The Hamster Clinic (or the Repair Advice Thread)

Dartz

First of all, this is an odd one.

Make : Minolta

Item : Rangefinder Camera

Model : Hi-Matic E (From 1971)

Fault : Film rewind button is jammed and won't pop back out. Therefore camera can't wind film forward.

Cause: Honestly, unknown. I bought it for $20 in an old electronics shop in DC because it seemed to be in good condition. Electrically it's sound, it's just this one mechanical fault that prevents it from being useable. I suspect at some point in the past somebody's had it apart to clean up a mercury battery leak, and when they screwed it together they overtightened something because nothing will unscrew now. The rangefinder is also slightly skewed but mechanically functional.

I'm posting on the off-chance that somebody has had experience with it and something this old. I bought it because the shop was days away from closing down, and I knew it was something special that'd just go on the tip otherwise, I'm not actually much of a photographer it's more an interest in old technology that caused me to buy it. It's a really beautiful thing, and rare to find electronics this old that still work.

---

Not that anyone will see this... except maybe google. If someone with the same camera has the same issue, this is what I did to fix it.

I managed to correct the problem. It was a result of a jammed catch just inside the bottom plate of the camera, locking the button in position. Sometime in the past, either someone overtightened the screw holding the catch in place, or some corrosion had set in and jammed the catch in position hard enough that a tab on the lever that was normally actuated by the winding mechanism was bent from the force of someone trying to free it.

The screws holding the bottom piece in place were also madly overtightened and needed a little penetrating fluid to move. It'd probably been sitting there for quite a while.

A little WD-40 dabbed on with a brush was enough to get it free. It's now stuck in the unlatched position because maybe a decade spent stuck in the same place has worn the spring and it won't bounce back. But that just means I have to hold down the release button in order to rewind the film. No big deal.

Electrically, it seems to be in great shape. A 3V CR1/3n Lithium battery was enough to wake it up, with one of the two battery ports bridged. There's no corrosion on the solder joints so they may have been redone at some stage. The mechanics I can see are clean. It's built like a watch inside and is really a wonderful little piece of electromechanical engineering.

There is one roll of film around the house that expired a couple of months ago. At the very least, even if it's gone beyond use, it'll give me a chance to iron out the kinks in the thing, see what it actually does going forwards and get used to:

A:) Using a camera that requires manual focusing.

B:) Using a camera that isn't digital

I suspect Comedy shall ensue.

jaansu

Make : Canon

Item : Compact Camera

Model : G16

Fault : Recognizing Raw files with PS Elements 10

This is probably not a fault as such, more a problem. I just got a new G16 and it's great the only problem is that my PS elements doesn't recognize the files. I've tried to convert the files to .dng but even the converter programs won't recognize the files.

Will I have to update to Elements 12 or is there a cheaper way of doing it?

WillyWonka

3rd party battery grip for nikon d90 just stopped working.

Zeikos ZE-NBG90

No obvious faults or errors.
Checked the connections and made sure they all looked ok.

Other than that the camera works fine...

MrTrebus

Make : Nikon D60

Item : Lens

Model : AF-S NIKKOR 18-55mm 3.5-5.5G

Fault : tiny piece of plastic on the retaining ring on the lens has snapped off.Lens doesn't connect properly to the body now

When / How : I guess the one of the kids dropped the bag when the camera was inside (I know, I shouldn't have left the lens attached :mad: )

Is it possible and/or financially viable to get it repaired ?

vectra

MrTrebus wrote: »

Make : Nikon D60

Item : Lens

Model : AF-S NIKKOR 18-55mm 3.5-5.5G



Is it possible and/or financially viable to get it repaired ?

Not butting in here but probably cheaper to buy a used lens

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Nikon-Zoom-Nikkor-G-VR-18-55-mm-f-3-5-5-6-AF-S-Lens-/121219099302?pt=UK_Lenses_Filters_Lenses&hash=item1c3938aaa6

Replaced link with proper one

flyingsnail

Make: Canon
Item: Speedlite
Model: 580 EX Mk 1
Fault: The flash will not zoom, it makes a loud clicking sound when it tries but the flash will still fire.
How / When: It happened yesterday when it fell from a light stand and hit the ground.

