800si repair question

[alvin_wong]

<P>Various buttons on my 800SI have stopped working. These buttons

include the "Mode" button as well as all the small buttons inside the

side door. The camera also fires at will and does not respond to the

shutter release button. The above things happen whether there is film

loaded in the camera or not, and in both MF and AF mode.</P>

<P>I have already tried using an eraser to clean the battery contacts,

but the problem persists.</P>

<P>Before I send my 800si off to Konica Minolta, I wanted to ask the

forum if there is some simple solution I have overlooked. Also, do I

have any repair options aside from Konica Minolta itself?</P>

[alvin_wong]

<p>I wanted to add that the main functions of the camera (i.e. metering, autofocus) seem to be fully functional. It's just the buttons and dials that seem to be broken.</p>

<p>I have also tried three different 2CR5 batteries, to no avail.</p>

[alan_chan4]

Maybe it's just time to replace those switches underneath the plastic buttons.

[michael_hohner]

If the camera works in general, changing the battery won't help. Either the contacts in the switches underneath the buttons are dirty, or the lines to the switches are broken. Find a repair shop and ask for a price quote. Then check if a used, working 800si is cheaper than a repair (it often is).

[alvin_wong]

<p>Thanks for the responses.</p>

<p>I tried the camera again this morning, and everything was back to normal! All the buttons and dials were responsive. I was even using one of the batteries that "failed" to work yesterday.</p>

<p>The abrupt failure and recovery of this camera was very strange. Now that I think of it, I may have incorrectly mounted my 35-105 zoom lens yesterday. I suspect this because the problems disappeared after I removed this lens and mounted a different one.</P>

[bill_thorlin]

I think you are most likely correct in thinking it is the lens connection that caused the problem. I have had "blips" similar to those you have described and after initial efforts at turning everything on and off and pushing buttons, reseating the lens cleared the problem.

 

Just to be sure I have cleaned up all the "gold" connectors on the lenses and the cameras - did it very carefully though.