Contax 167MT repair & common faults
Excellent coverageThe Contax 167MT is a 1987 electronic SLR from the Yashica/Kyocera-built Contax line, notable as one of the first Contax bodies with a motorised film transport built into the body rather than as a clip-on winder. Exposure is fully electronic across program, aperture-priority, shutter-priority and manual modes, so most faults trace back to the metering and shutter electronics or the built-in drive rather than anything mechanical in the traditional sense.
Program/aperture-priority/shutter-priority/manual electronic exposure · vertically-travelling electronic metal focal-plane shutter · TTL centre-weighted SPD metering · built-in motorised film advance and rewind · 4 × AA batteries · Contax/Yashica (C/Y) bayonet mount
Common Contax 167MT faults
Contax 167MT won't switch on or fire at all
A completely dead 167MT usually points to power rather than the shutter itself, since every function on this body runs off the battery. Corroded or weak AA cells are the first thing to rule out and are worth checking before anything else, but a dead camera on fresh batteries suggests a fault in the electronics feeding the shutter release, which is a bench job.
Contax 167MT viewfinder display is dim or missing segments
The LED readout in the finder shows shutter speed and exposure warnings, and on cameras of this age it commonly dims, flickers or loses segments as the display and its driving electronics age. It is a cosmetic and usability fault rather than a sign the metering itself has failed, though a very faint or dead display makes the camera hard to use with confidence.
Contax 167MT meter is over or underexposing every frame
Consistent over or underexposure across every mode points to the metering cell or its supporting circuit reading light incorrectly, rather than anything the photographer is doing. Worth ruling out a dead or mismatched battery pair first, since these electronic bodies are sensitive to voltage, but exposure that is wrong by a fixed margin in good light is usually a metering fault.
Contax 167MT motor drive won't advance or rewind the film
The 167MT winds and rewinds film with a motor built into the body, and a jammed, sluggish or silent transport is one of the more common complaints on this model as that mechanism ages. Confirm the film is loaded correctly and the back is fully shut, since either will stop the drive from running, but a motor that stays silent or stalls mid-roll needs the transport looked at.
Contax 167MT shutter sounds uneven or hangs at slow speeds
Because the shutter is timed electronically rather than by a mechanical escapement, an uneven or hesitant sound at longer exposures usually reflects the timing circuit rather than worn mechanical parts. This kind of drift tends to worsen gradually and is the sort of thing that shows up as inconsistent exposures on slower shutter speeds before it becomes obvious by ear.
Stuck on your Contax 167MT?
Describe the fault or drop in a photo. The technician reads the service data, marks up what it sees, and walks you through it. Pay as you go, no subscription.
Try it now ›Scatto is a reference tool for people who service film cameras. It explains mechanisms and quotes service data, but it cannot see your camera at the bench, so verify anything load-bearing before you act on it.