When things go wrong (It hurts me too)

MattBotan · 01-05-2011, 12:45 PM

My father bought me an MX when he visited Seoul. I absolutely love it, but I've been having the same problem in the cold. The mirror stays up there until i get it back inside. I haven't had my shots from my only cold trip with the MX developed yet, so ill have to wait and see. As for the CLA it's not an option for me(i live in Romania and nobody does Pentax repairs here, or any other film camera repairs for that matter) so i'll just have to use my lovely MX in warmer weather.

Nesster · 01-05-2011, 12:48 PM

Originally posted by tuco

Mysterious, dark, moody, captivating and unique. It's genius!

I could see how you could get horizontal scratches in a landscape orientation with the film canister. But the vertical scratches seem a little puzzling.

The verticals are from the scanner - dust stuck on the top moving light source - and with the amount of amplification of the very thin negative, these verticals really pop.

Nesster · 01-05-2011, 12:49 PM

Originally posted by MattBotan

The mirror stays up there until i get it back inside. I haven't had my shots from my only cold trip with the MX developed yet, so ill have to wait and see.

Matt - the mirror sticking may be the mirror bumper foam going bad, which is an easy fix. I hope your shutter works better than mine did

Nesster · 01-05-2011, 12:51 PM

Originally posted by ChrisPlatt

Yeah, what a hunk of junk the MX is - needs a CLA after just 30 years!

Chris

Chris, yeah, it's a flimsy little toy camera, it is

I'm glad we have Eric around here in the States.

The funny thing, my usual lousy weather camera is a Fuji ST605, which seems to take everything and keep on working. But then, the ST605 is a disposable these days - I gave my first one away and bought an ugly, operated-on ST605n for $5 complete with a f/2.2 lens that someone had chipped away much of the focusing ring on...

Nesster · 01-05-2011, 12:53 PM

Originally posted by kryss

Awesome,extremely creative.

Thank you, I do like the results, as much as they are less my creation than the camera's and scanner's. Hey - that makes this photography a la John Cage?

MattBotan · 01-05-2011, 12:56 PM

Originally posted by Nesster

Matt - the mirror sticking may be the mirror bumper foam going bad, which is an easy fix. I hope your shutter works better than mine did

I don't really know what you mean by easy fix. So far I wasn't even able to remove my focusing screen to clean some really annoying dots. I'm so afraid that I'll break something, and i really don't want to push my luck cause i love my MX

.

tuco · 01-05-2011, 01:24 PM

Originally posted by MattBotan

I don't really know what you mean by easy fix. So far I wasn't even able to remove my focusing screen to clean some really annoying dots. I'm so afraid that I'll break something, and i really don't want to push my luck cause i love my MX

.

There is foam pad at the top and bottom of the mirror. It gets gummy and sticky after that many, many years. It is easy to replace because all you have to do is remove the lens and it's accessible. A seal kit would probably come with self adhesive foam (mine did). But how "sticky" would this foam be in freezing weather I wonder.

MattBotan · 01-05-2011, 02:28 PM

Originally posted by tuco

There is foam pad at the top and bottom of the mirror. It gets gummy and sticky after that many, many years. It is easy to replace because all you have to do is remove the lens and it's accessible. A seal kit would probably come with self adhesive foam (mine did). But how "sticky" would this foam be in freezing weather I wonder.

I never said the mirror stayed up because of the foam. I said it's stays up in the cold, probably because it need's to be serviced - oil changed and all that - but ,as i said, i live in Romania and thus i can't really get it serviced cause no one deals with film cameras here (Romania is a bad place for film photography; you can't even find color slides in stores anymore, let alone find a way to get them developed).

goddo31 · 01-05-2011, 07:22 PM

Originally posted by Nesster

Jason - sorry to hear you went through 4 rolls like that. My little Chinatown loss is nothing compared to that - or to the time a couple of years ago I took a Spottie and a SMC Tak 100/2.8 to Brooklyn, with two rolls, and got some great pics (I thought) but developed them in Kodak Photo Flo

Jussi - thanks, it's OK. I have shot many trouble free rolls since then so it's all good. In truth 2/4 rolls were testing the issue. The first 2 rolls were what I wasn't happy about, but oh well. Sometimes there's a good reason for shooting digital in combination with film

Your accidental developing with Photo Flo is perhaps a worse occurance

I keep this in the back of my mind now, to make sure I don't do the same!

cheers

elkarrde · 01-07-2011, 07:40 AM

I've been using MX as my 365 project camera for more than 310 days now, so I think I'm able to bring a few conclusions about that camera.

