Karl Bryan Autocord Repair

The Minolta Autocord is a twin lens reflex camera that was manufactured in the years 1955 to 1966. It has two lenses positioned directly above each other and they are coupled so that they focus on exactly the same plane. The top lens is used for viewing and it reflects a mirror image onto a ground glass. The bottom lens projects the image onto the film.

Karl bryan minolta autocord repair, minolta autocord focus lever repair, minolta autocord price, repair autocord infinity. ThePhotoForum: Film & Digital Photography. Public Thank You For Karl Bryan.The Minolta Autocord Repair Guy Discussion in 'Medium Format Cameras and Accessories' started by n2mf, Dec 5, 2015.

The Autocord is a medium format camera and it records 6×6 images on 120 roll film. A 6×6 image (56mm x 56mm) is approximately 3.6x larger than a 35mm frame (24x36mm). Since image quality is proportional to the film size, this camera can produce much higher quality enlargements than any 35mm camera.

I bought my Autocord used on ebay for about $80. Although, the camera was in bad cosmetic shape, it was in good working condition considering its age. The lens was clear and free of fungus and the focus lever worked smoothly. There were no light leaks and the aperture blades opened and closed freely. The shutter speeds were, however, slow by as much as 2 stops and the mechanical self timer often stuck and failed to fire the shutter.

The serial number of my camera is 143649 indicating that it was a 1959 Autocord with an Optiper MXS shutter. This website has a list of Autocord serial numbers along with production dates and version differences.

The camera had no meter but this wasn't a problem as I shot black and white film which has a wide exposure range. I exposed based on the sunny 16 rule and leaned toward overexposure. Later camera versions have a selenium light meter.

Although Autocords are supposed to have a bright viewfinder, mine was very dim and it was a struggle to compose and focus in well lit environments. I removed the ground glass and cleaned the mirror box which was very dusty. This helped although the image was still not as bright as I would have liked. The scene also appears as a mirror image and it took me some time to adjust.

One advantage I discovered with the Autocord is that because it has separate lenses for viewing and taking, there is no mirror blackout when the shutter fires as with SLR cameras. This means that you can see the image at the exact moment of capture.

The Autocord produces very nice negatives and can yield enlargements unmatched by 35mm film. However, after my initial experimentation, I haven't used it much because I prefer to shoot chromes and the shutter speeds were simply not accurate enough. (I did precisely measure the shutter speed at the various settings, but since the delays varied with the shutter time, carrying around a table of time adjustments was simply too much hassle. I had planned to get a CLA but I never got around to it).

Finally, buying a used Autocord is a very inexpensive way to get involved with medium format photography. Although the camera is completely manual, it will give higher quality images than 35mm film. If you don't like the camera you can generally sell it for what you bought it for on ebay.

Specifications

That's my actual Autocord ↑

–

As many of you know, I recently purchased a Minolta Autocord.

Unfortunately, I quickly realized (well, not so quickly… I ruined two rolls of film in realizing) that the shutter was not releasing. I had a dead camera. This despite the fact that it had been advertised as 'fully repaired and fully functioning' by the seller in Japan (for the record, I've dealt with many Japanese dealers over the years, and have always found them to be reliable and honest, so this experience was an exception).

After getting over the initial disappointment , I started searching on the ‘net for someone who could fix it.

Fortunately, it didn't take long to find the name of a highly recommended serviceman: Karl Bryan.

I contacted Mr. Bryan, and he responded immediately; after several email exchanges he confirmed that it needed to be sent in.

So off it went and now I'm happy to report that my camera is back.

In the interest of sharing, here is the itemized list of inspections/adjustments/repairs performed, as communicated to me by Karl:

'Hi Peter,

I recvd your camera today and have performed the following services on it:

The camera had no meter but this wasn't a problem as I shot black and white film which has a wide exposure range. I exposed based on the sunny 16 rule and leaned toward overexposure. Later camera versions have a selenium light meter.

Although Autocords are supposed to have a bright viewfinder, mine was very dim and it was a struggle to compose and focus in well lit environments. I removed the ground glass and cleaned the mirror box which was very dusty. This helped although the image was still not as bright as I would have liked. The scene also appears as a mirror image and it took me some time to adjust.

