Minolta XG-1 film advancing problem?

I know that I've asked about 9 million questions about this camera in the past 5 hours, but this one's bothering me to DEATH.


Alright, the film is loaded, batteries work, but when I release the shutter, it won't let me advance the film unless I push the shutter curtain (which is bad for the camera). How do I fix this issue??? Also, I have a flash attachment that goes onto the top. How do I make this work with the camera? Last thing (which is a dumb question) How do I know if the picture was actually taken without destroying the film? I really need these questions answered.

Thanks

-Conor

You shouldn't have to push the shutter curtain...which may mean that you have a bad shutter. It'll probably take a repair shop to fix this, or alternatively, a used XG-1 off eBay (don't pay more than $25).

The flash slips into the hotshoe. For these kinds of cameras, you want an "automatic" flash. There should be chart on the back, match the film ISO and select the aperture for automatic shooting, then put the camera on that aperture. The flash will adjust power, presuming you've set that aperture. Alternatively, in full manual, use the chart and match the ISO and distance to get the right aperture for the subject at the distance it is from your camera.

You only know if the photo was taken if you see the rewind knob turning as you wind. When you reach the end of the roll, you need to manually rewind, and you should feel the film resisting as it's rewound. Then get the film developed...and then you'll know if you did it all right or not.