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08-22-2010, 06:12 AM   #1
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K2 growing issues

I recently got myself a K2 to combine the fun of shooting film through huge viewfinders (i also own an Olympus OM-1) with my quiver of K-mount lenses. Unfortunately, the camera is acting erratically, and it seems to be growing worse. When you half-press the shutter, the light meter is supposed to turn on, but it only does this sometimes. Also, it tends to choose the same, fast shutter speed, no matter what I dialed in. At first I thought these problems occured together, but now it seems that sometimes it meters, sometimes it uses the right shutter speed, sometimes neither, and sometimes both.

The sad thing is that the camera is in a cosmetically great condition for its age, but I'm not feeling like throwing a lot of money at it by getting it serviced since, well, I don't have that much money to throw around. I found a service manual, and I'm thinking of opening it up to see whether there are some contacts loose or something, but I've never done that. Is there any chance of success, or would it be better to pass the camera on to someone with more experience (or funds) before I mess it up?

08-22-2010, 08:20 AM   #2
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It sounds like camera and meter are getting intermittent power.
Check the entire circuit. One likely failure point is the switch in the shutter release.
The meter in my K2 wouldn't stay on; this switch required cleaning and adjustment.

Chris
08-22-2010, 09:12 AM   #3
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unless you have all the specific tools required to open the body up and some knowledge dealing with electronics, i would suggest selling as is. the fact is that this is 30+ year old equipment and no matter how good it may look, things like this happen. i tell people that every time they want to purchase a film body this old or older, you need to think about the price of CLA as part of the investment (unless the seller specifically states that it has had a recent one) if you cant or don’t feel you want to pay for one on top of the body price, then you shouldn’t buy the body. unless you just want it to look cool sitting on a shelf. this isn’t meant as a knock at you, just a general statement on the subject.
08-22-2010, 09:37 AM   #4
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QuoteOriginally posted by séamuis Quote
unless you have all the specific tools required to open the body up and some knowledge dealing with electronics, i would suggest selling as is. the fact is that this is 30+ year old equipment and no matter how good it may look, things like this happen. i tell people that every time they want to purchase a film body this old or older, you need to think about the price of CLA as part of the investment (unless the seller specifically states that it has had a recent one) if you cant or don’t feel you want to pay for one on top of the body price, then you shouldn’t buy the body. unless you just want it to look cool sitting on a shelf. this isn’t meant as a knock at you, just a general statement on the subject.
Agreed on the CLA, it’s a must when you buy an older film body. No matter how good the old bodies look or appear to function, I always send them to Eric.

Run a test roll through the camera, note any issues then send it in for a CLA. After you get it back you should be good for another 10 to 15 years.

Phil.

08-22-2010, 10:04 AM   #5
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Thanks for the replies. When I said it is in great shape cosmetically, I didn't mean I saw that as an indication that it should have been working properly still, rather that it would be a shame to not get it repaired and used again.

The thing is that it's worth pretty much nothing now, so I don't have much to lose if I'd break it. If it's really just a contact around the shutter button, I think I might be able to pull it off. I've opened, fixed, and closed things before, just not any cameras yet, and the exploded views I found do scare me a little...

@seamuis, i guess you're right about thinking about this stuff beforehand, and I'm already looking forward to the day I'll be able to afford a half-decent film scanner and a stack of film, because until then shooting film will have to be 'something fun on the side every once in a while' anyway.

By the way, the good thing about this story was that the seller was friendly enough to give me his MZ-5n as compensation for the broken K2. It's really silly those newer bodies fetch even less on the second hand market at the moment, even though they do seem dependable and have neat features. Unfortunately, the viewfinder is a lot smaller, about half-way between the K2 and my DS.
08-22-2010, 11:59 AM   #6
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this is one of those situations where you think beforehand what you believe you might need and then plan out all the probable expenses. the K2 is one hell of a camera, and if you plan on using it as your main film body, it should be the most important expense for setting up what you need. the body isn’t worth nothing, less than what you like I would imagine, but not nothing. the fact that cosmetically its great means that someone looking for a K2 and understands cameras need CLA’s might be willing to pay more for the body because its in good shape on the outside. I actually did this with my black spotmatic, because it hadn’t been beaten up and brassed yet. I passed over quite a few to find it even though it had a broken shutter, because I knew it would be CLA’d anyway. now its a gem ready to be loved and worn by my fiancée. these cameras are so simple that the normal problems can be fixed easily or not too expensively. but for most people, you cant really get a camera back to like new cosmetically and you shouldn’t underestimate a body that looks like it was hardly used. especially the more sought after bodies like the K2.
08-22-2010, 12:25 PM   #7
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Though the switch I mentioned is activated by partially depressing the shutter release
(i.e. it is mechanically connected) I am not certain of its physical location within the camera.
Consult your service manual.

Eric Hendrickson serviced my K2 camera.

Chris

08-23-2010, 12:21 AM   #8
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The K2 is a great camera but should be close to 40yr old.
So many things can go wrong, specially with the humidity in NL.
I would start troubleshooting from the simplest...
- I assume you have read the manual, if not you can find it here
- Clean the battery chamber using the eraser end of a pencil and check if it improves (I assume you used fresh LR44s even those from Action)
- Open the bottom plate and check all the wires for corrosion
- If nothing works check the service manual here
- And if it works change the light seals

You can also look for another good camera in Marktplaats or send it to Kamera Service in ZuidHolland.
I have a KX you can borrow if you want to play.

Last edited by titrisol; 08-23-2010 at 04:03 AM.
08-24-2010, 06:30 PM   #9
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When the battery gets weak in my K2 bodies, the meter needle slightly deflects and pegs out at the top regardless if I set the shutter speeds manually or set it to Automatic. I'm baffled as to why the shutter speeds would or could change if set manually.
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