Originally posted by myfotoguy I'm almost ready to start using these cameras. I have another question...
The meters all seem accurate (compared to other each other and my digital), I have not checked with a light meter though. The shutter fires and nothing is sticking. For any I decide to sell, is it generally recommended to run a roll of film through it first, or if everything is in order, does that not help the sale?
When I was doing a lot of buying and selling, I did not think it was worth the effort. I did it a couple of times for my own education. Once I had an MX Data, a rare model of the MX with a tiny analog watch, a little flash to illuminate it and a small removable blind to block part of the frame for the watch to show in the print. The best way to test all that was with film. Maybe higher-end cameras benefit more from this treatment. At the low end, the film + developing can cost more than the camera will sell for.
It's not hard to check other functions. I always put a flash on the hot shoe and also connected one to the PC connector if there was one. I compared the light meter to other cameras. I adjusted the ASA/ISO dial, Ev comp.dial, lens aperture and shutter speed dial to see if each position made a corresponding change in the meter. I had all the stuff to put new seals in, and did that when required. At least poke them to see if they're gooey. You can test the slowest shutter speeds by ear with another camera - easy to tell which finishes first.
I was rarely interested in making a profit on cameras. I just wanted less of them around. So I would spend a lot of time explaining what I checked, photographing areas like battery compartments, and trying to fully inform the buyer.