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Forum: Vintage Cameras and Equipment
07-13-2022, 11:02 PM
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I figured I'd start a thread about this here  So, Bronica ETR series focusing screens tend to be in a bad shape, smudgy and scratched.
I noticed a seller (China) on Ebay is making new ones:
2021 New Fresnel Split focus screen for Bronica ETR ETRS ETRSi | eBay
Sure, when ordering overseas the wait will be long - but these things can be hard to find and VERY expensive so I figured it could be worth a shot to try one.
Anyone ever tried one? Does it mess up the lighting or even fit properly on the camera?
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Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras
12-07-2021, 08:22 AM
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I realize this is a very old thread, but since a lot of these great little cameras are still around and I'm getting the feeling, this is a very common problem with them, I thought I'd bring this back a bit.
So basically, I had my ME Super professionally serviced a few years ago and this problem still happens --> sometimes doesn't fire, but can always advance.
When exercising the shutter, it sometimes gets freed-up and works perfectly for a long while, but if you leave it sit overnight, it stops firing again and it can get tricky trying to get it firing again at all.
So then, someone adviced me that the cause is actually shutter button contacts and cleaning them will resolve the issue:
"You need to unscrew the retaining ring around the shutter button. Beware of the spring. Lift out the button, and you will see the contacts you need to clean."
My question is:
Can someone confirm whether this really works - and perhaps tell me in more detail just how to unscrew the ring around the shutter button (do I need special tools for that?)
If this solution works (I hope so!) it might be of help to a lot of MES owners so I wanted to post this.
EDIT: By the way, the non-firing issue happens in both the mechanical (1/125) mode as well as with batteries. |
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Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras
01-08-2021, 08:18 AM
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Awesome! Congratulations :)
The MX is really something to behold - smallest mechanical film SLR in the world (my understanding is that even the OM-1 is bigger) with one of the biggest viewfinders out there (or biggest?) - and a nice selection of fantastic yet affordable lenses, including that 50mm f1.7 (hard to beat the price/quality ratio of that lens). And those sleek looks. Yep, it's a nice camera alright.
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Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras
01-06-2021, 12:28 PM
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You guys've convinced me, my next roll will go in the regular way.
What might have happened, the time I did encounter problems, is that the leader may have moved/slipped a bit (under the white pins) during loading and me not noticing it before closing the back - leaving the leader -almost- flicking out from under one or two 'magic needles' and then barely clinging in there for 10 or so shots.
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Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras
01-06-2021, 08:38 AM
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Nice, I just might start doing this too. I kinda miss loading film in such an effortless way.
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Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras
01-06-2021, 02:05 AM
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Yeah, I did get a very reliable impression of that shutter before it/something failed. And while I prefer the MX over the MES, the winding feel of ME Super's metal shutter was lovely and firm. The only thing I don't like about my MX actually (even the stiffness of the speed dial is ok for me) is the uneven/sloppy feeling of the winder (I realize it's a different design with a cloth shutter and will have a different travel motion etc).
It could be the the electronics / controller (?) in the ME Super that failed on me - although to note, without batteries (using the 1/125 sync speed) it also only works occasionally and likes to jam up right after. This, after a proper CLA.
Not my video btw - but I've loaded similarly these past couple of years. Always works, but loading takes too much time so I would actually prefer to go back to just sticking the film under the pins.
Again, not my video, but would you guys say this is a good amount of leader to stick under:
You Tube
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src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/0D1NJlf_-cQ?controls=1" allowfullscreen>
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I'd be willing to go back to loading the film as originally intended just because it's way easier to do it on the road (=with my current method, making that little wedge to the end is tricky to do just with fingers alone and takes a few tries to get the film end popping back up from under the pins) but I really dislike having to second guess whether the film will lose grip in the middle of the roll.
If I remember correctly, the slip might have happened with one of those slightly thinner film brands, possibly Cinestill without its anti-halation layer. Could be that it had slightly less grip than usual, not sure, just guessing.
