Minolta Hi-Matic...good buy?

dazedgonebye · 03-25-2007

Minolta HI-Matic 7 S II WITH FLASH AND LEATHER CASE!
Absolute impulse buy.
The price seemed good and I thought I'd try it.
Does it look like I did ok for one of these?

back alley · 03-25-2007

great price.

risky buy. risky because it's been sitting for awhile but they don't say how long and risky because he uttered those suspecious words. 'i don't know anything about cameras'.
i usually stay away from those auctions.

but for 55 bucks it's a good risk to take.

joe

dazedgonebye · 03-25-2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by back alley

great price.

risky buy. risky because it's been sitting for awhile but they don't say how long and risky because he uttered those suspecious words. 'i don't know anything about cameras'.
i usually stay away from those auctions.

but for 55 bucks it's a good risk to take.

joe

Seems most sellers use that phrase these days.
Oh well. My luck has been so bad so long that it's bound to get worse!

At least it'll give me some tales of woe to share with all here. Who knows, it might even be alright.

back alley · 03-25-2007

steve, it might be fine, maybe a little stiff.

i just bought one myself, with case and minolta flash. have not finished a roll through it yet.
they have a great rep and a sharp lens.

joe

sepiareverb · 03-25-2007

An interesting camera the Hi Matic- the lens is pretty darn sharp- I've got one of these I lend out to students to play with. Note that you might need to spin the rings on the lens a bunch of times to grind (perhaps the wrong word) off years of tarnish inside there and allow the contacts to work properly. Mine had 'sat for several years' also and seemed DOA, but this trick worked magic, and it has been a very reliable camera for two years now. Don't know where I heard about it. Enjoy the camera- they are fun- simple, big and clunky, and quite fine performers.

rover · 03-25-2007

I just finished the first roll through mine. I always wanted one, I love Rokkor glass. The negs look sharp as can be, I will scan them this week and we shall see.

back alley · 03-25-2007

the minolta 7s2 is not big and clunky...the 7s is though.

filmgoerjuan · 03-25-2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by sepiareverb

Enjoy the camera- they are fun- simple, big and clunky, and quite fine performers.

I'm guessing you might be thinking of the Hi-Matic 7s, which is big and clunky (like a Yashica GSN). The 7s-II is very small and decidely non-clunky.

$55 is a good price if it's working!

rover · 03-25-2007

The 7s from 1965 I think has the same lens as the 9, which is fabulous. I had a nice 9 with a lens better than any other FL RF I have owned, and I have had a few. I have high hopes for the 7sII.

Did I already say that?

jamesdak · 03-26-2007

You should be happy with it and for the price you can't complain. I paid well over $100 for both of mine. As others have said, the lens is really sharp. One of the sharpest lenses I own. Both meters have died on mine but that's not a big deal to me. Usually this is the wire at the battery holder. It's been fixed on one camera already but they didn't do a good job and it did not last. I haven't bothered to try to fix this problem myself as I run Velvia through them and prefer to handmeter anyway. The other issue I have with them is the dim rangefinder patch (yellow square). I am in the process right now of taking one apart to see if that can be improved. I did a comparision test a few years ago between one of my 7sII's and a Olympus 35 RC. The Minolta consistently gave better color and contrast and was markedly sharper. Not bad when you figure the 35 RC's images are quite good when viewed on their own. The 7sII is a small easy to carry daily shooter that you should enjoy. I've got one in the car right now that I use to grab snapshots when needed.

rovnguy · 03-26-2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by rover

The 7s from 1965 I think has the same lens as the 9, which is fabulous. I had a nice 9 with a lens better than any other FL RF I have owned, and I have had a few. I have high hopes for the 7sII.

Did I already say that?

I think I bought that 9 from you along with a 7. Both are great cameras and will get a workout this weekend... weather permitting.

rover · 03-26-2007

Keep sending it west if you sell it. I bought it from a gentleman in Greece. We can send it around the world with some careful planning.

dazedgonebye · 03-26-2007

Another one just finished on the bay for about $115. Assuming mine works, it looks like I did alright.
The BIN price of mine actually scared me off a bit. When I see things like this, one camera with a BIN of $55 and another being bid up over $100, I have to wonder if there is something hiding in the $55 listing that I'm not seeing. Something that's keeping those other buyers bidding on the more expensive camera.

back alley · 03-26-2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by rovnguy

I think I bought that 9 from you along with a 7. Both are great cameras and will get a workout this weekend... weather permitting.

didn't i sell those to you?
sold you something...

joe

sepiareverb · 03-26-2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by back alley

the minolta 7s2 is not big and clunky...the 7s is though.

Quote:

Originally Posted by filmgoerjuan

I'm guessing you might be thinking of the Hi-Matic 7s, which is big and clunky (like a Yashica GSN). The 7s-II is very small and decidely non-clunky.

Now you guys have me wanting yet another camera!!

I wonder how many different 35mm cameras have been made?

dazedgonebye · 03-28-2007

Well, the camera was just delivered and so far...I think I'm in trouble.
I dropped in a 675 hearing aid battery (zinc) and the meter doesn't look responsive.
The shutter looks alright and apertures move manually, but it simply shoots wide open when in Auto.

dazedgonebye · 03-28-2007

I'm going to take off the bottom plate tonight and hope it's a wire.
Not sure what I'll be able to do if it's the CDS cell.

agi · 03-28-2007

The 7sii is fully manual so you can still use it if the meter isn't working.

dazedgonebye · 03-28-2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by agi

The 7sii is fully manual so you can still use it if the meter isn't working.

Unfortunately, I'm really wanting an AE camera here.

I just spent an hour trying to get those $%&*$$ screws off of the baseplate. I got one off and managed NOT to strip the others, but they just don't want to come off.
Maybe I can find some better tools at work and try them.

agi · 03-28-2007

I removed the lens of a 7sii using the tools I purchased at Micro-Tools. I bought a few things but this Precision screwdriver set is so worth the pain of trying to remove the baseplate of cameras. If you have a few cameras and like working on them, it's worth the investment.

dazedgonebye · 03-29-2007

I picked up a precision screwdriver set (the jewler's set I had wasn't cutting it) and got the baseplate off.
Everything looks good there, so it looks like maybe the CDS sensor is dead.

dazedgonebye · 03-30-2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by Whisper

Are you sure the contacts are clean?
Also be sure they are hitting the battery in the right place.

Yes. It really looks clean in there. The wires are firmly attached and the solder job looks good.
I was concerned about the battery, so I tried a few things with tin-foil to be sure I had contact and still no results.
I have someone willing to take a look at it, so it may have a future. Otherwise, it's just another in the long line of lessons I should learn about buying old cameras off of the bay. It's such a crap shoot.

Mikael.N · 04-08-2007

when you turn the aperture ring to auto it is a small contact that turn on the power.check so it is god contct