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Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
03-03-2024, 11:46 AM
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Well, I must say that this gentleman really impressed me with such a clear, interesting, enthusiastic and happy presentation. I liked him! That always helps, doesn't it?
I shall watch this development with genuine interest now.
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Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help
09-19-2020, 05:38 PM
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Yes, I have the user manual for the camera.
Thanks for your help. Sorry, I referred to your name in previous comments as Antonio rather than your correct name, Mario. I must have been thinking too much about the problem :-).
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Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help
09-19-2020, 03:56 PM
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I think that is going to be a last resort.
Even as I write this I have set Antonio's WD-40 suggestion in action. I did not have WD-40 at home but I did have some 3-in1 oil. It says on the tin that it Lubricates, Penetrates Rust and Cleans. So....fingers crossed......
I shall leave it overnight and see if it helps at all.
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Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help
09-19-2020, 03:13 PM
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That's really, really good added information. Thank you!
The model is the Minolta XG-M. I do believe that you recently posted an article on your repair experiences with this model and were kind enough to give me advice on the model.
So, the plastic base-plate means the heat solution is not a good idea.
So I think my next try is going to be the WD-40 solution, suggested by Antonio @maw.
---------- Post added 09-19-20 at 03:16 PM ----------
Thanks for that suggestion. However, i have tried that already, without success. I should give it another try, perhaps trying to improve my technique.
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Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help
09-19-2020, 01:31 PM
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Yes, I do.
---------- Post added 09-19-20 at 01:35 PM ----------
Thanks, I shall think about doing that. My main concern is that, now that mt attempts so far have damaged the screw-heads, I I won't be able to get enough purchase with with my screwdriver, even if I can remove the oxidation or contaminant from the threads.
BUT...I shall try!
Thanks for your suggestion. :-)
---------- Post added 09-19-20 at 01:37 PM ----------
Thanks a lot for the suggestion. I shall post any success or failures that I have.
---------- Post added 09-19-20 at 01:41 PM ----------
Thanks very much for those pointers!
These accumulated suggestions are giving me some fresh hope. I just don't want this gremlin to beat me. :-)
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Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help
09-19-2020, 11:38 AM
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Hello all,
I have a problem with a Minolta film SLR and it's really annoying me. The camera is not very valuable and I got it from a thrift store so I can take a few risks in trying to fix the problem myself.
Namely:
I need to get the bottom cover plate off the camera. It's held on by two tiny screws, probably JIS standard and have (rather had) cross-heads. They are STUCK hard. I think they must nave corroded threads or maybe a former owner split a sugary beverage and wet the screw threads. Despite my best efforts I have been unable to loosen the screws. I tried aluminium foil around the screw driver, I tried a rubber band to get more traction. All to no avail. Of course these efforts have now made the original "crosses" into deformed "ovals".
I have run out of ideas. I don't have a dremel (whatever that might be) to produce a slot that could be used for a regular screwdriver. I am thinking of resorting to brute force, which would destroy the base plate.
Are there any practical folk here who could suggest a solution? It's so frustrating, to be beaten by such a tiny mechanical feature.;)
Thanks in advance for any suggestions!
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Forum: Canon, Nikon, Sony, and Other Camera Brands
09-02-2020, 07:29 AM
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Thanks for the really comprehensive info!
(Since your last post I had online discovered that the cross-head feature, that I had thought was a screw, was in fact related to the motor drive.)
Unfortunately I don't think I am going to be able to proceed any further, because when I tried to loosen the two tiny JIS screws they just would not budge. I have a set of JIS screwdrivers but the ones I tried just jumped out of the screw-heads. Maybe I am just being stupid: my old eyes are not what they were.
It just seems such a pity not to be able to fix it if it's a fix that is within my competence. I shall try it again when I have summoned my courage.
As a plan B, and to maybe be able to use the aforementioned Rokkor lens, I am watching another XG-M that is for sale on the Shop Goodwill website. The store states that the meter, shutter and wind-on are working correctly so.....I shall see.
I am doing this with some reservations because my 35mm gear is all K-mount (Pentax and Chinon) so I think Gear Aquisiition Syndrome is driving my interest in the Minolta. That, however, is only part of the story. Back in the 1970s I use Minolta SRT 101s for a time. They were great cameras, heavy but rock solid. Maybe I should go for an SRT 101 body rather than an XG-M.
Thanks again for taking the trouble to advise me!
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Forum: Canon, Nikon, Sony, and Other Camera Brands
09-01-2020, 07:23 AM
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Thanks for your advice!
I just had a quick look inside the mirror box area of the camera. The actuator that you described is to the left of the slot which it slides in. When I slide it by finger to the right the mirror gracefully descends to the viewing position.
So it seems, from your advice, that the mechanism is faulty. I aim to try to get the base plate off later today to have a look inside but I shall not know really how to fix the problem. I am just curious, although I don't have great mechanical aptitude. It's just worth playing around with. If you can suggest any simple tricks, like adjusting a position of part of the mechanism, I would be grateful.
The lens is not an MD type: it's an MC Rokkor-PF 1:1.7 f=50mm. The glass is very clean and there is no evidence of fungus, or even dust.
