Konica Autoreflex T4 Shutter Issue

Took a chance on a Konica Autoreflex T4 for fairly cheap, its in decent shape however the shutter seems to fire at the same speed from 1/30 on up. The camera does not currently have a battery and I was under the impression that it is only needed for the meter but I was wondering if I was incorrect about that? If it isn’t the battery I was wondering if someone has ran into this problem before and could tell me if it’s and easy DIY fix or if I should send it into a shop and have them take care of it? Thanks.

If shutter is working properly it should fire at selected speed without a battery. Battery operates meter and aperture selection in shutter priority. Not sure about DIY repair but if not it would probably be more economical to find another T4 rather than pay a lot for a repair. However, if a CLA is all it needs that might not be too bad. The T4 did not enjoy the reliability of the earlier T models (T, T2, T3). Having sold a lot of Konicas at the family camera shop, though, the ones we saw for service actually had metering issues rather than shutter problems.

Took a chance on a Konica Autoreflex T4 for fairly cheap, its in decent shape however the shutter seems to fire at the same speed from 1/30 on up. The camera does not currently have a battery and I was under the impression that it is only needed for the meter but I was wondering if I was incorrect about that? If it isn’t the battery I was wondering if someone has ran into this problem before and could tell me if it’s and easy DIY fix or if I should send it into a shop and have them take care of it? Thanks.

 

I am imagining this is too little too late, and judging from the username this person may well have posted and disappeared, but I had a question regarding this problem - are you *certain* that the shutter is firing at the same speed through the upper range? e.g. have are you judging this by sight with the film door opening and viewing the metal curtain? I ask because the TC and T4 both have much more pronounced mirror action sound when compared to the shutter action sound, and there is also generally more time between mirror-up and mirror-down in relation to the actuation of the shutter itself than in SLRs of most other brands. Point being, because the mirror is noticeably louder than the shutter, if you're not used to what a T4 or TC SOUNDS like, it does sound a bit like 1/60 and up is the same even when operation normally.

 

You're correct - the TC and T4 (and earlier T series) are completely mechanical except for metering and AE aperture controlled (they are shutter priority AE cameras). I've revived more than half a dozen T4's (and twice that many TC's) in the past two years or so and I've yet to come across one that had shutter timing issues. That Copal is a bit of a tank in there. Like Mike mentioned, metering problems aren't uncommon, though even in that case I've only ever come across dirty or corroded contact inside that were at fault - they usually come back to life (even those that seem completely dead) with a decent cleaning.

Just seconding the above, I have had a couple of T3's, which were pretty competent cameras and worked fine with no battery. But they sound like a door slamming.

But they sound like a door slamming.

 

Oh, IDK, the Konicas aren't quite that bad: perhaps you've never had the pleasure of hearing a Bronica S2A 6x6 shutter fire? Now, THAT is a car door slamming! ;)

 

Or, if we limit ourselves to 35mm, my Konica T3 is noticeably less ugly-sounding than any of my "un-restored" Nikon F2 bodies. As they age, most F2 cameras develop a gruesome metallic clank followed by an extended bell-like ringing that drags on long after the shutter finishes closing. Its really the only chintzy corner-cutting aspect of the illustrious F2: jacking the original F shutter design up to 1/2000 from 1/1000 required a foam sponge embedded between the mirror box and inner body shell to damp the additional noise. Once that foam rots into dust, the F2 shutter emits a sound that makes dogs bark from a block away. Only way to replace that foam is a significant teardown, which few F2 owners were ever willing to pay for: hence all the really noisy F2s floating around today. The Nikon F2 battleship is my all-time favorite SLR, but I sure wish it was as "quiet" as my Konica T3.

F's also get very loud with age. The mirror foam is actually pretty easy to replace, but as it happens, the camera doesn't suffer if it's gone, and no other foam is needed for light sealing anyway. If you get the foam a little too deep, the camera misbehaves, so it's easier just to leave it. Still, I think my old T3 was a little worse. I had two of them, and I seem to recall that the newer one was a little better, but I got rid of both, so it's all memory now.

...As they age, most F2 cameras develop a gruesome metallic clank followed by an extended bell-like ringing that drags on long after the shutter finishes closing...

 

I have 6 (count 'em) F2A's, and none of them have any such clanking or bell ringing. Maybe I'm lucky.

I have 6 (count 'em) F2A's, and none of them have any such clanking or bell ringing. Maybe I'm lucky.

