Want to Buy Pentax LX

[RoboRepublic]

Looking for a nice condition Pentax LX. Kindly message me with condition and price. Located in the US.

 

[Huss]

Be very careful. I sold mine because the electrics in the LX are now at the age that they are failing, with no chance of repair. I got rid of mine before that happened.

 

[RoboRepublic]

Do you think the F3 would be a better option? I'm debating between the two- but lean Pentax as my first camera was a Super ME

 

[Huss]

Do you think the F3 would be a better option? I'm debating between the two- but lean Pentax as my first camera was a Super ME

Oh yes. 100%. The LX was awesome in its day but they age very badly, whether used or not. The one famous Pentax repair tech in the US refuses to touch them anymore.
The issue w the F3 is it may have leaky vf LCDs. So just get one that doesnt.
Putting my money where my mouth is, I sold the LX, kept the F3.

FYI I also had the Pentax Super A and that was great. So that's an option if you want to stay w Pentax for not much money.

 

[tih]

Umm, are you sure of your facts here, Huss? This is the first time I hear of this.

I know that spare parts are a problem, since it's been quite a while since they were made (my local Pentax repair tech is very happy that he grabbed a large lot of LX parts back when he had the chance). That might be a reason for someone to stop servicing LX-en: there are bits (seals, mostly) you absolutely have to replace when you take it apart, and there are perishable parts (e.g. the elastic stoppers for the shutter curtains and the mirror) that eventually will need replacement. Of course, if the electronics in there stop working, you either replace whatever failed, or the camera is dead - but I haven't heard of that being a common problem.

The only well-known common problem of the LX that I know of is the "sticky mirror": the bumper that the mirror rests on when it's down is made of an elastic material that, unfortunately, perishes with time, and becomes soft and sticky. This causes the mirror to rest at the wrong angle, causing focus issues, and to stick at release time, causing a delay between pressing the shutter release button and the shutter actually releasing.

(Well, there's also the "mirror flips up and stays up for slow speeds" thing, but anyone with more than a little experience with the LX knows that's just its way of telling you it wants new batteries...)

I have three LX cameras, of which two have had complete overhauls, one about a dozen years ago, the other somewhat more recently. All three of them are still going strong, with no signs of trouble.

 

[Finn lyle]

The issue is also that the ceramic motherboard which controls the metering system and the all important OTF autoexposure system is prone to deleterious microcracks which then propagate and kill the thing dead. Replacements are all but impossible to obtain now, I’m lucky to have had mine replaced a few years back.

 

[Huss]

Umm, are you sure of your facts here, Huss? This is the first time I hear of this.

I know that spare parts are a problem, since it's been quite a while since they were made (my local Pentax repair tech is very happy that he grabbed a large lot of LX parts back when he had the chance). That might be a reason for someone to stop servicing LX-en: there are bits (seals, mostly) you absolutely have to replace when you take it apart, and there are perishable parts (e.g. the elastic stoppers for the shutter curtains and the mirror) that eventually will need replacement. Of course, if the electronics in there stop working, you either replace whatever failed, or the camera is dead - but I haven't heard of that being a common problem.

The only well-known common problem of the LX that I know of is the "sticky mirror": the bumper that the mirror rests on when it's down is made of an elastic material that, unfortunately, perishes with time, and becomes soft and sticky. This causes the mirror to rest at the wrong angle, causing focus issues, and to stick at release time, causing a delay between pressing the shutter release button and the shutter actually releasing.

(Well, there's also the "mirror flips up and stays up for slow speeds" thing, but anyone with more than a little experience with the LX knows that's just its way of telling you it wants new batteries...)

I have three LX cameras, of which two have had complete overhauls, one about a dozen years ago, the other somewhat more recently. All three of them are still going strong, with no signs of trouble.

I am sure. It's why I sold mine. Glad yours are ok.

 

[tih]

The issue is also that the ceramic motherboard which controls the metering system and the all important OTF autoexposure system is prone to deleterious microcracks which then propagate and kill the thing dead.

Ah, I wasn't aware of that problem. Thank you for clarifying!