Question for MX owners who bought their cameras brand new in the 70s.

pathdoc · 07-24-2016, 08:15 AM

So I was down at the local park taking pictures of my kids playing, and I took my MX because my K-5 was being troublesome. Lo and behold, the one thing I have experienced as the downside of this camera raised its ugly head - the fact that the exposure lamps are near-invisible in bright daylight.

Is this because the camera is anything up to 40 years old and the LEDs are failing (the 1/500 lamp in my ME is already completely gone), or was this always an issue? Makes me wish for a needle indicator version sometimes...

Cuthbert · 07-24-2016, 08:49 AM

Mine has bright leds but of course relatively speaking.

**ChrisPlatt** · 07-24-2016, 08:57 AM

I had a Pentax MX whose meter was malfunctioning; the LEDs were quite hard to see.
Another Pentax Forums member has that camera now, repaired by Eric Hendrickson.

I prefer an analog needle display as I generally shoot in moderate to bright daylight.
An LED display may be better for those who often shoot in more subdued "existing light".

Chris

**microlight** · 07-24-2016, 08:59 AM

I got my MX new in the 70s, and yes, in bright daylight the LEDs were indeed difficult to see; a few review mags of the time noted this too. This was the only real weak point of the camera; sometimes made me wish for the swing-needle of the Spotties and the K series, or the contemporary OM-1. You got used to it though; almost learned to read the LEDs by telepathy!

**monochrome** · 07-24-2016, 09:15 AM

Originally posted by ChrisPlatt

I had a Pentax MX whose meter was malfunctioning; the LEDs were quite hard to see.
Another Pentax Forums member has that camera now, repaired by Eric Hendrickson.

I prefer an analog needle display as I generally shoot in moderate to bright daylight.
An LED display may be better for those who often shoot in more subdued "existing light".

Chris

Eric replaced the 'LED block' and some other meter-related items on that camera They are now quite bright. I am continually amazed at the variety of NOS parts in Eric's shop.

stevebrot · 07-24-2016, 09:23 AM

Originally posted by monochrome

Eric replaced the 'LED block' and some other meter-related items on that camera They are now quite bright. I am continually amazed at the variety of NOS parts in Eric's shop.

A good aftermarket enhancement might be to add a "beep" to confirm. (Just a small firmware tweak

)

Steve

**gofour3** · 07-24-2016, 10:07 AM - **1 Like**

Yes I have also found the MX meter LEDs hard to read in very bright light. Another vote for the KX matching needles.

Phil.

wombat2go · 07-24-2016, 10:18 AM

I just pointed MX into the overcast sky which is measuring EV14 here, and the leds are quite visible.

Did you measure your battery voltage? New cells should be more than 1.5 V each.

The leds will latch on for a while if the winder is pulled partially out, if the wider is retracted, the leds only turn on if the shutter button is half pressed.
There might be a quirk if the self timer has not fired the shutter and the camera is put away like that, the leds stay on and discharge the cells down to 700mV each.
( I can't fully replicate that till I finish the roll.)

Not a Number · 07-24-2016, 10:22 AM

Not quite on topic but the LEDs in my Minolta X-700 viewfinder are nice and bright even in daylight. However, the shutter speed number next to them are backlit through the ground glass and thus difficult or impossible to read against dark backgrounds or dim light.

Of course the systems that used ambient light like the peephole over the aperture ring or the LCDs on say the Super A were useless in low light too.

**TomB_tx** · 07-24-2016, 10:59 AM

These are common issues. I think the worst are cameras that combine LEDs with printed text or scales in the VF, such as the LX or the Leica R4. I think this shows the mfgrs expected these to be used in auto or program mode most often. The R4 has a row of LEDS on the side with transparent numbers showing the speed or aperture the meter selects, and windows on the bottom of the frame showing both set aperture and shutter speed. So in manual you have to look at 3 different places to judge the settings, with the LEDs dim in daylight and the text dark in dim light. Leica later made the R6 with only manual modes, so it had a simple and bright LED readout at the bottom with a broad dark background, and then windows for aperture and shutter. But in dim light you could turn on lamps (LEDS) to illuminate the window settings. They finally had a good solution for the manual shooter.

**monochrome** · 07-24-2016, 11:24 AM

Originally posted by Not a Number

Not quite on topic but the LEDs in my Minolta X-700 viewfinder are nice and bright even in daylight. However, the shutter speed number next to them are backlit through the ground glass and thus difficult or impossible to read against dark backgrounds or dim light.

Of course the systems that used ambient light like the peephole over the aperture ring or the LCDs on say the Super A were useless in low light too.

IIRC the SuperProgram had a button to illuminate the top LCD and some of the VF features. The contacts oxidized fairly quickly though.

Johnny Rod · 07-26-2016, 01:39 AM

Yes it did - reminds me of an old LCD watch! I have one tucked away.

Not a Number · 07-26-2016, 10:57 AM

My Program Plus does not have a backlight for the LCD.

**gofour3** · 07-26-2016, 11:07 AM

Originally posted by Not a Number

My Program Plus does not have a backlight for the LCD.

Not an option on the Program A/Program Plus, just on the Super A/Super Program.

Phil.

Cuthbert · 07-26-2016, 02:25 PM

Originally posted by gofour3

Not an option on the Program A/Program Plus, just on the Super A/Super Program.

Phil.

On my Super A the backlight of the LCD screen is ridiculous, the dots a Fujica AX5 or Pentax MX are way better.

