Some problems with my new Minolta XK find

Norkusa · Aug 6, 2016

Found a nice looking Minolta XK + 50mm f/1.4 Rokkor-X in a thrift store today for $25. I've found lots of Minolta slr's on the cheap before but this is my first time ever seeing an XK, so I was pretty excited to get it. Put some fresh batteries in and shutter/mirror seems to be working ok. Just a few issues:

1. Can't see the lens aperture or light meter readouts in the viewfinder unless I put a flashlight directly against scale illumination window on the outside of the prism. Based on some Googling, it sounds like a mirror may not be intact and needs to be re-positioned inside the prism. I don't hear any rattling around inside the prism though when I remove it from the camera, so maybe its still attached? I did find a *very* tiny mirror on the counter later (maybe 2mm in length) but I'm not sure if this came from the XK, especially since I never cracked the prism open. Saved it anyway though in case it is and needs to be re-attached.

2. I think there's supposed to be a red light that illuminates at the bottom of the meter readout when your EV is 1 or lower, but this isn't lighting up. I thought the prism might be dead but the meter needle is still moving + giving accurate readings, so maybe the light is just burnt out?

Any XK users here ever experience these problems before? If so, are they fixable? Guess I could just set the shutter dial to Auto but I'd like to use it fully manual if possible.

Les Sarile · Aug 6, 2016

Pretty complex set of tiny mirrors inside the AE finder just to see the aperture markings on the lens as can be seen in this page -> Dead Link Removed.
I am not sure about the light path for the scale illumination window but if the light into it does the job then I wouldn't suspect a mirror out of place. If I block that window, the scale is completely dark.

There is a red LED below the shutter speed scale that flashes on/off when the light levels are low. This is completely separate from the scale and maybe disconnected - as opposed to burnt out given the longevity of LEDs.

fstop · Aug 6, 2016

Its a mirror problem for sure, sometimes the glue only lets go enough to allow the mirror to move out of place.Clean all the contacts make sure you have fresh batteries, a lens attached, the master power switch on and the sense switch depressed to test the led.

Norkusa · Aug 6, 2016

Thanks for the help. The prism cover sounds pretty easy to remove, so I think I'm going to try and poke around inside. I've read about people even sticking tinfoil in there to help reflect the light after the mirror goes, so I might give that a shot.

I can live without the red LED, but I'll give the contacts another cleaning and jiggle and see if I can get it going again.

Les Sarile · Aug 6, 2016

It sounds like the issues are strictly limited to the finder so you can keep an eye out for a replacement. I don't encounter them too often but given your luck so far, it may not take you long to find another.

John Koehrer · Aug 6, 2016

Finding a small mirror on the counter? Curiouser and curiouser. I'd bet as much as a nickel it's from the prism.

Norkusa · Aug 7, 2016

John Koehrer said:
Finding a small mirror on the counter? Curiouser and curiouser. I'd bet as much as a nickel it's from the prism.

Right! I thought it most likely came from the camera, but I just can't figure out where from. I never opened the prism either (just took it off the camera), so I doubt came from inside of it.

There's a very tiny window over the center of the prism which displays the lens aperture inside the prism. Just like the meter display, this is darkened out too and I can't read this either. This small window looks about the same size as the mirror I found, but theres a piece of glass in there and putting this mirror there would probably just block the light thats supposed to go into it.

EDIT: I took the prism off the camera again and gave it a closer look. Its most likely that the mirror I found came from inside the prism and slipped out of the meter coupler lever slot. There's even some glue residue on the back side of the mirror too, so that has to be it.

Sounds like these prisms are very easy to open, so I'm going to crack this open tomorrow and try to re-glue it in there.

benjiboy · Aug 9, 2016

If you only paid $25 for the camera it's worth paying for a professional to fix it.

Norkusa · Aug 9, 2016

benjiboy said:
If you only paid $25 for the camera it's worth paying for a professional to fix it.

Don't care enough about it to pay another $150-$200 getting it fixed. Can't find anyone in the USA that repairs XK's either. Figured for $25 though, it was worth a shot. Still got a very nice 50mm f/1.4 Rokkor-X out of it too, so I don't mind if I have to junk the camera.

I popped the prism top off and glued the mirror back on, so I can now see the meter readout. It was easy to do but now I'm having a tough time getting the ISO dial back on correctly and having all the parts aligned. Will give the dial another shot tomorrow though and hopefully I can get it back to normal.

Les Sarile · Aug 10, 2016

ISO dial back on or do you mean the shutter dial? I wonder if the problem you are having alignment can be answered by the manual page 37 on how to properly reinstall the prism back on the body?

Once reinstalled properly, the shutter dial turns and the pin on the body pops back into the shutter dial easily.

Huss · Aug 10, 2016

Norkusa said:
Can't find anyone in the USA that repairs XK's either. Figured for $25 though, it was worth a shot. Still got a very nice 50mm f/1.4 Rokkor-X out of it too, so I don't mind if I have to junk the camera.

The aperture mirror fell out of mine after a repair tech opened it up and blew out dust with compressed air. It sent the mirror into orbit, never to be found again. They replaced it from one from a different Minolta donor body.
If you ever decide to 'junk' the body, drop me an email. I have two XK heads (the AE and AE-S) but only one XK body and would love to have another to make two complete cameras...

Norkusa · Aug 11, 2016

Les Sarile said:
ISO dial back on or do you mean the shutter dial? I wonder if the problem you are having alignment can be answered by the manual page 37 on how to properly reinstall the prism back on the body?

Once reinstalled properly, the shutter dial turns and the pin on the body pops back into the shutter dial easily.

No, I mean the ISO dial that sits on top of the prism....I had to remove it to get inside the prism. Came off easily but it's assembled in 4 layers. When I put it back together, the exposure compensation window part of the dial spins around freely.

I obviously screwed up the re-assembly at some point but not sure where. Going to give it another go and see if I can get it back together properly.

@Huss - I must be missing the aperture mirror from mine too since it's not showing up in the viewfinder. I thought putting that mirror back in place would fix that problem but apparently it only illuminates the meter readout. Doesn't really bother me not seeing it but I might try cracking it open again and putting some tinfoil in place of the mirror and see if that does anything. If I do decide to scrap everything, I'll definitely give you dibs on the body, which is in really nice shape aside from some light engraving.

Huss · Aug 11, 2016

Ya know, this really is a great body. The build level is so much better than any other Minolta I've used. If the electrics are ok, it's worth getting to use it. Not sure where u are, but if u r in Los Angeles Steve's Camera Repair or Walters will look at it.

dlwilliams48 · Oct 3, 2020

I know this is an old thread but I'm hoping someone can provide some detail on getting into the prism housing. Mine has the same issue as described above and I actually found the little mirror after shaking the AE to see if I could hear it rattling around. Apparently it came out and landed in my chair and I was lucky enough to see it. So, I have the mirror, just need to get it glued back in. I see the little phillips head screws around the bottom of the prism housing and the one on top on the ASA dial. Do I remove those screws to get inside? I'd really like to get this done myself because I'm not sure if any repair shop would take it on. Thanks for any help.

Some problems with my new Minolta XK find

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