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on May 26, 2022 10:23:23 GMT
Last Edit: May 26, 2022 10:33:21 GMT by hermanschnitzel
Hi! Some days ago I have bought Yashica FR, which was very cheap and sold as defect (worth to risk at least for the leather-like bag!). I clean it, fixed the aperture blades in the lens (DSB 50 mm), self-timer is working fine, I have new battery. Afer some initial checks with the battery I would say that the shutter works ok. Of course frame counter is failed, but maybe I will try fix it in future. However, I have noticed that the light meter is not working as expected. When I press the button to do the measurement I see one red LED (top one) which light constantly - regardless the settings (ASA, aperture, time) it is always points as under exposed. Just after the press of exposure button (to turn on the light meter) for a short moment (less than a second) the green LED lights very dim but noticeable. My initial idea was that the bottom red LED is broken but the upper never fade out.
Is this something what can be fix? Do you have any idea what is wrong?
Thanks!
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Status: Failed treatment for L.B.A. and G.A.S,
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on May 26, 2022 11:45:59 GMT
Posted: May 26, 2022 11:45:59 GMT
Hello hermanschnitzel ... Welcome to the forum! Simply being able to fire the shutter at an appropriate speed indicates that you might at least have a usable camera, even if the metering doesn't work correctly. The FR body has some known issues with the frame counter not working (as you've noted) from bad nylon gears that crack or loose teeth, but I don't recall metering problems as a regular occurrence except when they either work or they don't. If you haven't found one online already, here's a link to the manual for reference: www.butkus.org/chinon/yashica/yashica_fr/yashica_fr.htmOn page 28, there's a picture of the viewfinder layout, and the green dot LED is shown next to the shutter speed pointer. That green LED will light at/near whatever speed is correct (as calculated by the meter) as the f-stop and shutter are adjusted, and it/they (actually there are 2 LED's, one above the pointer and one below) will travel up or down in sync with the speed pointer. I just pulled out an FR, and in my case I get a green dot at two speed settings, as the actual value is somewhere in between, but it is constant and as-bright or brighter than the red over/under LED's... assuming that the meter switch is slid to the right. Once fired at the correct speed, the green dot quickly flashes and is dimmer than what is seen when setting the exposure while the meter is left on. If the meter switch is pushed in and not slid to the right, then you only get a momentary connection in the circuit, and if the contacts are dirty when in the default/left position, it might cause the meter to respond differently. Try to slide it instead of pushing to see if your results change. Sliding it to it's 'locked on' position will marginally increase the battery drain while in use, but once the advance lever is pushed back in towards the body, the switch resets and turns off the circuit. It won't be as efficient as pushing, but if it gives a better green indicator it will offer a quick fix with no need for tools. |
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on May 29, 2022 17:17:05 GMT
Posted: May 29, 2022 17:17:05 GMT
I have already read the manual, I have it in paper version  In my case the light meter does not behave as described in manual. I think in my case it is not working - constantly fire only one led - the upper red.
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Status: Failed treatment for L.B.A. and G.A.S,
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on May 30, 2022 0:06:12 GMT
Posted: May 30, 2022 0:06:12 GMT
If sliding to the locked position offers the same limited display as when the check exposure button is pushed in, then there's no quick fix or workaround without a physical repair that I'm aware of. It might be that some contact(s) is/are dirty, or there's a disconnected or frayed circuit lead wire -but- it would require investigation internally to determine the root cause, as it could be one of several problems.
Generally speaking, if the camera is firing at reasonably accurate shutter speeds now, the easiest and least costly option is to just use an external meter (or phone app). Make use of what is actually working, and save the cost of time and money on a repair The cost of even finding a decent donor body for known-good meter parts will likely exceed what you'd pay for a different and fully working body, or the cost to have this one repaired by those few shops that still work on film bodies can put a sizable dent into your wallet.
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In my case the light meter does not behave as described in manual. I think in my case it is not working - constantly fire only one led - the upper red.