Sick camera or touching negatives

[foc]

Its capping very badly at 1/1000 and fairly badly at 1/500. I didn't see anything at 1/250. Thanks for this and indeed all the help. I can now tell my camera repair guy so he can give me a price.

Great to hear back from the OP and that the solution was found.

 

[Huss]

Who serviced it so we can avoid them? A proper service should last for a decade or two. Not two years.

 

[Huss]

..The camera is well into negative equity but it is too nice to drop in a skip. Any advice would be gratefully received

FYI unless a camera is worth thousands, pretty much any would be in negative equity once a decent service has been performed.
I had Sover Wong service my F2 a few years ago. I understand that now he charges $400 (?). You’ll never get that back if you ever sell the camera. Same thing for an MX here you can buy one for $100, but a decent service is +- $200. Value of the camera after that? $120.

We do this so we know we have a decent camera, and hopefully are going to keep it.

 

[Cerebum]

Who serviced it so we can avoid them? A proper service should last for a decade or two. Not two years.

Asahi photo. When it first went in it had an issue. Once the temperature dropped below 10°c I started to lose frames because the curtain didn't quite complete its travel. Could that have been curtain tension? He tried to fix it a couple of times but we ended up putting it down to age. Since then I have used Dave at Camera Repair Workshop in Bletchley, Milton Keynes. He serviced my Yashica Mat and my SP1000. They are both now beautiful cameras.

 

[Cerebum]

FYI unless a camera is worth thousands, pretty much any would be in negative equity once a decent service has been performed.
I had Sover Wong service my F2 a few years ago. I understand that now he charges $400 (?). You’ll never get that back if you ever sell the camera. Same thing for an MX here you can buy one for $100, but a decent service is +- $200. Value of the camera after that? $120.

We do this so we know we have a decent camera, and hopefully are going to keep it.

I couldn't agree more. Despite only buying the MX a couple of years ago it is "My MX" and I will spend what it takes to fix this rather than getting another. The initial service was £135 (about $160) and by the time i am done i expect to be in for entry level Leica body numbers, but i wont be upset because when it is done it should outlive me I did the same with an SP1000 that a friend gave me. They go for £20 and I spent $70 on the service, but it is a gorgeous thing and $70 over the rest of my life is nothing.

 

[Autonerd]

Does this look like a camera fault or have I not loaded the spool properly.

Camera, as others have outlined. If the film is touching other film on the spool, you'll get big purplish/blueish spots that go outside the frame. Here's an extreme example:

https://www.afterness.com/darkroom/images/film_dev_splotch_sml.jpg

Film edges and the writing on it are good indicators of problems. If the edge writing looks fine and the image problems are limited to the photo frame, it's usually a problem with the camera mechanism (ie shutter). If the edge writing is affected, or dark spots extend to the sprockets, that indicates a light leak or a problem that happened outside of the camera.

I think someone gave you the tip of pushing the film into the reel and seeing if it moves or resists -- that's a great way to tell if the film is stuck. I also recommend doing some winding in the light (with a scrap roll of film) to get a feel for it. I practiced with a "burner" roll of film before I got back into developing.

As for the repairs to your MX: If you had the shutter fixed two years ago, it should not be giving you problems. A properly CLAd Pentax should go a couple decades. MXs are wonders of miniaturization and really do require specialist repair. Send it to Eric at pentaxs.com, his prices are very reasonable and he knows how to repair these fiddly cameras. I own several old Pentaxes and I think there are a few tell-tales that they have been repaired by someone who wasn't specially trained to fix them.

Aaron

 

[Huss]

Camera, as others have outlined. If the film is touching other film on the spool, you'll get big purplish/blueish spots that go outside the frame. Here's an extreme example:

https://www.afterness.com/darkroom/images/film_dev_splotch_sml.jpg

Film edges and the writing on it are good indicators of problems. If the edge writing looks fine and the image problems are limited to the photo frame, it's usually a problem with the camera mechanism (ie shutter). If the edge writing is affected, or dark spots extend to the sprockets, that indicates a light leak or a problem that happened outside of the camera.

I think someone gave you the tip of pushing the film into the reel and seeing if it moves or resists -- that's a great way to tell if the film is stuck. I also recommend doing some winding in the light (with a scrap roll of film) to get a feel for it. I practiced with a "burner" roll of film before I got back into developing.

As for the repairs to your MX: If you had the shutter fixed two years ago, it should not be giving you problems. A properly CLAd Pentax should go a couple decades. MXs are wonders of miniaturization and really do require specialist repair. Send it to Eric at pentaxs.com, his prices are very reasonable and he knows how to repair these fiddly cameras. I own several old Pentaxes and I think there are a few tell-tales that they have been repaired by someone who wasn't specially trained to fix them.

Aaron

Eric bolloxed my LX.
Interestingly I see he no longer services them.

