Pentax P 3 crank stuck in place

Beverly · 10-14-2010, 10:29 AM

I just bought a pentax p 3 camera on ebay and put in film and a new battery.The shutter will not fire ( push down ) so that the The forward - the - film crank does not not move. I used to use a Pentak K 1000 in the past and as recently as 2007 or 2008 in a film class - so I'm not unfamiliar with these types of cameras - so I don't know what is wrong. The camera was stored away and was inside the case which smells a bit moldy but otherwise the camera and case look very new. I hope someone might know how to fix the problem. Thanks !

Last edited by Beverly; 10-18-2010 at 03:06 AM. Reason: left out the part about the shutter not firing

JeffJS · 10-14-2010, 12:06 PM

Other than an actual camera error (jammed advance) the only thing I can think of is most 35mm SLRs will not advance if the Shutter is set. You say you loaded Film so did it work then? You do know this camera takes 2 (Two) batteries, Yes? Did you put them in properly?

https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/pentax-manual-focus-film-slr-camera-revie...ax-p3-p30.html

EyeSpy · 10-17-2010, 06:02 PM

This is a serendiptious moment. I've been working on a "non-working" P3 I obtained on the bay to get the lens. I've discovered that the batteries go "upside down". Yep, facing the camera bottom insert batts + down into the camera. The neg up to meet the cover. In fact the cover has the (-) sign on it. I thought this takes some research on the net and stumbled onto this thread. So I have a working camera. Sort of.

The LED's light up AFTER you fire the shutter. I looked at my P3n and The LED's are showing with the shutter half way pressed. I took the batts out of the P3n and tested on the P3. The lights came on but not for long and when the shutter fired the sights were on again. Strange.

Beverly, be sure the film leader is on the red mark on the right side. Close the door and advance the film fire/ advance and fire twice to take up slack and create tension - the crank should start to move. Other than that I don't know what to tell you. I just wasted a test roll of 12 exp trying to figure this one out. Good Luck and welcome to the board.

Beverly · 10-18-2010, 03:07 AM

Originally posted by EyeSpy

This is a serendiptious moment. I've been working on a "non-working" P3 I obtained on the bay to get the lens. I've discovered that the batteries go "upside down". Yep, facing the camera bottom insert batts + down into the camera. The neg up to meet the cover. In fact the cover has the (-) sign on it. I thought this takes some research on the net and stumbled onto this thread. So I have a working camera. Sort of.

The LED's light up AFTER you fire the shutter. I looked at my P3n and The LED's are showing with the shutter half way pressed. I took the batts out of the P3n and tested on the P3. The lights came on but not for long and when the shutter fired the sights were on again. Strange.

Beverly, be sure the film leader is on the red mark on the right side. Close the door and advance the film fire/ advance and fire twice to take up slack and create tension - the crank should start to move. Other than that I don't know what to tell you. I just wasted a test roll of 12 exp trying to figure this one out. Good Luck and welcome to the board.

The shutter - button that you push to take the picture - will not fire, making it possible to forward the crank.

WSB · 03-29-2024, 01:45 PM

Any solutions to this problem found ?9

OrchidJulie · 03-29-2024, 02:40 PM - **1 Like**

Originally posted by WSB

Any solutions to this problem found ?9

Hi, welcome to PentaxForums! Might be more useful to start a new thread describing your problem/issues, this thread is 14 years old.

10-14-2010, 10:29 AM	#1
Beverly New Member Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Boston, MA Posts: 2	Pentax P 3 crank stuck in place I just bought a pentax p 3 camera on ebay and put in film and a new battery.The shutter will not fire ( push down ) so that the The forward - the - film crank does not not move. I used to use a Pentak K 1000 in the past and as recently as 2007 or 2008 in a film class - so I'm not unfamiliar with these types of cameras - so I don't know what is wrong. The camera was stored away and was inside the case which smells a bit moldy but otherwise the camera and case look very new. I hope someone might know how to fix the problem. Thanks ! Last edited by Beverly; 10-18-2010 at 03:06 AM. Reason: left out the part about the shutter not firing

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10-14-2010, 12:06 PM	#2
JeffJS Inactive Account Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Michigan, USA Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 7,484	Other than an actual camera error (jammed advance) the only thing I can think of is most 35mm SLRs will not advance if the Shutter is set. You say you loaded Film so did it work then? You do know this camera takes 2 (Two) batteries, Yes? Did you put them in properly? https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/pentax-manual-focus-film-slr-camera-revie...ax-p3-p30.html

10-17-2010, 06:02 PM	#3
EyeSpy Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Arizona Photos: Albums Posts: 663	This is a serendiptious moment. I've been working on a "non-working" P3 I obtained on the bay to get the lens. I've discovered that the batteries go "upside down". Yep, facing the camera bottom insert batts + down into the camera. The neg up to meet the cover. In fact the cover has the (-) sign on it. I thought this takes some research on the net and stumbled onto this thread. So I have a working camera. Sort of. The LED's light up AFTER you fire the shutter. I looked at my P3n and The LED's are showing with the shutter half way pressed. I took the batts out of the P3n and tested on the P3. The lights came on but not for long and when the shutter fired the sights were on again. Strange. Beverly, be sure the film leader is on the red mark on the right side. Close the door and advance the film fire/ advance and fire twice to take up slack and create tension - the crank should start to move. Other than that I don't know what to tell you. I just wasted a test roll of 12 exp trying to figure this one out. Good Luck and welcome to the board.

10-18-2010, 03:07 AM	#4
Beverly New Member Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Boston, MA Posts: 2 Original Poster	Originally posted by EyeSpy This is a serendiptious moment. I've been working on a "non-working" P3 I obtained on the bay to get the lens. I've discovered that the batteries go "upside down". Yep, facing the camera bottom insert batts + down into the camera. The neg up to meet the cover. In fact the cover has the (-) sign on it. I thought this takes some research on the net and stumbled onto this thread. So I have a working camera. Sort of. The LED's light up AFTER you fire the shutter. I looked at my P3n and The LED's are showing with the shutter half way pressed. I took the batts out of the P3n and tested on the P3. The lights came on but not for long and when the shutter fired the sights were on again. Strange. Beverly, be sure the film leader is on the red mark on the right side. Close the door and advance the film fire/ advance and fire twice to take up slack and create tension - the crank should start to move. Other than that I don't know what to tell you. I just wasted a test roll of 12 exp trying to figure this one out. Good Luck and welcome to the board. The shutter - button that you push to take the picture - will not fire, making it possible to forward the crank.

03-29-2024, 01:45 PM	#5
WSB New Member Join Date: Mar 2024 Posts: 1	Any solutions to this problem found ?9

03-29-2024, 02:40 PM - 1 Like	#6
OrchidJulie Moderator Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Magic City Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 6,937	Originally posted by WSB Any solutions to this problem found ?9 Hi, welcome to PentaxForums! Might be more useful to start a new thread describing your problem/issues, this thread is 14 years old.