I
really enjoy using my SQAi But recently its reliability has
become unpredictable to the extent that I have seriously thought
about getting rid of it.
I
know what the problem is, it is to do with the silver oxide batteries
and the way they make contact or not with the contacts in the camera.
On occasions a film has built up insulating the batteries from the
camera contacts. A quick scrape and all is well again. Recently this
has gotten out of hand in such away that I'm no longer sure if the
shutter will fire from one frame to the next even after checking that
the contacts are clean.
I've
concluded it is one of three things: the batteries are not up to the
job, bad manufacture, or that something in the camera has worked
loose? Or maybe all three. I am so fed up with it so much so that I
have dug out my motor drive for the Bronica - something I have not
used in years. I have also bunged on the eye level prism, which
corrects the backward view you get from the flip up viewfinder. I did
this because it makes the use of the camera more seamless.
A
drastic move I know as Bronica did not produce an auxiliary battery
pack for its cameras like others have. It adds weight that I'm not
happy about but if it makes the camera more reliable then all to the
good.
I
can not believe how much these changes have reinvigorated my image
making. It is akin to when I first purchased the camera. It works
every time freeing me up from that nagging 'will it?' or 'wont it?'.
It was satisfying to hear the clump of the shutter with the
outlandish sound of the motor as it wound on. No more senior moments.
With the addition of all this technical wizardry it has made it more
enjoyable. If I had known this, I would have made the changes ages
ago.
Has
anyone else experienced this problem with their Bronica, if so how
did you cure it?
update 12/2018
I thought I would update this post by saying that the motordrive I fitted a couple of years ago has dealt with the battery problem. It does this by taking on all the power requirements of the camera.
Update 5/9/21
Further to the battery problem noted above I have now put a bit of card in the battery box to force a better connection. It has work well but the build up on the contacts needs an eye kept on it. As it can go back to it's old ways. It is also a good idea to sand the negative side of the battery it gives a better contact.
If you use the motor drive without the silver oxide batteries fitted the light meter view finder will not work as it takes its power from them only.