Advice greatly appreciated

zerohamster

Liquid damage can be very unpredictable and can vary a lot but if the camera is taking correctly exposed in focus photos that is a good sign.
The noise would probably be caused by corrosion on a connection interfering with the signal and would need to be cleaned off.

The screen sounds like it would need to be replaced.
If you would like to PM me I can give you more details.

househunter wrote: »

Make: Canon

Item: Camera body

Model: EOS 400D

Fault: Damage from hair product - leak from a bottle of hair product on a flight

When/how it happened:
This was a few years ago and i never did anything about it because I assumed it was fecked (what was I thinking) but today I decided to fish out the camera and see whether the issue was as bad as when it first happened. I think its a lot better now but LCD screen is badly damaged and I'm not sure about whether the sensor or anything else is also damaged. Photos look ok whereas before they were very grainy but not sure if they're as sharp as they were.
Anyone know whether this type of damage would be repairable? Would anyone be able to tell from a photo whether there are problems with the camera?

Thanks

zerohamster

SOR2010 wrote: »

Make : Canon

Item : Lens

Model : 24-105 L f4

Fault : Seems to be slightly out of focus, Not noticeable on Screen but definetly on pc

When / How : Haven't a clue, no damage to the lens body and it was never dropped it just started about 2 months ago

Please Help

It sounds like the lens needs recalibration and has slipped out of correct calibration (a drop, lots of vibration etc... can do this).

zerohamster

What you are experiencing is called lens creep where the weight of the elements caused the mechanism to slip when pointed up or down. It can usually be solved by lubricating the barrels with a more viscous grease.
The cause of lens creep is usually just from wear and tear loosening tolerances on the lens barrel enough to make the action more free.

As a temporary solution you can do yourself you could get an elasticated band (as long as it can be tight around the lens zoom ring) and put it on the zoom ring whilst also having it grip the body of the lens.
The idea here is to have the band grip the body of the lens and the zoom ring and therefore give the mechanism more resistance to lens creep when you point the camera up or down.

dubhoop wrote: »

Make : Sigma

Item : Lens

Model : 150-500

Fault : I do aircraft photography and the odd moon. recently when i point the lens straight up in the sky at 500mm the barrel falls back down to 150. I have no idea how this happened. Never dropped or banged. I bought lens second hand.

Any help be great

zerohamster

Dartz wrote: »

First of all, this is an odd one.

Make : Minolta

Item : Rangefinder Camera

Model : Hi-Matic E (From 1971)

Fault : Film rewind button is jammed and won't pop back out. Therefore camera can't wind film forward.

Cause: Honestly, unknown. I bought it for $20 in an old electronics shop in DC because it seemed to be in good condition. Electrically it's sound, it's just this one mechanical fault that prevents it from being useable. I suspect at some point in the past somebody's had it apart to clean up a mercury battery leak, and when they screwed it together they overtightened something because nothing will unscrew now. The rangefinder is also slightly skewed but mechanically functional.

I'm posting on the off-chance that somebody has had experience with it and something this old. I bought it because the shop was days away from closing down, and I knew it was something special that'd just go on the tip otherwise, I'm not actually much of a photographer it's more an interest in old technology that caused me to buy it. It's a really beautiful thing, and rare to find electronics this old that still work.
.

Sorry I didn't reply to this in a timely manner, I didn't know anyone had even replied as I recieved no notification for the thread as I normally do.

Glad you got it sorted and look forward to seeing the results if you post them on the forum. Thanks also for posting the solution to the problem here!

zerohamster

Sounds like Camera Raw just needs an update so that it can read the new type of RAW file from the G16.

I didn't find much useful info on this but I did come across some other users having the same issues waiting for updates.

http://www.dpreview.com/news/2013/09/17/adobe-releases-camera-raw-8-2-and-lightroom-5-2

There is a little more info here if you would like to read up on it but also try checking for updates to PS elements which should have the support for the newer RAW files (if an update has been released).

jaansu wrote: »

Make : Canon

Item : Compact Camera

Model : G16

Fault : Recognizing Raw files with PS Elements 10

This is probably not a fault as such, more a problem. I just got a new G16 and it's great the only problem is that my PS elements doesn't recognize the files. I've tried to convert the files to .dng but even the converter programs won't recognize the files.