What I've noticed about my MX is that 1/1000 speed isn't always exactly 1/1000, sometimes it is faster, but only on half of the frame. Said problem can be clearly seen here.
I haven't experienced shutter problems on slower speeds, though, but before I started the project, shutter was working erratically - ranging from constant ~1/60 to constant ~1/1000. It usually returned to it's normal operation after 7-10 dry firings.

Another problem was MLU - camera would go into unofficial MLU mode, and stayed there. For the beginning, MLU "mode" activated only on 1/15 and slower, but eventually almost every exposure slower than 1/1000 was problematic. Since the beginning of the project, MLU went on less than a few times - when the temperature was well below -10°C and once when it was well over 35°C.

Drained batteries are so common, I don't even count it as a problem.

But, using Kodak S76 (SR77 equivalent) batteries solved the problem, I've been using the same pair for more than 6 months now. No-name LR44 batteries proved to be more problematic, though.

I can't say I've had problems with meter showing off reading, it proved to be more-or-less within film latitude. On the other hand, it's me who is metering brainlessly, like metering off the bright sky vs. building in a shade. But hey, at lease I've learned to think before pressing the shutter release.

Jussi, I say you've experienced just a little bit of possible problems with the MX, it could be worse.

Nesster · 01-07-2011, 09:03 AM

I now don't think the meter was off at all, I think it was some sort of hiccup with the shutter curtains. I did get some good exposures from the walk - so like you, I think after a while the shutter loosened up again and worked fine. The correct solution is to get a CLA, but I think I may play with danger for a while longer

BTW, here's a good exposure from the same day

Thanks for all the support and suggestions - though it can be upsetting, this sort of thing is part of the 'fun' of shooting with older film cameras.

01-05-2011, 12:56 PM	#21
MattBotan New Member Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Targu mures Photos: Gallery Posts: 21	Originally posted by Nesster Matt - the mirror sticking may be the mirror bumper foam going bad, which is an easy fix. I hope your shutter works better than mine did I don't really know what you mean by easy fix. So far I wasn't even able to remove my focusing screen to clean some really annoying dots. I'm so afraid that I'll break something, and i really don't want to push my luck cause i love my MX. Last edited by MattBotan; 01-05-2011 at 01:08 PM.

01-05-2011, 01:24 PM	#22
tuco Pentaxian Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Pugetopolis Posts: 11,026	Originally posted by MattBotan I don't really know what you mean by easy fix. So far I wasn't even able to remove my focusing screen to clean some really annoying dots. I'm so afraid that I'll break something, and i really don't want to push my luck cause i love my MX. There is foam pad at the top and bottom of the mirror. It gets gummy and sticky after that many, many years. It is easy to replace because all you have to do is remove the lens and it's accessible. A seal kit would probably come with self adhesive foam (mine did). But how "sticky" would this foam be in freezing weather I wonder.

01-07-2011, 07:40 AM	#25
elkarrde Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Zagreb, Croatia Posts: 387	I've been using MX as my 365 project camera for more than 310 days now, so I think I'm able to bring a few conclusions about that camera. What I've noticed about my MX is that 1/1000 speed isn't always exactly 1/1000, sometimes it is faster, but only on half of the frame. Said problem can be clearly seen here. I haven't experienced shutter problems on slower speeds, though, but before I started the project, shutter was working erratically - ranging from constant ~1/60 to constant ~1/1000. It usually returned to it's normal operation after 7-10 dry firings. Another problem was MLU - camera would go into unofficial MLU mode, and stayed there. For the beginning, MLU "mode" activated only on 1/15 and slower, but eventually almost every exposure slower than 1/1000 was problematic. Since the beginning of the project, MLU went on less than a few times - when the temperature was well below -10°C and once when it was well over 35°C. Drained batteries are so common, I don't even count it as a problem. But, using Kodak S76 (SR77 equivalent) batteries solved the problem, I've been using the same pair for more than 6 months now. No-name LR44 batteries proved to be more problematic, though. I can't say I've had problems with meter showing off reading, it proved to be more-or-less within film latitude. On the other hand, it's me who is metering brainlessly, like metering off the bright sky vs. building in a shade. But hey, at lease I've learned to think before pressing the shutter release. Jussi, I say you've experienced just a little bit of possible problems with the MX, it could be worse. Last edited by elkarrde; 01-10-2011 at 02:34 AM.

