Yashica T4 Super Malfunction?

[AlexBC]

I have a Yashica T4 Super that I bought at a thrift store last summer and it has seen light use, maybe 5-6 rolls. Today when I took it out, I noticed that the leds do not illuminate when the shutter is held halfway down, and it seems to me that the shutter is very sensitive. They both illuminate when I press the shutter all the way down providing that the subject distance is acceptable and the camera appears to focus and fire as normal. Also, the green led illuminates during a timed exposure, and the red blinks after a flash exposure for the usual length to indicate that the flash is charging. I have replaced the battery to rule that out and as I said, the camera appears to work as normal, but without any pre-focus or AE lock indication. Very irritating. Does anyone know what this means? As it was a used camera, I can only think that it must be circling the drain so to speak, but I'm not sure how this happened since it has been sitting on a shelf when not being used, not banging around my car or crushed in a tight fitting case.

Any ideas?

 

[shutterfinger]

Switch contacts corroded. Disassemble, clean the contacts with contact cleaner, reassemble. Brass and copper will corrode with age as will the alloys of these metals used in camera electronics. Continued use or pressing the shutter button a few hundred times may improve its operation.

 

[bvy]

As much as I love the camera, I never cared for the spongy shutter button, and I've always found the red/green LED's hard to see. As such, I've gotten out of the habit of looking at them altogether. That's not to say I don't half-press to lock focus and exposure. I'm just hopeful, and most times it's okay. I find half-pressing on the side of the shutter button to work better. You can hear a faint click from the infrared autofocus when it registers. Do you hear that and still not see the lights come on? And what do you mean by sensitive -- that it trips easily? I wonder if there's some debris trapped under the button cover.

If it's the electronics, there's probably not much you can do about it. I know these cameras aren't cheap. Thank you, Terry Richardson.

 

[AlexBC]

Well the curioua thing is that I do hear the click of the focus, despite the absence of the lights. I only hear that click when I press the shutter fully, hearing nothing when the button is halfway. To be honest, it's likely that the shutter is the same, but that without the prefocus lights, I have to press it more to complete the circuit, hearing the click and making the exposure. When I press the button completely, both leds flash together, there is a click, and the exposure is taken. Can someone enlighten me on where the contacts that I should clean might be? I see three screws on the bottom of the camera, and three on the inside when I open the film door. Is it possible that the whole thing will come apart from only six screws or am I missing something?

Thanks for your help!

 

[shutterfinger]

I've never seen one. I looked at the owners manual before making my first post.
Cameras of this type are snap together with screws to hold them together/keep the seals compressed.
Remove the visible screws.
Use a small, #0 or smaller, flat blade screwdriver to pry the camera shell apart at the obvious seam. A 1/16 to 1/8 inch separation should be sufficient to get it apart. A stuck place indicates a screw is still installed. There may be screws in the film chambers also. Sometimes you can slide the screwdriver along the seam and find the retainer clips inside that can be pushed inward to release the shell parts. Never apply force to separate the housing/case, 1 to 2 pounds of pressure should be sufficient.

Once opened look at the shutter button area. The switch will be directly under it or operated by a lever or rod.

CRC Quick Dry contact cleaner is one of the best on the market. Its available at hardware, auto parts, and home improvement stores.
http://www.homedepot.com/p/compare/...&prodComp_1=205021975&keyword=contact cleaner

 

[AlexBC]

Unfortunately, there is significant corrosion around the screw holes, likely from sweaty hand salts and the bottom screws would not loosen without stripping with hand tools, so I've decided to just use it as is without attempting to open it. There are some cracks and scratches on the casing that I did not notice earlier, but it is clear to me now that the previous owner did not care well for this camera. If there was a way to put pure alcohol in through a internal gap and flush the contacts that way, I would prefer that method. I know that with some DSLRs, shutter contacts can be cleaned by using a dropper to put several drops of alcohol into the battery compartment, but this is obviously different and I do not know that a similar procedure is possible. It's a shame, but I think that this camera would sooner crack or break than give up the two screws on the bottom plate (holding the front seam tight). Luckily, I'll remember not the camera's eBay value, but the amount of money I paid ($3.99) and chalk it up to a good thrift find and still mostly functional.

 

[shutterfinger]

I usually use a pin vise and number drill bit(s) and drill the head of the screw off then remove the shaft once the parts are separated. Being you have found cracks it may have a cracked circuit board from having been dropped.