Sorry for the thread necromancy, but I'd rather not pollute the forum with another thread if I can help it.
I recently got a cheap SF-1 with a 35-70 lens, basically for the price of the lens itself. I know it's nothing special, but it was a nice deal.
The issue I'm having is that the mirror keeps staying up. I have put a new set of 2cr5 batteries into it, and it does turn on, but the mirror stays up. I can hear the winder trying to wind up film. The lens aperture reading tab does spring back up when pressed down. The mirror can be pulled down by hand but doesn't lock into place. I have tried banging on the bottom, but not yet smacking it very hard. The clear button only makes the winder go but doesn't move the mirror.
Does the SF-1 behave differently without any film in it? I've not put one in yet for fear of wasting a perfectly good roll on a potentially borked camera. Does anyone know what I might try to get it to work? I'm willing to try and disassemble it if needed. If it's broken beyond repair, I don't mind trying to fix it myself.
Any advice? Apart from chucking it
I might just keep it as an interesting item on my shelf
Thank you all in advance