Will I have to update to Elements 12 or is there a cheaper way of doing it?

zerohamster

WillyWonka wrote: »

3rd party battery grip for nikon d90 just stopped working.

Zeikos ZE-NBG90

No obvious faults or errors.
Checked the connections and made sure they all looked ok.

Other than that the camera works fine...

I am not familiar with this model or brand so all I can suggest is cleaning the contacts of both the battery compartment and also the connectors that would be inserted into the battery compartment of the camera.
A rubber eraser lightly run over the contacts (I stress lightly) can clear oxidisation if there is any but if it just suddenly stopped working during use there is probably a fault elsewhere in the grip.

zerohamster

Vectra is probably right here unless you do the repair yourself (it is quite easy).


That's the part you need:

www.ebay.com/itm/NIKON-AF-S-18-55MM-F-3-5-5-6-G-VR-I-II-REAR-BAYONET-MOUNT-GENUINE-AUTHENTIC-OEM-/330835895109?pt=Digital_Camera_Accessories&hash=item4d075b2345

There is a tutorial running you through the repair:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOF67_IVY4o

Unfortunately Nikon lenses are a little harder to change the mount on due to the aperture control and small wire connected to the mount but don't let it scare you into not doing it.
Care is the most important thing here and you do not want to be rushing this.
The contacts are probably the one thing you need to watch out for as you need to detach them from the mount before taking it off (or you will rip the flex).

If you have any questions feel free to ask and I'll do what I can but ~€16 is better than buying another lens so it's worth a shot!

MrTrebus wrote: »

Make : Nikon D60


Item : Lens

Model : AF-S NIKKOR 18-55mm 3.5-5.5G

Fault : tiny piece of plastic on the retaining ring on the lens has snapped off.Lens doesn't connect properly to the body now

When / How : I guess the one of the kids dropped the bag when the camera was inside (I know, I shouldn't have left the lens attached :mad: )

Is it possible and/or financially viable to get it repaired ?

zerohamster

flyingsnail wrote: »

Make: Canon
Item: Speedlite
Model: 580 EX Mk 1
Fault: The flash will not zoom, it makes a loud clicking sound when it tries but the flash will still fire.
How / When: It happened yesterday when it fell from a light stand and hit the ground.

Advice greatly appreciated

Sounds like the head of the flash has shifted off the zooming mechanism and/or the switch to tell the flash the position of the zoom is also misalligned which is why it would keep clicking.

I'd be happy to have a look for you if you would like to PM me?

Dartz

zerohamster wrote: »

Sorry I didn't reply to this in a timely manner, I didn't know anyone had even replied as I recieved no notification for the thread as I normally do.

Glad you got it sorted and look forward to seeing the results if you post them on the forum. Thanks also for posting the solution to the problem here!

No problem...

It's a basic decency to post the solution, really. Because I did a far bit of googling and didn't find it.

I got one roll through it and it looked OK. So I brought it here to Eirtakon, where I've already done another three, and am halfway through a 4th. Now, whether anything good comes out of that I don't know because while I have the manual, I don't have much beyond that. It has complained about exposure - it gives a warning light if it's going over 1/30th second - but I'm hoping it'll come out. I've literally never used anything like it - either requiring film or manual focusing.

Welp, it was fun using something that was 40 years old - which is more the aim. I'm a bit of a technology fan. I can't blame the camera for it - it seems to be doing exactly what it's supposed to.

If anything good comes out, I'll scan them and post them.

zerohamster

Cheers none the less!

Great to hear, it's always nice to see a well made piece of technology survive the years and still get used.

When it complains about when it goes over 1/30 of a second it is probably a warning to say that hand held you will most likely start to see camera shake in the image as the exposure is slow enough.
Normally a good indicator of handheld speed is 1 /focal length of the lens (50mm lens would have a recommended lowest speed of 1/50sec and so on). I see the Hi-Matic E has a lens with a 40mm focal length so the warning would seem accurate enough for camera shake.

