ME Super Jammed Shutter

Matt Friedman · 11-25-2017, 10:05 PM

I just picked up a Pentax ME Super. I mostly shoot Minoltas, but I thought I'd branch out a bit. Seems like a nice camera, but I can't seem to get the shutter to fire.

This is the situation: I have fresh batteries in the battery compartment, and the light meter lights up, and displays correctly in both auto and manual modes. But the film advance lever does not advance, and the shutter does not fire. I have tried this in A, M, 125x, and B modes, and nothing happens. There's no film in the camera. The mirror is not stuck up. The lever advances loosely (not catching any mechanism) about 45 degrees into the winding arc, but no further. And I noticed that the rewind/release button on the bottom seems to be stuck in the in position.

Is there something I'm missing here? Some setting that I need to unlock, or is this camera just DOA? (Not a huge tragedy, since I only paid $10 for it and the glass is from my K1000, but still...) I have some experience maintaining and doing basic repairs on mechanical cameras (My Spotmatic 2, and the occasional Minolta SRT), so if this is something that can be solved by removing the bottom plate and lubricating a gear, I'm all in.

Thanks in advance.

UMC · 11-26-2017, 04:43 AM

I'm afraid, this is a "classic" ME super failure which occurs to most of the ME supers after some 20-30 years. DIY repair is possible, but can be cumbersome, depending on the source of the problem. Being a proud owner of a 36 year old ME super and a ME-F I have collected DIY repair information from the net: Microsoft OneDrive - Access files anywhere. Create docs with free Office Online. Feel free to download the docs, but please do not re-post anywhere, because I do not own the copyright of any of these.

Matt Friedman · 11-26-2017, 06:57 AM

Thanks! It's a little annoying, but considering what I paid for the camera, sending it out for repairs doesn't make any sense. I'll attempt the repair myself and, at worst, I'll trash an $8 camera. At best, I'll add some knowledge, have a little adventure, and end up with a workable camera. Like I said, I have been inside all-mechanical cameras, and maybe I'll learn something about electronics.

11-25-2017, 10:05 PM	#1
Matt Friedman New Member Join Date: Nov 2017 Posts: 8	ME Super Jammed Shutter I just picked up a Pentax ME Super. I mostly shoot Minoltas, but I thought I'd branch out a bit. Seems like a nice camera, but I can't seem to get the shutter to fire. This is the situation: I have fresh batteries in the battery compartment, and the light meter lights up, and displays correctly in both auto and manual modes. But the film advance lever does not advance, and the shutter does not fire. I have tried this in A, M, 125x, and B modes, and nothing happens. There's no film in the camera. The mirror is not stuck up. The lever advances loosely (not catching any mechanism) about 45 degrees into the winding arc, but no further. And I noticed that the rewind/release button on the bottom seems to be stuck in the in position. Is there something I'm missing here? Some setting that I need to unlock, or is this camera just DOA? (Not a huge tragedy, since I only paid $10 for it and the glass is from my K1000, but still...) I have some experience maintaining and doing basic repairs on mechanical cameras (My Spotmatic 2, and the occasional Minolta SRT), so if this is something that can be solved by removing the bottom plate and lubricating a gear, I'm all in. Thanks in advance.

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11-26-2017, 04:43 AM	#2
UMC Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: Vienna Photos: Gallery Posts: 205	I'm afraid, this is a "classic" ME super failure which occurs to most of the ME supers after some 20-30 years. DIY repair is possible, but can be cumbersome, depending on the source of the problem. Being a proud owner of a 36 year old ME super and a ME-F I have collected DIY repair information from the net: Microsoft OneDrive - Access files anywhere. Create docs with free Office Online. Feel free to download the docs, but please do not re-post anywhere, because I do not own the copyright of any of these.

11-26-2017, 06:57 AM	#3
Matt Friedman New Member Join Date: Nov 2017 Posts: 8 Original Poster	Thanks! It's a little annoying, but considering what I paid for the camera, sending it out for repairs doesn't make any sense. I'll attempt the repair myself and, at worst, I'll trash an $8 camera. At best, I'll add some knowledge, have a little adventure, and end up with a workable camera. Like I said, I have been inside all-mechanical cameras, and maybe I'll learn something about electronics.