george_crawford Posted August 10, 2004 Share Posted August 10, 2004 My old K1000 (bought new in 1980s)is getting buggythe light meter appears to have stopped working, only registars at high and low end of aperture or EV (wide open and slow or stopped down and fast)The rest of thestory appears to related to shutter speed problems. using sunny 16 rule the pictures continually seem erratic in exposure. Any thoughts or comments on what to do (bury in th eback yard) or what k-mount replacement i should look for Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kai_teufel Posted August 10, 2004 Share Posted August 10, 2004 sounds not good. repair will be probably expensive. youll get lots of money for it at ebay, even if it doesnt work. you can buy really cheap (and good) Ricoh cameras. or buy a Pentax p30, cheap to get too. (dont forget to keep the pentax lens of the K1000!!!) bye, Kai Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stephen hazelton Posted August 10, 2004 Share Posted August 10, 2004 If you haven't done so, replace the battery, see if that helps. Erratic exposure could possibly be a lens problem (sticky diaphram), try the camera with a couple of different lenses to find out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lachaine Posted August 10, 2004 Share Posted August 10, 2004 My K1000 needed a new shutter and mirror foam after 20 years. It looked like it was brand new (one advantage of always using it in its fitted case), so it was worth fixing. It only cost $150 Canadian, at a local repair shop. It may or may not be worth fixing to you, especially if the meter doesn't work. Personally, I've used a number of cameras that don't have a meter, so that alone wouldn't bother me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ev0l Posted August 10, 2004 Share Posted August 10, 2004 For the meter I would suggest you try replacing the battery if that does not work you can get it repaired. Most repairs I have had done on older manual cameras have been in the $100 - $150 range. If your shutter is being erratic you have no choice but to have it repaired. Expect to spend $150. If you are not to attached to your K1000 (or it's metal body) you might want to look at buying a new plastic K-Mount manual camera like Vivitar V3800N or V4000. They are < $150 and have more features (timer and mirror lock-up) than your K1000. I use one with a screw mount adapter as a backup up for my Spotmatic F. If it was me I would repair it but then I love the old metal body cameras. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kai_teufel Posted August 10, 2004 Share Posted August 10, 2004 why repair for 150 $? youll get two k1000 at ebay for that. even me super isnt much more expensive at ebay. or a nice mx.... if you spent a a little more than 250 bucks you can even get a LX, best Pentax ever built. bye, kai Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alan_gage Posted August 10, 2004 Share Posted August 10, 2004 "why repair for 150 $? youll get two k1000 at ebay for that." The reason it may be worth it to repair it is that at least then you know what you've got and that it should last a real long time. If you bought 2 of them on EBAY there's still a chance their could be a problem with both of them or that they could develop problems in the near future. If the camera does everything you want a camera to do; then fixing it is a logical choice. If you aren't terribly happy with the features of the camara and were thinking of upgrading anyway this would make the perfect time. Alan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stephen hazelton Posted August 10, 2004 Share Posted August 10, 2004 The K1000's are not all metal-bodied- base plate on mine is plastic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lachaine Posted August 10, 2004 Share Posted August 10, 2004 Yours is a later one assembled in Hong Kong. My K1000 was definitely all-metal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jose f. Posted August 10, 2004 Share Posted August 10, 2004 Sounds like old Pentax syndrome; meter drift and incorrect shutter speeds. The meters can't always be economically revised, but a technician familiar with mechanical cameras can clean it and set the speeds. Any replacement K1000 you find is going to be about the same. If you don't want to put the money into it, a ZX-M might be a good replacement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin_browning Posted August 11, 2004 Share Posted August 11, 2004 George, If you're looking at ebay for a replacement, try the australian site, ebay.com.au , Ive seen 2 K1000's recently for around $120. (about US$85.00), Cheers, Colin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
george_crawford Posted August 11, 2004 Author Share Posted August 11, 2004 Thanks for the advice this is my backup camera so i have time to get it looked at by the local tech. Anyone know a good one in Houston , TX Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ron c sunshine coast,qld,a Posted August 16, 2004 Share Posted August 16, 2004 K1000's tend to have several common problems (when they eventually DO die)<BR>Try removing the baseplate and battery holder-check the wire because they corrode there.<BR>Also the small adjustable resistors inside the top get dirty and need cleaning/resetting.<br>If you do want to try working on it yourself,the screws in the center of the wind-on lever are opposite thread Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
george_crawford Posted August 24, 2004 Author Share Posted August 24, 2004 got the estimate on the fix approximately $85 for clean and new light meter sensor not to bad I bought 2 other back up camera in meantime that seem to work better Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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