How much for this ME Super?

[shaloot]

<p>There is a posting on my local craigslist for this ME Super package:<br>

http://raleigh.craigslist.org/ele/1356475817.html</p>

<p>It looks good. I would assume it's battery is kaput, since he says he has never used it and its been sitting around for years.<br>

What's a good offer to make? I notice on KEH the price goes from $35 to $100+!</p>

<p>I've always liked the size of those cameras, and the Av mode will be a nice change from the K1000.</p>

[miserere_mei]

<p>He's listed it for $1, which sounds like a good deal. The camera takes 2 LR44 batteries, which you should be able to find at your local Radio Shack for very little. Go to this guy's place and test it; if it works, hand over a dollar and smile :-)</p>

<p>It's a nice camera, and I know a lot of people around here like theirs very much. It's the first Pentax film camera I bought (a couple of years ago) but I haven't used it in quite a while.</p>

[jgredline]

<p>Oh you will love it. I bought a similar kit to that one and paid $100.00 for it on ebay. Mine is in mint condition and needed no cla so keep the CLA in mind as well.</p>

[dan_daniel2]

<p>You need to take batteries along for testing. The ME Super is dead without them.</p>

<p>Look through the viewfinder and see how dirty it is. If it is full of little black specks, be prepared to be finding those specks everywhere. Open the back to look through the lens while you fire off various speeds: Set shutter ring lever to 'M' and push the little buttons to change the speeds, push the little white button to release from AUTO position. Move it to B and see if there is a delay in the second shutter curtain closing. Look at the back itslef, along the top and bottom edges for black goop. Remove the lens and look at the bottom edge of the mirror- if there is a line of light markings, the foam is melting and making the mirror stick a bit. No biggie, but the black goop can get all over the viewfinder. Look at the viewfinder and see if the outer surface is dirty- it's possible to clean this, but getting in to clean interior dirt is a real chore.<br /> <br /> If during any of this, the mirror sticks in the up position, take your fingernail and very gently try to release the mirror back down. If it flops back easily, that is the foam sticking to the mirror- easy fix, but a bargaining point. If it doesn't release and you feel like you are fighting a mechanism, you are (fighting a mechanism) and are into a repair right away.<br /> <br /> If all of this seems ok, offer the guy $40 at the most. The big thing here is that he couldn't be bothered to spend $5-10 to check out the camera himself, so he isn't a serious seller. He just wants a few bucks in his pocket and a bag out of the closet. While you are buying the proverbial 'pig in a poke' without being able to run a roll through or have his assurances that the roll he ran is good. For $40, at worst you have a decent 50mm lens and a somewhat decent flash and a retro bag. And a paperweight.</p>

<p>Basic overhaul of an ME Super is ~$60+ For an untested and unwarrantied camera, I deduct that amount immediately from any consideration. So in prime shape, the kit is worth ~$100.</p>

<p>Coming from a K1000, be careful when testing this camera- the smaller size and smooth looks and feel may distract you from whether the camera actually works!! :)</p>

[morgan lee]

<p>As a rule of thumb, I try to keep my purchases of manual focus cameras to under $30. I bought the ME and ME Super on E bay in this range. Both came with lenses better than the F 2 50mm. One a 50mm F1.7, the other a Vivitar 28mm. O.K. The Vivitar is not better IQ but at 28mm it is a wide. It is hard to give the Pentax 50/f2 away.</p>

<p>I bought a Honeywell Spotmatic for $28 with a body cover and without any lenses but it was flawless. Meaning I could not find a mark on it as if it had just come out of the box and been sent forward in a time machine 30 years.</p>

<p>All of these cameras were bought in the last two years and have been used regularly. Using the ME less and less but the ME Super still gets used all of the time and is a fantastic camera if you want your camera body to do some of the work for you on metering but still have fully manual capabilities. Plus, the pentaprism on the super is one of the brightest and clearest and will not disappoint going from your 1000.</p>

