35. Overall it was fairly clean, but the lens seemed a bit wobbly on the body. Does anyone think this would be worth repairing?

oops, just read elekm on pg. 3.
maybe I'll go back to the shop on half-off day...

 

[Galah]

hi guys.. i just recieved my scans from the lab.. it seems that some of my shots were in focus.. other were not where i thought, i focused well by lining up the ghost image.. it might be due to the fact that i focus then i would hold the lens back in which unfocuses on my subject so that the shutter would fire.. please help me.. is there anyway i can DIY the lens wobble and also calibrate the lens for focusing..

I'm sorry you are having so much trouble with it, but I'm not generally a DIY guy where cameras are concerned, so I generally go to the repairman as necessary. I have found them reasonable. Of course, with something like the 7s, you could easily find one that is already in working order for the price of the repair. Then again, fixing what you have would be more certain than taking a gamble with an unknown. Who knows?:confused:

Even when working OK, the available lens travel for focusing from close to infinity is not a lot, so focusing with a wobbly lens would seem impossible to me.

 

[Tonglen]

Well, here it is, $16.25 plus tax:

 

[denmark.yuzon]

wow man.. thats one nice camera.. so cheap yet so clean! nice! i might switch to 7sII..

 

[M4cr0s]

From what I've seen and heard around the net, a _slightly_ wobbly lens is completely normal on the 7s. Doesn't seem to affect anything. Got mine off the 'bay a little while ago. 10$ or so in close to mint condition. Everything seems to work, both the shutter and the aperture blades move smoothly. Using a 675 hearing aid battery for the meter. Waiting to get my test roll back from the photo shop. I find it a charming, well-built old camera so far. If the shutter/aperture starts messing around I'll try to clean up the blades myself, although these Minoltas are said to be difficult to DIY.

/Mac

 

[denmark.yuzon]

yes. it is. very tricky.. ive asked others and they said, they messed up two to three 7s' for trying to DIY repairs with its lens.. damn..

 

[M4cr0s]

As far as I understand, the aperture and shutter blades are not supposed to be oiled/lubricated, but rather be perfectly clean and dry. The issue seems to be that old mineral oil from other parts of the lens/camera simply disintegrates after a few decades and spread out, creating sticky residue togheter with dust on the blades (this is a problem with many older cameras). Cleaning them properly is difficult and simply a spray & pray approach do not work. Basically the whole mechanism must be removed from the camera and cleaned using solvents that do not themselves leave any residue/film on the blades (stuff like lighter fluid, contact cleaners, "clean-before-you-glue" etc might work).

I'm sure it can be done DIY with patience and carefull preparation/planning, but likely not everybodys cup of tea.

/Mac

 

[denmark.yuzon]

i agree.. but my problem with my Hi-[proble]Matic 7s, is that the lens wobbles and the shutter wont fire. if i gently hold the lens back in, thats the only time the shutter would fire. i have noticed that when you press the shutter, the lens rotates in a clockwise direction, so another trick is i prevent the rotation of the lens so that the shutter can fire easily. i havent loaded it with film for the past two weeks, since i have not gone out on a trip. i just dry fire it every night so the shutter would not be stuck..

 

[M4cr0s]

Ouch, I see. Definitely sounds like it's looser than it's supposed to be, there is a difference between a slight wobble and the whole lens rotating! Probably something is broken, or needs tightening. Hope you find a solution to it. Luckily there's loads of old rangefinders out there, and some are even in perfectly usable condition/less prone to shot shutters. They can even be aquired for very nice prices on the 'bay for instance, with some patience.

/Mac

 

[denmark.yuzon]

yeah, ive thought about it.. but, the rokkor lens is so sharp when i get it right.. im considering the konica auto s2.. thats another beast.. but this camera was given to me, and i just cant let it go.. i wont stop until i find solution for this problem.. this one is so mint it can pass of as new out of the box. thats another reason i cant let it go.. the timer even works which is another problem on other 7s'..

 

[M4cr0s]

Would be a shame to let go of a fine, 'ol camera, even if it has issues. What you can do is google after service manual for the 7s. Also, search the classic camera repair forum ( http://www.kyphoto.com/cgi-bin/forum/discus.cgi?pg=topics ) for information. If you can get an idea how the lens is mounted to the body, perhaps you can sort it out somehow.

Haven't got so far as to check out this myself, been busy servicing another old camera, a Petri FT1000 SLR from around '73 lately. Cleaning out the various parts of the viewfinder and prism and replacing a lot of old smoldering rubber seals/washers. Luckily it is fairly easy to work with, no blade shutters and stuff and it seems to have survived my medling fingers in better condition than it was originally

/Mac

 

[denmark.yuzon]

hi mac, i tried posting in the classic camera repair forum. unfortunately, no one was able to give me a service manual for the 7s. i found one though but it was in japanese, and it doesnt show the step by step process of tinkering with the lens. i plan to have this CLA'ed soon. my scans just came back. and damn, the lens was so sharp when i get it right. il try to post some soon..

 

[Tonglen]

Plus-X, D76 1:1

 

[denmark.yuzon]

wow.. that is nice right there!

 

[jon]

If you can get that 7s usable, you'll have a lovely camera on your hands. A beast, but fun nonetheless. I'm a bit biased though, as my first camera was a 7s (which still works like new to this day, I might add)...

 

[denmark.yuzon]

everything works actually.. even the self timer.. the wobbling isnt that much, but is enough to hinder the shutter mechanism from firing.. and i fear that continued usage in this condition might damage the shutter mechanism..

ive got some good test shots from it... these were focused well...

and this one, i think is due to the wobbly lens causing the lens not to focus properly.. or maybe it was just me.. and my focusing.. it was my first time to shoot with a rangefinder.. im so used to the split image and not overlapping ones..

 

[denmark.yuzon]

i admit that the bokeh from the rokkor lens is amazing!

 

[andrewc]

thanks you guys for all the inputs.. im excited to get this camera and test it out for myself.. i hope it will last me a lifetime.. otherwise ill get myself a konica auto S2 instead..

Whether it works or not, you should still get a Konica Auto S2 because it's a phenomenal camera.

 

[denmark.yuzon]

Whether it works or not, you should still get a Konica Auto S2 because it's a phenomenal camera.

really? better than the canonet QL17 GIII?