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Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras
04-04-2022, 12:37 PM
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I recently performed my own CLA on a Pentax MX and also had issues with the slow speed escarpment. My problem was that speeds using the escarpment would not fire the shutter. It turns out that a small grain of sand (and I mean tiny) was in the gears and stopped the escarpment from working.
The escarpment always moves at the same speed, but the shutter speed selector dictates where the escarpment starts from, adjusting the amount of time the shutter is open.
I found the best way to work with the escarpment is by taking it out of the camera.
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Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras
03-23-2022, 06:55 AM
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I didn't pick up on the lighter fluid thing. Yeah, it's great for cleaning, but it's totally not a lubricant! Once it dries, it's like all the lubricant has been stripped off. You'll need to put a few drops of light machine oil (e.g. 3-in1) on those gears. Found out about this the hard way when I used lighter fluid to clean up a lens diaphragm -- which I haven't put oil on, waiting to obtain a proper (graphite?) lube for this particular application.
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Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras
03-22-2022, 12:53 PM
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Maybe your speed selector cam got misaligned? I made a short video showing what the positions should be, maybe it's helpful.
You Tube
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src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6JFtncHidME?controls=1" allowfullscreen>
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Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras
03-22-2022, 08:01 AM
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My guess the mirror issue has to do with the second curtain travel time being too slow. Probably anything that moves and is visible with the bottom cover off needs a drop of appropriate oil. NYE oil is good as is Deoxit X10s oil in an oiler bottle. I'm not sure how available these are where you live. The other issue is that even if you get it going you probably need test equipment to get things working properly.
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Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras
03-21-2022, 10:00 AM
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Sounds like a wonderful plan. Restoring old gear to working order can be a very engaging and rewarding hobby.
Yes, that's a key part of most CLAs for older cameras.
Surface wear is usually not a problem unless a dent impinges on a part of the mechanism or has distorted the body.
Chances are that this is is due to "a lot of dust, greasy foam particles" that you mentioned.
This is a likely root cause of the problems. Dust and greasy foam bits are probably also in the shutter, mirror, or aperture mechanisms which is preventing or slowing the full travel of these parts and the smooth operation of the mirror reflex motion.
That's a sure sign that the shutter curtains are not traveling as they should. It could be due to accumulated gunk in the guideways or in the curtain roller mechanisms. Carefully watching the curtains as you wind the camera and fire a long-shutter-time shot (1 second or B) may show you what is going on.
I'd first try a spot cleaning of all the accessible surfaces (and cleaning those parts as you slowly/partially cock the shutter and rotate all those gears). Flushing the mechanism seems risky because it might wash dirty solvent into other parts of the camera. A full disassembly may be needed but that requires incredible attention to detail to document EXACTLY what parts, in what orientation, came from which part, and in what order. The chances of misplacing, dislocating, or mis-rebuilding is very very high unless you are the type of person who is very good at keeping track of every last little tidbit. (Pro tip: do not disassemble a camera or lens in a room with shag carpet! ;) )
Good luck and have fun with your adventures in gear restoration!
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Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras
03-22-2022, 08:18 AM
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Hello,
I serviced my MX as an adventure a while ago. I found this link very helpful. I don't understand the writing but the pictures are helpful.
Pentax MX disassembly
Thanks,
Ismael
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Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras
08-10-2020, 01:50 AM
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A solution to 2 misbehaving P30T cameras. Remove the bottom plate. Wind on the shutter and hold it open: the second photo above shows this. Oil/lubricate the slot opened up at the right of the photos (near the '8' in the above photos). Everything on mine now work like new. One of these cameras had 2 other issues that this forum helped with: hopefully I can pay it forward.
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Forum: Film Processing, Scanning, and Darkroom
06-08-2020, 09:55 AM
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No offense taken. We all do things our own way(s). I don't do any darkroom stuff; tried it once, hated it, never again. I thought PhotoHut was a Godsend! That is how I roll, I know it's not for everyone. TDR does my developing and scanning. I get my prints at Walmart. My wife prints at FreePrints.com.
I think you'll be happy with the Plustek 8200i. I got good results with it. I just don't care for doing that kind of stuff. As you know, I had to try it! Enjoy your scanner. Post some results, please.
