Minolta x-700 - mirror stuck up, shutter and lover too.

KOCATKA · Jan 29, 2018

Hello! I searching the problem solution but i'm fail.
I bought my "new" Minolta and after some shots mirror stuck up, the shutter curtain is closed and lover is blocked. i think problem can be in capacitors but lightmeter working.
I hope you can help me to solve this problem c:

shutterfinger · Jan 29, 2018

Welcome to the site.
What is a lover on a camera? Translator error?
You can download a copy of the instruction manual here: http://www.butkus.org/chinon/minolta/minolta_x-700/minolta_x-700.htm
What type of batteries do you have installed? Try fresh batteries to see if the camera resets and works.
If batteries do not solve the problem then remove the lens and gently pull down on the front edge of the mirror. If the mirror drops down then replace the foam seal around the focusing screen as its acting like glue and causing the mirror to stick.

lantau · Jan 29, 2018

He means the advance lever. I bought and returned an X700 which had a dead capacitor on arrival. It simply didn't do anything, lever locked because the camera was cocked and the mirror was down.

I can only speculate that the mirror would be up if the capacitor died in just that moment after the mirror went up. How likely is that... So my guess is that you have is the same that happened to me on the X700 that I bought after that DoA one. The shutter curtain got stuck and the camera stopped with mirror up just like the OPs.

The mail that I got from the repair shop after the free of charge check was that 'there are some problems with the shutter curtain [...] need to disassemble your camera to repair and lubricate.' I replied, telling them to go ahead and the camera was fixed after a few days. So it's not always the capacitors.

I'd say if you can return it do so. If you have a cheap place to have it checked and fixed than it is the second option. If not you can try to replace the capacitor(s), which will save you from doing it later, anyway. If it is still not working then find a repairman because it is likely mechanical.

John Koehrer · Jan 29, 2018

With the mirror up, the lever can't move.
The curtain has to go all the way to the left to complete it's action.
If you look at the film gate and can see a shiny black piece going from top to bottom on the left, it's not complete and
needs to finish it's travel.

Don't force anything.

I've cured this two ways.
1) no lens, back open, pinch the curtain and move it to the right. Let it go and if it's tension on the curtain it may travel fast enough to complete it's cycle.
2) If there's a metal bar partly showing when you look at the film gate, gently push it to the left. If it releases it just hasn't finished it's travel. ^^same thing^^
This can happen if you put too much pressure on the film putting it in the take up spool.

Peter Tunon · Aug 15, 2019

John Koehrer said:
With the mirror up, the lever can't move.
The curtain has to go all the way to the left to complete it's action.
If you look at the film gate and can see a shiny black piece going from top to bottom on the left, it's not complete and
needs to finish it's travel.

Don't force anything.

I've cured this two ways.
1) no lens, back open, pinch the curtain and move it to the right. Let it go and if it's tension on the curtain it may travel fast enough to complete it's cycle.
2) If there's a metal bar partly showing when you look at the film gate, gently push it to the left. If it releases it just hasn't finished it's travel. ^^same thing^^
This can happen if you put too much pressure on the film putting it in the take up spool.

Excellent! That did it for the old dirty X570 I just received. I put fresh batteries in, shot and the mirror stayed up. Nothing helped. The lever was stuck. A few grumbled curses later I found this thread. Removed the lens, gently pushed the curtain with a finger tip and the mirror came back down. Fired a few more times and it works! Thanks for sharing.

Sirius Glass · Aug 15, 2019

Peter Tunon said:
Excellent! That did it for the old dirty X570 I just received. I put fresh batteries in, shot and the mirror stayed up. Nothing helped. The lever was stuck. A few grumbled curses later I found this thread. Removed the lens, gently pushed the curtain with a finger tip and the mirror came back down. Fired a few more times and it works! Thanks for sharing.

Without film, wind and fire the shutter fifty to a hundred times more to get lubricants moved around evenly. Better to do that before loading film.

Peter Tunon · Aug 16, 2019

Sirius Glass said:
Without film, wind and fire the shutter fifty to a hundred times more to get lubricants moved around evenly. Better to do that before loading film.

Absolutely! That is exactly what I did. Thanks for making sure though.

mateusmbrilhante · Nov 15, 2023

Hey, guys. My Minolta XE7 gets its mirror locked up whenever I shoot on AUTO mode. It works just fine on manual. Now I know this is usually a sign of low battery, but mines are brand new, so that's not the case. Even if I shoot on auto mode and the mirror locks up, if I just change it to manual, the mirror will come down right away. Does anyone know what could it be?

Chan Tran · Nov 15, 2023

I hope the Photrio member Andreas Thaler would chime in. He seems to know the X-700 very well.

Andreas Thaler · Nov 16, 2023

Chan Tran said:
I hope the Photrio member Andreas Thaler would chime in. He seems to know the X-700 very well.

Thank you for your trust

But I think it's about the XE-7 (XE-1)? This is technically a different generation.

Andreas Thaler · Nov 16, 2023

The Minolta Service Manual for XE/XE-1/XE-7 is available at

https://www.suaudeau.eu/memo/manuels_rep/reflexes/minolta/xe_service_manual.pdf

Unfortunately, the error in question is not listed there under “Troubleshooting” (from page 136 in the PDF).

This camera therefore has some switches and contacts that can oxidize. Also capacitors that need to be checked.

Beforehand, thoroughly clean the battery chamber including the lid and insert fresh batteries (therefore already done).

It is often recommended to move all adjustment elements for a longer period of time and to trigger the camera several times (if possible) in order to resolve any contact problems. It is worth a try.

I that does not solve the issue I would open the camera and check the circuit for any visible abnormalities.

