More generally if you have the flash up it always wants to fire and won’t let you shoot till it’s charged. Pressing down (very) hard on the flash for every shot worked (and gave me a hint about root cause) but was a total pain. Easy to fix but does mean dismantling and being very careful around the flash capacitor. This led the camera to think the flash was up but didn’t actually engage the flash charger so locked down the shutter. ![]() once in my experience) a dodgy connection between the flash and the rest of the circuitry caused an erratic shutter. Once they’re going they usually stay going as long as they see the light every now and then. In fact – just give it a fire and shake whatever – nothing to lose (as long as you’re sensible about the vigour of your oscillations). The theory being that the temperature change is just enough to slightly expand and contract the components to release microscopic grubbiness. Whatever the reason, fixing slow wind-on motors, a failure to wind beyond a particular frame or a completely stuck shutter usually means opening them up and googling for detailed repair instructions but I did get one “will it/won’t it” shutter going by repeatedly sitting it near a radiator or under a bright hot halogen lamp for a few hours then shaking it then putting it in the fridge and reshaking, shooting the shutter a few times between each cycle. This might be because they use more metal components than most and so are more prone to seizure after years of inactivity.Ī Nikon 元5AF warming up under a halogen light More than Canons, Olys or Ricoh’s of the same vintage I think. 元5s are also a very sociable camera, they hate dark cupboards. ![]() Īdding a dot of solder to the battery contact The battery door is a bit flimsy on most plastic-bodied cameras from the 1980s and the 元5 is no exception – if your shutter is temperamental even with new and powerful alkaline batteries try pressing on the battery door and retesting – if that makes a difference either shim the batteries with a bit of folded tinfoil or build up the contacts themselves with a few drops of solder. Rubbing the battery contacts with vinegar Either way later models seem much more forgiving. ![]() My guess is they knew there was an issue though because the manual has an atypically specific section on battery selection. It’s possible that Nikon didn’t fit a proper voltage regulator, maybe they didn’t have the technical experience or opportunity to field test before release. I’ve seen a few dead or semi dead 元5s, including a couple of Ebay “spares or repair” bargains come back to life just by scrubbing and scraping the contacts with vinegar and using Duracell AAs. Seriously, even a little barely visible corrosion on the battery contacts or any variance in the voltage from cheap or rechargeable batteries that wouldn’t affect most cameras is enough to make it grumpy. ![]() Most of the original 元5s are very persnickety about power supply. but do give these simple things a try first… Fight the powerĪ stuck or unreliable shutter could be caused by any number of mechanical or electronic problems, especially if there’s any evidence of past moisture damage, but it is worth a quick check of the battery contacts first. And as with most compacts, i f you’re having problems with your shutter or motor the chances are you’ll have to open the camera up for prodding/adjusting/cleaning etc. Some of these things might apply to other compact cameras as well. His excellent review spurred me to write a few notes on some simple but sometimes effective things to try if you find yourself with a less-than-‘top-notch’ Pikaichi. Hamish had a frustrating experience with a Nikon 元5-AF.
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