One advantage I discovered with the Autocord is that because it has separate lenses for viewing and taking, there is no mirror blackout when the shutter fires as with SLR cameras. This means that you can see the image at the exact moment of capture.

The Autocord produces very nice negatives and can yield enlargements unmatched by 35mm film. However, after my initial experimentation, I haven't used it much because I prefer to shoot chromes and the shutter speeds were simply not accurate enough. (I did precisely measure the shutter speed at the various settings, but since the delays varied with the shutter time, carrying around a table of time adjustments was simply too much hassle. I had planned to get a CLA but I never got around to it).

Finally, buying a used Autocord is a very inexpensive way to get involved with medium format photography. Although the camera is completely manual, it will give higher quality images than 35mm film. If you don't like the camera you can generally sell it for what you bought it for on ebay.

Specifications

That's my actual Autocord ↑

–

As many of you know, I recently purchased a Minolta Autocord.

Unfortunately, I quickly realized (well, not so quickly… I ruined two rolls of film in realizing) that the shutter was not releasing. I had a dead camera. This despite the fact that it had been advertised as 'fully repaired and fully functioning' by the seller in Japan (for the record, I've dealt with many Japanese dealers over the years, and have always found them to be reliable and honest, so this experience was an exception).

After getting over the initial disappointment , I started searching on the ‘net for someone who could fix it.

Fortunately, it didn't take long to find the name of a highly recommended serviceman: Karl Bryan.

I contacted Mr. Bryan, and he responded immediately; after several email exchanges he confirmed that it needed to be sent in.

So off it went and now I'm happy to report that my camera is back.

In the interest of sharing, here is the itemized list of inspections/adjustments/repairs performed, as communicated to me by Karl:

'Hi Peter,

I recvd your camera today and have performed the following services on it:

• checked shutter, made/installed cocking lever pin
• checked flash
• checked film advance
• checked frame counter
• cleaned/lubricated focus helix
• reset focus of taking and viewing lens
• cleaned outer surfaces of lens groups
• cleaned mirror/ground glass/Fresnel lens
• installed Fresnel lens correctly
• straightened waist level finder so magnifier pops up properly
• replaced aperture/shutter viewing window
• lubricated film rollers and film advance drive gear
• tightened pressure plate screws
• replaced shutter control lever
• installed missing grub screw on focus lever
• installed missing grub screw on meter on/off switch
• replaced waist level finder lift button
• installed battery and battery adapter in battery housing

…I have included a CD of Autocord information in the box with your camera.

The camera shutter had been CLA'd, but the camera tech forgot to put lacquer on the shutter cocking lever pin. Without the lacquer the pin will fall out. I made a new pin and installed it. I lacquered the pin and the 2 aperture control plate screws (camera tech also forgot to lacquer the screws). It was a real pleasure to work on your camera, a very clean camera. As recvd the focus was very very stiff (temp was 1 C) and infinity focus was when the focus lever was set to 50' (camera tech probably didn't have an autocollimator for setting focus). I cleaned/lubricated the focus helix and then I reset the focus, a very sharp lens. I also straightened the waist level finder so that it would open smoothly and the magnifier would not droop (can't focus if the magnifier isn't parallel to the ground glass). I also replaced the damaged rear waist level finder lifting button and the badly damaged aperture/shutter viewing window. You will find the old parts in the upper film spool area of the camera.

I tested your meter, the CDS meter works and appears to be accurate. To use the meter…'

As you can see, Karl took care of everything an now my Autocord has been restored to its former glory.

Karl Bryan Autocord Repair Shop

It is operating beautifully.

Suffice it to say, if any of you reading this are interested in having a Minolta Autocord skillfully serviced, do not hesitate to contact Karl (he is located in the USA and can be found easily via an internet search — or you can contact me and I'll forward you his email) and you will be taken care of by a true gentleman.* Barakhadi in english and marathi pdf.

Thank you Karl!

—Peter.

Karl Bryan Autocord Repairs

*NOTE: As always, the recommendations I make on my site are based on my experiences as a paying customer. I am not affiliated with, nor do I earn any money (advertising or otherwise) from any third party photography-related products, services, or website links.