Author Topic: RIP Konica Big Mini  (Read 12069 times)

imagesfrugales

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RIP Konica Big Mini
« on: September 12, 2015, 03:31:52 PM »
It was the 3rd one that just died in my hands with always the same fault: a broken PCB connector cable from the rear panel.
Now the feature-packed little black beauty only shoots in auto-everything mode and that's not acceptable for me.

This last one is a BM 302, probably the latest make of the series with even improved features and I hoped they would have improved the cable to. But they didn't.

I've had pretty much different p+s cams, including the legendary Yashica T4/T5 that I owned for a few months. But the Big Minis were by far the best and not so heavily overpriced like some otherwise clearly inferiour competitors.

RIP and leave me alone, you ungreateful concubine!
« Last Edit: September 12, 2015, 03:34:24 PM by imagesfrugales »

Ezzie

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Re: RIP Konica Big Mini
« Reply #1 on: September 14, 2015, 03:03:22 PM »
Pain in the butt that they didn't think of a better solution than a ribbon cable to the rear panel. It is just bound to fail. Same as the Fuji GA645Zi I was long considering buying, but opted for a GA645Wi instead with the LCD on the top panel instead. Infinitely more reliable.
Eirik

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Francois

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Re: RIP Konica Big Mini
« Reply #2 on: September 14, 2015, 08:26:13 PM »
Since the camera is essentially dead, it might be worth taking it apart and replacing the internal plastic ribbon for a decent quality externally mounted wire ribbon.
Francois

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imagesfrugales

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Re: RIP Konica Big Mini
« Reply #3 on: September 14, 2015, 10:09:19 PM »
Since the camera is essentially dead, it might be worth taking it apart and replacing the internal plastic ribbon for a decent quality externally mounted wire ribbon.
Looks like 30 connections on a 1.5 cm wide flexible pcb. No chance at all imo.

02Pilot

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Re: RIP Konica Big Mini
« Reply #4 on: September 14, 2015, 11:14:49 PM »
If you like the lens, rip it out and hack it into some other mount.
Any man who can see what he wants to get on film will usually find some way to get it;
and a man who thinks his equipment is going to see for him is not going to get much of anything.


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Francois

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Re: RIP Konica Big Mini
« Reply #5 on: September 15, 2015, 01:59:50 PM »
Old Russian ltm mount lenses are nearly always a good start for this.
Francois

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02Pilot

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Re: RIP Konica Big Mini
« Reply #6 on: September 15, 2015, 08:41:02 PM »
Old Russian ltm mount lenses are nearly always a good start for this.

Yes. Yes they are.


Any man who can see what he wants to get on film will usually find some way to get it;
and a man who thinks his equipment is going to see for him is not going to get much of anything.


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Ezzie

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Re: RIP Konica Big Mini
« Reply #7 on: September 15, 2015, 10:40:45 PM »
The Minilux evidently suffers from some other severe and common fault. The lens is popular with the Leica M crowd who get them converted in Japan. Evidently a cheaper alternative to a  proper M-Summarit. Maybe the Konica lens is good enough for such a conversion? Konica did in fact make M-mount lenses proper too, I have the M-Hexanon 90/2.8. A very nice lens..
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jojonas~

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Re: RIP Konica Big Mini
« Reply #8 on: September 16, 2015, 07:23:39 AM »
did you say you had several that broke now? you can convert one to leica screw mount and for the other two buy a recesky and you'll have a TLR with 35mm 3.5 lenses B-)

(this was actually something I was pondering on when I had two broken olympus mju cameras at the same time)
/jonas

Francois

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Re: RIP Konica Big Mini
« Reply #9 on: September 16, 2015, 02:20:47 PM »
That's one of the cheaper options...
Francois

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imagesfrugales

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Re: RIP Konica Big Mini
« Reply #10 on: September 16, 2015, 03:37:14 PM »
Thanks for the inspiration. Unfortuately I threw the other 2 broken ones away.

But - what a coincident - last night I saw and won an auction of 3(!) Konica A4 for less than 10 Eur. I couldn't resist. 1 shall be broken and the other 2 working. The A4 is the predecessor of the BMs, also with a cable to the rear panel but with less functions. If they also will break I have some more lenses to experiment with. The idea of a TLR is very charming.