<p>It is unlikely the camera will need any maintenance. I have never sent mine in. My ME bodies were not as prisitine as the ones in the Craigslist photographs you linked to, though, but I'm not a collector. I buy these things to take pictures with and tend to beat them up even more using them vigorously in the field.</p>

<p>The camera batteries are cheapest at Wal Mart in their photography section but I have also found them at Target, CVS, and Walgreens. Of course, if conveniently located, as mentioned Radio Shack is also a safe bet.</p>

<p>The only time I have broken my $30 rule is to purchase a Black-Body K2 which did come with the f2/50mm. I paid $58 which was well worth it because, despite the brassing and massive dent in the bottom plate, it is my favorite camera. </p>

<p>If it were me, I would offer $30 and not go above $45. </p>

<p>Hope this perspective helps and good luck.</p>

<p>~Morgan</p>

[andrewg_ny]

<p>Maybe try the self-timer too. One of mine seems kind of "tired" & doesn't really work. Probably something that a CLA would take care of but another potential bargaining point. That one looks pretty good in the pictures, if was interested in yet another one of these bodies I think $50-75 is quite reasonable if you go to the trouble to check it out and it looks decent, not that you shouldn't attempt to get it for less (offer $40?). You probably wouldn't be able to buy for much less on e-bay and you wouldn't be able to check condition first. Plus it comes with a lens ($35?) and a flash ($5-10).</p>

<p>Those are worth more than $35 at KEH. The $35 is a broken ME-F. ME Super in EX condition is $89. Non-super ME's would normally go for less as most consider the full manual mode and 1/2000 shutter of the otherwise similar super to be worthwhile. At adorama, even lesser condition ME Super bodies are priced at $74.</p>

[Michael R Freeman]

<blockquote>

<p><em>"It is hard to give the Pentax 50/f2 away."</em></p>

</blockquote>

<p>I had no trouble selling one for $25. Shipped it all the way to Australia. :-)</p>

[jpo3136b]

<p>Below $100. Probably $50-ish, if it comes with a lens. The equipment will probably be worth more in utility.</p>

[jgredline]

<p>My two cents regarding ''worth''.. I will use one of my own purchases as an example. All in all, I have purchased 12 SLR's in the past few years. Included are 3 me supers and 1 me-f...When I have purchased any of these slr's it was with the intention of sending them to eric for a CLA at $100.00<br /> So what ever I paid + 100.00 was the price. Now I had been looking specifically for a Black ME SUPER, but wanted a mint condition one. I found it and paid $285.00 + $100.00 for the CLA bringing my cost with shipping to $400.00...Now who in their right mind will pay $400.00 for a film slr that is not a leica???? not many people, but it was worth every penny of that to me and would have paid more...So really, ask yourself..What is that me super worth to you?</p>

[shaloot]

<p>

 

<p>Thank you all for the responses, esp. the tips to what to check for Dan and Morgan. So this camera, is in pristine condition... wow! Super clean, no marks, scratches, scuffs etc. The electronics seem to work fine and yes, it does feel different after holding a k1000! So small and light! And the viewfinder is quite stunning, I can see why people fall in love with it, Javier ;) . The lens is a M-50mm f/2 and looks like in really good shape. The flash seems decent enough but no bounce capabilities and since I barely know/use flash on a digital, I doubt I'll use it with this.<br>

So I got it all for $30. That's how much it's worth to me and that's how much it wouldn't have pi**ed off my wife :)<br>

I brought it with me on my camping trip, so hopefully I'll be posting my pics soon. Thank you guys for the input!</p>

 

 

</p>

[morgan lee]

<p>Well Done!</p>

<p>Though no one mentioned it, buying at a price point that wouldn't have "pi**ed" off the spouse is key to any new gear purchase.</p>

<p>Enjoy the ME Super and I look forward to seeing the pictures.</p>

[jgredline]

<p>Somanna, Now that you have this wonderful camera, you will find it a total joy to use. set it at hyperfocal and you have an instantly fast point and shoot as you will get. for street it is the perfect cam.</p>