10975056 Posted January 21, 2019 Share Posted January 21, 2019 Hi I just recently began shooting film with a Fujica ST701. For the first two rolls of film I put through it every time I advanced the film the lever would spring back to the starting position. However after loading a new roll of film when I advance it the lever does not spring back like previously. I carefully rewound the film to ensure that it wasn’t exposed and that I didn’t rewind it all the way into the canister to check and make sure everything was alright and nothing was broken. After removing the film the advance lever would spring back to the start position as it is supposed to so I reloaded the film thinking maybe I had loaded it incorrectly but again after loading it the advance lever would not spring back. I did this a few times and every time I took the film out the lever would spring back but when I loaded the film it would not. When the film is loaded I can move the advance lever back to the start manually without much resistance but I’m concerned using it in this manner may damage the camera. My question is would I be alright using the camera in this manner? Has anyone else had a similar issue? I’m wondering if maybe there is an issue with the film that would cause this I honestly have no idea so if anyone has had a similar experience or any suggestions for what may be causing this I’m all ears. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kmac Posted January 21, 2019 Share Posted January 21, 2019 The advance lever mechanism may need cleaning and oiling. The lever pushes a toothed ratchet around when advancing the film, but the lever is meant to "freewheel" back to it's original start position by means of light spring tension. Any dirt or goo in the mechanism will prevent the spring from doing it's job properly The action of the lever returning to it's start position is quite independent of any other action regarding film winding, it's an action on it's own, simply to get the lever back to where it started from. So if there's no dirt, goo, burrs, bent or badly worn parts etc, the mechanism should work fine If you intend to disassemble the film advance mechanism yourself for cleaning, you might need to research if any of the screw threads are lefthand In the first instance though, you could try dribbling some lighter fluid under the lever to see if it frees up and returns of it's own accord Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
10975056 Posted January 21, 2019 Author Share Posted January 21, 2019 Ok thanks for your advice. What really confuses me is that when there is no film loaded the lever returns as it should. It’s only when film is in the camera that it doesn’t spring back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m42dave Posted January 21, 2019 Share Posted January 21, 2019 These instructions below (for adjusting the meter) show how to remove the top cover on the ST701. It's a fairly easy task on this camera. ST701 BATTERY FIX Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Seaman Posted January 21, 2019 Share Posted January 21, 2019 I've no specific knowledge of this camera but my first action when this kind of thing happens would be to remove the base plate- (usually easy - 3 or 4 screws) and apply a little light oil lubricant to the mechanism at the base of the winding shaft. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bonsignore_ezio Posted January 21, 2019 Share Posted January 21, 2019 Perhaps I don't understand it correctly: does this problem happens with any film in the camera, or just with a specific roll you are trying to use? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chuck_foreman1 Posted January 25, 2019 Share Posted January 25, 2019 Well since it only does NOT spring back when the film is loaded there is likely a very slight drag or load on the spindle that may be lightly bending the spindle preventing the spring to return the lever. As you mentioned you can manually return the lever to the start position. I've had cameras with this problem and they never got worse, I just simply gently returned the lever to the start position. It may end up being just not worrth the hassle, but the info given above would probably go a long way to a good fix. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andyfalsetta Posted January 26, 2019 Share Posted January 26, 2019 With no film in the camera put your finger on the film take up spool and create a little drag while you try the film advance. This might help you narrow down the problem to either the film or the camera. I am betting on the camera though as others have said. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now