Enjoy and I hope the pictures come out for you!

Dartz wrote: »

No problem...

It's a basic decency to post the solution, really. Because I did a far bit of googling and didn't find it.

I got one roll through it and it looked OK. So I brought it here to Eirtakon, where I've already done another three, and am halfway through a 4th. Now, whether anything good comes out of that I don't know because while I have the manual, I don't have much beyond that. It has complained about exposure - it gives a warning light if it's going over 1/30th second - but I'm hoping it'll come out. I've literally never used anything like it - either requiring film or manual focusing.

Welp, it was fun using something that was 40 years old - which is more the aim. I'm a bit of a technology fan. I can't blame the camera for it - it seems to be doing exactly what it's supposed to.

If anything good comes out, I'll scan them and post them.

flyingsnail

Just like to leave some feedback, I am another extremely satisfied zerohamster customer. A great guy to deal with and highly recommended for repairs

Thanks again, Flyingsnail

deegs

Make: Canon,

Item: DSLR

Model: 400d

Fault: just stopped working.... Won't turn on. Looks like there is no power. But all batteries are fine and charging grand

Happened last year on hols, never got around to fixing it. Mid holiday it just stopped working, not sure ow. Could hav been dropped or splashed, who knows:

Really want this fixed as I'm completely fed up of a year of smartphone pics.... Espcially when making photo books or gifts...

Any place to get it fixed. I'm in cork.

If fixed how much is it worth(body).... Don't want to spend more to fix it than its

Lyaiera

Make: Nikon
Type: Film SLR
Model: F100

Fault: Film won't load. I put it to the red line, close the door and press the shutter. I get a few seconds of whirring then a low grinding sound before an ERR warning flashes up. It was working fine when I last used it. I've kept it in a camera bag that hasn't had any knocks or bangs. I've taken the batteries out and put them back in. I've tried the film at multiple places, before and after the red line. The sprockets on the wind on mechanism are fine and are hooking onto the film. I've even hooked them on myself before closing the door.

ablelocks

Make : Canon
Type : Lens
Model : 50mm 1.8

Fault : after falling to the floor, the lens part fell out of the outer casing. I can get it back in and it will work (although focusing is a bit off i think, and photos seem to be softer). But every now and then it will come apart again.

(given that they're not that expensive anyway it may not even be worth repairing )

mike65

Make Sony

Item Cyber-shot DSC S40

Fault - comes on for split second but won't stay powered up unless in library or connected to PC via USB modes, when switched back to picture taking mode from library it switches off immediately. Batteries fine.

whoa edit! It just came on - I hit the top of the case gently with my hand. Okay I know how to get round the problem but have to figure out a proper fix.

deegs

deegs wrote: »

Make: Canon,

Item: DSLR

Model: 400d

Fault: just stopped working.... Won't turn on. Looks like there is no power. But all batteries are fine and charging grand

Happened last year on hols, never got around to fixing it. Mid holiday it just stopped working, not sure ow. Could hav been dropped or splashed, who knows:

Really want this fixed as I'm completely fed up of a year of smartphone pics.... Espcially when making photo books or gifts...

Any place to get it fixed. I'm in cork.

If fixed how much is it worth(body).... Don't want to spend more to fix it than its

Zero hamster pulled through for me and fixed my old camera to fight again another day... Had it fixed and returned before New Years.... Fully recommended. Great to have it back and saved me a fortune buying a new body!

OTP

Make: Samyang (Rokinon)

Item: Lens

Model: 14mm

Fault: Lens doesn't focus to infinity. The focus ring rotates smoothly from the minimum distance of 0.28m to infinity, hitting the stops at both ends. In reality at infinity (f2.8) the image is in focus from about 1.5m to 5m. Using a smaller aperture the DOF improves but is never really sharp.