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Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras
01-05-2021, 12:02 PM
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Cool review! ME Super is so much fun to use. With aperture priority, I found it to be especially nice for spontaneous street snap -photography with the exposure compensation set to +1 whenever desired.
Coupla sidenotes though. On the take-up spool: "No doubt its purpose is to prevent mis-loading, but I would think that’s all but impossible with the ME Super."
--> Personally I would prefer a more traditional take-up spool. It once lost grip mid-roll... Not nice. :( It could be that I just didn't stick the film far enough, then I heard someone else had had that happen too. Ever since, just to be safe, I have always loaded my film (nowadays with the MX) like in this video:
You Tube
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src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hvwZcw0xDE0?controls=1" allowfullscreen>
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"The ME Super has a good-but-not-great reputation for reliability, with jammed shutters (easy to fix)"
--> My ME Super is semi-jammed. I had it CLA'd professionally a few years ago and it worked perfectly for 6 months, then started giving non-exposed frames here and there, and then jammed up again - now it's in the storage room and I've gotten myself an MX.
It's my impression that ME Super shutters are a bit of a mystery, and overall it's not a very reliable camera - correct me if I'm wrong and I'd be happy to learn if the shutter is indeed an easy fix (?).
Strangely enough, mine fires every now and then and sometimes works for a little while - when it does, and doesn't give a non-exposed frame, it's dead accurate especially since the CLA / calibration. I have no idea why the shutter won't fire some/most of the time.
Other than that, I think it'd be right up there with the best.
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Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras
01-03-2021, 11:31 PM
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Reporting in case someone is wondering about the same thing:
I improved things a bit by "sanding" (more like micro-scratching) with a Mirka pad (similar to sandpaper). The scuff is less obvious now.
I had cut down the abrasive pad, bent it so I don't "sand" around the scuff and used the absolute minimum of force, more like tickled it. It was enough to remove most of the glossy shine and give it a more matte appearance.
Camera looks clean enough. Back to shooting.
(As for the cause of the scuff - I actually think it was caused by the grommets on my new leather strap, while putting the camera in my bag - so if you're wondering if the protective leather pads you sometimes see come with these, serve any purpose, they do...)
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Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras
01-03-2021, 04:43 AM
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Would be good practice for sure, though personally I never quite got used to the bulky feeling of protective cases.
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Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras
01-02-2021, 10:55 AM
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Ah, ok. If I read you correctly, I should probably not try to 'sand' down the layers any further, as brass would then have more of a golden appearance, popping out even more..
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Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras
01-02-2021, 10:38 AM
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Polished - seems about right, yep. Good tip, thank you - though it seems that the 'polished' scuff (2mm-wide stroke on the Asahi text - very very shiny) doesn't seem to react to a pencil eraser.
Ideal thing would be to make it more 'matte' somehow, as the super bright shine really pushes through next to the satin/metallic finish.
A silver paint pen on the other hand, might make the surface appear uneven/bumpy.
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Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras
01-02-2021, 02:39 AM
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Ok, thanks for the information Phil.
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Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras
01-01-2021, 09:41 AM
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I managed to scuff my silver Pentax MX a little bit, right over the Asahi logo - nothing too bad, though I am pretty sensitive with this stuff, especially since the camera looked almost brand new prior to this. :(
I use the camera a lot, almost daily including winter time, so I guess it was bound to start showing some marks sooner or later.
Out of curiosity, what material is the MX - it seems to scuff/scratch more easily than most metal bodies. The bottom plate basically reveals every time it was moved around on the table. Brass with some sort of metallic coating on top?
The area under the scuff reveals a very shiny silver surface, which makes the scuff unnoticeable at some angles and -very- noticeable at other angles. I suppose trying to retouch it with anything would make matters worse...
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Forum: Post Your Photos!
