My experience has been quite different. Admittedly I had to do some work on my 9 to free the shutter, but both my 7s versions work perfectly. You mention a number of very good cameras, but there is a lot of interest in old rangefinders. To each his own.

The SP/SPn cameras are great in my opinion. I have a very nice Canonet GIII QL 17, but for some unknown reason I never seem to use it. It just doesn't call to me. Who can explain it? Cheers, Howard

My pleasure. Assuming the camera works as intended you have just bought great camera. Enjoy 😁

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A CLA should mean that the camera will be working when you get it back. Assuming that there is nothing really serious wrong when they open it up. $100 sounds too cheap. If you are going to have done you want it done properly.

Hi. The camera only requires one battery, the battery should be 6mm thick and sits Positive side down into the battery cover. I've never seen a wein cell but I would expect them to be the same 6mm. If they are 6mm you shouldn't have been able to fit them in.

This is what I saw in terms of placement of battery: 3. Insert the Battery: • Place the battery with the positive (+) side facing out (visible when you put the cover back on). • Ensure the battery fits snugly into the compartment. 4. Replace the Cover: Screw the cover back in place by turning it clockwise until secure, but do not overtighten. 5. Check the Meter:

Is this wrong?

​@@rodgercarey3480That's correct

​@@rodgercarey3480No. The positive + should fit neatly into the battery cover. Another point, have a look at the Iso setting on the bottom of the camera and make sure that it isn't in the OFF position.

You can take the top off and clean the viewfinder components, but you need to know what you are doing. Best to see if everything else works first. If so it would be best to take it to a camera repair person to do the cleaning if it really needs it. Cheers, Howard.

I think the best idea is to take it to a "good" camera shop and get them to have a look at it. There should be someone there who can advise you. Good luck, Howard

Hi Laurie, sounds like you're starting to suffer the dreaded GAS syndrome. I had a bad case about 10 years ago. 😀 Congratulations on your Vito IIa. I've never actually handled one, but I'm sure it's the same superb engineering that Voigtlander practised in that era. Rangefinder unit as well, very impressive. That system will certainly introduce you to "Slow Photography". I'm pleased that you are enjoying your vintage film journey. Have a great Christmas, you never know, you might get some snow for the festive season. Cheers, Howard 🇦🇺

@@malcolmthomas8161 Thanks Malc. You'll have to show it to me next time we visit.

I'm glad you liked it. Cheers, Howard

No. Unfortunately I don't have any half frame cameras. I regret not getting a couple when they were nice and cheap, but that is no longer the case. ☹️

Hi JP. To be fair, they were always very highly regarded by those in the know. That idea with the black electrical tape is a really good one. I might use that on some of my old selenium cell cameras. Cheers, Howard 😀

You're right. I read a review once praising the quiet shutter. I thought, that's not my experience. They are definitely loud. 😀

@@howpow They are indeed. I was quite surprised.

My pleasure. It's always good to hear that someone has benefited from my little videos. Cheers, Howard 😀

Well, it has that same great lens and Olympus build. I've never actually seen one but I'm not surprised to hear that it produces great photos Enjoy!

That's a tough call. That Hexanon lens is excellent, but I think that the more modern Olympus 7 element lens may just have the edge. But both are fabulous lens.

@@howpow thanks for the answer

@@Socrates... My pleasure 😀

IMO it's not even close. The Konica IIIA is built without compromise in quality. The lens is excellent, as is that of the SP. The SP would have a comparative advantage for its internal light meter and optional spot reading mode. But the spot meter mode rarely functions these days, and the full area meter eats up a Wein Cell battery so fast that no one seriously uses it. The build precision on the Oly isn't even close to the Konica, and the SP lacks the exceptional viewfinder and focusing of the IIIA.

@@randallstewart1224 The Konica IIIa is a fabulous camera. I have both a IIIM and a IIa which I love, and yes build quality is superior to the SP and the viewfinder is brilliant. However the SP's metering makes a big difference to the convenience of photography. My spot meter works okay. Cheers, Howard

Hi Christopher, always good to hear from you. You certainly have a way with words. You should write a novel. I know what you mean though, that was how I picked the SPn up the other day and made the decision to put a film through it. How many cameras do you have now, must be more than a few. It is good handling these mechanical marvels, therapeutic.

