Minolta Hi-Matic 7s Vlog Tour (Part 1) | Vlog

[@AnthonySmith-sc4zs]

My grandpa was in the air force and bought this back in the day. I was born in 1987 and remember it being around his neck in the early 90s. Luckily I acquired it when he passed and have taken some amazing pictures on manual mode. In a way his spirit is tied to this camera and I feel closer to him when I use it. I’m not 100% sure the viewfinder is working right when I use the focus. It just kinda shifts but doesn’t change the focus. I have to just hope and pray it turns out right. I had thought about putting a newer battery in it but for now I just shoot manual. But this camera is built like a tank for the most part. The All metal construction is really admirable.

[@FilmCamera_Vlog]

Concerning the focus, the mechanism may have gotten stuck with age or the yellow coating on the split beam glass may be too faint to see. That camera lens has a large amount of depth-of-field. If you use the distance scale on the lens barrel, your pictures should be in focus. Of course you could always get it fixed, but it would cost more than the camera is worth. If it were me, I would buy some nonworking cameras off eBay for $20 each and go in and have a look at them and learn how the split beam system works first and then go into my grandfathers camera and fix it. Even if you can't fix it, at least you would understand the problem.

[@AnthonySmith-sc4zs]

@@FilmCamera_Vlog great suggestion! Thank you I might have to try that. (I’ve been curious what it was like inside there anyway haha)

[@AnthonySmith-sc4zs]

@@FilmCamera_Vlog okay on further inspection and learning more about this camera I must confess that I was ignorant to how the focus worked inside the viewfinder. I grew up in the digital age so I was expecting a blur inside the viewfinder to clear up when it was in focus, but I’m happy to announce that there is indeed a yellow film in the center and I now see the split images and they do align. Before I thought that the yellow dot in the middle was just a reference point for the center of the shot. So thank you! You have helped me quite a bit.

[@FilmCamera_Vlog]

@@AnthonySmith-sc4zs Most rangefinders of that time period used a split beam focusing system. The Part 2 video explains how it works and shows the yellow glass beam splitter.

[@Narsuitus]

Of all my cameras, the Nikon F2 is my personal favorite because it is reliable, durable, versatile, and has an excellent collection of lenses. My lens inventory (from 14mm to 1000mm focal length) and my accessory inventory (viewfinders, view screens, film backs, motor drives, bellows, speed lights) allow me to configure my Nikon F2 for any type of assignment.

[@eyeswideopen565]

Great video and love the history of this camera! It's definitely a looker! So much so I picked one up on ebay in pristine condition, the only issue I noticed when I got it to test it out is the Shutter Speed Ring being very tight to operate. Any suggestions on how I can remedy this myself? Many thanks in advance!

[@FilmCamera_Vlog]

Hello Eyeswideopen It's hard to say what the problem is. My first guess is the camera was dropped and hit the lens barrel from the front. Check for dents on the lens barrel. A blow to the front could have compressed the front rings. It could also be dirt or sand that worked into the Speed Ring. Third cause could be that the lubricants dried out on the Speed Ring. As a repairman, these are the things I would check for first. Taking the barrel rings apart is not that difficult. I'm sure there are some KZbin videos on the subject. As long as you don't go too deep, you should be okay. You might want to buy a non-working Hi-Matic on eBay and practice on it first. There is no quick-fix solution. Good Luck. Kori

[@eyeswideopen565]

@@FilmCamera_Vlog Appreciate the breakdown on how I can try to remedy the issue myself. As for lubricant is there a type I should favour over another? Would silicon based lubricant be acceptable?

[@FilmCamera_Vlog]

@@eyeswideopen565 Yes, silicon would work, but you don't want to spray it down into the barrel or it might get on the aperture blades. The only real way to fix it is to go inside barrel and see what the problem is. I see too many cameras come into my shop where the owner sprayed lub into camera. It does not work.

[@santiagoro]

How would I be able to tell if the focus is calibrated or not? It’s my first ever rangefinder and I don’t know if it’s normal for the numbers to not exactly correspond to the actual distance of the subject matter I focus on. The two images overlap fine, but I don’t know In a little thrown off.