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Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras
01-29-2020, 02:23 PM
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Shot with my Spotmatic on Ilford FP4 ISO 125 with a 50mm Pentax lens
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Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras
01-24-2020, 12:10 PM
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 Untitled by Colton Allen, on Flickr
Pentax MZ-L
SMC Pentax-FA 43/1.9 Ltd.
Kodak TRI-X 400
Epson V750 |
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Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras
01-28-2020, 05:40 PM
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Taken with my Pentax Spotmatic SP and Petri 50mm f1.7. Film used was tri-x 400 and scanned with a Nikon LS 4000 ED.
 Pitstop! by Brian Mckee, on Flickr
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Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras
12-13-2019, 02:36 AM
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Pulau Ketam | Malaysia
Pentax MX, SMC-M 28/f2 and Tmax400
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Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras
12-09-2019, 02:20 PM
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Contre jour trees. Ondu pinhole camera, Ilford Ortho Plus film, commercial dev and scan tweaked in Lightroom (cross-posted with the trees thread).
Contre jour trees par Kris Lockyear, on ipernity
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Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras
12-02-2019, 08:01 AM
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Now, this is ingenious! And enviromentally friendly too, keep reusing your coded shims instead of wasting black electrical tape (not to mention the time it takes to apply make-up to each film canister).
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Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras
12-02-2019, 03:04 AM
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Pulau Ketam | Malaysia
Hasselblad SWC/M and Portra400
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Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras
11-18-2019, 08:36 AM
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Snow shoeing in the swamp, from last winter
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Forum: Lens Clubs
11-12-2019, 08:39 PM
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da 50-200 wr….K-3ii
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Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras
11-17-2019, 08:27 PM
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November 2005
Fujifilm Velvia in a 1950s-era Rolleiflex.
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Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras
11-17-2019, 08:19 PM
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I don't remember which camera, but definitely a Pentax SLR.
I do know the film was Kodachrome, because I've seldom used it.
This was taken in February 2001.
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Forum: Post Your Photos!
11-13-2019, 09:15 AM
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My pleasure. Just took a quick & dirty snap of my setup out in the garage.
What we have is a wooden copy stand made out of 1x3" lumber, with a platform made from an old chopping board.
Underneath I have an LED light shining up through the blue lid of a coffee can.
On the platform I have the base from an old Zeiss microscope which allows me very fine focussing down to the micron level.
I collect the snowflakes on a old 8x10 picture frame glass, which I lay on the arms I added to the microscope base.
The K3 is attached to a Soligor focusing rail which I use for coarse focusing with different lenses. I run the HDMI output from liveview to an old monitor for a bigger view.
Currently I have mounted a Componon-S 50mm F2.8 enlarging lens reverse stacked on a Pentax-M 200mm F4. That combination gives me an FOV of approx. 6 x 4mm. Using the 10X microscope objective on the extension tubes gets me down to approx. 2.25 x 1.5mm.
My plan for this year is to try out various lenses combination, and lighting setups to get the perfect shot … well I can hope :)
Hope that helps.
---------- Post added 11-13-19 at 11:20 AM ----------
I couldn't agree more :) Photographing them is much more preferable to shovelling them. They can be a real pain, but every now and then I capture a stunning beauty like this one and all is forgiven....
 IMGP4213 by Fred Widall, on Flickr
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Forum: Post Your Photos!
11-12-2019, 04:14 PM
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An early cold snap gave me the opportunity to try out my 'snowcatcher' setup.
For these images I mounted a noname 10X microscope objective to 155mm of extension tubes, which were then mounted on my K3. Each crystal is approx. 1mm across.
My setup is basically the same as last year's, although I have built a more stable stand out of 1x3" lumber and am planning on trying out some other lenses.
Not perfect, but I have at least the next four months to improve things :)
 IMGP2199 by Fred Widall, on Flickr
 IMGP2183 by Fred Widall, on Flickr
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Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras
11-10-2019, 02:49 PM
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This is not film, it's digital, for obvious reasons. Just finished my first roll of film in the ol' girl for twenty-plus years.
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