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Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras 06-26-2020, 10:03 PM  
Optical Measurements of Pentax ME Super Shutter Speed
Posted By peter.d
Replies: 15
Views: 2,705
Well, the 1/125 is purely mechanical however I believe the mode switch has to be set to 1/125 (not sure the exact marking, my ME has AUTO and 1/100) to fire without batteries.

My gut feeling tels me that in AUTO mode the shutter speed of 1/125 is still governed by electronics and the shutter solenoid. Might be wrong, though.


I used the very same technique for measuring shutter speeds on my cameras. The faster shutter speeds have always been problematic due to a slow response time of the used light sensor. I got much better results when using IR LED+phototransistor from an old floppy drive. This combination showed much steeper rise curve.

In general, I would consider deviation of +/- 25% more than adequate for a film camera.
Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras 03-30-2020, 02:44 AM  
K1000 photocell circuit board swap out
Posted By peter.d
Replies: 5
Views: 1,064
Yes, I was quite surprised myself. I think I had a luck with the photoresistor selection. Every piece, even from the same batch, exhibits quite different curve.
Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras 03-29-2020, 09:56 PM  
K1000 photocell circuit board swap out
Posted By peter.d
Replies: 5
Views: 1,064
I have done something similar with Konica C35. When it came the photocell was dead. The resistance was about 15 ohms and did not change with light. Since the camera was overall in a very good cosmetic condition I decided to give it second life. I bought a pack of various photoresistors of ebay, selected one with highest resistance in "normal room" lighting. Since the camera had no variable resistors for adjustment I added one in paralel (low EV adjustment) with the photoresistors and one in series (high EV adjustment).

Then I pointed the camera to a uniformly white wall. I used a tungsten lamp with variable intensity to simulate the lighting. Adjusted to max output, took the light reading with Canon EOS dSLR and adjusted the variable resistors to roughly match the reading. Then turned the lighting down and repeated the above. Then I repeated both to fine tune. The result was I got within 1/2 stop accuracy (to EOS metering) across the whole range of Konica camera - EV7 to EV19 if I remember well.
Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras 03-19-2020, 08:55 AM  
Pentax ME Super light leak?
Posted By peter.d
Replies: 22
Views: 2,805
IMHO that should be clear of felt. It is a frame counter reset pin.
Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras 03-07-2020, 02:45 AM  
35mm Film Scanner
Posted By peter.d
Replies: 17
Views: 2,660
Not sure if this is the right place to ask this question. If not please, do let me know.

What do you think about cheap negative digitizers like these?
https://www.lidl-service.com/static/315294192/281543_DE.pdf

They are currently on offer in my local lidl store for 25 EUR.

I know, these are not really scanners but a webcams. However, can they be used as a quick and dirty way to get some decent previews from B&W negatives. Is it a complete waste of time and money? Just wondering if someone has any practical experience.
Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras 03-07-2020, 02:09 AM  
Pentax ME - new owner with few questions
Posted By peter.d
Replies: 13
Views: 1,125
Well, well. First major fault. The mirror got stuck up and shutter open when I was about half way through the first roll. A gentle thump to the bottom plate did seem help to close the shutter and mirror went down. I tried take another exposure and the same happened again.

I followed this excellent write up Repairing A Pentax ME Film Transport ? Simon Hawketts' Photo Blog and all seems to be fine now. Will see if it is a long term fix.
Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras 03-01-2020, 08:44 AM  
MX wiring diagram
Posted By peter.d
Replies: 5
Views: 2,686
I am just wondering if such diagram exists for ME?
Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras 02-10-2020, 01:55 AM  
What's the best Pentax film SLR to purchase?
Posted By peter.d
Replies: 65
Views: 15,535
Very well put. I would be more than happy to stretch this kind of approach to other stuff like cars, home appliances e.t.c.
Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras 02-09-2020, 03:27 AM  
Pentax ME - new owner with few questions
Posted By peter.d
Replies: 13
Views: 1,125
Same here. However, they do not provide scans (in digital files) as a part of the package. It is a paid service and rather expensive.
Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras 02-09-2020, 02:25 AM  
Pentax ME - new owner with few questions
Posted By peter.d
Replies: 13
Views: 1,125
My meter does not jump either. At least not randomly and erratically. It stays steady and follows the light as I point the camera. It is just when the lightmeter is off and I half press the shutter release the LED shows under, then over and then the correct speed. This happens very very quickly, within half a second I reckon. Then it stays at the metered speed as it should.

