Pentax PC-35 AF Clamshell hard to close

[Xylo]

Hi!
I just got a Pentax PC35 AF point & shoot in very good shape at a garage sale. But I find the clamshell a bit hard to close.
It takes a considerable amount of force to close when compared to an Olympus XA or a Stylus.
Is it a normal thing with this model?

I really don't want to break it, but I also want to avoid taking it apart if it isn't necessary as it seems to work fine.

Thanks

 

[eurekaiv]

Mine was right next to me so I checked... I don't find it difficult to close. There is a touch of initial resistance but it clicks over assuredly without the feeling that I may break it.

Hopefully you get it closing to your satisfaction, they're fun little automatic cameras. I find that mine has a pleasing amount of vignetting, maybe a bit more than an XA but not as much as an LC-A and much sharper than the latter. Only drawback I find is that it's got a rather high pitched and noisy film advance shutter firing sound that has always given me the impression that it were destroying itself with shot.

 

[Xylo]

Mine was right next to me so I checked... I don't find it difficult to close. There is a touch of initial resistance but it clicks over assuredly without the feeling that I may break it.

Mine feels like there is some sort of click-stop at the end. You push the lid and it suddenly lets go and closes.
Since it's spring loaded, I was expecting that it's just the spring that keeps it open.

Have you opened yours before? I'm wondering if there isn't something loose that got trapped in the track. But I don't want to crack it open only to find that some random part just shot across the room never to be found again.

The model I have doesn't have the winder attachment, just the good old thumb wheel. So it's dead silent to use.

 

[Alan Johnson]

My PC-35 AF is a bit hard to close but I got used to it. A fair bit lighter and smaller with no motor wind.
It does feel like there is a click stop. I also have a PC-35 AFM, the clam on this is quite easy to close.

 

[Xylo]

It does feel like there is a click stop.

I did open it very slowly and you are right, there is a click stop. I still wonder why they put one there.
But since yours is also hard to close, I think I'll just leave it like that and save myself the trouble of digging in it.
Unless somebody comes with a different conclusion, I'll leave it like that.

Thanks!

 

[eurekaiv]

Yeah, mine is also manual wind, I was conflating it with the Nikon L35AF I think. I did recall it making a strange noise so I stuck batteries in and the shutter sounds like it's dying every time it fires. I get perfect pics though so I assume it's normal.

 

[Xylo]

I did recall it making a strange noise so I stuck batteries in and the shutter sounds like it's dying every time it fires.

It's the autofocus system that actually sounds weird. It reminds me of the early systems with the Honeywell sensor (square windows) where pressing the shutter button mechanically moves a mirror and locks on the position with the highest contrast. It's really a strange system but it works, so we can't really complain.