Lens stuck in Minolta X-700

[CGKPhoto]

I was looking around and Googling, but I can't seem to find a solution for this. I just got my grandpa's old Minolta X-700 for my birthday. Everything mechanically works fine, takes pictures and such. The thing is, the lens (Minolta 50mm f/1.7 MD) will not come out. I push the release button, it turns counterclockwise until it hits this black thing (sorry for the lack of proper terms), but it won't pull out. Is there a way to fix this?

If it's something I can't do myself, any repair shop suggestions (Twin Cities area or send in)?

[BobD]

It might help if we knew what "this black thing" is. Posting photos might help too.

[CGKPhoto]

It's the Mounting Control Ring. Also, I noticed the lowest F-Stop it can go to is 4. Attached some photos.

[Diapositivo]

You should first push the lens release button. While you keep it released, you rotate the lens until the red bubble is on the top of the lens, under the O of Minolta so to speak. Then you can extract it. That's the theory. If you are doing everything correctly, then the only thing I can think of is the aperture lever somehow bent or the camera lever which closes the diaphragm somehow stuck. I would try to move the aperture ring, take a picture, push the stop-down button, see what moves, what is stuck. While keeping the stop-down button pressed, turn the aperture ring for its entire span to see if it moves freely.

[Sirius Glass]

I cannot recommend any places in the Twins Cities area, but I can strongly recommend KEH.com repair. They are located in Georgia [US]. Look at http://www.keh.com/Repair-Center.aspx

Steve

[CGKPhoto]

The red dot cannot reach the the center, the aperture ring hits the mounting control ring before it can. Dumb question, but what is the stop-down button? Can't find anything in the manual; I'm new to film cameras.

[Sirius Glass]

Look at your photograph #3, it is the round chrome button on the camera body right across from the red dot on the lens.

See http://www.butkus.org/chinon/ for the instruction manual. If you download it and find it useful, please send him a check for $3.

Steve

[ath]

Somehow the aperture slider managed to get on the wrong side of the actuater. The actuator is the tab on the lens at the "11" mark. Viewed from the front the tab should be left from the slider pin not right as visible in the second pic.

[CGKPhoto]

Look at your photograph #3, it is the round chrome button on the camera body right across from the red dot on the lens.

See for the instruction manual. If you download it and find it useful, please send him a check for $3.

Steve

Oh, so it's the same as the lens release button?

Somehow the aperture slider managed to get on the wrong side of the actuater. The actuator is the tab on the lens at the "11" mark. Viewed from the front the tab should be left from the slider pin not right as visible in the second pic.

Well that's bizarre... Any possible way to reverse it?

[Sirius Glass]

Oh, so it's the same as the lens release button?

Opps! Sorry, the stop down button is on the lens barrel, towards the base plate of the camera, if I remember correctly.