---------- Post added 02-09-20 at 02:49 AM ----------



No, I am not an online person. I don't think I have ever posted any of my photos. Not counting snapshots for ebay and similar stuff. And I feel no need for sharing any part of my life electronically. I hope this does not offend anyone on this forum.

I do not plan to scan or get the negatives scanned either. I will be happy with printed photos.

About 7 years ago I decided I will somehow organize all our photos. Bought an old copy of Lightroom, copied photos from all CDs, external HDDs, phones and memory cards my wife and me used since late 1990s when we went digital to a home NAS. To this date we have about 100.000 pictures. None of these got ever printed. None of us ever found a time to sort through this lot, delete bad shots, select the good ones, tweak them if necessary and order prints. And we really tried. Neither we found time to sit by the computer and show our memories to our kids. So, basically these are just data on the NAS with no convenient way to look at them. On the other hand, the photo albums we have from analogue era get our attention couple of times a year on those rainy Sunday afternoons. I realized, it might be more enjoyable to take less photos, enjoy the moment instead, enjoy the time thinking about composition and have all of them printed. Some of the photos will bad, some might be good. Who cares - they all will be records of our memories. My wife happily agrees. I know, this can be achieved with digital but there is always the temptation to take more photos, review them on the display and basically return to where we are now :) And, this little Pentax feels just right in the hands :D
Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras 02-09-2020, 02:21 AM  
What's the best Pentax film SLR to purchase?
Posted By peter.d
Replies: 65
Views: 15,535
I second this. I come from a digital background and never had a need for DoF preview button. It didn't do much on EOS 350D and 20D anyway However, on Pentax ME I really miss it. Its viewfinder, unlike the digital counterparts, is capable of showing the focus depth. I noticed if I release the lens and turn it in the mount a tiny bit it kind of mimics the DoF preview. Not an ideal solution though. I don't get it why they did not make a dedicated DoF buttons on these cameras. Technically, it shouldn't be a rocket science.
Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion 02-08-2020, 09:27 AM  
Pentax M 50mm f1.7 - stops per click
Posted By peter.d
Replies: 3
Views: 707
Yes, you are right, it is a full stop.

I played with the Pentax ME that came with the lens and I am getting one stop in shutter speed between the second and the third click so that is one stop in aperture. The first click does not change the shutter speed so that is likely to be a half stop in aperture. The camera lightmeter has one stop resolution.

1.7 -> 2 half stop for the first click
2 -> 2.8 full stop for the second click
2.8 to 16 half stop for each click
16 -> 22 full stop for the last click
Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion 02-08-2020, 08:13 AM  
Pentax M 50mm f1.7 - stops per click
Posted By peter.d
Replies: 3
Views: 707
I am completely new to anything Pentax so excuse me if the question is really stupid. How many stops per click does this lens should have?

I seem to be getting one click between 22-16 which would indicate a full stop per click. Then two clicks between 16-11 which should be half stop per click. And finally two clicks between 2.8-1.7 which might be a full stop to 2 and then a half stop. Is this normal?
Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras 02-08-2020, 07:47 AM  
Pentax ME - new owner with few questions
Posted By peter.d
Replies: 13
Views: 1,125
Yes, I read those reviews before I decided to buy the camera. I will contribute with my own experience once I put couple of films through it.
Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras 02-08-2020, 07:25 AM  
Pentax ME - new owner with few questions
Posted By peter.d
Replies: 13
Views: 1,125
Thank you for all your answers.


Yes, that's probably the way to go. Need to place an online order for few rolls - nothing at home at the moment. It's a shame one cannot buy films in supermarkets/petrol stations/drug stores.

In the 1/100 mode the lightmeter appears to be completely off - all LED off.

