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08-23-2010, 10:46 PM   #1
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Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Seattle-ish, USA
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Is my ME dead?

I have been shooting an istD casually for a few years. Last month, I got a second istDS body to get more serious about getting back to amatuer photography, and stop using only the zoom lenses. I found this forum and I've been having a ball and pulling out old, neglected glass I've had for years.

Also I just started pulling out three cameras: an ME, K1000, and ME Super,. The first one I got about 1980. OK, so the ME worked to the last of my knowledge, but now:

1) Shutter release results in the mirror going up, but then sticking there.
2) I can drop it by taking off the lense and hitting the lever on the right of the frame window (left side if looking down the aperture opening, right side from the "shooters" perspective).
3) The shutter mode selection lever (around the shutter release) is frozen (and the plastic cap gone! - I blame kids playing with it!). I can't move it at all. I'm guessing that's related to the shutter mechanism.

So I am guessing something there has frozen. Or would the missing cap have a stud that freed up the mechanism? I've actually got the original manual for this camera from 1978-ish (it was originally my uncle's, not mine, but he saved it). Nothing indicates there's any reason these functions wouldn't work independent of batteries, aperture setting, etc.

Is there a place I can find a take-down procedure for cleaning the camera/detail striping it? Is this a common problem, or is this "brain surgery" and I might as well write it off (I wouldn't mind salvaging the focusing screen and shaving it down for my DS, but that's not very cool to me to trash a nice old piece of machinery for one cheap part).

Now I'm scared to see what shape the K1000 and ME Super are in...

08-24-2010, 02:24 AM   #2
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Join Date: Aug 2008
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Aside from trying some fresh batteries, unless the camera holds some real sentimental value for you, I wouldn't spend a lot of time and resources at it. That is unless you want to learn something new. Non Super ME cameras can be had for a song, sometimes with some pretty nice lenses, on ebay. I have one that regardless of the meter reading and aperture setting, the shutter only fires at one speed (whatever the x sync is I suspect). I've had MEs and ME Supers that behaved exactly like you describe. Sold them for parts.

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