Issues with a Minolta Dynax 505si.

[TheSnapperRooster]

Hi to you all out there and especially those of you that can help me with my recently acquired Minolta Dynax 505si. To all intent and purposes the camera is absolutely mint and had been owned by an avid amateur photographer but had had little use because of his wide collection of cameras.
He had also,apparently moved over to digital cameras.

In the user manual it states to push down the FUNCTION button and turn the control dial to whichever of the features that is required BUT the dial will turn anyway and the required feature will line up with the selection mark regardless.
What is the purpose of pushing the FUNCTION button down ?

My second uncertainty is the with the CONTINUOUS ADVANCE mode.
Having followed the guide and depressed the appropriate button and got the continuous/multiple images symbol in the LCD panel and then press & hold-down the shutter-release button,it only fires the once !!!!!

I have checked out the Trouble Shooting section and there is absolutely nothing about it and I am not getting any ERROR messages.

 

[Dave442]

The Control Dial should do different things depending on whether the Function button is pushed down. For example put the camera in Aperture priority mode (need to use the Function button and turn the Control Dial) then to actually change the Aperture setting you turn the Control Dial.

For Continuous Advance, check that the camera keeps focus. Actually these days I don't think I would be running through rolls of film with Continuous. I had a motor drive grip on a Pentax and a later Olympus had it built-in like this Minolta, at that time film was the only option, but now I would leave Continuous for digital.

 

[TheSnapperRooster]

Hi Dave. Thank you for your rapid reply BUT :---
I am sorry - I referred to the Control Dial when I actually should have said the FUNCTION DIAL.
I actually do realise that the Control Dial is the means of changing the values for the Aperture and Shutter Speeds.
It actually performs the same tasks as the slide switch on my Yashica 230AF.
The ability to set the camera to Continuous Advance would appear to be in two different positions and with two different controls. One is the Function Dial and the other is the little black button that invokes the timer as well as Continual Advance.
I cannot see what the expressed purpose of the push button in the centre of the Function Dial is.

 

[Dave442]

Yes, the black button is the Drive-mode button and gives you that Continuous Advance symbol. On the Function Dial I think you can select the Multiple Exposure/Exposure Bracketing option and I don't think that is what you want (those have similar icons to the Continuous Advance option).
Overall seems a bit complicated and might just have something selected that keeps the camera from running in Continuous Advance. Probably best to get the camera to its most basic settings where you can take a succession of single shots and then use the Drive-mode button to go into Continuous Advance mode and give it a try.

 

[TheSnapperRooster]

Hi Dave. Thank you again. I appear to have sorted out the variables of the programme modes and indeed I have now got the Continuous Advance active.
I have also sussed out the deactivation of the flash.
It appears that the function button when depressed allows access to whichever aspect of the function dial is selected and lined-up with the marker on the camera body,the control dial will then allow a shift to any available alternative value with-in that part of the programme.

I have just had an Asian market version of the same 505si delivered but with a Data-back,it is known as the Minolta 'a Sweet'. It is also fitted with the Eye Start function and an additional lever/switch on the side of the body above the lever/switch to open the camera back.
I am about to check the internet for a user manual specifically for that camer.

 

[Dave442]

The Eye Start is interesting, Minolta always seemed to have some leading technology in their cameras.

 

[TheSnapperRooster]

The Eye Start is interesting, Minolta always seemed to have some leading technology in their cameras.

Hi again Dave Yes,it certainly is and there is also another hand little feature on the camera body that is just above the button for opening the camera back.
It is a switch/lever that is marked P to the left and STD to the right,it offers a Panoramic facility which I also have on my Pentax MZ-7's .