Problem with Aria

[ltsdnce]

Hi,
My Aria mirror seems to have locked up. I pressed the shutter to take a picture today and the mirror went up and stayed there. I thought maybe I had the camera set on bulb by accident but it is on aperture priority and in daylight with ISO 400 film.
Any help would be appreciated!
Susan

 

[bobbl46]

Sounds like low battery! Check the contacts are clean, just in case the battery is OK.

If you have a battery meter or multimeter all the better.

If that doesn't cure it, we can progress from there!

Cheers, and with very full tum, Merry Christmas, Bob.

 

[mcp]

Susan!

Try taking out the batteries until the display fades out, then put in the batteries again. If this does not work, it may be something more serious. This normally works with my Aria. I have no idea, why this happens every three rolls of film...

Seasonal greetings Martin

 

[frankly]

Hello Susan,
I don't have good news for you.
I'm having my Aria sent to Hamburg just now - for a second time, because of the same problem.
Although the problem has occurred several times, I don't have a clue as to what's the matter. For some unknown reason the motor cannot complete the whole electromechanic cycle of miror-aperture-shuttercurtains-filmtransport.
But what I can say is:
+ To get the mirror down into it's 45-degree position again, just push the ManRewind button.
+ Next, get out the batteries [although they'll prove to be o.k. when checked with a battery-meter]; the camera rightly did not warn you for low batteries - because they simply are not low at all. Check it out, you'll see I'm right.
+ Put ultrafresh batteries into the battery-compartment. This will get your camera working again.
+ Don't forget to get the shot you originally wanted to take - 'cause as you'll see on the developed film, the camera did not expose the frame; the camera only got as far as lifting the mirror and did not complete the whole exposure-transport-cycle.
+ Replace those ultrafresh batteries again for the 'old' ones [they still work fine] - untill the next time the camera crashes.
Sorry, I don't have a more pleasant Xmas message for you.
Best wishes! Frank Lee

 

[ltsdnce]

OK, now I am really concerned about the reliability of my Aria. I took the batteries out and the display faded out and when I put the batteries back in the camera worked fine. But now I'm concerned it could happen again. Will Contax fix this? Frank, please let me know how things work out with your Aria.
Regards,
Susan

 

[afranklin]

Susan,

> OK, now I am really concerned about the reliability of my Aria. I took > the batteries out and the display faded out and when I put the > batteries back in the camera worked fine. But now I'm concerned it > could happen again. Will Contax fix this? Frank, please let me know > how things work out with your Aria.

You may simply have dirty/loose battery contacts. Make sure they are clean (on both sides of the batteries) by wiping them off with a cotton cloth and some alcohol (or better yet, Radio Shack contact cleaner), as well as the contact on the battery compartment cover. It's more difficult to get at the battery contact inside the camera, but that can be done with a q-tip and alcohol (try to leave no q-tip debris though), or a pencil and a cotton cloth (w/ alcohol on the cloth)...but if you're uncomfortable doing this, you may want to find someone who is a bit more savvy at doing "delicate" work. I can't explain how to see if the battery contacts are possibly loose in an email...but I'd try the cleaning first and see if that eliminates the problem.

I have never had this happen with my Aria, but you're not the first to report it. It may simply be an issue with the hardware in the camera getting into a funny state...for one of any number of reasons (most likely IMO is the dirty/loose battery contact issue), and may not be a problem that Contax can "solve" by doing anything more than I've suggested...except the loose part.

Regards,

Austin

 

[frankly]

Hello Susan,

I know the feeling of uncertainty about the Aria.
In my case the camera had been repaired by Kyocera.de-Hamburg once, but soon after it was returned to me, it began to show the same problem allover.
I've told you about the tricks that I used to get the Aria going for a bit – that is, for a few exposures or films; the tricks do work, but essentially my Aria is/was not reliable. In the end it got on my nerves, so I've sent it to Hamburg again.

Of course, you nor I, nor anyone else, has to be told that we should keep the camera's battery-contacts clean, nor do we need patronizing advice about working with qTips. And certainly we can do without wild fantasyguesses about what 'could be' wrong with my (and your) Aria's.
So I'll just wait and see what 'Hamburg' comes up with; the problem is their's to solve now.

Good luck, Frank

 

[afranklin]

Frank,

> Of course, you nor I, nor anyone else, has to be told that we should > keep the camera's battery-contacts clean, nor do we need patronizing > advice about working with qTips.

I don't appreciate your statement here, Frank. I offered these suggestions/tips as friendly advice, certainly not in an insulting tone w hat so ever, unlike your comment here.

Not everyone thinks about keeping their battery contacts clean. My comme nt about working with Q-Tips was hardly partonizing at all. Not everyone kn ows or thinks about that the fuzzy end of a Q-Tip can get caught on the batte ry contact deep in the camera, and can in fact damage the camera. If you do n't like someone's advice, then simply ignore it. Your tone was simply uncal led for.

