Minolta XE-7 / XE-1 / XE Jumpy Or Unresponsive Meter Repair

Couldn't find any decent guides online for doing this simple repair so I decided I would make one myself, if the meter on your Minolta XE-7 is jumpy or unresponsive to changing the aperture this is the fix for you! This is my first KZbin video so go easy on me and feel free to make any suggestions! I've got a few other repair videos I'd like to make so be sure to subscribe to see those!

[@YourMiddleBroPhil]

You just helped me fix my camera! Just a note to everyone checking in: the part being cleaned needs to be a mirror sheen. you have issues (mine had some light blue oxidation) use a white pencil eraser and contact cleaner.

[@ronernst1619]

thank you for an informative video. i bought my XE-7 in 1977 and it has been in the drawer for years because no one wanted to service it and its misbehaving meter! Your video helped me bring it back to life! Many thanks!

[@yueibm]

Thanks! Not all heroes wear capes!

[@simongilbert4826]

A very clearly presented and informative video. This will be of great interest to many Minolta XE owners.

[@gregtank2005]

Thank you for your video. I have been twisting and turning things to get it the meter to function for short periods of time but after sitting it goes back to "Jumpy" Clear, concise and a great resource!!!!

[@Crescent_Cameras]

Super glad I could help you get your camera back up and working!

[@Holzi24]

Thank you! Got my jumpy meter to work properly again. The contacts in my camera looked clean, cleaned them anyway, works like new!

[@thomasfx3190]

Awesome, I have an XE-7 arriving in FedEx tomorrow that has a ‘broken’ light meter, can’t wait to dive in!

[@IpcressF]

Great video, thank you! Seconding using a pencil eraser along with the contact cleaner for stubborn oxidation (it was orange and brown on mine) and be gentle but thorough and that it's clean and shiny when done. Anyone who every had Aurora AFX or Tyco racing cars with contacts underneath that ran on notched race tracks will be familiar with using an eraser to clean stubborn oxidation from electrical contacts on the cars and on the tracks. It's the same idea.

[@glenwhatley4125]

Super well done mah man! Great suggestion to test before completely reassembling. You dah man!

[@daveed4475]

Thanks. I have 3 cosmetically mint XE7’s, each needing a different repair. I may pick one to get fixed, or sell all 3 as is. Nice camera, but never fully bonded with it; always reached first for XD,XK, or X 570.

[@shinya3447]

hey I'd be interested if you still have them

[@bjornmicaelstridh7831]

Very good video, thanks. I have that problem with an XE-1. However, i do not have these skills to makes this operation. Now knowing where these contacts are, I put my mouth to the camera and breathed air inside, moved the apurturering several times. Now it´s working, ( I am a bit suprised). Lets see for how long, but for the moments it´s o.k. It underexpose with 2 stops, but that I can live with and correct with ISA-dial.

[@ToniLovesSkateboarding]

ooooh! Im trying this today!

[@ToniLovesSkateboarding]

Well, It didnt work. my meter still shows the incorrect reading. Thank you for the video anyways! It gave me the confidence to work on my cameras :)

[@ToniLovesSkateboarding]

Update! The camera meter works now! hell yeah! thank you once again!

[@riccardocarbonari7259]

Hi, nice guide, thank you. I bought an XE-1 which, despite new batteries and the light coming on, when I shoot at times other than B or X (which are mechanical) I get a raised mirror and closed shutter. I read in the instructions that this defect occurs when the voltage is low, but in my case it cannot be because the batteries are new. I disassembled the ON/OFF switch and sprayed some contact cleaner and now the mirror always stays up but the shutter opens but does not close again. Do you know how to fix this? Many thanks

[@GabrieleGallagher27]

Amazing guide, thanks, my beautiful black XE-1 has not a jumping needle anymore. Unfortunately it has another issue, at 1/1000s there is no light passing through the curtains. I did around 200 shots to see if it was solving itself as sometimes happen, but it keeps blocking the light. Which problem could it be? The other speeds look good. Thanks.

[@bobhund]

This is very helpful. It helped with one XE-1 and one XE-5 of mine, but I broke the meter of one XE-5 on the run. I don't know what I did wrong. The meter of the last camera now just shows maximum shutter speed all the time, independently of aperture or ISO. Any idea, Sir?

[@sonyviva308]

So this thing also affects the shutter mechanism. I have one unit that locks the mirror slightly to the top and sometimes works normally when I play with the ISO dial. Cleaned it and now its still intermittently working well. Could it be the light meter that's busted? Shutter reading shows higher than usual

[@anuarahmad7295]

Great... i managed to restore 2 of my XE.

[@Crescent_Cameras]

Glad I could help!

[@claudineipenha1248]

Como limpar o visor dispolido dessa câmera me ajude por favor

[@niranvandenende3254]

Hi! I am not sure if you are still active here. But i will give this a shot anyway. I recently inherited a XE-5 from my late grandfather and after shooting the first roll I found out that there was no reaction from the light meter at all. So after using your guide I found out the ring was really dirty, I cleaned with 99.99% alcohol and some swaps for cleaning camera sensors. After assembling everything the light meter started reacting! however at certain points between different apertures the light meter still jumps unrealistically up and down, but overall it reacts realistically to aperture changes. So what do you think? Should I clean it more or even use the pencil eraser to clean it more? Would really appreciate any help! Sincerly, Niran

[@anatorres2513]

Great video! I have a xe-7 and the film advance lever jams up. I wiggle it a bit and it moved the film forward but any ideas what I could do? Please. I can’t afford to pay for repair. Took my canon a-1 in for some repairs and it was $200! It works like a dream but I can’t afford that again within 2 months 😅. So any help is welcomed

[@chrislancelivingston]

What spanner wrench do you like to use here?

[@MateusMedeirosBrilhante]

Hey, guys. My Minolta XE7 gets its mirror locked up whenever I shoot on AUTO mode. It works just fine on manual. Now I know this is usually a sign of low battery, but mines are brand new, so that's not the case. Even if I shoot on auto mode and the mirror locks up, if I just change it to manual, the mirror will come down right away. Does anyone know what could it be?