I really don’t need any more cameras, but…. How many times have you said that? What follows is a series of reasons that sound reasonable, no emotions involved, “It was the first camera to include…. or “I’d be able to use that seldom lens I have”

With the Konica Autoreflex T I can honestly say I just wanted it. Anything wrong with that? Maybe, maybe not! It was only later that I found out some compelling ‘reasons’ for having the camera. It apparently was the first camera to include both TTL metering and Aperture priority mode???

However my purchase was listed as spares and repairs. So there were going to be some issues to resolve if in fact I was going to get to use one. The camera is mechanical so I thought I stood a good chance of success.

So one of the first issues I discovered was that there was a battery that had leaked in the battery compartment. It hadn’t exploded but had leaked sufficiently to raise issues about the functionality of the light meter and include shutter priority mode.

So I resorted to the time proved method of using some lighter fuel and a Q-tip or bud and just give it a bit of a clean inside the actual battery compartment.

I also used a burnishing pen on the battery compartment lid. The camera would have taken two PX 675mercury batteries, instead I used two LR44’s which had been used for a while and which weren’t too far off the 1.3 volts it would have used. To my satisfaction the light meter worked, not only that the exposures the camera gave were really good.

The second issue was that the lens mount was missing a screw and the remaining ones were loose. Simple enough to resolve with a screwdriver.

The Third, and more important, issue had to do with the fact that the camera would wind on but no shutter actuation only a mirror lock up. That would mean I was going to have to take a look, at least, under the camera base plate which was secured with three screws.

The camera mechanics would need a clean as there was a lot of dried grease.

A few cotton tips dipped in lighter fuel later and I got my first camera actuation.

Applying a little oil here and there and a couple of dozen actuations later and I was reasonably confident the camera was back from the dead. Nice😁

Replacing the light seals was the last thing to do.

I now had a working camera. Now the best bit, go out and take some photos😁

To be continued…..