Bronica shutter fires at one speed only...

[petr_vokurek1]

Hi there, haven?t been able to find the answer to my particular problem

here...So, I bought a Bronica SQ-a used on e-bay and it worked all right for

some time. Then there started a problem of linking the shutter with the body or

cocking the shutter (sometimes the shutter would not cock) so I brought it to a

service. They told me the repair would be quite expensive so I bought another

body instead. It was on e-bay again and was really cheap (some 90 USD including

shipping) This body, however, only fires the shutter at one speed all the time

(looks and sounds like one speed, anyway) I tested it with film and without at

all shutter speeds and only those frames with exposures around 1/125sec or

shorter came out (it was a neg, so I don?t know for sure). In any case, the

shutter won?t fire at anything longer than that- and you can tell by simply

listening to the sound that it?s not 8sec :-)) I thought I just had extremely

bad luck with my two bodies so I put them both to service to put them together

and maybe make one body that works. While waiting for the service to inform me

about any progres (quite a long time) I bought yet another body- this time an

SQ-am, the motorized version. It?s a nice camera, indeed, only...it has exactly

the same problem as the previous body- it fires only at one speed all the time.

Now I know the shutter is in the lenses, not in the body. I tried all the bodies

with different lenses (I have 4) and it?s always the same- the same sound, same

shutter speed. Bateries are fresh and flashing in the viewfinder. I know the

trick how to fire without film.

 

Can anyone tell me what?s wrong either with the Bronies or with me or the

lenses...??? I don?t intend to give up and plan to buy another body- this time

more expensive and hopefully in a better state. But maybe I?m just missing

something....Thanks for any advice. Petr

[photojim]

You've checked the batteries?

 

Are the contacts clean on the lenses and bodies?

 

Those are the first things to check.

 

If you don't have battery power going to the shutters, they will fire at 1/500 sec.

[steve m smith]

If it's the same as the ETRS it will fire at 1/500 regardless of setting if the battery is flat (or missing)

[petr_vokurek1]

Thanks a lot for prompt answers! I checked the contacts and all looks very clean inside the camera. When I remove the bateries from the SQ-am it does not operate at all. With the bateries in it does all the rewinding and flipping the mirror and all but the shutter speed is still the same. If the bateries were too flat for the shutter then they would probably be too weak for rewinding as well or..? Without bateries the motorised Bronica does not work at all. The other one is in service...I will check tomorrow.

[browncam]

I think you might be confusing the batteries in the winder with the small 9 volt battery in the bottom of the body. I own ETRS Bronicas. They will definitely fire without a battery but they default to 1/500 th.

[jimmy_english]

What view finder are you using? Waist level,chimney finder,manual metering prism, auto prism? If it is one of the metering ones i tcould be that the setting of the meter is causing this.

[thomas_barnes1]

I also have an ETRS and I would examine the battery on the bottom where the camera can be

mounted to a tripod.

 

Here is a link with a lot of good info: http://www.camerahobby.com/Photo-Bronica_Tips.htm

 

There is a company who I was referred to by Tamron for Bronica repairs. Try www.KOH.com.

They are Bronica specialists and know what they're doing. Maybe you can email them and

they can troubleshoot it.

Good luck.

[dave_wilson1]

Most likely that little battery in bottom, as already mentioned. If not, then the gold contacts between the body and lens might be dirty or damaged. you can clean them with some alchohol on a cotton swab, use nothing abrasive. The contact ring under the shutter speed dial could be dirty and not working. This requires some dissasembly, better done by a repair person.

[petr_vokurek1]

Ok guys, thanks a lot for your help. So I am an idiot after all! It is the small batery, of, course. It just took me some time to figure out where to insert it- with the SQ-Am it is in the grip right under the bunch of AA sells. Thanks, Petr.