Lever stuck but can shoot

Hello, I have a mirrorless Yashica and after shooting around 5 frames the lever won't advance to next frame after I click the shutter. If I press the release button I can use the lever again and shoot, but next time it will happen the same. Do you think I can keep shooting this way or the film is not advancing?

By mirrorless, I assume that you mean that you have a rangefinder camera? Do you have the model number handy?

 

It's a little hard to understand exactly what you are asking, but it sounds like the camera is jamming after a few shots. I hope you didn't pay a lot.

 

Watch the rewind crank. If it turns when you operate the advance lever, the film is advancing.

A Mirrorless is not the same as a rangefinder, but it's similar. Anyway, the numbers are going up, so I'm guessing the film is rolling there's just some issue with the release button that is keeping the film from rolling unless it's pressed.

A proper answer would require knowing the camera's model and thus hopefully consulting the user's manual, but a couple considerations come to mind:

- In some cameras (e.g., my Canonet QL17) after loading the film, or anyway opening/closing the back boor even without putting film into it, you can act on the advance lever 3-4 times even without pressing the shutter, after which the normal procedure sets in (advance/advance lever blocked until shutter pressed/ advance again etc.). Perhaps your Yashica had the same feature, and something broke?

- Some other cameras (mostly German, though) cannot be properly operated unless they have film, and playing with the advance lever and shutter button the way you describe without film does produce a variety of curious results. Did you experiment with or without film?

Thanks for the reply. Without the film is working properly also other films I shoot before were working fine. Also advancing until frame 1 went without problems. I'm just asking this now because I'm afraid of losing the pictures I've shot and also the rest of the film.

 

By the way it's a Yashica Mf35.

Possibly a silly suggestion, but are you sure you have not reached the end of the film ?

Now that I know the model, I see that it is a zone focus camera. If I were you - considering that it has only happened with this one roll - and being afraid of losing some important photos, I'd rewind now. As a precaution, I'd do it in a darkroom/darkbag just in case that when you open the back the film is torn off the spool.

 

A few frames wasted against the loss of important pictures is an easy choice.

 

PS - in their day, cameras such as that were never referred to as mirrorless.