[wkraus]

Agree that the LEDS are not very bright in the MX. In bright conditions it does make it hard to see the difference between the green and orange colour LEDS. I have found it useful to use the bracket marks around the shutter speed indication as a reference point. The green LED is centered between these bracket marks.

For a service technician in Europe I can recommend Robin at Harrow Technical (UK). He has serviced several Pentax cameras for me. Unfortunately due to Brexit there might be some tax/customs issues so best to email Robin first.

I think the MX is my favourite Pentax. It is simple, discreet, robust and reliable. I like to use mine with the 45mm f2.8 pancake lens.

---------- Post added 01-20-22 at 10:53 AM ----------




Mine is a late model and I find the LEDS dim in bright light but still perfectly usable.

I find cameras that use shaped LEDS easier to use compared to the colour coded system in Pentax (I am not colour blind), eg +/o/- in Nikon or triangles in Leica. Nikons and Leicas also have much brighter LEDS that are easier to use in all lighting conditions.

Concerning service in the EU, I can recommend Kamerazeit in Lübeck, Germany, who is the official service provider for analog Pentax cameras in Germany.

[acoufap]

Concerning service in the EU, I can recommend Kamerazeit in Lübeck, Germany, who is the official service provider for analog Pentax cameras in Germany.

The MX isn‘t in their (Kamerazeit) list, but they encourage to ask if a model is missing.

[wkraus]

The MX isn‘t in their (Kamerazeit) list, but they encourage to ask if a model is missing.

I had both an MX and an LX (which is also not in the list) serviced there not long ago, but availability of spare parts might be critical depending on the specific issues.

[vladimiroltean]

I had both an MX and an LX (which is also not in the list) serviced there not long ago, but availability of spare parts might be critical depending on the specific issues.

Hi, thanks for the pointer! Would you mind posting a mini-review here details the difficulty and quality of work they did here?
Pentax Film SLR Repair Resources - PentaxForums.com

Regarding repairs for the MX, I see they have 2 distinct lists for some reason, one includes the MX and the other doesn't. Probably an oversight.
Reparatur folgender PENTAX Analog Kameramodelle - Kamerazeit
Reparatur folgender PENTAX Kameramodelle - Kamerazeit

[wkraus]

Hi, thanks for the pointer! Would you mind posting a mini-review here details the difficulty and quality of work they did here?
Pentax Film SLR Repair Resources - PentaxForums.com

Regarding repairs for the MX, I see they have 2 distinct lists for some reason, one includes the MX and the other doesn't. Probably an oversight.
Reparatur folgender PENTAX Analog Kameramodelle - Kamerazeit
Reparatur folgender PENTAX Kameramodelle - Kamerazeit

The list including the MX is not linked from the main page, so it must be an older version. I read the presence of a specific model on the list as kind of an obligation or promise to be able to service it, and this is no longer possible with the MX and LX. But that does not mean that they refuse to touch it.

I sent three bodies there: an LX that needed a general CLA and replacing of deteriorating mirror stopping foam (or whatever that is called in English); an MX (my son’s) with the top cap deformed around the finder eyepiece due to a fall, also in need of CLA and replacing deteriorating foams; and a K2 also needing a CLA and replacing deteriorating foams. In the case of the K2, the ISO wheel around the lens mount is still a little difficult to adjust (a well-known issue with that model), but apart from that everything turned out very satisfactorily. If you speak German it is best to discuss with Dirk Lorenzen, the owner and (chief?) technician what you need and he will take his time to explain what can be done and what cannot. For instance, he explained to me that a dusty finder screen with the K2 can hardly be cleaned because it would require removing the prism which is a lot of work, and he would expect the flexible printed board above the prism to break if it is removed. So he wouldn’t touch it. I also found that the price was very fair. But none of what I wanted was difficult repair work.

[vladimiroltean]

The list including the MX is not linked from the main page, so it must be an older version. I read the presence of a specific model on the list as kind of an obligation or promise to be able to service it, and this is no longer possible with the MX and LX. But that does not mean that they refuse to touch it.