My most used focal length over the years appear to be between 35 and 45mm. 50mm feels a bit tight. On the other hand the lens I got is in a pristine condition, so probably will live with it. Those 40mm pancake lenses are roughly as much expensive as the camera+50mm lens I got. :confused:

Another question, what case do you guys use for these old cameras? Mine came without a case. Those I saw with original cases were rather sad looking.
Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras 02-08-2020, 12:25 AM  
Pentax ME - new owner with few questions
Posted By peter.d
Replies: 13
Views: 1,125
Hello all, this is my first post so a brief introduction first. I don't consider myself to be a photographer - not even an amateur one. However, I like taking photos. I started in my early teens with 6x6 film and a vary basic toy like camera. Then I spend next about 15 years without a camera. When the Canon EOS350D (Rebel) was introduced I got one. Then I bought few lenses and an used EOS20D body. However, as I goes with digital, the number of shots increased rapidly and time required to process them at the computer was never found. Somehow, I lost interested and sold all my gear except for the now very old but reliable 350D body and 18-55 lens. It gets used once or twice a year by my wife.

Few years ago I discovered and old film camera in the attic. It was Carl Zeiss Jena Werramatic, a fully manual rangefinder made in East Germany in the 1960s. It took me a year to shot a roll of film. As nice this camera was, the ergonomics is really bad. It was heavy and felt like a brick. I sold it and bought Konica C35 instead. This was a rangefinder too, lighter, smaller and fully automatic. Shot a roll of film but didn't like the camera much. So, I decided to look at something else. I like rangefinders however not many of them were around. Leica's are way too expensive, Soviet era Feds and Zorkis are out of question due to a bad heritage these cameras come with.

I came across Olympus OM SLR's. And liked them - small almost like a rangefider, interchangeable lenses are a plus. For some time I was looking for OM10 in good condition. OMx series would be better but the prices were two to three times higher. Then I spotted an offer for Pentax ME with 50mm 1.7 lens, the black version, in excellent condition and for half the price the usual offers for OM10 were. I could not resist.

The camera came about a week ago. I was surprised in the most positive meaning of the word surprised. My hands have never touched a non-plastic film SLR before. This camera feels like it comes from a completely different world. This little machine is a real engineering marvel. The viewfinder in EOS350D (and 20D) are a no match to this little Pentax. I haven't shot a single roll of film yet but everytime my hands touch it I get smile on my face.

It didn't come without issues though. The seller claimed there are fresh batteries in it. However, I noticed the shutter time sometimes felt inconsistent with what was indicated in the viewfinder. For example, the viewfinder show 1/2 and the shutter sounded more like 1/125th. However the next shot was (or sounded) correct. This happened about once or twice per 10 shots. I noticed the LED in the viewfinder kind of flickered. I read the user guide and came to a conclusion this might be low batteries. So I replaced them (the old ones were surprisingly still @ 1.5V) and the issue disappeared to some extend. But not completely. I still get a shutter time that feels wrong once in every about 100 shots. The next shot with the same indicated shutter speed always feels ok. This issue is not repeatable and I am unable to find any meaningful pattern except the next shot feels ok.

Q1: Any idea what the above described issue could be?

Q2: If the ISO dial knob exercised bad (corroded) contacts, is it indicated in the viewfinder as erroneous shutter speed value? If the contact is intermittent, does it show up as LED "jumping" rapidly between shutter speeds?

Q3: The half press of shutter release does not seem to work as AE lock. Is this normal for these cameras?

Q4: When I half press the shutter button, the LED goes to UNDER, than quickly to OVER, and then it shows the correct shutter speed. This all happens within about half a second. Is this UNDER/OVER normal or is the lightmeter trying to tell me something is not right?

Q5: The lightmeter under low light seems to be greatly influenced by a viewfinder backlighting. Is this normal? I have not noticed similar issue with digital SLRs.

Q6. The 50mm lens is nicely made. However the even smaller pancake 40mm f/2.8 lens looks tempting. Has anyone had any practical experience with it? I am not concerned about the optical performance - this will certainly be more than adequate for my needs. It is the handling, mostly how convenient is the focusing ring, that I am curious about.

If anyone can reply any of the about question, it would be greatly appreciated.
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