Kevin Brown
Established
If you have a balky shutter that the usual recommendation of bending up the springs under the shutter button hasn't addressed, could be it just needs a little lube! Even these relatively young cameras are reaching the age when some of their lubricants are beginning dry a bit.
I have two XA2s and two XA3s and this hasn't occurred on either of the 2s, but both of the 3s, so maybe they switched to a less long-lasting lubricant on the XA3? Or maybe just coincidence.
The photo shows the two spots I oiled on both my XA3s and they are now totally reliable. These are accessed by removing the bottom plate (there's one screw hidden under the battery check/self timer lever). Watch oil would probably be ideal, but not having any, I used the tiniest possible drop of light machine oil applied with the tip of a very small jeweler's screwdriver, followed immediately by the tiniest possible drop of Ronsinol applied the same way. This essentially creates a low viscosity penetrating oil that leaves a very thin layer of oil behind when the lighter fluid evaporates.
The lubrication point shown on the right is a tiny lever associated with shutter re-cocking after the film's advanced. The oil is applied to it's pivot point that's just behind the plate that the pivot is mounted on. The tip of the arrow indicates the brass screw/post on the opposite side of this plate. What you are lubricating is the pivot point of the little grey steel arm that sticks out below and to the right of the tip of the arrow. If you fire the shutter and advance the film a few times, you will see this arm move up and down.
Good luck!
I have two XA2s and two XA3s and this hasn't occurred on either of the 2s, but both of the 3s, so maybe they switched to a less long-lasting lubricant on the XA3? Or maybe just coincidence.
The photo shows the two spots I oiled on both my XA3s and they are now totally reliable. These are accessed by removing the bottom plate (there's one screw hidden under the battery check/self timer lever). Watch oil would probably be ideal, but not having any, I used the tiniest possible drop of light machine oil applied with the tip of a very small jeweler's screwdriver, followed immediately by the tiniest possible drop of Ronsinol applied the same way. This essentially creates a low viscosity penetrating oil that leaves a very thin layer of oil behind when the lighter fluid evaporates.
The lubrication point shown on the right is a tiny lever associated with shutter re-cocking after the film's advanced. The oil is applied to it's pivot point that's just behind the plate that the pivot is mounted on. The tip of the arrow indicates the brass screw/post on the opposite side of this plate. What you are lubricating is the pivot point of the little grey steel arm that sticks out below and to the right of the tip of the arrow. If you fire the shutter and advance the film a few times, you will see this arm move up and down.
Good luck!
Attachments
David Hughes
David Hughes
Thanks; just curious but are those gear wheels metal?
Regards, David
Regards, David
Kevin Brown
Established
Yes, almost all the mechanical internals are metal; only thing I see that's plastic in this area is the rewind button.
David Hughes
David Hughes
Thanks again, I've now moved the XA's into the long term list of cameras to keep.
Regards, David
Regards, David