No picture in viewfinder -shutter locked?

[pennypitstop]

Hi,
Total newbie here, in need of some help please! I'm sure this has a really obvious answer but I can't find it elsewhere!
I've inherited an old Chinon CE Memotron (circa early 1970's) film SLR which I am thinking of selling. I would first like to make sure that it is basically mechanically working but there is no picture through the viewfinder - and yes, I have taken the lens cap off! I've been told that this may be because the shutter button has been pressed while there was no film in the camera and the shutter is now locked. Is there any way of releasing it?

Thanks for any advice you can give me!

 

[dxqcanada]

If you take the lens off and look in the body ... I would suspect that the mirror is in the upper position ... if yes, then it does sound like the shutter mechanism was initiated but not enough power to complete.

Replace the battery ... then carefully pull the mirror down and release it ... or with the palm of your hand, hit the bottom of the camera ... sometimes this can "jar" the mechanism back to life.

If that does not work ... then you may have to trip the shutter manually.
You will have to pull the shutter curtain down slightly, then let go quickly ... the shutter should then sense it has completed it's cycle and start resetting (and drop the mirror).

 

[pennypitstop]

Thanks, that's very helpful. You are right, the mirror is up.
I've put in a new battery, released the mirror and knocked the bottom of the camera but it's not tempted to right itself.
I've tried to do as you describe and pull the 'shutter curtain' down manually but perhaps I'm looking at the wrong bit - the part I can see doesn't seem to have an 'up/down ' type motion - more of a complicated opening with multiple parts. Am I being very dim??

 

[dxqcanada]

Hmm, usually the older cameras have a dual curtain shutter.
They started making multiple curtain shutters to travel faster ... this makes it harder to do.
The last option I mentioned is a tricky thing, as it can damage the shutter if not done properly.

Did the mirror come done manually ?

 

[dxqcanada]

Read over this thread -> http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/film-discussion-q/227605-minolta-x-700-problem.html

 

[pennypitstop]

Thanks. Yes, the mirror came down manually but wouldn't stay down.
I read that thread and followed the instructions, opening the back and trying to gently open the shutter with it pinched from both sides between fingers from different hands.
It moves a little but won't open - ie I can't see through as descibed. Looking at it from the back it appears to be in 4 horizontal strips. From the front I can see a criss-cross arrangement of joints linking them together. Is this too complicated a part to do as you suggest?

I see from the thread you referred to that the problem might be the capacitor needs replacing. I'm not about to start making major repairs to it myself - I just want to be sure whether I can honestly ebay it as working or whether there is something so wrong with it I should list it as for spares or repair. As I say, I inherited it ( from my father, a very keen photographer who looked after his equipment ) and I know it was working then but that was 15 years ago and it has been sitting in a drawer since then!

 

[KmH]

Older shutters may go side-to-side, not up and down like they do today.

 

[pennypitstop]

The joints I can see in the back of the shutter are horizontal and what little movement there is is definately 'up' -there is no lateral movement at all.