Konica Auto S3

[jim_baker6]

I have just purchased this camera on ebay. I've noticed that the front of the lens is a little bit 'wobbly' (i.e. the

frontmost ring/shutter ring assembly). Of course I will be shooting a film to test the camera but I wondered if any 'S3'

owners could comment?

[JDMvW]

Why double post? especially for so inconsequential a question.

 

other post at http://www.photo.net/leica-rangefinders-forum/00Qyrh?unified_p=1

[jim_baker6]

My mistake! I'm not familiar with these Forums. I posted on the Leica-Rangefinder Forum then realised that the

Classic Camera Forum was the best place to ask a question about this rangefinder, inconsequential or otherwise. I

am used to handling SLR lenses but this is the first fixed lens rangefinder I have handled. The lens is obviously more

complex than an SLR lens but I don't know if the slight 'play' in the lens is part of the design or due to looseness. No

doubt if I had a row of such rangefinder cameras I would rapidly come to my own conclusion, but that's not

possible.

[richard_oleson]

The front end of the lens isn't SUPPOSED to wobble. Is the glass moving, or just the front ring? Something obviously is loose, but it's impossible to pin down exactly what without having the lens to look at. If you've got glass moving, especially if it isn't the entire lens moving together, you're going to have problems. If the entire lens is a bit loose in the focusing threads, that's not ideal but probably still usable. If it's just the front metal, it shouldn't cause any immediate problems but you'll still want to find what's loose and tighten it up.

 

Welcome to the forums!

 

:)=

[richard_oleson]

I should have mentioned:

 

I'm not sure about the S3, but in many leaf shutter rangefinders, the entire lens/shutter assembly is attached to a rectangular plate which in turn is attached to the chassis with 4 screws in the corners. This is usually concealed behind a couple of removable panels under the leatherette beside the lens. It is not uncommon for these 4 screws to get loose... that can make it look and feel like the shutter is coming loose, and lead you to spending all kinds of time checking the wrong stuff before you get to those 4 loose screws.

[starvy]

the best thing is to wait how your film turns out. take action based on quality of results.

[dennis_w3]

I believe your camera is the same as my Minolta Hi-Matic S2. Mine had looseness in the lens assembly as well; I

removed the inner ring, just inside the filter ring, using a microtool spanner. The ring that contains the meter cell

then dropped out (with a little gentle coaxing) and hung there by the meter wires. Underneath that ring were 4

screws that were very loose. I tightened them and reassembled, making sure all pins and slots lined up. I took my

time and used care, and it works perfectly. I'm not a mechanic or a watchmaker, this was a simple job that took

about 20 minutes. What a great little camera, I can never decide which I like better, this one or my little Olympus

RC.

[tony_lockerbie]

Richard has got it right, quite a common thing on '70s' rangefinders. A quick tightening of the screws will do the trick for you. Often this slack will cause no real problem unless it is excessive. BTW, the Konica is a great user, excellent optics.

 

Tony

[jim_baker6]

Hey, guys, thanks for the responses! Looks like I have a bit of screw tightening to do. This little project started when I was trekking in the Andes this summer. I had my OM-1n (with 24 and 50mm lenses). It was ultra-sunny and found the extreme contrast a bit of a problem. With the flashgun I was prepared to carry, it was sometimes difficult to balance ambinet and flash, even with the 24mm lens fitted so I could get close to the subject. I thought "I wish I could keep a decent flash and have synchronisation at all shutter speeds, so I can do something about this ambient light". These 1970s rangefinders seem to be the answer. I looked at earlier cameras and couldn't decide whether I should put them in my rucksack or in a display cabinet! The 1970 rangefinders, on the other hand, still seem eminently useable, just like my OM-1n. The designers seem to have developed these cameras to explicitly deal with the problem of balancing ambient and flash, with options (in most cases) to link the focus to the aperture while retaining complete control of the shutter speed.

My end point is always a 20"x13" colour print on my wall (this is the largest size I can handle in my darkroom). If I'm lucky, I get one per holiday. That's my little project, anyway. Once again, thanks for the help.

[Troll]

I have three S3s. Loved my first one so much that when they quit making them I bought some spares for when it wore out. The spares are still in their boxes, while the original still works perfectly (on it's second battery since 1972).<P>The lens/shutter assembly on the first one does wobble just a little, but it doesn't seem to cause a problem. The "new" ones are wobble-free.