Pentax MX repair advise sought

[I.G.I.]

For those of you guys and gals familiar with the Pentax MX mechanics please advice on the following issue.

While traveling abroad the shutter button of my Pentax MX fell off, and the camera had to undergo an emergency fix by a film camera technician. Only months later I realized that, perhaps in a hurry, the technician assembled the camera incorrectly. On the underplate there is a button which when pressed disengage the camera film-winding mechanism; it is used to wind back the film and when taking multiple exposures. And here lies the problem: one can wind back the film without problem, but one can't take double exposures anymore because with the button pressed the film winding mechanism still engages and the film moves though, interestingly, not a complete frame, but only about half of it.

The situation is very unfortunate because I take a lot of multiple exposures thus I can't use the camera (which I love). Yet it will be very complicated (and expensive) to send the camera back to the same technician because we live quite far apart in different countries and parcels are subjected to various taxes and duties.

Does any of you have an idea what in the mechanics could be causing the problem; and how complicated would be to repair it?

 

[Steve Roberts]

Hi,
I've disassembled MXs on a couple of occasions. I don't have one or any notes in front of me but off the top of my head I can't think of any reason why the technician would have had to remove the bottom plate of the camera, where the film transport release button is situated. That's not to say that part of its mechanism isn't under the top plate, which the tech may have had to remove. What's interesting is that the button must be capable of disengaging the film transport mechanism otherwise you wouldn't be able to rewind an exposed film. When making double exposures, do you take up the tension of the film in the cassette, as is normal practice? If not, perhaps there is enough drag in the advance mechanism to move the film on by the half a frame you mention, which could perhaps equate to the slack film in the cassette.
Just my thoughts!
Best wishes,
Steve

 

[I.G.I.]

Hi, thanks for the swift reply.

As for rewinding the film, yes, it works without a glitch. But, with the (under the camera) pressed button as soon as you engage the wind lever and the film advance sprocket gears move when it should not. After the dismay of a ruined film with multiple exposures I checked the camera empty with an open back: now there is no way to disengage the film advance sprocket gears from the wind lever when cocking the shutter. This is not how the camera is supposed to work.

 

[Manwithacam]

Are you following these steps taken from the manual for multiple exposures:

For deliberate multiple exposures, make the first exposure in the normal way. Then tighten the film by turning the rewind knob and keep hold of the rewind knob. Depress the film rewind release button and advance the rapid-wind lever. This cocks the shutter without advancing the film. Finally release the shutter to make the second exposure. Then make one blank exposure, before taking the next picture, to avoid overlapping. As the exposure counter continues to function each time the shutter is cocked, a double exposure will be counted as two frames.
http://butkus.org/chinon/pentax/pentax_mx/pentax_mx.htm

 

[Xmas]

Probable a part broken, not assembled proper or missing.

Springs will jump.

Any good technician should be able to address but it may be cheaper to get a replacement body.

 

[I.G.I.]

Are you following these steps taken from the manual for multiple exposures:

For deliberate multiple exposures, make the first exposure in the normal way. Then tighten the film by turning the rewind knob and keep hold of the rewind knob. Depress the film rewind release button and advance the rapid-wind lever. This cocks the shutter without advancing the film. Finally release the shutter to make the second exposure. Then make one blank exposure, before taking the next picture, to avoid overlapping. As the exposure counter continues to function each time the shutter is cocked, a double exposure will be counted as two frames.
http://butkus.org/chinon/pentax/pentax_mx/pentax_mx.htm

Thank you for pointing this out. For the most part, yes, I follow these prescriptions; the only steps I omitted were to tighten the film first, and to make a blank exposure. The truth is, the film transport of my MX is more precise than that of the LX (my other body) if judged by the repeated precision of the spacing between the frames of the exposed-developed film, and I never had an issue with overlapping frames.

 

[I.G.I.]

Probable a part broken, not assembled proper or missing.

Springs will jump.

Any good technician should be able to address but it may be cheaper to get a replacement body.

Thank you for chiming in. I spoke to the technician, and he agreed to look at the issue. Shall see...