Vintage film cameras

[yokohama]

It's probably better if you keep the button. It's all back together now; I daren't take it apart again. :0
It's not an immediate necessity to replace the button. You can put the end of a pen or a matchstick into the hole to switch mode and it's only necessary to change between P - A - M. Once on manual, the dial rotates between shutter speeds.
Will send it down this week, depending on when I can get to the PO.

Just looked at X700 prices on ebay. Waaaaay higher than this time last year

[Kenzie]

Yeah but I would like to have it complete! Just had a look at prices as well, wow! Though I don't know much about the X700 apart from being the bigger brother of the x300. I guess I need to find a battery holder for it then.
This is the Ikonta

[yokohama]

It's an interesting arrangement on top of the Ikonta. Any idea why? - or is it a not the original rangefinder. Camera looks good though. Did you fix the pinhole?
I know it's nice to have a complete camera but a battery holder for the x700 will probably cost more than you paid for the camera. Share with the X300 until something turns up or you find an X series junker at a car boot.

[Kenzie]

Cheaper than a Mess Ikonta I guess! I have done a rough repair but only shooting with tell. They even glued some slithers of wood to take up the space around the mount. Spotted a junker X300 on eBay but I think it is probably working ok. It's £4.99 plus post I think. Might have a go. There's a battery holder on its own for £7. I think that is what I paid for the 700.

[yokohama]

There's a junk 300s for 99p plus postage - same battery chamber I think. You might even be able to bring it back to life with a new capacitor. A plasticky, not so pretty machine though.
X700 on its way.

[Kenzie]

Thanks Yoko. Can't wait to give it a go. Was it this one you were talking about? 112364845655 why are they so different? Looks like an x300 mixed with a dynax.

Sent from my F5321 using Tapatalk

[yokohama]

That's the one.
I had a 300s that came in a bundle; kept the lenses and sold the body on. Basically, it's almost identical to the x300 but a later version, lighter with a plastic body and probably made in China. It didn't feel as solid as the 300 to me. I'm sure there was another difference too - something to do with viewfinder information but I can't remember. I think it was one of Minolta's last manual focus cameras before they introduced the Dynax.

[Kenzie]

Missed out on the x300 this afternoo. Will pop the top off the 700 and get it sorted out before shooting. Could do with another f1.7 50mm.

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[yokohama]

See if you can get away with just taking off the bits on the shutter button/winder side and lifting up the cover to put the button in. If you take the whole top off, be gentle with the pcb connections between the wires on top of the pentaprism and those on the top cover, which are really fragile.

[Kenzie]

I take it that the square is just an extension of the spring loaded switch below?