12-05-2020, 11:34 AM
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Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras
06-08-2020, 10:16 AM
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Just the info I was looking for, cheers - I'll probably get the cheap flanged one so that I can just leave it on the lens, should be a breeze to use - and I can always consider getting an official Pentax one later if needed. Can't wait to get my swirl on...
With the flanged adapter, does the MX still somehow manage to get the aperture info off the lens btw - or is light metering only possible at max aperture?
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Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras
06-08-2020, 08:24 AM
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Thanks! Infinity focus would have been nice, but I'd prefer to be able to swap lenses on my MX quickly and without much effort. And when it comes to metering, that should all be ok even with flanged adapters, right...
Anyway. I read somewhere that some cheapo adapters can cause problems, such as getting stuck or leaving metal residue inside the mirror box. That sounds horrible :fedup:
Does the above also apply to the 'flanged' adapters (without infinity focus) or just bad copies of the original Pentax design, which screws onto the actual camera body?
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Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras
06-08-2020, 12:09 AM
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Argh, silly me - the "adaptall" wording got me thinking these are universal adapters of some sort. Yup, first plunge into the world of adapters here... Always just used Pentax K bayonet lenses with my MX before this.
Fantastic! Thanks.
Did I understand correctly, this type of original adapter cannot be left on the lens itself? Ok it -might- not be a huge issue for me, but does mean there's an extra step of attaching the adapter ring onto the camera body each time I'd like to use the Helios 44.
In that sense, the latter cheapo adapter might be the less-hassle option for me.
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Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras
06-07-2020, 11:23 PM
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So I've been wanting to try out the Helios 44 for a while now, and found a cheap one yesterday from a flea-market. Good condition, too, w/ buttery focus feel and both lens caps.
Going to put it on my Pentax MX - the lens has an m42 screw mount and I realize adapters have been discussed a lot here but I'm still not entirely sure which adapter would suit me best.
I wouldn't want the adapter to cost more than 30 bucks, the lens only cost me 10 so...
I would prefer something that is as easy to attach and remove as it would be to use any other lens - and I'd like to keep the adapter fitted on the lens at all times.
Infinity focus ability would be very nice, but not 100% necessary in my case because I would be using this lens mostly for the... Yeah you guessed it... Swirly bokeh... :lol:
There's a good camera store here, which has a couple of options available - could anyone confirm or have user experience whether one of these would work. Also, in two of these the description doesn't confirm if it's m42... If these are no good for any reason, it's no problem for me to grab it from Ebay, either, just not really sure which brands in this price range are sturdy and easy to use.
Tamron Adaptall - Pentax K - Kameratori
Tamron Adaptall - M42 - Kameratori
Tamron Adaptall - Pentax K - Kameratori |
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
08-18-2019, 10:32 AM
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That's reassuring to hear Ronald, cheers!
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
08-18-2019, 04:33 AM
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Thanks, I did that and actually did find that a couple of screws were still loose! I tightened them.
This didn't fix the actual issue. However...
...I then also went in through the back and, indeed, the cause of the sound was play in the aperture mechanism.
There's a metal plate/circle in there, which makes a surprising amount of noise whenever the lens is tilted, even though the plate is secured as it should be. Maybe with this particular unit, the metal plate is ever so slightly too thin and has a little more room to breathe than usually.
I love the lens so it's great to know there aren't any actual glass elements wobbling about, I appreciate the help everyone.
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
08-17-2019, 01:01 PM
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Hmm, I think that's a no.. The focus ring feels super (!) smooth and firm, there's appears to be no play in it.
The outermost metal part/barrel (the one that extends from the lens body when focusing closer) does move -very- slightly away and towards the body, but I'm talking a tenth of a millimeter and only when really pulling/pushing, overall the whole thing is super firm.
The part that sounds loose inside, clicks sort of like it's "lightweight" if that makes any sense. Like an actual loose part, although the noise is subtle.
Nope, no filter either I'm afraid...
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