[Wild Mark]

I have just purchased a MX Motor Drive and battery pack M (non-NiCd version). I am trying to learn more about it and the net has next to nothing to offer. Is anyone familiar with this setup and if so is it really rare?

Thanks in advance

Mark

[Adam]

Almost all the M series cameras were designed to support an external winder, so I don't think the camera itself differs at all. Is this what you have? (if not, post a pic please!)

Pentax Winder MX reviews - Pentax Camera Accessory Review Database

The KX Motor is pretty rare, on the other hand, with the KM Motor being even rarer (we don't even have a photo of it in our camera database).

[Wild Mark]

The item is in the post so no photos to share. However, of the few photos available on the net I can shed some light on the topic. The motor drive is as follows:

http://www.bdimitrov.de/kmp/misc/winders/mdMX.jpg

The battery pack is as follows:

http://www.bdimitrov.de/kmp/power/bgM.jpg

[meleke]

I have just purchased a MX Motor Drive and battery pack M (non-NiCd version). I am trying to learn more about it and the net has next to nothing to offer. Is anyone familiar with this setup and if so is it really rare?

Thanks in advance

Mark

Please take a look to the following:

http://www.cameramanuals.org/pentax_pdf/pentax_mx_winder.pdf

As it is pentax mx winder, It may help

[K-Three]

The were two motor units available for the MX,
A unibody winder (about 2.5FPS) and a motor+battery pack unit (up to about 5-FPS).
The winder took 4-AA batteries in an integral battery compartment.

The motor drive either 6-AAs in a separate vertical grip that attached to the bottom, or a flat ni-cad pack on the bottom. You had to have one or the other to run it.
There was a remote cord option that allowed the battery pack to stay in your pocket, and just have the motor on the camera, there may have been an AC adaptor too.

I had a winder for my MX, made a nice comfortable, easy to grip package, especially if you had a lens of any size on it,

though I never had or used the MD, the ergonomics of it never looked too nice,
There was a 250-exposure film back that went with it too,

The LX had a similar array of drive options and I think the motors shared the same battery packs as the MX.

[Wild Mark]

Please take a look to the following:

http://www.cameramanuals.org/pentax_pdf/pentax_mx_winder.pdf

As it is pentax mx winder, It may help

Thanks Meleke. It is good to find these manuals as they hold all the information one needs. I have the winder already. The motor drive is a different beast all together. With the scant information on that setup I am inclined to think it was rare. I will have to post a review.

Mark

---------- Post added 09-15-14 at 06:44 AM ----------

The were two motor units available for the MX,
A unibody winder (about 2.5FPS) and a motor+battery pack unit (up to about 5-FPS).
The winder took 4-AA batteries in an integral battery compartment.

The motor drive either 6-AAs in a separate vertical grip that attached to the bottom, or a flat ni-cad pack on the bottom. You had to have one or the other to run it.
There was a remote cord option that allowed the battery pack to stay in your pocket, and just have the motor on the camera, there may have been an AC adaptor too.

I had a winder for my MX, made a nice comfortable, easy to grip package, especially if you had a lens of any size on it,

though I never had or used the MD, the ergonomics of it never looked too nice,
There was a 250-exposure film back that went with it too,

The LX had a similar array of drive options and I think the motors shared the same battery packs as the MX.

Excellent - this is the right track. The winder is, from all reports, a fairly common accessory whereas the motor drive is not. Hmmmm perhaps as you say it looked unwieldy hence never really taken up as a product?

Mark

[K-Three]

Thanks Meleke. It is good to find these manuals as they hold all the information one needs. I have the winder already. The motor drive is a different beast all together. With the scant information on that setup I am inclined to think it was rare. I will have to post a review.

Mark

---------- Post added 09-15-14 at 06:44 AM ----------



Excellent - this is the right track. The winder is, from all reports, a fairly common accessory whereas the motor drive is not. Hmmmm perhaps as you say it looked unwieldy hence never really taken up as a product?



Mark

Wiki Commons has some images of the set ups:

Category:Pentax MX - Wikimedia Commons

Interesting finish on that one body, even the text on it has been blacked out
And what purpose would there be to a fish-eye, motor and 250-exposures?