Austin

 

[koed]

Has anyone noticed this bit in the Aria manual:

"Microcomputer Protection Circuit

This camera incorporates a safety circuit to protect its microcomputer against strong external static electricity.
Though rarely, it may fail to function because this safety circuit has come into action. In this case, set the main switch to OFF, remove the batteries, reload them and use the camera again."


So some of you might be having problems due to the static electricity safety circuit.
Such a circuit breaker will stop your camera from functioning until reset by the removal of the batteries.

Hope this helps.

 

[ltsdnce]

ilan,
I think you may have found the answer to the problem! Thanks,
Susan

 

[tessar_man]

Susan, Ilan, Austin etc.

I also have this periodic Aria malfunction and take care of it in the same manner: remove batteries and reinsert them - camera starts functioning again. It happens about once every two rolls, unfortunately often right before a nice shot which I then loose while fiddeling with a coin and the batteries. And try that with gloves on in 50 cm deep snow. Invariably one of the batteries or the cover drops down and you have to dig for it. This just shouldn't happen!! Once every two roles is not "rarely" as the manual states and I can't send in my Aria to Contax every couple of months (did it twice already and yes so far warranty covered it). Makes me currently seriously consider switching or at least buying a second body, either N1 or S2(b). Any reports of the same problem in the N system?
Jan

 

[afranklin]

Hi Jan,

After many years of Aria use, I've never experienced this problem... I'll take a look at the schematics and see what, exactly, they use for this. Do you find it happens more in the Winter than the Summer?

Regards,

Austin

 

[tessar_man]

Hi Austin:

No it happens winter and summer. The worst was last fall in Ghana where I couldn't immediately get the camera going when it happened once and only the next day did it resume functioning. Valuable scenes lost. Admittedly we were in an extremely humid and hot area and it amazes me that electronic cameras keep working at all under those conditions. This Aria has been to West Africa four times now. Once I send it in afterwards because the program mode lock button broke of in a fall (camera still worked!). Don't get me wrong I am extremely impressed with the performance and features of the Aria - just had to learn to live with this circuit problem, or whatever it is.
Cheers, Jan

 

[jerzy]

You are lucky, Austin!
Because of that I sometimes hate Aria. And it happens in the summer and winter alike... Sometimes even 7 black frames on one film! My local recommended by Contax service (Canon by the way!!!) cannot find the remedy...

Regards,

Jerzy

 

[wilsonlaidlaw]

I am amazed you guys are prepared to put with a camera which does this. It may be that I am less patient but one which did this to me, would be given a "flying lesson from a fourth story window". I would not be surprised if the problem lay in the plastic body/frame not providing enough 'Faraday Cage' static protection. Is the problem worse soon after you have been through X-Rays at airport security? The fact that removing and reinserting the batteries resets the camera does point to the static trip having been activated. I am afraid the only cure may be to use a metal bodied/framed camera e.g. RX, RTSIII, S2, G2 etc. Wilson

 

[dja]

...I am amazed you guys are prepared to put with a camera which does this....
______________________________________

I have to agree. We pay a premium for these cameras based on a reputation of high quality. This reputation is well-founded and anything less than top-notch performance should not be tolerated so quietly.

Any company will have a few defective products from time to time, but the customer should seek a proper resolution to the problem.

You should not have to repeatedly remove your battery to reset a nonfunctional camera.

David

 

[santiago_sole]

Hello everybody,

I also had this problem with Aria. I read that Contax cameras have a protection against static electricity that disconects circuits before any damage occurs. Currently I use a 167MT that has a reset button to avoid removing bateries. Therefore this problem should not be considered a misfunction in my opinion.

 

[frankly]

Hi Susan,
How do you fare? Has the mirror lock-up problem occurred again after removing the batteries, like Ilan (and others) suggested?
As I told you before I've had the Aria repaired in 2002, cost 150 Euro. They then said it was a filmtransport-problem.
Now, one-and-a-half years later, I experience the very same problem. But they now suddenly claim it's a different problem, a shutterunit problem; they are chargeing me Euro 375 to replace the unit!! I cannot accept this, of course - but what can you/one do?
Would Kyocera be honest and reasonable enough to accept that at least an (un)fair number of their product-Aria show a fundamental flaw [just like far too many T3's seem to have bits braking off]? Let's hope so!
FrankLee

 

[afranklin]

If static was an issue, notebook computers have this problem solved. They have a metalic spray on the inside of the plastic, or metalized plastic. They also use materials that don't "attract" static. I would believe that the purported "protection circuit" is the problem, but I don't believe it's because of static that it's having a problem, I think it could very well be just a bad design. No one has claimed they felt any "shock" when touching up the camera, and given people report this happening Winter/Summer...

I haven't opened up my Aria (as I have had no need to), but it would be easy enough to test if this circuit was the cause by simply disabling it...of course, then you purportedly subject the camera to damage. Anyone want to subject their camera to surgery?

Austin

 

[ltsdnce]

Frank,
I have not had another problem with mirror lock up but I haven't used my Aria all that much lately. I'm going to be shooting more in the next few months. Will let you know if it happens again.
Susan