Konica Auto S3 some questions

f16sunshine · 03-16-2011

I've had a beater Konica auto S3 for a while now.
It's cute as can be but quite punished from previous owners.
Last week I finally shot a roll wide open with no battery. The lens seems aligned and is sharp so I'll put it into rotation.
What is the deal with the bulb setting? How can you choose an aperture to match your chosen time of shutter open?
Seems the only option is to remove the battery and shoot the thing aperture wide open so proper ev can be calculated.
Any input? Any other tips with this little beast? Thank you for your replies.

AceVentura1962 · 03-16-2011

No answer for you, but a comment. I first learned to shoot w a Konica Aotu S2, a camera I used in junior high. Lots of fun and great memories.

Brian Legge · 03-16-2011

So the C35 defaults to wide open when set to B I believe. I wonder if this camera does the same thing? Easiest way to find out would be to throw a battery in. I'm guessing it always uses a preset though which I don't know.

...I'd test it, but my batteries have no effect on my Auto S3. I soldered battery wire but something else is preventing it from working.

I haven't gotten around to tearing it down yet.

camera.bear · 03-17-2011

Hey,

Unlike the 7sII, the Auto S3 does not have a manual mode. It will work without batteries, but only as you have described, wide open. The aperture settings on the camera are only for when a flash is used. The only way to select the aperture would be to change the shutter speed until the viewfinder scale shows the aperture that you want to shoot at; like using program AE on an SLR. Otherwise, the Auto S3 is shutter priority AE, sorry.

Matus · 03-17-2011

Well, as an owner of S3 I have to admit that I am not so quite sure either. My S3 suffered recently a bit of damage and so I can not see the aperture selected by the camera. But to me the missing manual mode makes this camera handheld-only.

wakarimasen · 03-17-2011

Haven't tried it, but this link claims a manual mode is possible:

http://www.flickr.com/groups/konicaa...7625823251535/

Best regards,
RoyM

Matus · 03-17-2011

Quote:

Originally Posted by wakarimasen

Haven't tried it, but this link claims a manual mode is possible:

http://www.flickr.com/groups/konicaa...7625823251535/

Best regards,
RoyM

Sounds interesting. However over the last 6 months I was not able to find the flash for S3. I have never even heard of the flash hot-shoe adapter ..

camera.bear · 03-17-2011

Quote:

Originally Posted by wakarimasen

Haven't tried it, but this link claims a manual mode is possible:

http://www.flickr.com/groups/konicaa...7625823251535/

Best regards,
RoyM

Won't this set the shutter speed to 1/60 sec?

f16sunshine · 03-19-2011

I tried the flash trick and amazingly...... nothing happened. I guess the bulb setting is completely useless but for chance correct time selection. My camera adjusts aperture to light levels even in Bulb mode. It's an odd little camera but I like it. The ratcheted film advance is sure noisy.

NickTrop · 03-19-2011

I stupidly sold my Auto S3, an outstanding camera... but dig it - here's a great, simple, brilliant hack provided by another RFF member that gives the Auto S3 full metered manual control! Simply put a little $0.02 plastic hot shoe protector in the hot shoe. Viola. Done. Full manual control - not only full manual control, full metered manual control.

How's it work? It pushes the pin down in the hot shoe and engages its mechanical flash GN system. Duh! Talk about overlooking the obvious. Big props to fellow RFF member, "Fred" who pointed this out in an email to me.

Now do note - I never tried this. I learned of it after I sold the camera to fund another gear purchase. But thinking back to how that camera works, it would have to work.

mfunnell · 03-19-2011

Quote:

Originally Posted by NickTrop

I stupidly sold my Auto S3, an outstanding camera... but dig it - here's a great, simple, brilliant hack provided by another RFF member that gives the Auto S3 full metered manual control! Simply put a little $0.02 plastic hot shoe protector in the hot shoe. Viola. Done. Full manual control - not only full manual control, full metered manual control.

How's it work? It pushes the pin down in the hot shoe and engages its mechanical flash GN system. Duh! Talk about overlooking the obvious. Big props to fellow RFF member, "Fred" who pointed this out in an email to me.

Now do note - I never tried this. I learned of it after I sold the camera to fund another gear purchase. But thinking back to how that camera works, it would have to work.

Hmmm. Interesting, I'll have to think on this tomorrow when I have one or two fewer wines on board. I have an Auto S3; from elsewhere I have a plastic hot-shoe insert. I just looked at (and messed with) the GN setting ring on the camera. The interaction between that and the shutter speed ring may be interesting.

I have (I think) around 8 or so shots left on a roll of who-knows-what in the camera. (I think it is expired Kodak HD 200.)

I'll ponder on what I can do with this when I have a chance at less-than-irrigated thinking tomorrow.

