Zenza SQ-A Jammed need help

[silke s]

Of course the borrowed camera jammed on me know what to do?
Here is the issue: Lens wont come off and iris is closed (Seiko 80mm), film advance is advanced and stuck, mirror is up and stays that way, cant take the back of due to missing dark slide.
I don’t know enough about the cam since I never got a roll of film to shoot with.
Hope this is enough info to get me out of this predicament.

Thanks for the help

 

[Peter Black]

There is a page of Bronica tips at the link below, including the factr that the lens should have the iris open before you try to dismount it from the camera. Check out the part on Timed Release as you may have moved this control and the camera thinks it is taking a timed shot. Good luck!

http://www.camerahobby.com/Photo-Bronica_Tips.htm

 

[mweintraub]

Battery died?

 

[Nikanon]

when it jams, the reflex mirror is stuck in teh up position , thats cuz the battery is dead! mrdat is right

 

[DWThomas]

I'm not sure it will help with the other problems, but the back can be removed without the darkslide installed by faking the interlock with a small object like a jeweler's screwdriver. The screwdriver subs for the small tab at the bottom end of the darkslide grip.

Screwdriver points to slot here:

DaveT

 

[DWThomas]

when it jams, the reflex mirror is stuck in teh up position , thats cuz the battery is dead! mrdat is right

I'm a little surprised at this, as the shutter runs at 1/500 with no battery at all, the actual motions are spring powered. But I suppose if the juice runs out between the time the shutter has opened and been captured by the internal mystery linkage, but before it's released to close, I guess it could happen. (One to add to my future problem diagnosis file!)

Note also, the mirror does not return in a correctly working SQ-A until the film is advanced, or at least the crank is turned in "multi-exposure mode."

DaveT

 

[Uncle Goose]

It's certainly not battery related, remember that in a Bronica the battery is only used to control the shutter and (if present) a prism with internal lightmeter. Even with the dead battery you can still shoot at 1/500 sec. You can even wind on when the shutter is doing an exposure (although I don't think that's good for the lens).

 

[silke s]

Thanks so far, I tested the battery and it is dead, showing 2.4 Volts, still I don’t think its battery related since the mechanism is stuck. I agree with Uncle Goose on that one. I will be trying to take of the back with the screwdriver trick see if this gets me any closer.

 

[DWThomas]

My first SQ-A body got into an altered state where the cable release would not fire the shutter, but sometimes the button on the front would. The condition rapidly worsened until the shutter wouldn't fire at all and I was in a situation with similarities to your own. I got the back off, but could not remove the lens. With the back off, looking in as seen here, using a small wooden stick, I lightly touched the stud-thingy in the curved slot seen at the upper left interior and the shutter fired. I was then able to wind the crank to bring the mirror down, cock the shutter and take the lens off. I have this vague recollection that there was an additional link sticking out that doesn't show here -- could be my aging memory, or could be because in this shot the body is not duplicating the original problem state.

Interesting to me, when I risked my 65 mm lens by putting it on for this picture just now, I pressed the shutter button and heard a slight noise but the mirror did not flip up; when I touched it ever so lightly with a finger tip, it popped up. That may be a hint as to my problem, and you may find that condition when you get your back off.

Fun cameras! (Moreso when they work right.)

Good luck,

DaveT