One step further on Wild Mark's link,
The Drive manual:
http://www.cameramanuals.org/pentax_pdf/pentax_motor_drive_mx.pdf

---

Last edited by K-Three; 09-14-2014 at 03:41 PM. Reason: Add drive manual link

[pete-tarmigan]

The Motor Drive MX is exceedingly rare. I have seen only one Motor Drive MX in my life and I bought it on the spot. The Winder MX is much more common. I bought the motor drive used in the 1990s from Alt Camera (now defunct) in Toronto. The NiCd Battery Pack M that came with it had a dead NiCd cells, so they exchanged it for a used NiCd Battery Pack LX. When the NiCd cells inside would no longer hold a charge I had them replaced. When my MX body needed a new shutter speed controller (more than $300 Cdn dollars to replace), I bought an *ist DL and sold the motor drive and battery pack on eBay in 2005 or 2006 (I still have the photos taken with the *ist DL). Some fellow in Japan bought them. The Motor Drive was cool in that you could set the number of frames per second to your choosing (up to 5 fps)

---------- Post added 15th Sep 2014 at 04:07 ----------

The were two motor units available for the MX,
The motor drive either 6-AAs in a separate vertical grip that attached to the bottom, or a flat ni-cad pack on the bottom. You had to have one or the other to run it.

I owned the vertical grip (Battery Grip M) too -- it used 12 AAs, not 6! Bulky, heavy bugger. The NiCd Battery Pack LX was much less bulky, plus it had a shutter release button on the starboard end for shooting when holding the camera vertically.

[Wild Mark]

The Motor Drive MX is exceedingly rare. I have seen only one Motor Drive MX in my life and I bought it on the spot. The Winder MX is much more common. I bought the motor drive used in the 1990s from Alt Camera (now defunct) in Toronto. The NiCd Battery Pack M that came with it had a dead NiCd cells, so they exchanged it for a used NiCd Battery Pack LX. When the NiCd cells inside would no longer hold a charge I had them replaced. When my MX body needed a new shutter speed controller (more than $300 Cdn dollars to replace), I bought an *ist DL and sold the motor drive and battery pack on eBay in 2005 or 2006 (I still have the photos taken with the *ist DL). Some fellow in Japan bought them. The Motor Drive was cool in that you could set the number of frames per second to your choosing (up to 5 fps)

---------- Post added 15th Sep 2014 at 04:07 ----------



I owned the vertical grip (Battery Grip M) too -- it used 12 AAs, not 6! Bulky, heavy bugger. The NiCd Battery Pack LX was much less bulky, plus it had a shutter release button on the starboard end for shooting when holding the camera vertically.

Thanks heaps for your insight. Then I have tripped over a special rarity as initially thought. The vertical battery grip M is part of the package as is a neat 1980s style camera brief case (leather/ vinyl finish), a MX and ME in pristine condition, flash and vivitar zoom lens. All for the princely sum of $210 - I think the MX, ME, lens, flash and brief case is worth that alone. Motor winder is a bonus!!!

Regards

Mark

[pete-tarmigan]

Thanks heaps for your insight. Then I have tripped over a special rarity as initially thought. The vertical battery grip M is part of the package as is a neat 1980s style camera brief case (leather/ vinyl finish), a MX and ME in pristine condition, flash and vivitar zoom lens. All for the princely sum of $210 - I think the MX, ME, lens, flash and brief case is worth that alone. Motor winder is a bonus!!!

Regards

Mark

If I remember correctly I paid the equivalent of about $200 USD for the motor drive with NiCd battery pack and sold it for about the same price over ten year later. You definitely got a bargain.

[Wild Mark]

If I remember correctly I paid the equivalent of about $200 USD for the motor drive with NiCd battery pack and sold it for about the same price over ten year later. You definitely got a bargain.

The MX Motor Drive and Battery Pack M has arrived. Also included is a MX Film body and M 50mm f1.4 lens. ALL MINT - still with plastic protective stickers on camera base

I do not think it has been used (before me at least )