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01-05-2011, 12:45 PM	#16
MattBotan New Member Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Targu mures Photos: Gallery Posts: 21	My father bought me an MX when he visited Seoul. I absolutely love it, but I've been having the same problem in the cold. The mirror stays up there until i get it back inside. I haven't had my shots from my only cold trip with the MX developed yet, so ill have to wait and see. As for the CLA it's not an option for me(i live in Romania and nobody does Pentax repairs here, or any other film camera repairs for that matter) so i'll just have to use my lovely MX in warmer weather.

01-05-2011, 12:48 PM	#17
Nesster Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: NJ USA Photos: Gallery Posts: 13,072 Original Poster	Originally posted by tuco Mysterious, dark, moody, captivating and unique. It's genius! I could see how you could get horizontal scratches in a landscape orientation with the film canister. But the vertical scratches seem a little puzzling. The verticals are from the scanner - dust stuck on the top moving light source - and with the amount of amplification of the very thin negative, these verticals really pop.

01-05-2011, 12:49 PM	#18
Nesster Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: NJ USA Photos: Gallery Posts: 13,072 Original Poster	Originally posted by MattBotan The mirror stays up there until i get it back inside. I haven't had my shots from my only cold trip with the MX developed yet, so ill have to wait and see. Matt - the mirror sticking may be the mirror bumper foam going bad, which is an easy fix. I hope your shutter works better than mine did

01-05-2011, 12:51 PM	#19
Nesster Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: NJ USA Photos: Gallery Posts: 13,072 Original Poster	Originally posted by ChrisPlatt Yeah, what a hunk of junk the MX is - needs a CLA after just 30 years! Chris Chris, yeah, it's a flimsy little toy camera, it is I'm glad we have Eric around here in the States. The funny thing, my usual lousy weather camera is a Fuji ST605, which seems to take everything and keep on working. But then, the ST605 is a disposable these days - I gave my first one away and bought an ugly, operated-on ST605n for $5 complete with a f/2.2 lens that someone had chipped away much of the focusing ring on...

01-05-2011, 12:53 PM	#20
Nesster Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: NJ USA Photos: Gallery Posts: 13,072 Original Poster	Originally posted by kryss Awesome,extremely creative. Thank you, I do like the results, as much as they are less my creation than the camera's and scanner's. Hey - that makes this photography a la John Cage?

01-05-2011, 02:28 PM	#23
MattBotan New Member Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Targu mures Photos: Gallery Posts: 21	Originally posted by tuco There is foam pad at the top and bottom of the mirror. It gets gummy and sticky after that many, many years. It is easy to replace because all you have to do is remove the lens and it's accessible. A seal kit would probably come with self adhesive foam (mine did). But how "sticky" would this foam be in freezing weather I wonder. I never said the mirror stayed up because of the foam. I said it's stays up in the cold, probably because it need's to be serviced - oil changed and all that - but ,as i said, i live in Romania and thus i can't really get it serviced cause no one deals with film cameras here (Romania is a bad place for film photography; you can't even find color slides in stores anymore, let alone find a way to get them developed).

01-05-2011, 07:22 PM	#24
goddo31 Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Perth, Western Australia Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 2,576	Originally posted by Nesster Jason - sorry to hear you went through 4 rolls like that. My little Chinatown loss is nothing compared to that - or to the time a couple of years ago I took a Spottie and a SMC Tak 100/2.8 to Brooklyn, with two rolls, and got some great pics (I thought) but developed them in Kodak Photo Flo Jussi - thanks, it's OK. I have shot many trouble free rolls since then so it's all good. In truth 2/4 rolls were testing the issue. The first 2 rolls were what I wasn't happy about, but oh well. Sometimes there's a good reason for shooting digital in combination with film Your accidental developing with Photo Flo is perhaps a worse occurance I keep this in the back of my mind now, to make sure I don't do the same! cheers

01-07-2011, 09:03 AM	#26
Nesster Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: NJ USA Photos: Gallery Posts: 13,072 Original Poster	I now don't think the meter was off at all, I think it was some sort of hiccup with the shutter curtains. I did get some good exposures from the walk - so like you, I think after a while the shutter loosened up again and worked fine. The correct solution is to get a CLA, but I think I may play with danger for a while longer BTW, here's a good exposure from the same day Thanks for all the support and suggestions - though it can be upsetting, this sort of thing is part of the 'fun' of shooting with older film cameras.