 

Extremely, inordinately lucky: perhaps I should have purchased one of the spares you listed for sale a couple months ago.;)

 

Over the past 25 years I've owned nearly two dozen, eighteen of of which grated on my last nerve. I now have two chrome F2s which are as quiet as my Fs, and two mint black F2s which sound so disgusting they are relegated to being shelf queens. Unfortunately repairing the decayed inner damping foam requires tearing out the mirror box, clearing out the 100 bits of tarry dead foam from the mirror assembly, and properly installing a new sound damping pad. Few repair shops today are even aware the F2 has a bespoke sound damping pad, much less how to install a replacement. Shipping my noisy F2s to Sover Wong is a possibility, as he knows exactly whats needed to restore them, but between the service fees and international shipping this would cost significantly more than any F2 body is currently worth. Difficult decision: I don't really use 35mm film enough to justify the cost to restore spare bodies, but do want the cameras to be as perfect as when they left the factory forty years ago.

 

The original F rarely develops this noise, mostly because it has the original 1/1000th gearing which does not mechanically resonate thru the mirror box like a klaxon horn (so doesn't require a piece of fragile damping foam to be buried in the internal walls between film advance and mirror box). I currently have four F bodies, only one of which is just very slightly noisier than the others. All of them are missing their long-decayed mirror bumpers but function just fine: at any shutter speed, they emit a well damped "clunk" that isn't bothersome at all (they can't compare to my Olympus OM-1, but they're not gratingly audible). To be clear, the foam pad in the F2 that decays and allows spurious noise is buried deep inside the interior F2 body shell where it cannot be seen or DIY replaced: this is not the same as the ubiquitous foam mirror bumper strip at the top of nearly every SLR ever made.

the F2 shutter emits a sound that makes dogs bark from a block away

I don't mind the sound and in some way I even like the sound (like with P&S digicam, or in movies they don't really have any sound but want to create a sound for fun).. However, I have never owned an F2 because I have never seen one in mint condition, only something like below (which is for sale in Vietnam right now for about $200)

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It's been a while since I handled a T4 but if memory serves it was actually a bit louder than the T3. The budget TC seem to fare a little better in reliability than the T4, but it would not accept an autowinder and it's slowest shutter speed was 1/8 second.

Extremely, inordinately lucky: perhaps I should have purchased one of the spares you listed for sale a couple months ago.;)

 

Over the past 25 years I've owned nearly two dozen, eighteen of of which grated on my last nerve. I now have two chrome F2s which are as quiet as my Fs, and two mint black F2s which sound so disgusting they are relegated to being shelf queens. Unfortunately repairing the decayed inner damping foam requires tearing out the mirror box, clearing out the 100 bits of tarry dead foam from the mirror assembly, and properly installing a new sound damping pad. Few repair shops today are even aware the F2 has a bespoke sound damping pad, much less how to install a replacement. Shipping my noisy F2s to Sover Wong is a possibility, as he knows exactly whats needed to restore them, but between the service fees and international shipping this would cost significantly more than any F2 body is currently worth. Difficult decision: I don't really use 35mm film enough to justify the cost to restore spare bodies, but do want the cameras to be as perfect as when they left the factory forty years ago.

 

The original F rarely develops this noise, mostly because it has the original 1/1000th gearing which does not mechanically resonate thru the mirror box like a klaxon horn (so doesn't require a piece of fragile damping foam to be buried in the internal walls between film advance and mirror box). I currently have four F bodies, only one of which is just very slightly noisier than the others. All of them are missing their long-decayed mirror bumpers but function just fine: at any shutter speed, they emit a well damped "clunk" that isn't bothersome at all (they can't compare to my Olympus OM-1, but they're not gratingly audible). To be clear, the foam pad in the F2 that decays and allows spurious noise is buried deep inside the interior F2 body shell where it cannot be seen or DIY replaced: this is not the same as the ubiquitous foam mirror bumper strip at the top of nearly every SLR ever made.

 

I wonder if anyone in the U.S. can do this repair? My F2as is a little noisy.

Awhile back I think I read that Gus Lazzari of TLC Camera Repair could do it properly. Unfortunately he is backlogged thru 2030 and emphatically not taking on new clients. I've spoken to a local shop here in NYC and they claim to understand the issue and know how to fix it, but they're a bit strange. Have to decide if I'm willing to sacrifice an F2 if they turn out to be dunderheads (my experience with local techs ranges from good to terrible: a big city address guarantees nothing).

I was wondering about APS in Morton Grove, Illinois.

Gus Lazzari no longer seems to be a registered member here, but a while back he recommended Sover Wong in the UK for Nikon service, as Gus was no longer taking on work. I realize that's not in the US, but he did recommend that technician, who apparently specialies in F2's.

 

Nikon F2 Repair/Overhaul Service