Minolta Maxxum/Dynax 7 aperture problem common?

neilt3 wrote: Now you would think the groves on the side of the card made it bloody obvious that the idiot was trying to put the card in wrong , but he persevered until he messed my camera up . Last time I lent him anything again . Luckily the pin was easy to straighten with a tooth pick .

Unfortunately you don't *have* to be cack-handed for this to happen. It happened on my 7D just putting the card in normally. Also, straightening it caused it to break off, so the camera doesn't work at all.

Miranda F wrote: neilt3 wrote: Now you would think the groves on the side of the card made it bloody obvious that the idiot was trying to put the card in wrong , but he persevered until he messed my camera up . Last time I lent him anything again . Luckily the pin was easy to straighten with a tooth pick . Unfortunately you don't *have* to be cack-handed for this to happen. It happened on my 7D just putting the card in normally. Also, straightening it caused it to break off, so the camera doesn't work at all.

If your handy with a screwdriver , you might wan't to ask about a parts camera with a good card reader on the "Boneyard " thread ;
http://www.dyxum.com/dforum/5d-7d-parts-the-boneyard_topic71404.html getting that far on a camera isn't too hard , especially on an otherwise scrapped camera .

Fair enough .
I've dismantled a few DSLR's and E mount cameras to convert them to infrared or full spectrum , but I've never opened up a 7d .
Most cameras just have ribbon cables that slot into a socket to connect one board to another , and it's just a case of being methodical and taking pictures as you go .
I'm not sure if the 7d requires some soldering though , which would be beyond me .

AudioDoc wrote: petesidewalk wrote: Belated happy birthday to AudioDoc, a wise and appreciated fellow! Greg Thank you, Greg! Neil, with the Minolta 7, there is a separate motor with gears that drive the lens's aperture blades. When something fails, either with the motor, gears or drive circuit the camera will display "error" and won't operate. I've never had one disassembled (perhaps someone else here has) but I would guess the plastic gear press fit to the motor, cracks, as result the motor spins but the gears don't turn. Parts are NLA, and sadly that is probably the case with many older products. Like I say that is a guess based on my experience with other consumer electronic products. I wouldn't worry about it. It can happen, but I still think the percentage of cameras that fail with that problem is low. It probably may happen with other cameras as well, but Minolta sold a lot Maxxum/Dynax/Alpha 7s so there are a lot of them out there. Kind regards, Kelly

I just bought a so called "mint" Dynax body from Japan on eBay, and when received it, just out of the box I fell in love with the looks of it. I put fresh batteries, turned it on everything seemed to work. I put a film inside, shot 2 frames and turned it off. Later when I turned it on back, display didn't come on, a wheezing sound and turned off. Turned it back on and off, same response. Film was stuck, due to the lock feature. I was able to take the film out with the procedure from the manual. During this unlocking of the beauty, it made a sound, almost like the mirror lock, or shutter. The same symptom repeated with or without the lens.

Do any of you think this is the "aperture issue" that many have mentioned? Or do you think the motor drive is out. Any info is appreciated.

I had also ordered a grip. I will try to see if the grip will help..I read in a forum that sometimes it did, most likely due to the more powerful batteries.

Good news is the supplier is cooperating, if nothing works I will return it. However, I am desperately trying to make it work and keep it :)

Thank you for replying.
I get nothing on the display. I took the batteries out and back in again, but didn't help. I wonder if there is a factory reset sequence.

Hi, if the mentioned problem looks like this I have no good news for you.
Take a look at the lens mount. The aperture arm has probably gone slightly out of wack mounting or unmounting a lens. Gently move back the aperture arm and you might be able to turn on the camera. But you'll be able to took photos only when you set the aperture at max open. Any other aperture setting will end in the same error. I also have a Minolta Dynax 7 (European model of the Alpha / Maxxum 7) purchased as a stock fund (NEVER OPENED NOR USED) and after less than a year of use (having always treated it with the greatest possible care) I encountered the same problem. I'm looking for someone who can fix the problem but haven't had much luck. Unfortunately it is a very common problem :(

@baybora: are you certain of the voltage in the batteries? I seem to remember talk of the 7 being intolerant of differing voltages that you might see in rechargables.