Leica AF-C1 - Initial check-out without film

Perhaps a crazy question to most of you.

 

I'll explain.

 

I volunteer for the Thrift Store that supports our local hospice, working on the more unusual donations.

 

We've had one of these donated, looking good, with the manual.

 

I've obtained a battery, and switched it on.

 

It makes an initial whirr as it figures out what's inside it and correctly indicates 0, with nothing else on the display.

 

Pressing the timer button adds the time symbol to the display.

 

Tele extends the zoom and flash and, with that in or out I can hear it autofocusing as I first-press the shutter. I'm getting a single red flash at each press, no sign of the expected green focus light, however I've no film loaded.

 

If I single press the flash button, I also get a single red flash, hold flash and I get red flashes approximately every second. No indication of the flash being charged / ready.

 

Battery is Energiser, new / sealed, Exp 12/26 and testing at 6.2V after carrying out the above.

 

Is this camera designed to do the above if there is no film?

 

Or do I have an camera with an issue?

 

I'm competent with electronics and fine work on more compact mid-high end digital cameras (Sony RX100 is the bottom of my own collection of cameras and has needed some work over the years)

 

Thanks!

 

Dave

What does the manual say about what you described (FWIW I don't own and have never owned this particular model) ?

If you don't have a manual, here is one:

 

https://www.cameramanuals.org/leica_pdf/leica_af-c1.pdf

 

If you find it useful, please send a $3.00 donation to M. Butkus, the site operator.

Fortunately the manual came with it.

 

It did not describe what happens when there is no film in it, which is reasonable, but not solving my puzzle.

I would sacrifice a long ago expired roll as "practice film" to fool such cameras into believeing to be loaded. Since they tend to start winding on their own and are supposed to catch the film leader (i.e. you frequently don't have to insert it into some kind of takeup spool), it is an important test result to know, if an old camera does that.

BTW: Leica as a premium brand, have a friendly, although overworked customer service. E-mailing them should lead to an answer with a lttle delay.

I'd love to be able to provide more help but the little automated P&S cameras are something I am not into at all.

If the beauty of your environment and your personal wealth permit I'd suggest acquiring a roll of film and borrowing the camera for a week to shoot some personal pictures. Donate / lend the charity 3 landscape prints till the camera is sold. I don't know the prices such Leicas should fetch and can't tell if they are worth all that hassle.

Running a charity I'd tell my interested customer: "Come back with your film and let's see if the camera will eat it at all. If not you'll get an "obviously damaged"-discount."

I don't know the prices such Leicas should fetch and can't tell if they are worth all that hassle.

People are asking $300-400 USD on ebay. A suspiciously similar Minolta without the Leica badge or styling goes for about 1/10 of that price (or probably $5 at a yard sale).

You might check the posts in the L-camera-forum.com, searching for your issues as they have special sections going back years on all of their types of cameras.

Thank you, I searched there and found nothing so I've posted the issue there as well. It's a bit low-brow for the true Leica guys, but someone will know.

 

You might check the posts in the L-camera-forum.com, searching for your issues as they have special sections going back years on all of their types of cameras.