Minolta XG 1 advance lever issues

[tiffbrose]

Hi everyone,

I'm new to 35mm cameras. I just got a Minolta XG 1 whenever I try to click the shutter button it doesn't click and I can't seem to move the advance lever all the way. It is stuck on the red "S".

I've put in fresh energizer SR44 silver oxide batteries and put in a new Kodak 400 film. The battery check lights up red when I check it so I don't think the battery is the issue. I'm quite certain that I've inserted the film the correct way from watching multiple YouTube videos on this step. However, I don't see a little red sliver in the safe load signal window. I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong. I've attached some images hoping that'll help. Thank you in advance for any help/comments!!

 

[E. von Hoegh]

Do you have the instruction manual??

 

[Alan Gales]

Here are the instructions. Please pay Mr. Butkus $3 if you find them useful.

http://www.cameramanuals.org/minolta_pdf/minolta_xg-1.pdf

 

[tiffbrose]

Yeah I found a PDF online.

 

[MattKing]

That camera loads in a rather unusual way. I'd be careful with youtube videos - follow the instruction manual exactly instead.
If the film is kinked, that may be getting in the way. You can trim off the kinked part, make a new tongue of film by cutting off a corner and then try again. Your film will end up being a frame or two shorter, but should work fine otherwise if it is functioning correctly.

 

[eddie]

It's hard to see on my phone, but it looks like the manual calls for you to go over the take up spool. Your photo looks like you're going under the spool.

 

[Chan Tran]

Remove the film. Since it doesn't advance you won't lose any film. After removing the film try to advance it or release the shutter.

 

[pbromaghin]

Did the camera work before this? Because if it didn't, or you don't know if it did, then it is pretty likely you have a bad capacitor. This is a very common issue that eventually happens with nearly all Minolta cameras from this generation. It's a $5 part that takes a lot more than that to pay somebody to replace. If you are confident with a soldering iron, you can probably find plenty of instructional videos on youtube.

 

[tiffbrose]

I've tried to advance it without the film and it doesn't work either.

And I've looked through the online PDF manual and followed their instructions as well regarding the film and the camera advance lever will won't budge.

 

[tiffbrose]

I bought this item on etsy and the description mentioned that everything works. But I'm not sure about the capacitor. And I'm not too familiar with film cameras so I don't know enough to use a soldering iron.

 

[Alan Gales]

I bought this item on etsy and the description mentioned that everything works. But I'm not sure about the capacitor. And I'm not too familiar with film cameras so I don't know enough to use a soldering iron.

Using a soldering iron is easy. We use to use them in High School Electricity class to build Archer kits from Radio Shack. We had a couple burn outs in the class too and they managed it. As for how hard it is to get to the capacitor you have to look it up and see if it's something that you want to tackle. Of course you will be spending money on a new capacitor, soldering iron and solder.

You might be better off finding a Minolta X700 for $50.00. It's a nicer camera than the XG-1. I used to sell both when they were new.

If it were me I would look for an old Nikon mechanical camera like the F, F2, FE2, FE, FM2, or FM. If you want an electronic camera then get a Nikon F100 which is a whole lot newer than the XG-1. Of course the F100 doesn't have that "old school look" about it. Oh, I'm not a Nikon fanboy. I used to shoot Contax. It's just that an old Nikon mechanical camera makes a lot of sense today with the electronics in the other cameras being so old.

 

[Theo Sulphate]

Simplest things first. It may be that the reason the lever won't advance is because the shutter is already cocked.

Therefore, if the shutter won't release, is there sufficient battery power? Try the battery check and see if the indicator lights up. Does anything light up in the viewfinder when you press the release? Try selecting manual shutter speeds to see if that will trip the shutter.

EBay and other places are risky because people can unload broken equipment; a much safer way of buying a film camera is through reputable sellers like KEH.

 

[tiffbrose]

>Alan I bought the XG 1 because it seemed at the time a "easy" enough camera for a beginner getting into 35 mm cameras. My initial choice was the SRT 101 but I couldn't find one that had all working parts. So I settled for this one after doing a quick research.

>Theo I installed new SR44 batteries. And the battery check indicator do light up. And I can see red light in the viewfinder. I have tried to put it on manual shutter speeds but it still does not budge.
I agree that eBay and other seller sites can be risky but this seller had 300 five star reviews on etsy. Hopefully he will take my return if I can't find a solution to this issue.

 

[mcfitz]

On the base plate of the camera, there is an auto-winder coupler - see the last page of the PDF file link to the manual.

It has a slot. Try using a small coin in the slot to move the coupler, which could unblock the winding mechanism.

I have an XG M that is similar to your camera. When I reach the end of a roll of 36 exposures and don't realise I've hit the last frame, using the film advance lever throws things off, and I can neither fire the shutter or advance any film, even a new one.

I discovered by chance that gently moving the auto-winder coupler with a penny will snap "things" (what things, I do not know), into place and all is good again.

I do not know if this is the same issue you are having, but it does sound quite similar.

For what it is worth - never underestimate the value of a one cent piece! That is my 2 cents worth, so it is a bargain at half the price.

Good luck with solving the problem.

 

[E. von Hoegh]

The capacitor (in an X370) is a 100mf 3v polarised electrolytic about 3mm x 8mm. On the 370 it was under the baseplate.
It's a simple job, but the leads are too short to get a heatsink on so you have to be very fast and use 63/37 solder. Definitely not a first time soldering project.