[@FilmCamera_Vlog]

Hello Santiago Normally, if the two images overlap perfectly when the lens focus is set to infinity, the focus is considered calibrated. The numbers on the barrel will not always agree with the focus distance. Most rangefinder lenses have a lot of depth-of-field to allow for errors in focus, so it does not have to be exact. Just set the lens focus for infinity. If the images overlap, your camera focus is okay. The two images can be off by a hair, but not more. I usually check my rangefinders by pointing at telephone poles and wires for both horizontal and vertical alignment of focus.

[@santiagoro]

@@FilmCamera_Vlog Darn. I figured that was the case. Doesn’t seem to be calibrated then, and I’m out of luck with my local camera repair store here in San Diego, they wouldn’t accept it. Is this an easy fix? Ik in P2 you say that it’s a bit of a pain to calibrate that mirror. Thanks for your help!

[@FilmCamera_Vlog]

@@santiagoro If you know exactly which adjustment to adjust, and how to do it, it's not that hard. I would need to know which rangefinder you have to show you the adjustment location. You would need to remove the top cover to reach it. I plan to write an article for my Patreon in a few days about how to approach focus adjustments. I suggest you search for focus adjustment videos on your camera for a few days and be patient. View them and wait before you start making adjustments to your camera. The main danger is making unnecessary adjustments to your camera focus and messing up the factory settings.

[@santiagoro]

@@FilmCamera_Vlog Got it. It's definitely the horizontal axis that is out of whack. I found a forum highlighting the specific screws that adjust the horizontal range and the vertical range. I'm pretty certain the horizontal range is covered by a screw near the tinted glass. I'll have to try it out and let you know. My main issue right now is getting top plate off, took off all the screws but don't really know how to get the advance off to fully uncover it.

[@Narsuitus]

How do you define classic? I am not sure if they are classic but here are the old film cameras that I own and use: Argus C3 35mm rangefinder Asahi Pentax Spotmatic 35mm SLR Pentax ME 35mm SLR Canon Canonet QL17 GIII 35mm rangefinder (fixed 40mm lens) Contax G1 35mm rangefinder Fuji ST705 35mm SLR Leica M6 35mm rangefinder Minolta Hi-Matic 9 35mm rangefinder (fixed 45mm lens) Nikon F2 35mm SLR Nikon F4 35mm SLR Nikon L35 AF 35mm compact (fixed 35mm lens) Nikonos III 35mm underwater Nikon N70 35mm SLR Nikon N2000 35mm SLR Nikon EM 35mm SLR Fuji GW670 medium format rangefinder (fixed 90mm lens) Fuji GSW690 medium format rangefinder (fixed 65mm lens) Mamiya RB67 medium format SLR Holga 120 medium format panoramic (fixed 90mm lens) Holga 120 medium format pinhole Zero Image 120 medium format pinhole Custom 4x5 inch large format pinhole Calumet CC-402 wide field/short monorail 4x5 inch large format view camera

[@FilmCamera_Vlog]

Nearly all of them are classic film cameras. I'm not sure about the Nikon N70 or the N2000. From your list, I've worked on the cameras below: Asahi Pentax Spotmatic Pentax ME Canon Canonet QL17 GIII 35mm rangefinder Fuji ST705 Minolta Hi-Matic 9 Nikon EM I have worked on many more, but started taking cameras off my repair list as I got older.

[@AnthonySmith-sc4zs]

Unfortunately if they shoot film they are considered classic now

[@FilmCamera_Vlog]

patreon.com/mycamerahobby

[@MartinMartinez-hj7co]

Hey I have this camera but the lowest my light meter gets its to 11 on the EV scale. No matter if there is no light it is always pointing on 11 on the EV scale. If I point to some light it will react and "act normal". But its like it only works from 11 to 17 EV scale. I also notice that the light meter has a base voltage of 0.3 and changes with the light but it never goes below 0.3 volts. And the last thing I notice is that if I turn off the light meter (choosing ISO O or OFF) the arrow stays on 11 at the EV Scale. Can anybody tell me what could be wrong?

[@FilmCamera_Vlog]

Problems with cameras are always electronic or mechanical. Your problem sounds like a mechanical problem, not electronic. Something is blocking the needle from going further down past 11 EV. It could be many things and I have no idea what. Perhaps something came loose and is blocking the needle, or perhaps someone worked on the camera and damaged something.

[@MartinMartinez-hj7co]

@@FilmCamera_Vlog thanks for answering! I am able to move the little “arrow” down to 5.7 Ev and when the camera has no batteries the arrow points to 5.7 as it should. So maybe I need to change my light sensor.