Pentax ME Super help

[jonathan_reeves1]

<p>I just bought a lovely little ME Super from a local guy, loaded up some film, took 14 shots, and went to advance the film, and the advance lever is somehow stuck. Specifically, I cannot get it to move beyond the ~30º "ready" position. <br /><br />What gives? Is the advance mechanism broken? Any suggestions?</p>

[arnie___]

<p>Not trying to be silly, but if you loaded an old 12 exposure roll, you may be at the end of the film.</p>

[BelaMolnar]

<p>. . . . . . ? . . . You have to push the rewind baton, usually it is on the bottom of the camera, and rewind the film, remove it, load an other 12 frame roll of film, and please, do not try to keep shooting after the 12th frame.</p>

[jonathan_reeves1]

Thanks for the reply, Arnie. It's was a 24 exp roll of Fuji Superia, which is what I usually shoot first to test a new camera, but film is

definitely not the problem. I removed the film completely, but the frame advance and shutter are inoperable. The advance

sprockets/cylinder and take up spool rotate freely, so I'm pretty sure it's actually a problem with the shutter cocking mechanism.

 

And, Bela- Wrong! Try to read more carefully: from my original post you can clearly see that my ME Super is designed for 14-exp. rolls,

not the 12-exp. rolls you were suggesting.

[tim_bradshaw1]

<p>I don't have an ME Super any more, but I have a couple of MXs which are probably mechanically similar. Both of them (or perhaps one twice) have suffered from this, and in both cases I took the camera to my local repair person and they fixed it. They've been fine since.</p>

<p>That's not really helpful as it doesn't tell you what's wrong, but I think it is eminently fixable. I've never had the courage to take mine to bits (rather have someone who has done it before and knows what to look for do it) but it's probably doable if you are competent.</p>

[john_robison3]

<p>The ME Super is battery dependant. Perhaps the batteries are dead or weak and cannot run the timing for the shutter? I think the sync speed on an ME is mechanical, 1/125 I think. See if the camera works on that speed. </p>

[Member69643]

<p>I've owned a number of these. They are mostly reliable, but, people don't tend to have routine maintenance done on them as they should, largely because they are cheap and easy to obtain on ebay. You could send it to almost any camera repair shop and get it fixed for $50 or so - you need not send it to anyone specializing in Pentax. That will actually be more expensive.</p>

<p>One thing you can do on your own. Open up the bottom of the camera. It's just 2 screws IIRC. There you will see several gears and springs and levers. You might be able to spot the problem or get it to unstick my gently wiggling or prodding some of those elements. The camera will probably still need a repair trip to get it fully tuned up, but this might fix it short term.</p>

<p>BTW, this has nothing to do with the battery.</p>

[jonathan_reeves1]

Thanks, fellas. I tried all I could think to try, including the above suggestions, last night. You all have confirmed the clear

answer, which is: repair, return, or replace.

 

I'll have to think it over. It's a lovely, small camera with a super viewfinder (see what I did there?). In a lot of ways I like it

better than my Canon AE-1 Program (aperture priority, better manual mode, viewfinder) and Minolta XG-M (better layout,

smaller, non-locking exp. comp). Only features things it's "missing" are AE lock and maybe DOF preview. On the other

hand, Pentax glass is pricier than Canon or Minolta...

 

Ugh.

[bebu_lamar]

<p>Return. Get another one if you still like the ME. It's cheap.</p>

[Gus Lazzari]

<blockquote>

<p>"I have a couple of MXs which are probably mechanically similar" <em><strong>Tim B.</strong></em></p>

</blockquote>

<p>For the record, that couldn't be any further from the truth.<br /> The <em>ME super</em> has a vertical shutter and transport system, as opposed to the completely different <em>MX</em> and it's horizontal version.<br /> <br /> The most common transport jamming issue in the <em>ME</em> units, emanated from the transport lever<strong>"stand-off" position spring</strong> (a strong friction type spring like a kitchen cabinet door hold) that has a tendency to fatigue, form a crack and eventually sever. To confirm in it's current situation, is the loose lever able to be tucked flush against the body with a noticeable "click" detente?<br /> If not, then your stand-off spring has failed and the loose piece has migrated to a spot where it shouldn't be...</p>

<p>BTW: KR recently reviewed this wonderful Pentax model. <a href="http://www.kenrockwell.com/pentax/me-super.htm">ME Super</a> <strong><<< Click</strong></p>

[jonathan_reeves1]

<p>Great info, Gus.<br>

In my case, the detente appears to be doing its job still, with noticeable clicks in the flush-with-the-body, as well as in the 30º stand-off/ready position. </p>