I have a T90 camera that I have not used for some time that seems to be in pristine condition. I put batteries in the camera, loaded film with no problem and with the correct ISO recognized. The problem is that I can look through the viewfinder and get metering, but when I depress the shutter button I hear a faint ticking type sound as long as I hold the button with no picture taken. The cursor on the single frame advance is also flashing and will remain so until I turn the camera off and on. No EEE or other error other than what I described above appears. Because of the ticking, I thought it might be some kind of timed delay, but it is not on that setting and the camera never takes a picture and further advances the film. My original manual is shot and I can't find this problem on the online manuals. Is there any smart individual out there that either knows what I am doing wrong or what is wrong with the camera?

-- Robert Rozell (rozell@ptsi.net), November 27, 2001

Answers

I had the same problem with one of my T90's. the shutter magnet is sticking and needs to be cleaned. Evidently this happens after a period of storage and non-use. It cost me $90 for the fix and a CLA plus $10 return shipping. The repairman is in Nevada and his email address is steven40@aol.com. Ckeck him out.

-- Terry Taylor (taylort111kph@hotmail.com), November 27, 2001.

I like the above answer about the sticking shutter magnet. It fits in with everything I know about the camera's innards but I'm frankly astounded my long search for the answer to my (similar) problem never produced such a succinct response. PLEASE let us know what your final resolution is!

Since I wrote up a l-o-n-g answer to you only to find the above, here's some of it so I shouldn't feel my time was entirely wasted:

First your symptoms:

- no shutter relase, drive mode LCD arrow flashing, ticking sound, no EEE or other error message

The facts behind two of these symptoms are:

- The drive mode LCD arrow flashes to indicate weak batteries. This is to warn you the camera will automatically switch from high-speed to low-speed operation to conserve power.

- The ticking sound you hear is the battery check circuit pulsing the shutter magnets to put the batteries under load. That's how the camera measures the remaining juice in the batteries.

[I'm going to assume you're still having the problem despite being swift enough to have fresh batteries in the camera.]

A T90 repair manual mentions the following. . .

"Frequently repaired sections:

"1. Camera switches to error condition (EEE, no operation) or switches from high-speed to low-speed operation with the drive mode LCD arrow flashing. If the batteries are o.k., the problem is normally caused by the lens; if the diaphragm-operating ring isn't moving smoothly, it overloads the camera mechanism. Check to see if the customer is using an off-brand lens (usually a telephoto) with a heavy diaphragm action. Reset the camera by removing and reinstalling the battery pack. The problem may also be caused by a defective shutter block."

. . . so, if you remove the lens, still have trouble, and cannot attribute the problem to diaphragm drag of depleted batteries, you have a puzzler on you hands. . .

But now you also seem to have an answer. While we're here, I'm going to mention again some other weird symptoms I've seen and hope someone can connect the dots for me.

1) The camera may decide every touch on any control will cause it to advance the film several frames, as if initially loading the leader. At other times, the film is spontaneously rewound by pressing the battery check button or activating other controls.

2) Moving the stop-down lever may cause the shutter to cycle.

3) The lines at the base of the main display blink persistantly as if in loading or battery check mode. No shutter action is possible.

4) The SINGLE/H/L (drive mode LCD) arrow flashes, although I have not seen this very often.

5) The camera makes regular, soft ticking sounds when certain controls are operated.

6) Removing and re-inserting the batteries can sometimes (but not always) clear the problem.

Please note: I do not experience 'EEE' or 'HELP' indicators. I believe those indications are wholly unrelated to the problem I'm seeing.

The Definitive Restart Procedure:

Through much trial and error, I have developed a sure-fire method of resetting my camera. It uses a spare roll of film I carry with me for just such an emergency. I also always carry a leader retriever, even though I have made the 'leader out' modification on my camera.

1) In a changing bag (or heavy coat), open the camera's rear door, if necessary, and remove any loaded film. Remove camera from bag.

2) Turn off Safety Shift (SS), if active, by pressing and holding the ISO and EXP. COMP. buttons simultaneously. This seems to help in some cases.

3) Turn off the camera by moving the Lock/Advance (L/A) switch to L.

4) Withdraw the main battery cartridge from the camera.

5) With the batteries out, properly load a roll of test (expendable) film and close the rear film door.

6) Move the Lock/Advance (L/A) switch to A.

7) Re-insert the main battery cartridge with fresh AA cells. The camera will spring to life and the film should load properly, satisfying any outstanding conditions for further operation.

8) Verify proper operation by 'shooting' the test roll several times. Thoroughly test the camera's features, including activating mid-roll rewind.

The above works for me. Your mileage may vary.

The last word:

Time and time again, we here T90s do not like to sit idle on the shelf. Use the blasted thing more often! Who knows? It may be (the electronic equivalent of) lonely.

-- Robert Segal (robertsegal@juno.com), November 27, 2001.

Uhh, make that "we hear T90s do not like to sit idle on the shelf."

(I can only claim to use one, not be one.)

-- Robert Segal (robertsegal@juno.com), November 27, 2001.

I only wish I had found the above "fix" for this problem before I sent my T90 in for repair. I certainly would have gone this route first and tried it out. Don't get me wrong, the repair was quick and warranteed for 6 months, but $100 is still $100. I did find another "fix" but it is a little more drastic. The instructions were to remove the lense and strike the bottom of the camera on a carpeted floor. This is supposed to loosen the magnet. At the time I really didn't want to try that, since I thought more damage could result.The information below makes me think I could have loosened the magnet in that manner though. One point on the ruggedness of this camera. I picked up a T90 that had been dropped and the top cover is almost completely split in two. the right strap loop is gone,the meter mode button is gone, and the hot shoe looks like it had been dragged on the road. The camera still works,(it's not a pretty sight though). So I would probably try the "drop kick" method after trying the other procedure if that doesn't work. By the way I accept no responsibility for any damage resulting from the use of the "drop kick" method.

-- Terry Taylor (taylort111kph@hotmail.com), November 28, 2001.

Thanks for the input, I will probably go with sending the unit in for repair. I tried the long explanation method and that didn't work. I don't feel real comfortable with the dropping method (I had seen this described elsewhere as the rubber mallet method) as I don't want to change a $100 repair into a $350 repair.

-- Robert Rozell (rozell@ptsi.net), November 28, 2001.

My T90 had the same ticking sound when the shutter release button was depressed. I took the camera apart and cleaned the shutter magnet on the underside of the mirrorbox. When I reassembled the camera it worked like a charm. So I can confirm that the ticking sound and the EEE error is due to sticky shutter relase magnets.

The carpet sollution is only temporary. It's probably oil on the magnet, and it won't go away only ba banging it to a carpet. Every other trick is only temperary as well.

It's a lot of work to clean it, so I recomend sending it for a full check and cleaning.

Regards,

Ketil

-- Ketil Johansen (ketiljo@stud.ntnu.no), November 28, 2001.

Yes, my reset procedure only lasts until the next time. I am deeply indebted to those who have posted their experience with sticky shutter magnets for shedding light on my T90 difficulties. Gratitude.

-- Robert Segal (robertsegal@juno.com), November 29, 2001.