[seventysixersfan]

OK, just received my negatives in the mail. It appears to be the camera's fault. As @Adam speculated,

Probably an issue with the camera's winder

and @Alex645 also said:

The only indication that could be your camera is if there are overlapping double exposures or inconsistent widths of black gaps in the messed up scans.

So it does appear to be inconsistent widths in the gaps as well as some overlapping exposures. I guess I'll need to return the camera to Roberts Camera for repair or replacement. It was such a cheap purchase for me ($20) that it kind of sucks to have to send it back.

[Alex645]

Too bad. It's either a worn plastic gear or defective chip that communicates to the motor to advance. You should share this with Roberts Camera so they don't pass this onto the next buyer. How much did you spend on the film, processing, and scans? Maybe they owe you store credit (for an upgrade on your next FSLR purchase).

Thanks for sharing the results.

[seventysixersfan]

I'll contact Roberts Camera and let them know the issue; curious if they will offer to take it back for repair or replacement, since it was so cheap-- I could see them just giving me a refund of the original price paid and let me keep the thing. I haven't spent that much on film and processing so far, but I'll see if they can offer me any credit towards another camera. This is my first step (back) into film SLR but this winder problem has gotten me a bit discouraged-- I could see this kind of worn-out part being an issue for any used camera I get on eBay or through a camera shop. The issue is that I don't find out about the problem until after I have shot a roll and sent it away for developing. Pity, there were potentially some real keepers of my kids in this first roll. I won't be relying on my film SLR for the most important moments like birthdays, vacations, etc-- for those, I'll use my K-50.

Thanks for everyone's help with this!

[Alex645]

Personally I would only buy used if there was some type of warranty or guarantee, such as keh.com where I would trust the equipment was tested and there is recourse if the camera is not As Is.

And you've got to assume that first roll is just going to be a test. Maybe you could crop and salvage some of the shots of your kids. I love square crops!

[seventysixersfan]

Roberts Camera offers a 6 month warranty on its used cameras, but I have never bought from them before this one. I usually get my used stuff from KEH or Adorama/B&H. The original advertisement for my camera said: "This item is rated in Excellent condition. That means that this item is between 90-96% of original condition. This item shows little to no cosmetic blemishes and is tested as fully operational."

Anyway, I'll contact them and just see what they say. According to their warranty page: "We will repair or replace your equipment at our discretion. In some situations, we may choose to refund the full purchase price of an item." Since I only paid $20 for it, I can't imagine they'd bother to try to repair the thing.

Yes, actually I was able to crop out some of the shots and they turned out great. So, not a total loss. Also, for some reason, the first 10 exposures were totally fine; it was the next 26 that were messed up.

Well, hopefully I won't let this turn me off from film shooting. I really wanted to give it a go, and I was happy to see my FA 43mm in action on a full-framer.

[ChrisPlatt]

The ZX/MZ cameras were not Pentax' finest hour.
A trusted Pentax repairman you may know calls these cameras "plastic Pentaxes".
If you want a good "film experience" suggest you look at a classic Pentax manual focus model.

Chris