[dyusem]

I am starting to futz with my daughter's (new to her) first SLR and I have one question:

1/ I do not see (or read in the manual that there is) an on/off switch: is there one? If not, is there a constant battery drain?

This camera seems to check out with all functions working and the body is very clean in and out...not bad for $35 (with a M50mm/1.7)!

Fingers crossed that I am actually exposing some film...

Thanks in advance for the feedback!
David

[stevebrot]

I don't know the answer to your question, but the ME Super manual may be downloaded from here:

http://www.pentaximaging.com/files/manual/MESuper.pdf

Good luck and happy shooting

Steve

[J.Scott]

The battery runs the light meter. If you half depress the shutter button it will activate the meter for a few seconds then turn off automaticly.

[dyusem]

I don't know the answer to your question, but the ME Super manual may be downloaded from here:

http://www.pentaximaging.com/files/manual/MESuper.pdf

Good luck and happy shooting

Steve

Thanks Steve...I have the manual and emailed a copy to my daughter however it is unlikely that a tech-savvy 14 year old will feel she needs to read it!

[dyusem]

The battery runs the light meter. If you half depress the shutter button it will activate the meter for a few seconds then turn off automaticly.

Thanks for the feedback and confirmation that the camera automatically turns off.

[J.Scott]

Just another thought. Any camera of that vintage will probably need to have the light seals replaced. I have an ME Super and recently did mine.

[dyusem]

Just another thought. Any camera of that vintage will probably need to have the light seals replaced. I have an ME Super and recently did mine.

Thanks for the thought however this camera has not seen much of the light of day and spent most of its life (to date!) in the (still perfect) camera case (and I suspect) tucked away in a drawer.

An internal inspection yielded no visible issues and there are just a couple of minor scratches on the body so I got lucky

Cheers,
David

[Stevopedia]

The battery also powers the ME Super's shutter in the M and Auto positions, but the dedicated X/125 and B are both mechanical. BTW, when the battery runs out hte shutter still fires at 1/125 at Auto and M.

There is also an L position (for Lock) that locks the shutter. But the dial doesn't actually lock in the L position; instead it locks on Auto.

The ME Super is a really nice body, and you got it for a steal. Mine was almost as good--cheaper ($25) with a much worse lens (plastic M 50/2)

[stevebrot]

Thanks for the thought however this camera has not seen much of the light of day and spent most of its life (to date!) in the (still perfect) camera case (and I suspect) tucked away in a drawer.

An internal inspection yielded no visible issues and there are just a couple of minor scratches on the body so I got lucky

Cheers,
David

The seals degrade over time regardless of whether the camera has been used. Basically, they dissolve into a sticky goo. These include the light seals for the camera back and the mirror bumper in the mirror box. They are relatively cheap to have replaced at the friendly local camera repair. The job is also a fairly easy DIY job with materials available on eBay or from suppliers such as Micro-Tools, Camera & Watch Repair Tools - Home.

Steve

[dyusem]

The battery also powers the ME Super's shutter in the M and Auto positions, but the dedicated X/125 and B are both mechanical. BTW, when the battery runs out hte shutter still fires at 1/125 at Auto and M.

There is also an L position (for Lock) that locks the shutter. But the dial doesn't actually lock in the L position; instead it locks on Auto.

The ME Super is a really nice body, and you got it for a steal. Mine was almost as good--cheaper ($25) with a much worse lens (plastic M 50/2)

Thanks for the tips! The camera feels good in my hands and it should work perfectly for my daughter...I can't wait for her to let me borrow it once in a while

[dyusem]

The seals degrade over time regardless of whether the camera has been used. Basically, they dissolve into a sticky goo. These include the light seals for the camera back and the mirror bumper in the mirror box. They are relatively cheap to have replaced at the friendly local camera repair. The job is also a fairly easy DIY job with materials available on eBay or from suppliers such as Micro-Tools, Camera & Watch Repair Tools - Home.

Steve

Steve, thanks for the clarification. I did not see any sticky goo in the places that you mentioned so I will expose a roll of film and see if there is any detrimental effects and keep an eye on the seals that you mentioned.

Cheers,
David

[Fritz]

I did the light seals on my ME Super a few years ago. Really easy to do with the kit you can get on ebay. I thought mine looked ok too until little black gooey specs started appearing in my view finder as the mirror bumper disintegrated. That goo was not easy to clean off!

They are great little cameras though, I'm sure your daughter will love it.

[titrisol]

The MESuper is agreat camera
I fell in love with it about 1 year ago.

Now, the light seals will need replacement soomer than later, get a kit from Jon Goodman
the instructions are here:
Favorite Classics / Jon Goodman's Seal Replacement Instructions

[frank]

Now I got both ME Super and Super Program, both are excellent cameras. If I can only keep one, that'll be really hard for me. Luckily these cameras are relatively cheap nowadays, won't cost much keeping both

[dyusem]

Very funny that you mention the Super Program as I have suggested to myself that if my daughter decides to keep a SLR in her collection then I would look for a Super Program for myself

That said, I have a very capable (and dare I mention, far superior to the ME Super) Canon A1 BUT my glass is all PK mount except for a few Canon mounts so maybe a Super Program is in my future.

Cheers,
David

Now I got both ME Super and Super Program, both are excellent cameras. If I can only keep one, that'll be really hard for me. Luckily these cameras are relatively cheap nowadays, won't cost much keeping both