[Hilo]

I bought a Pentax ESII in a fastastic condition, but I have problems with its lightmeter.

I checked around here and it seems I am not the only one. Still, I wonder if I am not doing something wrong.

I Installed 4 new 1.5V silver oxide batteries. The battery check works fine, it drops to the middle of where you see the shutterspeeds.

When the compensation dial is on X1, nothing much happens. When on X4 the needle starts to move, but still it is very off.

I have a 55/2 super-takumar on the camera, this lens is for open aperture metering . . .

Any suggestions?

Thanks!

[Nesster]

The Super Takumars are not for the ES-II - they lack the lug required for open aperture metering! You need a Super-Multi-Coated or SMC Takumar instead.

[Hilo]

I am new to the world of Takumars, so I can easily be wrong. But this Super Takumar seems to have this lug. Now I hope I can include a picture here . . .

[John Poirier]

The Super Takumars are not for the ES-II - they lack the lug required for open aperture metering! You need a Super-Multi-Coated or SMC Takumar instead.

Some oddities did happen in the transition between Super Takumars and the S-M-C lenses. I have an S-M-C 55/1.8 without the lug and a Super Takumar 55/2.0 with one.

According to Gerjan van Oosten, the Super Takumars with lugs (product number 37107) were commonly supplied with Spotmatic 500s. The S-M-C 55/1.8 without a lug has the same product number as the Super Takumar 55/1.8 (37101) and is described by van Oosten as "a lens from a transit stage".
Cheers

Can't offer any suggestions about the immediate problem without seeing a pic of the lens.

John

[Hilo]

I hope now I've managed to upload these pictures of the lens. On the lens there is the switch for either auto or manual. On this switch is engraved 37107. Supposedly this is a Super Takumar model II, made between 1965 and 1974 (from the same book mentioned by John)

I am still hoping it is me who is doing something wrong.

[Hilo]

So, the lens is not the problem. I went to a shop and they put another Takumar on this body, same result. With sufficient to lots of light, the meter is 2 to 3 stops off, when it is darker it is 4 or more stops off . . . Now I have set the compensation to X4 and the ASA to 64, and it corresponds with 400ASA in my LX. Will run a film through it to see if that works . . .

Anyone any experience with a repair like this? Thanks!