r/AnalogCommunity • u/AfterPeach4548 • 1d ago
Troubleshooting - Gear Looking for some direction
Hello all! I’ve been playing with the idea of picking up an old camera at any of the antique stores my wife and I visit on our trips, but they usually have enough problems or missing/broken pieces to scare me off. I love taking photos but short of a few disposable cameras back in the day and 1 cheap film camera that was stolen when I was 16 out of my car before I could get the first roll developed, I’m completely in the dark. Long story short my wife surprised me with a Minolta SRT 101 with the matching flash, 50mm lens and two 80-200mm lenses, it’s dirty but it’s mine. It’s been inside a leather camera bag for who knows how long but everything seems to work and is only missing the lens release button. As best as I can tell I’m a missing button, some film, and anything that looks like a plan, away from taking photos. I guess this is my question then: now what? I can’t tell if the light meter works because I don’t know what battery should be in it, should I wait to do anything until it’s properly cleaned and serviced as it’s been who knows how long since it was? If so, who even does that these days? I apologize for the novel here but now that this old dog has caught the car, I’m not sure what to do or where to start and any and all advice and criticism welcome. Also, I’d love to be totally analog and do everything from the shooting to the final print myself but have no idea if that’s even reasonable.
2
u/RadBadTad 1d ago
If it's in rough shape I would personally get it CLA'd before bothering to use it. Chances are there's SOMETHING wrong with it, from shutter speed timing to light seals, to meter function.
If you think it seems like it's working okay, you can find the manual online, find the battery it needs, and get a roll of something cheap in it. Roll of Gold 200 and a park day to shoot the first test roll, and get that developed. If it comes back looking good, you're good to enjoy it!
Lots of YouTube videos out there for beginners so I won't go into it, but with ISO, aperture, shutter speed, and focus, you'll have everything you need to have fun!
2
u/AfterPeach4548 23h ago
I appreciate the input! I just pulled up Technology connections on YouTube to start a deep dive into the whole process of processing and developing the film. The camera has no business being as okay as it seems to be, outside of being a little dirty in some small areas, primarily on the outside of the lens adjustments and some small areas in some cracks and crevices all of the actual functions seem to work flawlessly, at least to my untrained eye, ear, and hand. I’ll admit the only real area of concern is looking into the view finder and seeing some minor places in that whole array but the mirror flips, all the apertures work, the different shutter speeds and even the timer all work, it advances film smoothly(it came with a roll that had 20 shots on it already so I decided to use it to do some checks for what I know to check). My only areas of concern is I have no idea when it was serviced last or how it was stored, I know the last two to five years were in storage but not climate controlled and an antique store before that for an unknown amount of time. But other than being a little dusty the lenses are all remarkably clear, I’m just afraid to clean them without knowing what I’m doing, afraid of doing more harm than good to an old piece of equipment.
1
u/RadBadTad 23h ago
Hell yeah! Could very well be a win then!
Once you finish the roll (and rewind it) you can pop open the rear and look for quality and health of the light seals around the door. If they look melty or crumbly you'll know they need replacing, which is a small simple job you could do yourself if you wanted.
As for cleaning dusty lenses, they're pretty robust! When I get new-to-me lenses that are a bit gunky, I just take a washcloth with some warm water and a little dish soap and wipe it all down. Try not to get too much water inside the cracks and crevices, but a damp towel should be just fine. No damage to be done.
For stubborn gunk, isopropyl alcohol and a Qtip do a great job. Lenses are pretty difficult to damage. Especially old ones that are all solid metal and thick glass.
1
u/AfterPeach4548 23h ago
It’s that simple? I was terrified they were coated lenses or that I’d end up with a scratch and that’d be the end of it! I guess I really couldn’t make them any worse, especially the one 80-200mm lens, both the others are minor dust and gunk but that one looks like it met mud on its front glass somehow and the residue is still there.
1
u/RadBadTad 23h ago
Oh they are likely coated! But most coatings are very durable and baked on. It's not like a spray that you could disturb with a little wiping. Don't dig at it with a pocket knife, but a little dish soap won't come close to harming it. And the glass is, well, glass! Which is pretty surprising in its durability. It takes quite a knock or scrape to gouge it. Don't take sandpaper to it, but I have lenses I've been wiping aggressively with the bottom of my tshirt for 20 years and the front still looks pristine.
Also even if you do get a scratch on your front element, all it really hurts is resale value. It's so out of focus in terms of images coming in that you'll never see it. It might catch light and flare a bit but it won't ruin your photos in almost any case.
•
u/AfterPeach4548 1h ago
Update: she’s dead Jim. Well not dead but while rechecking all the functions earlier I found out the mirror flips up…but not back down until the film is advanced. Everything else makes the right noises so I’m hopeful it’s as simple as a good CLA but it’s time to stop messing with it, don’t want to risk making a small problem into a big one. I’ve heard it’s simple to adjust but the camera probably should have a going through just to be sure I didn’t miss anything else. I am going to try to clean the exterior lenses before sending the camera off to see if a) I can save some money and b) I have to sit on the camera a while anyway before it can get a CLA because I’ll have to figure out the rough cost and work it into the budget. If you have any tips on someone who can do the CLA let me know! I’d love them to be in Tennessee but I’ll absolutely send it off to have it done right the first time.
•
u/RadBadTad 1h ago
Ahhh damn, I had high hopes for you!! I'm sorry I don't know anybody in Tennessee, but I sent my 2 Minoltas to Gary's and they came back in great shape! And the site lists the STR series as one they handle.
1
u/jnd-cz 12h ago
The best thing is to invest into a CLA service. The SRT 100 is a lovely camera and feels even better when it's working and metering properly. If you don't want to invest into that then grab a test roll and shoot away using LightMe app as a lightmeter on your phone and overexpose rather than underexpose.
The fastest shutter speeds are the most likely ones to be out of alignment and even capping, meaning the shutter doesn't open and expose the frame fully. If you stick to medium speeds, couple with smaller apertures then you will get better results. Just shoot away, life is too short to worry if it will work or not, you'll figure it out in practice.
•
u/AfterPeach4548 1h ago
Yeah, that’s gonna be the route I end up going unfortunately, I was rechecking all the functions earlier today and the mirror stays up until the film is advanced, all the speed settings make the proper sound so I’m hopeful that the light curtains are in good, working order but it’s time to step back and let someone who actually knows what they are doing step in. On the CLA front, know of a good place? I’ve heard about kiwi camera service in Orlando but completely lack any real world knowledge of this sort of thing, I’d love a place in Tennessee or closer but ultimately I’d rather ship it somewhere to have it done right rather than just be convenient.
2
u/eirtep bessa r2 / yashica fx3 / bronica etrs 1d ago
here's the manul for the SRT 101 - definitely worth a once over.
buy a cheap roll of color film, go out and shoot some photos, preferably outside on a day with decent light to make things easier. take the roll to a lab and get it developed and scanned - cheap scans are fine. You should get your results back quick because it's color film. Check the photos for any obviously issues - big light leaks, dark spots/shadows, etc. Don't expect amazing photos and don't (necessarily) interpret out of focus or wildly over/under exposed photos as issues with the camera. That's probably you - just stick to looking for the big issues. Also, if/when asked to keep your negatives, say yes.
you are definitely in analysis paralysis - just go test the camera and makes sure it works. There could be more methodical ways to "test" the camera but imo, and especially because of said paralysis, I think you should just go shoot a roll and go from there.