The lens originally suffered from focus ring trouble as well but I followed the procedure described in the following video to rectify it.

http://www.videofy.me/emadeloc/755452

mdebets

Make: Canon

Item: Lense

Model: EF 24-70 1:2.8L USM

Fault:
There is not really a fault. The camera and lens are working fine (just the manual focus ring seems to be a little bit stiff going at times, but I'm not sure if this was there before).
There is however a small gap between the manual focus ring and the next part of the lens (last part of the fixed lens body, not the barrel that moves in and out during zoom, where the lens information and the red ring are shown) (see attached picture: no gap underneath ZOOM text, a wider gap underneath 1:2.8 text) and this part of the lens is not straight anymore.
Has anyone any idea if this can cause any problems (I'm thinking maybe the weather sealing might no longer be intact) and what this last part of the lens is actually used for.

When/how it happened:
I dropped the my 5D Mk III with the lens attached to the floor. Luckily it wasn't too high (was sitting on the floor and was just about to get up when I dropped it) and it was a sports hall, so it had this bouncy floor.

EASYNEWS

Make: Olympus
Item: Compact Digital Camera
Model: SZ-14

Fault:When zoom is at the wide angle end you can see an arched image on right hand side as if it was the inside of the lens. Its as if the lens has shifted slightly. It is not visible when you zoom in a bit.
Perhaps the camera got a knock.
I would appreciate any help.

Trip Hazard

Hi there

A mark appears on each image

Make: Panasonic
Item: DSLR camera body
Model: GH1
Fault: A mark appears on every image from the camera. I've done tests with lenses and it's always in the same place, (so its definitely not on any glass)
There was a tiny mark on the sensor that I could see, and I've cleaned that off, the sensor now has no marks but this little red bugger is still showing up.
Pic attached (Zoomed x3)

When/How it happened: Unknown

Cheers Hope there is an easy fix for this

Thanks

A

zerohamster

Lyaiera wrote: »

Make: Nikon
Type: Film SLR
Model: F100

Fault: Film won't load. I put it to the red line, close the door and press the shutter. I get a few seconds of whirring then a low grinding sound before an ERR warning flashes up. It was working fine when I last used it. I've kept it in a camera bag that hasn't had any knocks or bangs. I've taken the batteries out and put them back in. I've tried the film at multiple places, before and after the red line. The sprockets on the wind on mechanism are fine and are hooking onto the film. I've even hooked them on myself before closing the door.

Sounds like the gear inside the sprocket is stripped and that is the grinding you are hearing.
Unfortunately I'm not seeing that part around so I can't really offer to do much there for you but if you were to find a damaged (with unrelated fault) F100 it could be used as a donor camera to fix yours.

zerohamster

ablelocks wrote: »

Make : Canon
Type : Lens
Model : 50mm 1.8

Fault : after falling to the floor, the lens part fell out of the outer casing. I can get it back in and it will work (although focusing is a bit off i think, and photos seem to be softer). But every now and then it will come apart again.

(given that they're not that expensive anyway it may not even be worth repairing )

It can be worth repairing but if the AF is damaged (gears or encoder) then it would need more parts than are worth it for you.
Best to sell on Ebay damaged with the fault as described in auction format and offset that price off a new model.

zerohamster

mike65 wrote: »

Make Sony

Item Cyber-shot DSC S40

Fault - comes on for split second but won't stay powered up unless in library or connected to PC via USB modes, when switched back to picture taking mode from library it switches off immediately. Batteries fine.

whoa edit! It just came on - I hit the top of the case gently with my hand. Okay I know how to get round the problem but have to figure out a proper fix.

This sounds like there is a loose connection inside that by tapping on the top you are causing to connect properly for a while.

If you are not confident to open up and repair it PM me and I'll see what I can do for you.

zerohamster

OTP wrote: »

Make: Samyang (Rokinon)

Item: Lens

Model: 14mm

Fault: Lens doesn't focus to infinity. The focus ring rotates smoothly from the minimum distance of 0.28m to infinity, hitting the stops at both ends. In reality at infinity (f2.8) the image is in focus from about 1.5m to 5m. Using a smaller aperture the DOF improves but is never really sharp.

The lens originally suffered from focus ring trouble as well but I followed the procedure described in the following video to rectify it.

http://www.videofy.me/emadeloc/755452

It sounds like it needs to be calibrated to infinity again using pretty much the same precedure as in the video.
I would be glad to have a look at it for you if you would like to PM me?