Minolta Maxxum 7000 Aperture Problem

Welcome to the forum .

The 7000AF was my first proper camera that I bought used in the early 90's .

I still have it as well , amongst many others .

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The problem here is the camera can't "see" the lens .

There are five electrical contacts on the lens and camera body .

You'll most likely find that these need cleaning .

The first way is to use a cloth with some Isopropanol alcohol on and wipe them down .

If that doesn't work use a rubber ( eraser ) to clean them .

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There's always a possibility the lenses ROM is dead , but that's unlikely .

Do you have another lens to try on the camera , and another camera to try the lens on ?

Did you fix it?  The 7000 is a really nice camera to use.  I switched from a Canon AE-1 to the 7000 soon after it was launched.  Going to automatic focus after using a split screen for many years was simply awesome. I got some great images from it.  I still have mine, keep the batteries fresh and work the shutter every now and then to keep it alive.  On the 7000 it is important not to let it sit without batteries for too long.  There is an internal button cell that hold settings when the main batteries are removed and it is a known failure point in the camera.  They are not user replaceable, though it can be done by taking the camera apart.

Paul Barnard wrote:

Did you fix it? The 7000 is a really nice camera to use. I switched from a Canon AE-1 to the 7000 soon after it was launched. Going to automatic focus after using a split screen for many years was simply awesome. I got some great images from it. I still have mine, keep the batteries fresh and work the shutter every now and then to keep it alive. On the 7000 it is important not to let it sit without batteries for too long. There is an internal button cell that hold settings when the main batteries are removed and it is a known failure point in the camera. They are not user replaceable, though it can be done by taking the camera apart.

Perfect reply and advice... I too have a 7000. I took many great photos with it.

Good luck to the OP to get it sorted out

Bill

Definitely something to check with other lenses.

Bad solder on the PWB board that connected the mount to the ROM is pretty common in the Maxxum lenses.

However, I also have one A9000 and one A7000 with bad aperture base plates. This is the part that it seems the camera was built around that actuates the aperture control ring. Hopefully it's just bad solder or dirty contacts...

Have you loaded film in it yet , with the DX coding on it ?

Are the contacts clean where the film goes in ?

The ISO has to be set before you can take pictures and the LCD does flash up like this .

DX coded film does it automatically, you should be able to input it manually for non DX coded film , so why your having a problem isn't clear .

Either way , without loading film and taking a test shot , you'll not find out if it is working or not.

Set it to a small aperture ( high number) and check the aperture stops down when you take the shot .

Camera needs to be set to "Aperture Priority" mode .

( Face the camera at yourself and look in the lens )

The aperture magnets sometimes Gail on the 7000AF and 9000AF .

I just put some new batteries in mine and fired it up. No film in it.

It defaults to ISO 100. What does yours say?

It meters as expected in Program mode.

If I remove the lens, it still meters, but shows -- for the aperture.

Certainly sounds like something is wrong with yours. I'd suggest reading the manual to see if what you're seeing is an indication of some known problem.

Edit: after thinking about it a bit more, it sounds like something's wrong with the meter in your camera. It should be flashing 2000 and 22 if there's too much light for the selected film, but, since you're seeing this even with low ISO selected, it sounds like the meter is damaged and is always indicating too much light. You can probably still use it in full manual mode, but you'll have to do your own metering. There are apps for that.

neilt3 wrote:

Have you loaded film in it yet , with the DX coding on it ?

Are the contacts clean where the film goes in ?

The ISO has to be set before you can take pictures and the LCD does flash up like this .

You are seeing that on your Maxxum 7000? Mine just defaults to ISO 100 with no film in it. However, if I set mine to ISO 6400 and aim it at a bright scene, I can get it to flash 2000 and 22.

DX coded film does it automatically, you should be able to input it manually for non DX coded film , so why your having a problem isn't clear .

Either way , without loading film and taking a test shot , you'll not find out if it is working or not.

No need to load film to be able to fire the Maxxum 7000.

Set it to a small aperture ( high number) and check the aperture stops down when you take the shot .

Camera needs to be set to "Aperture Priority" mode .

( Face the camera at yourself and look in the lens )

The aperture magnets sometimes Gail on the 7000AF and 9000AF .

The aperture base plate failed in one of my Maxxum 9000s. This did not result in any issue with the metering or display. It just resulted in the lens not stopping down when firing the shutter or using DOF preview (the 7000 doesn't have DOF preview).

SQLGuy wrote:

neilt3 wrote:

Have you loaded film in it yet , with the DX coding on it ?

Are the contacts clean where the film goes in ?

The ISO has to be set before you can take pictures and the LCD does flash up like this .

You are seeing that on your Maxxum 7000? Mine just defaults to ISO 100 with no film in it. However, if I set mine to ISO 6400 and aim it at a bright scene, I can get it to flash 2000 and 22.

I've just got around to putting some batteries in my Minolta 5000AF , 7000AF and 9000AF .

Your right , the 5000AF and 7000AF default to ISO 100 when non DX coded film is loaded .

It's the 9000AF that requires the ISO being manually set if non DX coded film is loaded .

ISO 100 flashes up on the LCD , and continues until you set it . With DX coded film loaded it is set automatically .

DX coded film does it automatically, you should be able to input it manually for non DX coded film , so why your having a problem isn't clear .

Either way , without loading film and taking a test shot , you'll not find out if it is working or not.

No need to load film to be able to fire the Maxxum 7000.

You can fire the shutter , but the only way you know if a camera is working 100% is with a test roll .

Set it to a small aperture ( high number) and check the aperture stops down when you take the shot .

Camera needs to be set to "Aperture Priority" mode .

( Face the camera at yourself and look in the lens )

The aperture magnets sometimes Gail on the 7000AF and 9000AF .

The aperture base plate failed in one of my Maxxum 9000s. This did not result in any issue with the metering or display. It just resulted in the lens not stopping down when firing the shutter or using DOF preview (the 7000 doesn't have DOF preview).

My 9000AF's still working well , aperture and all .

So I've just loaded some film in it to give it some exercise !