MZ-5n beeps instead of firing shutter or DoF preview

Yesterday my MZ-5n started giving me grief. When I press the shutter or try to

activate the depth-of-field preview, all I get is a lower-pitched beeeep. To

me it sounds more like a beep than a high-speed motor whirring, but I'll

concede that this <i>could</i> be the sound. The noise is lower in pitch and

longer in duration than the normal in-focus beep. The same is true if

attempting to fire with self-timer.

 

<LI>I've tried Tv, Av, P, M, and B modes.

<LI>I've tried two different FA lenses.

<LI>I think batteries are OK since AF and metering still work fine. I removed

and re-installed them anyway with no effect.

<LI>I've tried MF and AF.

<LI>I forced rewind and opened and closed the back (there's no film in it).

The motor runs like it's trying to load film.

 

<P>Nothing so far has made any difference. Has anyone else experienced this on

an MZ or any other Pentax SLR? Any suggestions or repair recommendations?

 

<P>-Andrew

Is the mirror in up position?

No, mirror is down. I also tried lifting the mirror by hand and moving the in-body stop-down mechanism by hand to make sure they were free.

Hello,

I had the same problem with my ZX-5n few months ago. At the beginning it started to lock the mirror in "up" position, then waited for several second, mirror went back and film moved forward by 1 frame. Then mirror went again up independetly on my will and film moved again. It spoiled always 2 frames of my film. And after few weeks it started to behave exactly like your camera.

I brought it to local camera service. The guy there told me, that it was not the first ZX-5n in his service with the same problem and that I should send it directly to Pentax authorised service. But the price for repair was higher than the price of camera itself.

I tried to find some info about it on the i-net and I found (i don't remember where exactly) other people with the same problem. They told me, that there is some problem with mirror (or shutter) motor. It is overheated and burned and needs to be replaced.

So I think it is not unfortunately good information for you. I bought used MZ6 instead of it. It is not so "user friendly" for me, but it takes pictures :-).

Petr.

Hi Andrew. Does the DOF preview work "everytime"?

Hi Petr. The problem you are experiencing is a cracked mirror motor plastic gear. This is a common problem with all MZ/ZX cameras and Pentax has since issue a <a href="http://www.pbase.com/wlachan/image/72421098">brass part</a> which is cheap. But the whole camera has to be <a href="http://www.pbase.com/wlachan/image/72420947">stripped</a> just to replace that part so the labour is expensive. It's a pity really because these MZ/ZX cameras are otherwise quite reliable.

Alan: The DoF preview doesn't work at all, makes the same tone I hear when trying to fire the shutter. This is actually where I noticed it first. Where does one get parts (or service info for that matter) for these cameras?

 

I also read that thread recently about the gear change...of course just a few days later my MZ is stricken by what may (or may not) be the same ailment. Do you think it is the gear? Any help is appreciated.

 

-Andrew

If the camera makes some sound when trying to activate the DOF preview but not working, the problem is the same. The plastic gear on the mirror motor has cracked. You can purchase <a href ="http://www.pbase.com/wlachan/image/72421098.jpg">this mirror motor</a> from Pentax parts department and should cost about $10 roughly. But as I said above, it's a lot of work (and soldiering too) to replace it. Good luck!

Hi Alan, do you know where to get the mirror motor? I've ran into the same problem with MZ-3 and this might a temporary solution for me... I've already repaired a broken mount from MZ-5 and buying MZ-3 was one of the reasons to get a reliable camera:-( Or I'd just use the motor from my MZ-5 but this will demand two times as much work. Any special tools other than a tiny screwdriver and soldering iron are necessary? Thanks, Jiri