Contax T2 Film Advance

Hi,

I have a Contax T2 that has been operating with no issues until recently. If the shutter speed is under 1/60, the photo will be taken but the film won't advance to the next frame, so there will be multiple exposures until a photo with a faster shutter speed is taken. Pictures with flash also won't cause the frame to move.

 

Does anyone else have the same problem or any ideas as to what could be wrong? I have taken it to a few repair shops who told me they would not be able to fix the problem, so I have only been using this camera with high speed ISOs/ in bright outdoor lighting.

Electronic issues seem to trouble Contax point and shoots, especially shutter problems. It's a 30 year-old camera. Despite the cult surrounding them and its effect on prices, repairs are difficult to track down.

Yeah, I thought so, it's a shame. Brought it to a few repair shops who told me it would be too risky to repair, one of them told me to send it to a shop in Japan but I'm not sure whether or not it will be worth it considering that it does work fine under bright conditions.

The amazing chap at PPP cameras just outside of London seems to be able to fix T2s quite easily, and inexpensively - well worth a try to keep these lovely cameras on the road.

They really werent expected to last many years. Its almost time everyone started thinking about retiring some of the modern electronic era film cameras.

 

Like canon rebel 35mm from 1990-2005. Most of the parts have gotten to the stage that plastic brittleness will kill them at any time.

They really werent expected to last many years. Its almost time everyone started thinking about retiring some of the modern electronic era film cameras.

 

Like canon rebel 35mm from 1990-2005. Most of the parts have gotten to the stage that plastic brittleness will kill them at any time.

 

Isn't the T2 titanium? Not sure how much plastic is inside.

 

If a camera is working well for you I don't know why you would want to retire it. There is a lot of plastic in many modern film cameras but some were designed to be more robust than others. And the ones that aren't that robust seem to be on the inexpensive side anyway and are usually easy to find replacements for.

 

There are exceptions.

Knowing nothing whatsoever about the T2, I'd bet on it being either a problem related to failing solder joints (lead free solder) or a failing ribbon cable. Either way, you might be better off looking for someone familiar with diagnosing and repairing those kind of problems, so a specialist in old electronics or computers. Unfortunately, you'd probably also need the services of a camera repair tech to get the thing apart and back together again, while keeping the lens aligned.

 

Sounds rather expensive.

Some of these cameras have to be thought of as expensive disposables.

Many Contax cameras (especially the SLRs) are basically unrepairable these days. It's going to be very hard to find anyone who has the parts. But good luck.