[tonyzoc]

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN...

PRESENTING...

MY FULLY FUNCTIONING...



$21 PENTAX MX!!!



Hello,



Before we continue, I just want to clarify, I'm NOT a camera repair guy. Just a tinkerer with a bad habit of taking things apart. I don't have specialized equipment to do calibrations or stuff like that. But I've been lucky that in most of my projects there have been no broken or missing parts.

So I got this MX for $21 plus shipping (~$35 total). When I started working on it I honestly thought it was going to be a learning experience but it would never be a working camera again. But persistence paid off and I now have a fully working MX!

I have tested everything: shutter speeds, meter, hot shoe, Judas window, "FP" and "X" flash ports, self timer, etc. By the way, the self timer just had a loose spring.

The camera shows some wear; minor scuffs, scratches and even a few tiny dings, all contributing to a nice patina. The ultimate test will be a roll of film and I hope that will happen soon.



So here it is:

























But of course, this camera was made to pair with the best lens ever made in the history of lenses! The mighty M50 f1.7















Just noticed in the pics a few dust particles left and some fingerprints. I'll get to those.

To say I'm happy is an understatement.

What do you think?



Thanks,

Great job.

[film-love]

What do you think?

Awesome! Congratulations

The MX is really something to behold - smallest mechanical film SLR in the world (my understanding is that even the OM-1 is bigger) with one of the biggest viewfinders out there (or biggest?) - and a nice selection of fantastic yet affordable lenses, including that 50mm f1.7 (hard to beat the price/quality ratio of that lens). And those sleek looks. Yep, it's a nice camera alright.

[LesDMess]

To say I'm happy is an understatement.
What do you think?

Thanks,

Great job done right!

[Benz3ne]

Absolutely exceptional camera. I've just had two serviced and they cost a fair few more than $21 as a result, let me assure you!
Looking forward to seeing the shots from it.

[Vendee]

Looks fantastic..... well done. Hope the test roll goes ok.

[Sam_I_am]

Beautiful work Ismael!

So how many camera resurrections does this make now?

[Procrastinator]

Good job. No buggered screws (on the outside anyway ).

[TwoUptons]

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN...
PRESENTING...
MY FULLY FUNCTIONING...

$21 PENTAX MX!!!

Hello,

Before we continue, I just want to clarify, I'm NOT a camera repair guy. Just a tinkerer with a bad habit of taking things apart. I don't have specialized equipment to do calibrations or stuff like that. But I've been lucky that in most of my projects there have been no broken or missing parts.
So I got this MX for $21 plus shipping (~$35 total). When I started working on it I honestly thought it was going to be a learning experience but it would never be a working camera again. But persistence paid off and I now have a fully working MX!
I have tested everything: shutter speeds, meter, hot shoe, Judas window, "FP" and "X" flash ports, self timer, etc. By the way, the self timer just had a loose spring.
The camera shows some wear; minor scuffs, scratches and even a few tiny dings, all contributing to a nice patina. The ultimate test will be a roll of film and I hope that will happen soon.

So here it is:

But of course, this camera was made to pair with the best lens ever made in the history of lenses! The mighty M50 f1.7

Just noticed in the pics a few dust particles left and some fingerprints. I'll get to those.
To say I'm happy is an understatement.
What do you think?

Thanks,

Remarkable. Well done!

I was thinking, "wow, that is an enormous fingerprint... wait... it's on my monitor..." It looks clean to me... I'd shoot with it...

-Eric

[pjsaure]

Great job!
And yes, the MX is such a beautiful camera. It is almost a pain because every time I shoot with it, I spend as much time looking at it than looking around me...

[womble]

Brilliant job. Congratulations! The MX is my second favourite SLR. You'll love it.

K.

[ismaelg]

And we have pictures! WOHOO!

Hello,

In mid January I loaded my last Kodak Gold 100 roll in my stash (expired almost a decade ago) in the MX and off I went...

Straight scans downloaded from Wayne's. No PP whatsoever other than resize and signature. Negatives are in transit and as usual I will try to scan my own to see if I can improve on these. But Dwayne's color scans are usually very good.

















I'm happy!

Thanks,

[titrisol]

DC6 or Electra?
That is a cool plane

[ismaelg]

It is a DC4. I think it was involved in a taxiing accident in the early 90's

[Scott_Murray]

Awesome work Ismaelg, I would never attempt to tackle something like that...

[martin42mm]

Hello,

Thank you all for your comments! I do have the service manual pdf.



Thank you! That's very useful!


OK so I think I found the problem. Somehow, both upper and lower first curtain ribbons had jumped the pulleys! Get these back into the pulleys. Simple: Right? Or so I thought! This was a week's battle. The battle actually started last year
I was finally able to get them in place.
So I'm done!
No wait.... I don't think I can take pictures with it yet...



Thanks,

A bit of practical advice after trying for hours to relocate the curtain cords of the first blind back on the pulleys top and bottom of the second blind drum ( shown in red in the photo above). Despite my repair manual saying it can be done without further dismantling, although it is fiddly( to put it mildly!), there is a reason it is near impossible. There are two vertical guides intended to retain the cords to prevent them dropping off the pulleys should the blind tension be less than optimal, and so the cords have to be physically pushed between guide and pulley to get them back on, at the same time as guiding the cord downwards from the other side of the pulley to engage the cord in the pulley groove. I found, having tried the 'no more dismantling' method it is MUCH easier if you remove the self-timer mechanism first. This is simple-remove the two fixing screws that secure the lever that is at right angles to the shutter release shaft ( it triggers the bottom lever at the side of the mirror box) , and then remove the two fixing screws that hold the self-timer in place. This gives clear access to the section of the two pulleys with the problematic guides. The cord can then be pushed down between guide and pulley, locating the cord quickly. Just ensure you have tension in the first blind at the same time otherwise the cord(s) will drop off again! Ten minutes work against hours of frustration-worked for me.