 

[RichardJack]

If you paid over $10 and can return it do so, that was Minolta cheapest body. You can find a clean XG-9 with better features for about $30. It's not worth wasting your time with. Even a SRT-202 would be a better start. Minolta's are fine cameras, don't let this experience turn you off.

 

[Alan Gales]

I agree that eBay and other seller sites can be risky but this seller had 300 five star reviews on etsy. Hopefully he will take my return if I can't find a solution to this issue.

I used to sell a lot of film equipment on Ebay. I checked everything before I listed it but on rare occasion something would go wrong between the time I tested it and the buyer received it. Of course I would give a complete refund including all shipping costs. If you sell enough equipment, Murphy's law tends to kick in every once in a while.

I wouldn't worry so much about finding a simple camera to learn on. Learning a 35mm camera is pretty easy. They are not like most digital cameras that have menus upon menus of stuff to figure out. My 8x10 camera is easier to operate than my Fujifilm X100s.

 

[tiffbrose]

>mcfitz Thanks for the suggestion I tried what you mentioned but unfortunately the slot was barely moving when I tried to twist it with the penny. Thanks for your help anyhow.

>RichardJack yes I am planning on returning this camera as soon as the seller replies to my message. I will look into the SRT 202 once I ship the XG 1 back. Is there any other "beginner" friendly 35mm cameras that you'd recommend?

>Alan yes I'm assuming perhaps something went wrong during the shipping process or maybe because I am not familiar with this camera at all I'm unable to figure out something that could be a very simple issue. I will look into the X700 and from all the Nikon F series you mentioned which one would you say is the easiest for the beginner like me to use? In any case thanks for your help!

 

[Alan Gales]

>mcfitz

>Alan yes I'm assuming perhaps something went wrong during the shipping process or maybe because I am not familiar with this camera at all I'm unable to figure out something that could be a very simple issue. I will look into the X700 and from all the Nikon F series you mentioned which one would you say is the easiest for the beginner like me to use? In any case thanks for your help!

Any of the cameras I mentioned would be easy to learn on. Some are only fully manual and some have additional automatic exposure modes. The F100 also has autofocus. Just keep the camera on manual so you set both your lens aperture and shutter speed dial. You need to learn the meter in your camera and how it reads and when it can be fooled.

Autoexposure modes are nice and can make the camera faster to use. You still have to know what you are doing though. I bought my daughter an Olympus OM-1 which is a fully manual camera for her to learn on. Why Olympus? Because it is a small SLR and fit's her hands well.

Don't be intimidated. The mechanical part is really not all that hard after you get started. It's the artistic part that is hard. Just remember that you have plenty of friends here on APUG to help you!

 

[pbromaghin]

tiffbrose, there are hundreds of 35mm cameras from dozens of manufacturers, produced over a 30+ year period that all would serve perfectly well as a beginner's introductory camera. I have my favorites (Minolta), as do others. It's awfully hard to give guidance on this because of there being so many really good ones to choose from. The ones from the late 60's-early 70's (Pentax K1000, Minolta SRT, Nikon F) might be the best because they are all mechanical and don't have sophisticated electronics that can fail. However, the next generation, such a the x-700 already recommended (which I shoot and have several bodies through the whole range) are highly excellent performers with early, but sophisticated electronics that really assist in making great images.

It is more important that you get the one that has most recently been Cleaned, Lubed and Adjusted (CLA'd) or even overhauled, than any particular manufacturer's model. This was a highly competitive period and no manufacturer was allowed to get too far ahead of the rest of the pack. There are tons of great cameras out there for you. Just buy the best single one you can find.

 

[Chan Tran]

Wow! You bought the camera from Ebay and immediately loaded the camera with film without testing the camera first?

 

[E. von Hoegh]

Wow! You bought the camera from Ebay and immediately loaded the camera with film without testing the camera first?

Wow! You didn't read the thread! The op bought it from etsy.

Tiff, get a mechanical camera with a meter. The X700 has the same capacitor as you have now. OM1, FM, SRT101, etc. all are mechanical, if the meter dies you can use a handheld meter. Do some research on the camera before you buy it. Be certain to get the instructions, either paper or pdf and read them. Youtube tutorials are a crapshoot, often just crap.
Good luck and don't hesitate to ask here.

 

[Chan Tran]

Wow! You didn't read the thread! The op bought it from etsy.

Tiff, get a mechanical camera with a meter. The X700 has the same capacitor as you have now. OM1, FM, SRT101, etc. all are mechanical, if the meter dies you can use a handheld meter. Do some research on the camera before you buy it. Be certain to get the instructions, either paper or pdf and read them. Youtube tutorials are a crapshoot, often just crap.
Good luck and don't hesitate to ask here.

Etsy is similar to Ebay basically a place the sell used stuff. If I buy a used camera I would check every functions before I put film in it.

 

[E. von Hoegh]

Etsy is similar to Ebay basically a place the sell used stuff. If I buy a used camera I would check every functions before I put film in it.

I know what etsy is, and I would check all functions too, seven ways from breakfast. However, as indicated, the op is brand new at this and trying to get off the toe of the learning curve. A camera is a complex device; quite a lot of sellers think that if it goes "click" it works. Significantly, the op's camera arrived sans battery.

 

[fstop]

It's hard to see on my phone, but it looks like the manual calls for you to go over the take up spool. Your photo looks like you're going under the spool.

Its loaded correctly. I have a bunch of XG series cameras and bought one new in 1978...