 

[Cerebum]

The one I sent it to for a CLA is a Pentax specialist. He wants another £75 to fix this but I just don't have the money. I considered getting another off eBay but I could be back to square one. At the moment it is staying in a box until I either sell it or fix it. In the meanwhile I have a P30 for K mount and a serviced spotmatic sp1000 for my DSLR needs. I am not short of cameras but I have spent so much more on the MX than any other, its really gutting

 

[Autonerd]

I had to have my MX repaired (shutter trouble) -- I thought it was because the camera was pretty well beat up, but apparently this is A Thing!

I've been a long-time Pentax fan (started with a KX and MG) and always wanted an MX -- but now that I have one, I've never really taken to it. I think the shutter dial is too stiff and I don't like the meter display. The KX is more user friendly, but it's so darn heavy! Truth be told I've never quite found a Pentax camera with the features I want. (If only the ME Super had a proper shutter dial...)

Anyway, £75 isn't too bad but it's a lot to put into a camera that might break again. $85 will buy you a KX but as it has a clockwork mechanism it might well need a CLA as well. And of course it's heavier. A K2 has an electronic shutter so is less likely to need a CLA, but again, weight.

If you can deal with a non-mechanical camera, can I suggest (as I so often do) the Ricoh XR-2/XR-2x or KR-10? They are lighter than the Pentax Ks, use Pentax K-mount lenses, and are pretty cheap (under $40, and I picked up a couple of Sears-branded equivalents for less than $20). Not as refined as a Pentax and a bit more plastic feeling (they used polycarbonate cases 20 years before Canon), but very good cameras nonetheless.

Aaron

 

[Cerebum]

I had to have my MX repaired (shutter trouble) -- I thought it was because the camera was pretty well beat up, but apparently this is A Thing!

I've been a long-time Pentax fan (started with a KX and MG) and always wanted an MX -- but now that I have one, I've never really taken to it. I think the shutter dial is too stiff and I don't like the meter display. The KX is more user friendly, but it's so darn heavy! Truth be told I've never quite found a Pentax camera with the features I want. (If only the ME Super had a proper shutter dial...)

Anyway, £75 isn't too bad but it's a lot to put into a camera that might break again. $85 will buy you a KX but as it has a clockwork mechanism it might well need a CLA as well. And of course it's heavier. A K2 has an electronic shutter so is less likely to need a CLA, but again, weight.

If you can deal with a non-mechanical camera, can I suggest (as I so often do) the Ricoh XR-2/XR-2x or KR-10? They are lighter than the Pentax Ks, use Pentax K-mount lenses, and are pretty cheap (under $40, and I picked up a couple of Sears-branded equivalents for less than $20). Not as refined as a Pentax and a bit more plastic feeling (they used polycarbonate cases 20 years before Canon), but very good cameras nonetheless.

Aaron

B***** Pentax MXs lol
I have two sp1000 (spotmatic), one of which has been CLA'd, I also have a nice P30 that works great for my K mount lenses. The MX is virtually mint so I have decided to save up and get it fixed when I have the cash, I need to replenish my bulk film stocks first though so it could be 6 months. I have 8 other 35mm cameras, (folders, rangefinders, SLRs etc) none of which cover the same ground other than the MX and P30 so there is no real rush. Its just ironic that this, the camera that has cost me the most because it has only been serviced by specialists, is probably my least reliable.

 

[Huss]

Yah, I sold my MX a while ago. The idea was great, the execution poor. Did not like the invisible in daylight meter display, the ridiculously stiff shutter speed dial, and the way too long film advance throw.

 

[Cerebum]

Yah, I sold my MX a while ago. The idea was great, the execution poor. Did not like the invisible in daylight meter display, the ridiculously stiff shutter speed dial, and the way too long film advance throw.

Yeah, I have struggled with the meter several times whereas I have had no such problems with the P30. Its funny how some people see the MX as a marvel and others hate it. Same with the LX. To some people its the best camera ever, until you try and get one fixed. I like using the MX but have found the metering an issue. I may well find that once I have saved enough cash to get it fixed, I will realise that I just haven't missed it at all.

 

[Huss]

Yeah, I have struggled with the meter several times whereas I have had no such problems with the P30. Its funny how some people see the MX as a marvel and others hate it. Same with the LX. To some people its the best camera ever, until you try and get one fixed. I like using the MX but have found the metering an issue. I may well find that once I have saved enough cash to get it fixed, I will realise that I just haven't missed it at all.

I loved my P30T! The only bummer, IIRC, was the DX only film speed setting. I liked how it handled, super easy to load, loved the impossible to lose battery cap, loved the meter readouts, and it had exposure lock! Something my LX was sorely missing.
I used it much more than my MX.

 

[Autonerd]

I loved my P30T! The only bummer, IIRC, was the DX only film speed setting. I liked how it handled, super easy to load, loved the impossible to lose battery cap, loved the meter readouts, and it had exposure lock! Something my LX was sorely missing.
I used it much more than my MX.

Well, said, Huss, and exactly how I feel about the P30t. Great until you run into its limitations. One other: M-series automatics will run the shutter w-a-a-a-a-a-y longer than they are rated for (4 or 8 sec, I can't remember) -- like, 20 or 30 seconds IIRC. But the P30t really does top out at 1 or 2 seconds. Discovered this when I was trying to take some night shots. Damn.

Aaron