Then you would have to further familiarize yourself with the circuit. The service manual contains some information about the individual sections of the camera, including: also voltage values in the circuit that can be measured (reference values).

On page 136 it says:

Since the electrical parts, such as ICs, diodes, resistors, capacitors, etc., are considered trouble-free, put an explanation on defective soldering, switches, etc., as the causes of trouble.

That sounds encouraging, but if electrolytic or tantalum capacitors are installed here, they should be checked after decades; they are always the first suspects.

Today I will look in my archives to see if I can find more information about this in the SPT Journals or The Camera Craftsman and report back.

Maybe this will also help @miha with his Leica R3 MOT (jumping needle) which is closely related to this camera, see

Post in thread 'Have you just purchased a Minolta X-700? Do a Check & Clean first!'
https://www.photrio.com/forum/threa...00-do-a-check-clean-first.202954/post-2741083

There is a troubleshooting diagram for the exposure metering system in the service manual (see page 143 in the PDF „H. Defective Meter“).

Chan Tran · Nov 16, 2023

Andreas Thaler said:
Thank you for your trust

But I think it's about the XE-7 (XE-1)? This is technically a different generation.

But I thought the OP did say X-700?

Andreas Thaler · Nov 16, 2023

Chan Tran said:
But I thought the OP did say X-700?

You are right this is an elder thread

Andreas Thaler · Nov 16, 2023

Andreas Thaler said:
Today I will look in my archives to see if I can find more information about this in the SPT Journals or The Camera Craftsman and report back.

Maybe this will also help @miha with his Leica R3 MOT (jumping needle) which is closely related to this camera, see

There is a troubleshooting diagram for the exposure metering system in the service manual (see page 143 in the PDF „H. Defective Meter“).

Unfortunately, I couldn't find any further information about the XE-1/XE-7 in my archives. But we definitely have the service manual. I'll see if I can find something about the error @mateusmbrilhante described.

I have better news for @miha

This video shows how contact problems with the light meter can be solved by cleaning. With a bit of luck, this can also be applied to the Leica R MOT, which is closely related to the XE-1/XE-7.

If @miha wants to trust me with his R3, I will try to fix the problem. Then we would have a new thread too

miha · Nov 17, 2023

That would be amazing, @Andreas Thaler ! Will PM you.

Andreas Thaler · Nov 17, 2023

Andreas Thaler said:
Unfortunately, I couldn't find any further information about the XE-1/XE-7 in my archives. But we definitely have the service manual. I'll see if I can find something about the error @mateusmbrilhante described.

I think I can say something about that tomorrow (CET).

Andreas Thaler · Nov 17, 2023

We already have collected a few projects:

The Leica R3 MOT owned by @miha, which is closely related to the Minolta XE-1/XE-7 and whose measuring needle jumps.
The XE-7 with the unwilling mirror owned by@mateusmbrilhante
The X-570 owned by@Minolta93 with the flash problem
and my section of an X-700.

I don't know if there will be any solutions, but we'll definitely try

Andreas Thaler · Nov 18, 2023

Andreas Thaler said:
I think I can say something about that tomorrow (CET).

[Refers to „The XE-7 with the unwilling mirror owned by@mateusmbrilhante“]

I looked through the service manual, but didn't find any information that would help solve the problem.

The first suspect in unclear electronic problems should always be the power supply.

Even if batteries are fresh, strange problems can occur due to oxidation/contamination of the contacts in the battery compartment or the contacts area on the battery. These contacts must be absolutely clean so that there is no resistance in the current flow through the camera, which takes away voltage from the circuit.

Therefore, I would thoroughly clean the battery contact areas, the contact in the camera and the contact in the battery holder with electronics cleaner. Even if everything looks clean there. This also includes the screw connection of the camera and battery holder, which connects the chassis to the negative terminal of the battery.

The chassis of the camera is usually grounded in the circuit. It works therefore as conductor to the negative terminal of the battery, through which the current goes after it has flowed through the circuit. (Physically speaking, the current flows in the opposite direction, but that's not important here.)

It could be that there is enough voltage for manual operation but not enough for automatic operation due to oxidation which causes some resistance.

I would start here.

Minolta93 · Nov 18, 2023

By the way, can anyone tell me what the proper screwdrivers/tools are to work on the X-series? I assume a JIS screwdriver set would be useful.

Andreas Thaler · Nov 18, 2023

JIS only

I am happy with my Vessel JIS screwdrivers (Japanese brand). Very good quality, easy to hold, well-priced.

Sizes 0 and 00 should cover most cross-head screws on Minolta X.

Vessel 125610 9902 Precision Screwdriver Set https://a.co/d/34SncFL

Greg Volkov · Nov 17, 2024

John Koehrer said:
With the mirror up, the lever can't move.
The curtain has to go all the way to the left to complete it's action.
If you look at the film gate and can see a shiny black piece going from top to bottom on the left, it's not complete and
needs to finish it's travel.

Don't force anything.

I've cured this two ways.
1) no lens, back open, pinch the curtain and move it to the right. Let it go and if it's tension on the curtain it may travel fast enough to complete it's cycle.
2) If there's a metal bar partly showing when you look at the film gate, gently push it to the left. If it releases it just hasn't finished it's travel. ^^same thing^^
This can happen if you put too much pressure on the film putting it in the take up spool.

John, I can't express how grateful I am for your advice! I literally registered on the forum just to say this.
The Minolta X-500 became my first camera. I bought it just a few months ago, and I was really upset when, after taking another shot, my viewfinder went black, and the mirror stopped returning. I spent the whole week feeling down until I stumbled upon your post.
Thank you so much for your help; I wish you all the best!

Minolta x-700 - mirror stuck up, shutter and lover too.

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