...Mike

f16sunshine · 03-19-2011

Can someone confirm that the hotshot trick works to get manual operation of aperture. Mine does not. Maybe it's broken .... Would like to know. Also if there is a mint one for sale out there drop me a not please. I'll pay cash or trade you one of my spare Yashica electro GX

wakarimasen · 03-25-2011

I tried it thus week and it didn't seem to work. Specifically - the aperture wouldn't open-up fully.
Best regards,
RoyM

NickTrop · 03-25-2011

It requires confirmation to be certain... but based on his explanation, it would seem to work... Apologies if I'm off or misunderstood.. Again, I'm going from hazy memory (and I rarely used the flash with this camera...) I've emailed Fred to jump in and explain in more detail... Hopefully he will. I might be missing something...

NickTrop · 03-25-2011

I hope Fred doesn't mind, but here is the full set of instruction from an excellent document prepared and shared with me about the camera:

"Manual aperture control can be accomplished by inserting a hot shoe cover to trip the pin... The guide number ring can be used to control the aperture setting. Shutter speed is then set using the meter for guidance (the meter is active in flash mode) thereby providing full manual control"

Thinking back to how this camera functions (again, going from memory...) I don't see how this wouldn't work. It's a "work around" for certain, but it's not a unworkable one at all...

f16sunshine · 03-25-2011

I still have nothing, I see the pin in the hotshoe and can push it down. The aperture still changes according to lighting hitting the diode. Not the GN lever. For me it's fine I just thought I remember reading the camera could work fully in manual and with z meter (ala the auto S1.6/2)

NickTrop · 03-25-2011

Quote:

Originally Posted by f16sunshine

I still have nothing, I see the pin in the hotshoe and can push it down. The aperture still changes according to lighting hitting the diode. Not the GN lever. For me it's fine I just thought I remember reading the camera could work fully in manual and with z meter (ala the auto S1.6/2)

If the pin is depressed, and the shutter speed is fixed, wouldn't the aperture have to change based on the GN setting? - Effectively, you're using the GN lever as an aperture control. Not to question you but that's how I recall the camera working.

Bhup · 06-05-2011

Quote:

Originally Posted by f16sunshine

I still have nothing, I see the pin in the hotshoe and can push it down. The aperture still changes according to lighting hitting the diode. Not the GN lever. For me it's fine I just thought I remember reading the camera could work fully in manual and with z meter (ala the auto S1.6/2)

Hi the pin is NOT to be pushed down. Use a flash unit the pin is pushed back and into the recess. This diesngages the meter from the aperture.( refer to the previous posters Guidenumber/focus/aperture chart) and you will have full control of the aperture. You can look at the barrel of the lens and see the aperture changing . This is Not effected by the amount of light. Withe cameras such as Vivitar 35ES using the Guide number is totally unpridictable as the final aperture is dependent upon the amount of light. which is no use its like a lucky dip as to what the aperture might be.

Greyscale · 03-25-2011

Interesting. I was just playing around with with my Vivitar 35ES after reading this thread, and discovered that I can use this tip to manually select aperture with it as well, only without having to use a hot-shoe cover at all. I don't get the full range of manual aperture stops, it looks like f4 to f16, but hey, some is better than none, right? I mean, the one knock against this camera was the lack of full manual control, but it seems that that is not the case at all.

f16sunshine · 03-25-2011

Quote:

Originally Posted by NickTrop

If the pin is depressed, and the shutter speed is fixed, wouldn't the aperture have to change based on the GN setting? - Effectively, you're using the GN lever as an aperture control. Not to question you but that's how I recall the camera working.

Exactly!

It's still an automatic exposure camera more or less.
Full manual is not achievable nor is bulb with any sort of predictable result. Even in bulb the aperture changes regardless of where the GN lever is set when the light change (pin depressed). So in case I missing something. There is no manual or real use for bulb and.... My camera is not malfunctioning compared to others.

Arska · 05-19-2011

I tried it with my Auto S3 and a flash and the trick seems to function only partly. With a flash you can make the aperture smaller but you cannot make it bigger.

nosmok · 05-25-2011

Sorry to rain on the parade, but this hack DOESN'T WORK as one might think. When the hot shoe pin is depressed, the aperture is linked to the focus ring. Which might be interesting, but isn't what those who want "full manual control" are after.

--nosmok

teamsc10190 · 05-25-2011

Quote:

Originally Posted by nosmok

Sorry to rain on the parade, but this hack DOESN'T WORK as one might think. When the hot shoe pin is depressed, the aperture is linked to the focus ring. Which might be interesting, but isn't what those who want "full manual control" are after.

--nosmok

Partially correct. In auto flash mode, aperture is mechanically coupled to both focus distance AND G/N setting.

Look at the front of the taking lens as you slip on a flash. Aperture varies in direct correlation with focus, and further modified + or - with G/N ring adjustment.

The following chart reflects the change in aperture value at fixed focus distance over the range of G/N changes.