I sent three bodies there: an LX that needed a general CLA and replacing of deteriorating mirror stopping foam (or whatever that is called in English); an MX (my son’s) with the top cap deformed around the finder eyepiece due to a fall, also in need of CLA and replacing deteriorating foams; and a K2 also needing a CLA and replacing deteriorating foams. In the case of the K2, the ISO wheel around the lens mount is still a little difficult to adjust (a well-known issue with that model), but apart from that everything turned out very satisfactorily. If you speak German it is best to discuss with Dirk Lorenzen, the owner and (chief?) technician what you need and he will take his time to explain what can be done and what cannot. For instance, he explained to me that a dusty finder screen with the K2 can hardly be cleaned because it would require removing the prism which is a lot of work, and he would expect the flexible printed board above the prism to break if it is removed. So he wouldn’t touch it. I also found that the price was very fair. But none of what I wanted was difficult repair work.

I know this is a thread for the Pentax MX (that's why it would have been nice if you could have mentioned Kamerazeit in the dedicated Pentax Film SLR Repair Resources thread, but FWIW I emailed them about a Pentax KM and got back this reply:
"Unfortunately we can´t offer the needed technical service for your PENTAX KM because the required original parts are no longer available (we generally don´t use used parts)."

[wkraus]

I know this is a thread for the Pentax MX (that's why it would have been nice if you could have mentioned Kamerazeit in the dedicated Pentax Film SLR Repair Resources thread, but FWIW I emailed them about a Pentax KM and got back this reply:
"Unfortunately we can´t offer the needed technical service for your PENTAX KM because the required original parts are no longer available (we generally don´t use used parts)."

Sorry about that! Was it in reaction to a specific problem you described?

[vladimiroltean]

Sorry about that! Was it in reaction to a specific problem you described?

I wasn't going to go into details, but since you asked...

Yes, for the purpose of receiving an approximate estimate prior to international shipping, I had described the state of the camera, the work it needs and explained that I have a donor K1000 (entirely different set of problems) that I'd be sending along with it.
In fact, the first response I got stated "thank you for your request in terms of a PENTAX KM. Unfortunately we can´t offer the needed technical service for your PENTAX LX because the required original parts are no longer available." (emphasis not mine) To which I explained that the email was about a different camera, for which I'd be providing the needed parts. The response I posted earlier is the revised one.
I mean, I don't want to discredit them in any way. I have no interest to do so, since I have cameras in need of repair and in need of a competent technician able to carry out the work. By all means, I encourage everyone in the same state as me to go ahead and reach out to them. But I can't help but be amused just a little bit for the stated reason to refuse It's not like I wouldn't have understood something more elaborate, considering that even Eric Hendrickson said in the interview posted here on the forum that he shops for parts cameras on ebay.

[wkraus]

I wasn't going to go into details, but since you asked...

Yes, for the purpose of receiving an approximate estimate prior to international shipping, I had described the state of the camera, the work it needs and explained that I have a donor K1000 (entirely different set of problems) that I'd be sending along with it.
In fact, the first response I got stated "thank you for your request in terms of a PENTAX KM. Unfortunately we can´t offer the needed technical service for your PENTAX LX because the required original parts are no longer available." (emphasis not mine) To which I explained that the email was about a different camera, for which I'd be providing the needed parts. The response I posted earlier is the revised one.
I mean, I don't want to discredit them in any way. I have no interest to do so, since I have cameras in need of repair and in need of a competent technician able to carry out the work. By all means, I encourage everyone in the same state as me to go ahead and reach out to them. But I can't help but be amused just a little bit for the stated reason to refuse It's not like I wouldn't have understood something more elaborate, considering that even Eric Hendrickson said in the interview posted here on the forum that he shops for parts cameras on ebay.

Thanks for clarifying this. I also don’t have a reason to defend them, but I assume it has to do with the “official” ethos. While a non-Pentax-trained technician might be less aware of typical issues, manual SLRs of the mostly metal period are not too hard to understand and a general repair shop might have less qualms to use parts from your donor camera.

[scc]

Just for the record, I received the same answer from Kamerazeit when I sent an inquiry for the repair of my A*300 f/2.8.