Konica FS-1 Flashing "M" LED when camera is off

[ely_bass]

<p>I've owned a Konica FS-1 camera that I fixed and been able to keep running through the decades. It has been a solid performer.</p>

<p>I recently bought a broken FT-1 that I've been able to fix. It had the famous corroded pressure connectors problem. Works like a charm now. I'm not afraid to disassemble and work on these Konicas.</p>

<p>I just got another Konica FS-1 with an unusual problem. The "M" LED flashes when the "Shutter Lock Lever" is set to the Lock position. This should turn the whole camera off. At least that's what it does on my other FS-1. When I turn the lever to Unlock, the camera works perfectly. My only concern is that the camera will eat batteries when sitting unused.</p>

<p>Has anyone else seen this problem? Any ideas?</p>

<p>Thanks in advance.</p>

[User_502260]

<p>The expert on fixing Konicas is Greg Weber. He can be reached at 402-721-3873 or at gweber@webercamera.com. The FS-1 may be the worst model Konica ever made. At some point near the end of its production run some parts which were later to be included in the FT-1 were put in the FS-1. Greg would be able to tell you whether you have one of these. I have many Konicas but only one FS-1. To quote some questionable eBay sellers "It worked the last time I used it." Greg has all of the parts and equipment needed to repair FT-1s. I don't know if anyone can fix an FS-1 with bad electronics without taking parts out of another FS-1. Not too long ago I found an FC-1 in excellent working condition for very little. If you don't mind advancing the film manually or using the accessory winder, an FC-1 can be very pleasant to use. My only complaint is that there is no way to lock your reading so I wind up using it mostly with manual settings. The FC-1 has that odd battery tray which holds four LR44 or MS-76 or A76 batteries. The batteries last a long time but if they leak or swell up it might take major surgery to remove them. </p>

[ely_bass]

<p>The FS-1 might be a hard one to work on, but I really like mine. I've owned it almost forever. It still works like new. I bought it from a junk box in a camera shop back in the early 80s. I don't remember what was wrong with it, but I fixed it and used it for a long time. Then I put it down for about 20 years. I pulled it out of my camera pile, put batteries in it and it fired right up. It was missing the self-timer switch until just recently that I was able to replace with one from a junk FS-1 I got on ebay. The best thing about my FS-1 has always been the pictures it takes. So it's hard for me to believe it's the worst Konica camera ever made. But I haven't tried them all. The early FT-1's seem worse and less reliable. The only better thing about the FT-1 is that it's easier to fix one particular problem it has.</p>

<p>I have visited Greg's website and read about him in forums. I don't really think I'll be getting the FS-1 with the blinking M fixed. It's just a cheap backup. And honestly, I'm not sure there's many old SLR cameras worth the money to have them fixed. It's so easy to find oodles of working classic cameras at crazy low prices. I'm near a major metro area and even the local Craigslist has many. I can play with them before buying.</p>

<p>So I don't feel right bugging Greg and asking him for tips on what's up with the blinking M LED. I do like to tinker and thought that others may have seen this issue before.</p>

<p>I've never owned a non-motorized Konica but there's a TC-3 coming my way. I'll soon see how much more reliable those were over the FS-1's. Not having an exposure lock will be a PIA for sure. Also not having the auto film loading and 1.5 fps continuous drive will be a different experience.</p>

<p>Anyway, if anyone knows why the M LED would flash with the camera off, please let me know.<br>

<br />Thanks.</p>

 

[User_502260]

<p>The FS-1 is pleasant enough to use when it works but with the exception of the last run, they were not very reliable. I'm sure someone had a Rambler American which worked well too. The funny thing is that I had an FS-1 which didn't look very good bit worked well. In a trade involving other items I got rid of that FS-1 and got a better looking one which did not work so well. Whether it's worth having old SLR cameras fixed is a matter of what each person is looking for. I recently took a Pentax KM and a Pentax MX on vacation. Both cameras were overhauled by Eric Hendrickson and work well. Today I picked up eight rolls of processed film. The results were fine so I think the money I spent on getting the cameras overhauled was well worth it. Fresh film and quality processing are not cheap so I would rather use a camera I know is working properly. I don't remember a Konica TC-3 so I am guessing you are waiting for a T3 or a T3N or a TX or a TC-X. </p>