Kodak Instamatic Reflex issue. Anyone left with experience with this?

I Imagine people would ask why or where I picked this up but I have it now. Mechanically this is in perfect working condition. Intuitively I believe the meter works. Without a working meter the camera is just a paperweight. I actually have batteries for this camera. To test the batteries there is a button on the side that when pushed down the needle in the view finder jumps to 1/500 of a second. The problem is when I insert the battery clip the needle jumps to 1/500th as if it is being tested. My thinking is that if the meter is bad then the needle would not respond. The battery test button is very loose so I hope it is just simply the switch. The other thing I was wondering if has to do with how the camera detects the film speed of the cartridge which I do not have in there yet but that does not make sense to me. Any one left out there with any insight on this camera?

There is a "notch" cut out of the 126 cartridge the position or size (I forget which) mates with a pin (lever) in the camera to set film speed. I'm guessing here but the CdS cell is a resistance that varies with light, so if the meter cell were shorted it would read very high, like a 500th perhaps?

126?

126?

Yes, 126 cartridges are very easy to to do once the technique is down

Possibly I misread, Chaz initial post seemed to have said 124 -- thus my reply. I spent a few years in a camera store back then so handled and sold more than a few of those , the cameras, and flashcubes!

Pretty good camera. I always wondered why Kodak made 126 a square format though.

A

There is a "notch" cut out of the 126 cartridge the position or size (I forget which) mates with a pin (lever) in the camera to set film speed. I'm guessing here but the CdS cell is a resistance that varies with light, so if the meter cell were shorted it would read very high, like a 500th perhaps?

That is what I am hoping is not the case. Operative word is hopping. I found in the past that when the cell goes bad it just doesn't conduct any current. But since I am rather ignorant on this I accept the possibility that a bad cell could also have no resistance

Almost ended up with one of those. Fall of '74 a retired Linotype operator wanted to sell his, but I opted for a new Konica Auto S2 (at dealer cost from family camera shop) instead. Hope you can get it working. Some 126 cameras only recognized two speeds: 64 and 160, but IIRC the Instamatic Reflex could sense a wider range.

Another possibility is the test button is stuck internally.

I looked at the manual at the Butkus website but didn't see anything related to the problem. The ISO notch read for this camera is specified as 64/80/125 or 160.