Update:
I cannot get the bottom plate off: theere are 3 screws that need loosening, one very large slot-head screw, and two minuscule cross-head screws. I assume the latter are Japanese standard types. I don't have a big enough screw driver for the slot-head. But, worse, the two tiny cross-head screws seem to be rusted, and worn, as if some other unfortunate being has tried to loosen them in the past. H'mmm.
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Forum: Canon, Nikon, Sony, and Other Camera Brands
08-30-2020, 05:25 PM
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I only just discovered this thread and I am glad I did.
I have a Minolta XG-M which, as I recall, I got very cheaply in a thrift store. The mirror is locked in the UP position, the shutter release won't operate and, naturally, the wind-on mechanism won't operate. It has been sitting as lonely as a cloud in my cupboard while I think of something to do with it. It sounds like it is not worth me trying to fix it myself.
It does have a 50mm Rokkor lens on it and I have just been tempted to buy a Minolta 102 body on the Goodwill website. But with handling and shipping it will be a bit too expensive for me to commit to it.
Pity!
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
08-18-2020, 02:40 PM
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Thanks for your reply.
I already have several Chinon lenses and cameras so I did know that they were k-mount. I have a Pentax MG which has no lens and for which I was seeking a wide-angle lens, possibly 28mm.
I did see another 28mm contender, a Gemini lens, for sale at $15. But I procrastinated and someone else got it.
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
08-17-2020, 03:20 PM
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Of course. But not as cheap as this one.:)
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
08-17-2020, 02:10 PM
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I decided not to bid for this one. It's too dodgy...
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
08-17-2020, 01:47 PM
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Thank you all! You saved me from wasting some money! :)
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
08-17-2020, 12:13 PM
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Hello all,
I am looking for advice on a Chinon lens (Chinon f/2.8 28mm Multi Coated Lens) I have seen for sale on the web.
I have attached the photo that the vendor has posted. I am not knowledgeable enough to know for sure that this lens has a Pentax k-mount. Some features look correct but others, not so.
I would advice any guidance on this.
Thanks in advance!
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Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
07-22-2020, 05:25 PM
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I found the video hugely enjoyable, for reasons that have been stated by other commentators here. The enthusiasm of the photographer I found to be infectious. He really liked the camera!
I don't intend to buy any new camera but if I did this camera would be very high on my list of preferences. Optical viewfinder quality is of paramount importance for me and the improvements made seem to be very impressive.
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Forum: Photographic Technique
07-15-2020, 03:49 PM
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Carlos really gives the answer you need (see above).
It's all about limiting lens aberrations as far as possible, really. When a lens designer does the design he or she assumes working object and image coordinates, with respect to the principal planes in the lens.
So, as Carlos points out, when you cross over the 1:1 magnification threshold (at which object and image distances are the same) you should reverse the lens, so that it then operates more closely aligned to the design's assumed coordinates.
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Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras
02-09-2020, 05:56 PM
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Congratulations! I know that feeling, almost of disbelief at one's good fortune.
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Forum: Pentax Q
12-22-2019, 06:51 AM
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Best wishes to all here, for a very Merry Christmas! I hope the New Year will be happy, healthy and safe for you all.
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Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
11-24-2019, 01:14 PM
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Thanks for your comment! I'm glad that at least someone other than I can see the appeal.
Although it would not give the advanced functionality of a modern SLR it would be great for people like me, who don't want or need all the whistles and bells. Moreover, I don't see it as an insuperable technical challenge.
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Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
11-24-2019, 01:07 PM
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What is the source of that data?
---------- Post added 11-24-19 at 12:09 PM ----------
Everything comes to he who waits.
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Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
11-23-2019, 01:05 PM
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There are millions of k-mount film cameras gathering dust in attics, being bashed around in charity shops, and flogged off at car boot sales. Anyone who successfully engineers a simple, effective digital back for them will make a fortune in sales.
Such a solution would be an extremely environmentally appealing product and could be updated and iterated as new sensors and materials become available.
Pentax/Ricoh would be a prime candidate to design, optimise and manufacture the devices.
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Forum: Pentax Compact Cameras
11-21-2019, 11:54 AM
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....and here is my third and final entry to the competition.
Careful......
I again used my Powershot S3 IS, at some considerable zoom setting.
The image shows real fog, not simulated. No enhancements or processing, of any description. Metadata removed.
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Forum: Pentax Compact Cameras
11-21-2019, 11:39 AM
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Good day, fellow photographers!
Here is my second entry for this competition.
Night cometh.
I used my Canon Powershot S3 IS, shooting hand-held at night, with a considerable zoom setting (circa 10x). I used no processing of any kind.
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Forum: Pentax Compact Cameras
11-11-2019, 12:18 PM
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Good morning, all!
I took this photo on my Fujifilm Finepix z20fD point and shoot camera.
To comply with the rules of the competition I had to reduce the file size. I also chose to remove the exif data.
I never digitally process my files. But, in this case, I used the Shotwell viewer tool in Linux to do some crude experimental adjustments of saturation, exposure, tint, etc.
The subject was scary enough in broad daylight!
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