ZX-5n problem, mirror & motor

[stemked]

My wife hasn't used her ZX-5n in close to a year. I was using it

to get some shots of our daughter and noted a low battery warning. I

changed the battery and the motor went crazy. The mirror locked up

and the camera seemed to give up the ghost. I replaced the battery

again, the camera rewound the film, but the mirror is still locked

up. Any ideas? It's the first time I've ever seen a problem with

her camera.

 

Thanks!

 

Doug

[asimrazakhan]

that is really freaky. i have a zx5n as well and i've a similar experience twice.... but i dont think this reply is going to answer your question. i guess i'm just sharing my own two similar experiences.

 

 

the first time something happened like this was just when i was taking a group shot.... the mirror jammed up and the motor stopped winding (though it didnt rewind). so i was sitting there with a stuck mirror and motor. i had to give it in for repairs to pentax. they fixed it within three weeks. the camera continued to work nicely for another 3 years till one day i was out in the field taking photos in the rain/snow and the low battery warning came on and it suddenly rewound the film and the mirror locked up. this sounds more similar to your experience. even when i replaced it with new batteries, it still didnt work. but this time, after bringing the camera back into the car and keeping it warm and dry for a couple of hours, it came back to life.

 

 

so i dont know what happened to your camera.... but i've learned that the zx5n isnt a camera i would take out into bad weather. and i've also learned (and heard from others) that you shouldnt try to rewind your film when the battery power is low. if the camera starts rewinding on low battery power, it might not make it to full rewinding and cause the camera to jam. the zx5n is a camera that needs strong batteries to keep it running. oh, and i have the AA battery pack on mine.

 

 

from all this i've come to the conclusion that its best to use the LX in bad weather, and the MZ-S when its nice out. now my zx-5n is for bike tours where i wouldnt want the LX and MZ-S to suffer through constant vibrations.

[Sandeha Lynch]

Asim may be right. One alternative is that the mirror return motor is dying. When I had to get mine replaced (MZ-5) the mirror was creaking up and down, so different symptoms, but it maybe the same fault.

[andre_fiedeldey]

Hi folks

I experienced some of the symptoms mentioned in this thread a few weeks back, and approached someone at a camera repair shop to determine whether this would be worth fixing. He was really helpful and explained to me that this is a fairly common problem with my model (MZ-5n) and its siblings after they reach a certain age, and that it was a small gear that splits/cracks. Once this happens, the motor cannot release/raise the mirror, and an whining or whirring sound is heard. I've also had the problem with the film being rewound. So, in the presence of these symptoms, and based on what this man told me, it's not the motor or the batteries that are at fault.

 

Cost to fix it in Canada, BTW, was est. to be around $180. Guess I'll just take that and add it to a purchase of a DS2 instead, as I've been looking to switch to digital. Seems a pity, though, to junk a camera that is otherwise still perfect. I would have liked a backup film body. Guess I'll be using my trusty old MX instead.

Regards!

[stemked]

Yikes! Thanks everyone. Sigh. Can't a problem ever just come back-"just tighten a couple of screws"? I guess it is off to Colorado for repairs.

[jay_mailer]

<p>I have a zx-5, circa 1999 and it too developed a motor-rewind/mirror-freeze problem after not being used for a year. It seems a pity to trash a good camera. Does anyone have any additional ideas about this common problem with older Zx-5?</p>

<p>Jay</p>