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09-09-2019, 05:53 AM   #1
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MX light meter LED brightness

when using my MX in bright sunlight it is very difficult if not impossible to see the light meter LED's.
As i have a spare MX camera body which i use for spare parts, is there a disassembly procedure to get to the light meter LED's to see if brighter ones can be installed (replacements that pull the same current)?

09-09-2019, 07:22 AM   #2
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Hi, and welcome.


I'm not sure this would work (unless someone knows of purpose-designed replacements that are brighter) - reviews from the 1970s commented that the LEDs were difficult to see in bright light, and my MX has certainly been like that since I got it in ~1977.
09-09-2019, 07:32 AM   #3
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i'm fairly sure modern LEDs that pull the same current can be sourced in surface mount that should be brighter. Once ive figured out how to remove the top plate ill have a look to see if a small PCB could be made to substitute the led block as described above.
I found myself standing in the shade with the camera pointing at about the same subject light to be able to see the LEDs, a needle would be much easier to see!
09-09-2019, 08:40 AM   #4
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I had a very nice MX body that exhibited dim/erratic LED display.
I passed it on to another member who sent it to Eric Hendrickson.
AFAIK it is now functioning normally.

In UK Harrow Technical has closed but Robin Gowing is still accepting repairs.
Suggest you contact him for answers, suggestions and possible service.

That said if you typically shoot in normal to bright light and don't require winder capability or
interchangeable screens I highly recommend you consider purchase of a Pentax KX body.

Chris

09-09-2019, 08:47 AM - 1 Like   #5
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QuoteOriginally posted by ChrisPlatt Quote
I had a very nice MX body that exhibited dim/erratic LED display.
I passed it on to another member who sent it to Eric Hendrickson.
AFAIK it is now functioning normally.

In UK Harrow Technical has closed but Robin Gowing is still accepting repairs.
Suggest you contact him for answers, suggestions and possible service.

That said if you typically shoot in normal to bright light and don't require winder capability or
interchangeable screens I highly recommend you consider purchase of a Pentax KX body.

Chris
I own that camera. The LED’s now display as new - sufficiently bright to be useful.
09-09-2019, 10:05 AM   #6
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QuoteOriginally posted by ChrisPlatt Quote
I had a very nice MX body that exhibited dim/erratic LED display.
I passed it on to another member who sent it to Eric Hendrickson.
AFAIK it is now functioning normally.

In UK Harrow Technical has closed but Robin Gowing is still accepting repairs.
Suggest you contact him for answers, suggestions and possible service.

That said if you typically shoot in normal to bright light and don't require winder capability or
interchangeable screens I highly recommend you consider purchase of a Pentax KX body.

Chris
hi Chris, I chose the mx when I decided to get back into film because it's small, mechanical and rugged. use to have an A1 that I kept leaving on and flattening the battery
09-09-2019, 10:31 AM   #7
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QuoteOriginally posted by emlclcy Quote
hi Chris, I chose the mx when I decided to get back into film because it's small, mechanical and rugged. use to have an A1 that I kept leaving on and flattening the battery

Small world! I ditched a brand new Canon A-1 - forty years ago! - and have favored mechanical cameras ever since.

The Pentax KX I mentioned is in many respects the immediate predecessor of the MX.
It too is fully mechanical and uses 1.5V batteries solely to power the exposure meter,
which has a superb analog match-needle display - much easier to see in normal light.

The KX is only a bit larger than the MX; but the controls are less-crowded and so easier to use.
The KX body covers are made of slightly thicker metal, making the KX more rugged than the MX.

Chris


Last edited by ChrisPlatt; 09-09-2019 at 10:39 AM.
09-09-2019, 01:49 PM   #8
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I doubt trying to change the LEDs is likely to work very well. The space available must be miniscule and aligning them would likely be very difficult.

The KX as mentioned is better in bright light and better built, dome feel it handles better being bigger (the shutter speed dial is easier to change with the camera at the eye*).

* That last phrase was auto-completed by my phone's AI so it must be correct 🙂
09-11-2019, 08:16 AM   #9
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QuoteOriginally posted by johnha Quote
I doubt trying to change the LEDs is likely to work very well. The space available must be miniscule and aligning them would likely be very difficult.

The KX as mentioned is better in bright light and better built, dome feel it handles better being bigger (the shutter speed dial is easier to change with the camera at the eye*).

* That last phrase was auto-completed by my phone's AI so it must be correct 🙂
ive taken my spares mx body apart and the led module could be replace by a pcb with SM leds, that part doesnt look to difficult, its putting the rest of the camera back together which worries me
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