Removing body cap from Bronica ETR?

[Nick Zentena]

I gambled on a body with "A broken shutter". Right now I'm stopped from even mounting a lens because the body cap is stuck on. It looks like the cap might be turned too far to the left. So before I go to cutting off the perfectly nice looking cap anybody have any bright ideas? I've already tried pushing the lens release button.

 

[dtomasula]

Nick -

Try the old child-proof medicine bottle cap trick -- Push in while turining.

If that doesn't work, try gently (and I emphasize gently) prying it up with a very small screwdriver.

 

[Nick Zentena]

I cut it off and guess what it really doesn't fire the shutter. May have to teach my self camera repair-)

 

[glbeas]

May not be the body or the shutter, may be an interlock to the back gone bad. Are you dry firing without the lens to see if your mirror action is right? And is the lens itself properly cocked before you mount it? That can be a sure source of problems, though you shouldn't even be able to dismount the lens from the body without the shutter cocked.

 

[Nick Zentena]

Doesn't do anything without the lens. I've been testing with the back off. I think that's the only way to test without film in it. The lens removal button is supposed to lower two little studs. The one next to the green shutter cocking thing isn't going down. I can move it with my finger but it's pretty stiff. I wonder if that's the problem some how. The lens also isn't locking on the body.

 

[MikeK]

This may sound silly, but you do have a working battery installed?

Mike

 

[Nick Zentena]

One of the first things I checked. Supposedly the body is supposed to fire the shutter at 1/500 even if the battery is dead. If you push the shutter you see the connection on the side that goes to the grip and it moves. If I attach a cable release the shutter button moves. I don't know. Some place the message isn't getting to the lens it self.

 

[bon-jip]

If the 4-6 screws around the gold contacts on the lens/body are loose you will not have a connection between the lens and the body. This was the case with one lens I had on my SQA, thought my shutter would fire but then not release.
I am unfamiliar with the ETR but the SQ series also needs the multiple exposure level to be pressed before you can fire the shutter without film - even with the back off.

 

[Nick Zentena]

The lenses are fine. It's something with the body. The body does need the multi-exposure set to fire. I'll check the screws later