Minolta X-500 put to the test
The camera stands on a pedestal that can be moved.
The sensor is mounted behind it and is aligned with the film window.
Two guide bars fix the film window horizontally.
The Reveni Labs Camera Tester offers a variety of measurement methods that can be selected via push buttons and the backlit LCD in the form of a menu.
Here I have called up the curtain shutter mode.
The front bayonet cap and the back door of the X-500 are removed.
The user manual provides detailed information:
Excursus: Focal plane shutter in a nutshell
With the focal plane shutter, which can run horizontally or vertically, two shutter blinds or shutter curtains work together.
The first blind opens the shutter to expose the film, the second closes it.
Once a certain shutter speed is reached, the second blind starts while the first is still running. A slit forms between the two blinds through which the film is exposed.
The shorter the shutter speed, the narrower the slit.
It is therefore important that both blinds move across the film window at the same speed, otherwise the exposure result will no longer be correct since the exposure is uneven.
This timing can be measured with the Reveni Labs Camera Tester.
Shutter speeds can be displayed in milliseconds or as fractions.
I am familiar with the latter, so I choose this setting.
I set the shutter on the X-500 to 1 second and release it.
Since it is stabilized by the guide bars on the film window, it does not slip.
The measured shutter speed is output for each diagonally arranged sensor.
This allows any deviation in the speed of both curtains and the resulting uneven exposure to be detected.
Everything is just right here.
1/15 second.
Here you can see a slight deviation in the speed of the two shutter curtains. But this is not noticeable with EV +/-0.
1/125 second
This is still very close to the target. A deviation of EV 0.07 will not be noticeable in practice.
And 1/1000 second
This is where it gets interesting, the exposure should already be noticeably different on the film.
The question now is whether you want to adjust your camera or whether it is enough to know about the deviation.
Since I only expose color negative film with a large exposure latitude and work in a hybrid way (scan and Photoshop), I see no reason to investigate this deviation. This should be irrelevant for my practice.
But to continue learning about repairs, the next stop would be the service manual for the X-500. It describes how the shutter can be adjusted, mechanically and electronically.
That will be one of my next projects.
Conclusion
I am very satisfied for today; I have managed to get started on a new topic effortlessly.
Working with the Reveni Labs Camera Tester is fun, it is easy to use and the device gives a high-quality impression. It is also light and small.
Measuring SLRs that do not work correctly without a back door, e.g. the Nikon F3 and the Canon T90, will be exciting. I will find ways to outsmart the cameras here.
But perhaps the Reveni Labs Camera Tester has something to offer for that too; I am only at the beginning of my journey of discovery
+++
All information provided without guarantee and use at your own risk.
The camera stands on a pedestal that can be moved.
The sensor is mounted behind it and is aligned with the film window.
Two guide bars fix the film window horizontally.
The Reveni Labs Camera Tester offers a variety of measurement methods that can be selected via push buttons and the backlit LCD in the form of a menu.
Here I have called up the curtain shutter mode.
The front bayonet cap and the back door of the X-500 are removed.
The user manual provides detailed information:
Excursus: Focal plane shutter in a nutshell
With the focal plane shutter, which can run horizontally or vertically, two shutter blinds or shutter curtains work together.
The first blind opens the shutter to expose the film, the second closes it.
Once a certain shutter speed is reached, the second blind starts while the first is still running. A slit forms between the two blinds through which the film is exposed.
The shorter the shutter speed, the narrower the slit.
It is therefore important that both blinds move across the film window at the same speed, otherwise the exposure result will no longer be correct since the exposure is uneven.
This timing can be measured with the Reveni Labs Camera Tester.
Shutter speeds can be displayed in milliseconds or as fractions.
I am familiar with the latter, so I choose this setting.
I set the shutter on the X-500 to 1 second and release it.
Since it is stabilized by the guide bars on the film window, it does not slip.
The measured shutter speed is output for each diagonally arranged sensor.
This allows any deviation in the speed of both curtains and the resulting uneven exposure to be detected.
Everything is just right here.
1/15 second.
Here you can see a slight deviation in the speed of the two shutter curtains. But this is not noticeable with EV +/-0.
1/125 second
This is still very close to the target. A deviation of EV 0.07 will not be noticeable in practice.
And 1/1000 second
This is where it gets interesting, the exposure should already be noticeably different on the film.
The question now is whether you want to adjust your camera or whether it is enough to know about the deviation.
Since I only expose color negative film with a large exposure latitude and work in a hybrid way (scan and Photoshop), I see no reason to investigate this deviation. This should be irrelevant for my practice.
But to continue learning about repairs, the next stop would be the service manual for the X-500. It describes how the shutter can be adjusted, mechanically and electronically.
That will be one of my next projects.
Conclusion
I am very satisfied for today; I have managed to get started on a new topic effortlessly.
Working with the Reveni Labs Camera Tester is fun, it is easy to use and the device gives a high-quality impression. It is also light and small.
Measuring SLRs that do not work correctly without a back door, e.g. the Nikon F3 and the Canon T90, will be exciting. I will find ways to outsmart the cameras here.
But perhaps the Reveni Labs Camera Tester has something to offer for that too; I am only at the beginning of my journey of discovery
+++
All information provided without guarantee and use at your own risk.
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