Hi James. Sounds like yours must be operating very smoothly. Definitely time to get it ready and take it for a nice walk. Enjoy, Howard

Hi Laurie. Thanks for your comment. They really are excellent cameras, and the compact form makes them so much lighter to carry around. Cheers, Howard

Hi Laurie. Once again thanks for the flattering comment. Much appreciated. Olympus went through a golden age and the OM1n was right in the thick of it. Cheers, Howsrd

@howpow Howard. You are more than welcome. Ok a quick question for you friend. Which camera would you recommend between the Olympus RC or the AGFA Super Solinette? (the latter has a stiff adjustment but working fine vs the Olympus that's had new seals and battery upgrade with meter working) Opinion?

@@soldierloz You don't make it easy for me do you. Two entirely different cameras Both terrific. The Super Solinette has the benefit of folding and fitting into a coat pocket, but with the RC having working metering I'd have to go for that. Basically it's far more convenient. By the way, my Super Solinette also has very stiff focusing, it was the famous Agfa green grease.

@howpow thank you Howard, appreciate your guidance. Apologies for the questions. I do like an Olympus albeit an OM1, SP, RC etc. They have that "joire de vivre" about them. Hope you are well over there Howard. 🙏

@@soldierloz No need to apologise, it was a good question. As for my health, I'm hanging in pretty well, for an old bloke. Cheers, Howard 😄

Hi Bindu, these are excellent cameras capable of great photos. Enjoy, Howard

Hi. I think you should at least put a roll of film through the Auto S2, assuming it works as well as it looks. It was one of the great rangefinder cameras, and since the rest appear to be SLRs it would be a new experience. Cheers, Howard

Hi Clark. I think the best idea is to take it to a camera store and let them have a look at it. See what they suggest. Good luck. Howard

Hi Gabriella. The fact that it was mouldy doesn't sound good, but it might be worth seeking out a repairer to see what they think. Good luck. Howard

You could try holding the camera upside down and dripping some lighter fluid into the self timer mechanism and see if it loosens the shutter mechanism.

Hi elwrongo. I'm pleased you found my video useful. These were very nice innovative cameras. Enjoy, Howard 😀

Hi musicianluca. All I can suggest is that the reassembly sequence is incorrect assuming all the original parts went back in. I'm going away for about a week, but when I get back I'll dissemble the wind knob and get back to you with the sequence. Cheers, Howard

Hi. I took my advance lever apart. I took a photo showing the assembly sequence but I don't seem to be able to attach it. Anyhow Lever goes on first then plain washer then spring washer and finally screw down collar. Make sure that the washers are centred properly so that the collar can screw down all the way Good luck Howard

Hi SKP, I agree completely, beautiful compact folding cameras. Cheers, Howard

Hi Laurie. Interesting question. Thinking about it, you already have some excellent full size rangefinder cameras so I think in this instance the compact Olympus RC is the way to go. In terms of photo quality I don't believe you could pick the difference and the slightly wider 42mm lens is interesting. If you still favour the Yashica I would opt for a later version, GTN or GSN. Also the Olympus is fully mechanical so even if the metering fails the camera is still operable. Good luck, Howard

​@@howpow​ thank you kindly Howard. Great. The Yashy i have the chance of is a GT model in beautiful condition. I won't ever require a hot shoe for flash use (which I believe is the main difference between the GT & GSN model) and it will my first black camera! However, I really like the look and features on the RC so yes ... taking on board your idea re smaller Rangefinder. Can see where this is going ... 1 will become 2! Hope you're doing well my friend ... kind wishes and a handshake from the UK to you. Laurie

@@soldierloz Hi Laurie , greetings from Oz. Since you appear to be on a buying spree, can I suggest an Olympus SP or SPn. In my opinion these are probably the best affordable rangefinder cameras ever sold. Superb lens, spot and average metering. Full auto metering, shutter speed priority metering and fully manual metering. Excellent build quality, bright viewfinder and rangefinder and a flashmatic system. Downsides, no depth of field scale and no automatic frame line compensation. A good one is not cheap but they are great cameras. You may already have one but if you haven't I suggest you do some research. I took mine out yesterday and it reminded me just how good they are. Cheers, Howard

Hi Hi. A nice Zorki 1 is an excellent little camera. Enjoy! Cheers, Howard

Really pleased that you found the video useful. Cheers, Howard

Looks like I attached the wrong answer to the wrong comment, anyhow thanks for the detailed information about Minolta and especially the name. I didn't know where the name Minolta came from, very interesting. Cheers, Howard

Hi Domenic. You're right, the on/off/bc switch is not in the ideal position . It's a great idea but needed to better positioned. Cheers, Howard

Hi Domenic, thanks for the very detailed comment, it was very interesting. Geelong Grammar certainly had excellent facilities for those doing photography. I could appear to seem very smart, but I must admit I looked the following information up on google. There were 4 flashbulb classifications, F for fast peak, S for slow peak, M for medium peak and FP for flat peak. These refer to the burn characteristics. Now we both know. Cheers, Howard

