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>

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.

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.

<p>I'm a big fan on the 35mm equivalent focal length, and I think the 17mm f1.8 would be a better choice indoors (you mention interiors) where a 25mm might be a little tight. In fact, in places like this, the wider the better. The 12mm f2 would be great for this, but might not be quite as versatile.</p>

<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>