07-24-2016, 08:15 AM	#1
pathdoc Pentaxian Join Date: Mar 2015 Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 6,381	Question for MX owners who bought their cameras brand new in the 70s. So I was down at the local park taking pictures of my kids playing, and I took my MX because my K-5 was being troublesome. Lo and behold, the one thing I have experienced as the downside of this camera raised its ugly head - the fact that the exposure lamps are near-invisible in bright daylight. Is this because the camera is anything up to 40 years old and the LEDs are failing (the 1/500 lamp in my ME is already completely gone), or was this always an issue? Makes me wish for a needle indicator version sometimes...

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07-24-2016, 08:49 AM	#2
Cuthbert Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2013 Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,740	Mine has bright leds but of course relatively speaking.

07-24-2016, 08:57 AM	#3
ChrisPlatt Site Supporter Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Rockaway Beach NYC Posts: 7,694	I had a Pentax MX whose meter was malfunctioning; the LEDs were quite hard to see. Another Pentax Forums member has that camera now, repaired by Eric Hendrickson. I prefer an analog needle display as I generally shoot in moderate to bright daylight. An LED display may be better for those who often shoot in more subdued "existing light". Chris

07-24-2016, 08:59 AM	#4
microlight Site Supporter Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Hampshire, UK Posts: 2,129	I got my MX new in the 70s, and yes, in bright daylight the LEDs were indeed difficult to see; a few review mags of the time noted this too. This was the only real weak point of the camera; sometimes made me wish for the swing-needle of the Spotties and the K series, or the contemporary OM-1. You got used to it though; almost learned to read the LEDs by telepathy!

07-24-2016, 09:15 AM	#5
monochrome Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Working From Home Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 26,276	Originally posted by ChrisPlatt I had a Pentax MX whose meter was malfunctioning; the LEDs were quite hard to see. Another Pentax Forums member has that camera now, repaired by Eric Hendrickson. I prefer an analog needle display as I generally shoot in moderate to bright daylight. An LED display may be better for those who often shoot in more subdued "existing light". Chris Eric replaced the 'LED block' and some other meter-related items on that camera They are now quite bright. I am continually amazed at the variety of NOS parts in Eric's shop.

07-24-2016, 09:23 AM	#6
stevebrot Otis Memorial Pentaxian Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Vancouver (USA) Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 42,007	Originally posted by monochrome Eric replaced the 'LED block' and some other meter-related items on that camera They are now quite bright. I am continually amazed at the variety of NOS parts in Eric's shop. A good aftermarket enhancement might be to add a "beep" to confirm. (Just a small firmware tweak ) Steve

07-24-2016, 10:07 AM - 1 Like	#7
gofour3 Site Supporter Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Vancouver, Canada Posts: 8,091	Yes I have also found the MX meter LEDs hard to read in very bright light. Another vote for the KX matching needles. Phil.

07-24-2016, 10:18 AM	#8
wombat2go Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Michigan Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,207	I just pointed MX into the overcast sky which is measuring EV14 here, and the leds are quite visible. Did you measure your battery voltage? New cells should be more than 1.5 V each. The leds will latch on for a while if the winder is pulled partially out, if the wider is retracted, the leds only turn on if the shutter button is half pressed. There might be a quirk if the self timer has not fired the shutter and the camera is put away like that, the leds stay on and discharge the cells down to 700mV each. ( I can't fully replicate that till I finish the roll.)

07-24-2016, 10:22 AM	#9
Not a Number Moderator Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Venice, CA Posts: 10,526	Not quite on topic but the LEDs in my Minolta X-700 viewfinder are nice and bright even in daylight. However, the shutter speed number next to them are backlit through the ground glass and thus difficult or impossible to read against dark backgrounds or dim light. Of course the systems that used ambient light like the peephole over the aperture ring or the LCDs on say the Super A were useless in low light too.

07-24-2016, 10:59 AM	#10
TomB_tx Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Texas Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,446	These are common issues. I think the worst are cameras that combine LEDs with printed text or scales in the VF, such as the LX or the Leica R4. I think this shows the mfgrs expected these to be used in auto or program mode most often. The R4 has a row of LEDS on the side with transparent numbers showing the speed or aperture the meter selects, and windows on the bottom of the frame showing both set aperture and shutter speed. So in manual you have to look at 3 different places to judge the settings, with the LEDs dim in daylight and the text dark in dim light. Leica later made the R6 with only manual modes, so it had a simple and bright LED readout at the bottom with a broad dark background, and then windows for aperture and shutter. But in dim light you could turn on lamps (LEDS) to illuminate the window settings. They finally had a good solution for the manual shooter.

07-24-2016, 11:24 AM	#11
monochrome Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Working From Home Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 26,276	Originally posted by Not a Number Not quite on topic but the LEDs in my Minolta X-700 viewfinder are nice and bright even in daylight. However, the shutter speed number next to them are backlit through the ground glass and thus difficult or impossible to read against dark backgrounds or dim light. Of course the systems that used ambient light like the peephole over the aperture ring or the LCDs on say the Super A were useless in low light too. IIRC the SuperProgram had a button to illuminate the top LCD and some of the VF features. The contacts oxidized fairly quickly though.

07-26-2016, 01:39 AM	#12
Johnny Rod Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2015 Posts: 122	Yes it did - reminds me of an old LCD watch! I have one tucked away.

07-26-2016, 10:57 AM	#13
Not a Number Moderator Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Venice, CA Posts: 10,526	My Program Plus does not have a backlight for the LCD.

07-26-2016, 11:07 AM	#14
gofour3 Site Supporter Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Vancouver, Canada Posts: 8,091	Originally posted by Not a Number My Program Plus does not have a backlight for the LCD. Not an option on the Program A/Program Plus, just on the Super A/Super Program. Phil.

07-26-2016, 02:25 PM	#15
Cuthbert Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2013 Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,740	Originally posted by gofour3 Not an option on the Program A/Program Plus, just on the Super A/Super Program. Phil. On my Super A the backlight of the LCD screen is ridiculous, the dots a Fujica AX5 or Pentax MX are way better.