Hi soldierloz. Thanks for the nice comment. The Konica Auto S2 is a great camera, the Konica Hexanon lenses were exceptional. Hopefully everything works as it should, but it is a fully mechanical camera so even if the metering is dead the camera should be operational. Have fun, Howard

@ Thank you indeed Howard. Please … call me Laurie, very honoured to make your acquaintance Sir. Yes once the camera arrives I’ll let you know how it pans out. If the meter works that would be amazing! Laurie

@soldierloz Good luck Laurie. I hope it lives up to your expectations. Howard

@@howpow indeed Sir, best regards

Howard, an update for you my friend. 🙏🏻 I received the S2 through the post this morning and unpacked it. Initially when I first inspected it, it looked as if it had just come out of its box! So I had a play with it and then found that it wouldn’t cock or fire so I thought I had bought a “duffer”. Then I noticed that the timer was half way across so I helped it along a bit and it fired. After that all was good. The lever must have moved across a bit in the post. Next I found the interior of the range finder windows to be a little dusty so in I went and cleaned those up. Nice now. This left me with the light meter (yes I could have checked that first but I would have used with an external meter anyhow so no dramas). I popped in PX125a, pressed the test button and the meter sprung in to life! Unbelievable! Finally, I wanted some new light seals for it so I popped down to my local camera shop and showed it to my friend in there. He said it was mint and hadn’t seen one this nice in over 20 years! It’s now a battle between the S2 and my Minolta 7s as to who gets a film first! Have to say the 7S well worth a look. I like the 9 too but the 7S gives back a little bit more control. Anyhow Howard, I thought you’d like some feedback and it’s thanks to you that I was able to learn all about the S2 so thank you! Sending regards from 🇬🇧 Laurie

Good question. I read it to my wife and she had a good laugh. I've put film through most of the cameras that I've reviewed just to test them. If I'm going on holidays I'll take my Sony alpha 7 with a couple of adapted vintage lens as my main camera, but always take at least one film camera. I guess my favorite rangefinders to use are my Konica Auto S2, Yashica Lynx 14, Minolta Hi-Matic 9 and Olympus SPn, and if I want to slow down even more my Konica IIa, it feels so beautiful just to hold. If I take an SLR it would probably be my Olympus OM1n. Don't hold me to these though I've just noticed my little Olympus RC looking at me. Cheers, Howard

Hi Christopher, good to hear from you again. I'm pretty well, I'm tapering off the cortisone and life's pretty normal. Small cameras certainly have an appreciable weight advantage and with your Rollei 35 the picture quality is very high. I had a Paxette as a teenager but the shutter broke fairly quickly. I have trouble seeing you with your Paxette in your front pocket. 😃

Thanks, they were great little cameras. Cheers, Howard

Hi alyro. Thanks for the wonderful comment. Especially talking about and praising Konica. They made some fabulous quality cameras over the years and it's good that some of their expertise carried through to Sony cameras. Cheers, Howard

Hi Andrew. You're quite right about removing the battery for storage. I should have mentioned it and also what the battery was. I shoot these videos on my phone in one take, and I don't always manage to say everything I intended to. This was actually take 15. Obviously some takes are much shorter than others, so I wasn't at it all day. I'll pin a comment about this. Cheers, Howard

Thanks JP, always good to hear from you.

Hi Brian. Luckily most of my cameras are in pretty good condition. I think a lot were bought and not really used all that much. Have you been out shooting recently?

@@howpow Howard, I appreciate that your cameras are all in such good nick. For whatever may be the reason. Unfortunately, no. I have not been out to photograph lately. Health hasn't been what it should. Which I suspect is mostly psychological. See my doc tomorrow. Will know more then. There's just no passion in me right now. When do you go on holiday?

@avnostlga Hi Brian, sorry to hear that your health issues have you feeling so flat at the moment. Hopefully your doctor can fire you up a bit when you see him, and get your shutter button finger operating again. We head off on the 19th for our little trip. Should be good 👍

@@howpow , Thank you, Howard. It'll be fine. Whatever they say. I do miss going out taking photos. That's on me, the feeling uninspired. I'm sure it will be a lovely trip. You, the missus, and the sea. A recipe for a healthy life.

@@avnostlga Thanks Brian. I'll send you a couple of photos.

Thanks Malc, this is nice and light, you would like it. 👍👍

Perhaps you should rush back and get it. Cheers, Howard 😁

Yes, it was a very different spacing of speeds.

Thanks. They are good little cameras. I hope you have fun with it. 😃