Minolta XE-7 Film Advance Lever Problems

Lostfiniel · May 12, 2010

My husband and I have been lucky enough to pick up some family cameras. I'm borrowing a Canon FTb from my mom (originally my grandpa) and my husband has a Minolta XE-7 from his dad. We've had to put off our excitement while my camera gets a little loving. The Canon needed to be fully re-foamed and had quite a bit of dust built up. We had been expecting the Minolta to be in better shape as my father-in-law had really cared for the camera. But, we're having issues with the film advance lever.

The lever doesn't seem to pull all the way to the right. The shutter doesn't seem to work either, but I suspect that has to do with the lever as well. We're both brand-new to SLRs and we're worried we are skipping over some basic aspect (like a safety switch or something.) If anyone is familar with Minolta or with issues like this, I would love to hear about it. We may end up taking it to the shop regardless, but, we're also low on money so we'd rather find a cheaper solution, if there is one.

compur · May 12, 2010

Did you install fresh batteries and turn the camera on?

christopher walrath · May 12, 2010

There are a few things to try

First, what compur said with an addition. The batteries can be checked first. If the indicator does not illuminate then try to pry up the battery contact a wee bit to put more tension. Slack tension can cause this.

Next, check the shutter curtain on the inside of the camera back. The shutter seam should not be visible and completely perpendicular to the line of travel. If either of these is untrue, try gently pressing the edge of the curtain to the side and see if it springs over on its own tension. Hey, it's an overglorified boat anchor now and cheaper to replace than to repair so give it a shot.

Next, try to wind it while pressing the end of a paper clip into the shutter release lug where you screw in the cable. This can be caused with a faulty timer and doing this can solve the shuter issue though not the faulty timer.

Try running through all of the shutter speeds while holding the shutter button down. Sometimes Minoltas can hang up in Auto mode and can stick until it gets moved to B. Best to do this one speed at a time.

Hope one of these does the trick. If you come upon another fix than mentioned, please share it with us. We like to know all of the tricks short of micro-soldering, send off for repair or replacing.

Early · May 13, 2010

The shutter should work regardless if the battery is bad or not. Simply turn it to on and put it in X sync mode or bulb.

As far as the film advance goes, the XE's have a common glitch where you have to push the film advance all the way to the end with some extra authority. I have one XE-7 with that exact problem, which really isn't a problem since I'm used to it.

christopher walrath · May 13, 2010

Well, any luck? What say you . . .

fotoshooter · Oct 29, 2011

Early said:
As far as the film advance goes, the XE's have a common glitch where you have to push the film advance all the way to the end with some extra authority. I have one XE-7 with that exact problem, which really isn't a problem since I'm used to it.

Just found this thread. Yea I know it is old but I need to comment on the above statement.

I've owned and used several XE-7 cameras and currently have two. One I bought new and have never had it serviced. I have never experienced the above issue in any I have owned nor should you have to give the lever an additional push.

The lever comes to a stop (built-in) and if you push too hard you risk breaking it which then requires a repair. The XE-7's advance is one of the smoothest I have ever seen and any binding/roughness/stiffness/etc is a sign of needed service..

If the lever has any stiffness try removing the lever cap screw and place a drop (just one) of watch oil around the shaft and let it sit for a day. When replacing the cap screw be very careful when tightening it so you don't shear it off..

CatyM · Aug 15, 2013

I would really appreciate some advice here everyone. So I have accidentally forced my Minolta X-700 film advance leaver and I'm not sure what the best course of action is from here. It is no longer catching at all and is totally free moving. I am wondering if there is any way for this to be fixed, by a professional or even by myself because the camera was a gift and I really would like to carry on using it after seeing some of the beautiful photos it has produced.
Thanks in advance for any help and advice, I am really desperate