What would you do?

[Katier]

I was out today in sub zero conditions taking pictures using my MeSuper when on Frame 28 of 36 the shutter didn't appear to fire properly (got a sort of half a click ) and I couldn't wind her on.

Anyway with the camera not appearing to want to work and most of the film shot I rewound it and got the film processed and it turns out the 28ths frame did expose properly. I also having exhausted all options tapped the camera on a table and it seems to have cured the problem. When she exhibited the fault the rear shutter that's cocked by the winder seems to not fire - hence why the 28ths exposed ok cos I think the front shutter fired properly.

Now to the question..

Would you?

1) not trust it and consign it to the shelf?
2) put the cheap roll of 'Kodak colour 200 iso' free from jessops when I got the film processed through it to see if cures the problem.
3) Just decide that it appears to be working and treat it as normal?
4) Something else?

Thanks

Kat.

 

[Steve Smith]

No. 2 (then perhaps buy another body for a spare).


Steve.

 

[Ian Grant]

Has the battery just failed ?

Give it another try, sometimes strange things happen. I have a Pentax KX that the shutter seemed to fail on - it went sticky on slow speeds, I stuck it on the shelf then a year later found it was working fine again, and is now working smoothly. It's cheaper to pick up another good body than get them repaired.

Ian

 

[jgcull]

I just had a similar decision to make with my FM2. Different problem, but for a moment it seemed to work fine again. Then it seemed to revert, messing up again. If money were no issue I'd have just sent it off at the first sign of a quirk... or bought something else.

I decided I didn't want to waste shooting time, wondering if it was going to work. I bit the bullet and sent it to the tech I trust for repairs. If you treasure your film frames and are always looking for something grand I'd say don't waste time wondering. If it's still malfunctioning at all, get it checked out.

 

[Katier]

I did wonder about the battery ( although the Me Super should still operate on 125 without a battery ) and did change it.

I agree with Ian that it's cheaper to get a new body. The Me Super cost me £30 and the rest of my kit ( MeF, A3, two of 50mm 1.7 , flash, tripod, flash, 70-210 zoom ) cost about £45. Getting it repaired isn't really viable cost wise.

 

[Claire Senft]

With sub zero temps I would guess that having the batteries at low power is quite possible.

 

[Vonder]

I had a ME Super that did the same thing, at normal temps with fresh batteries. I think it needed a professional cleaning but it wasn't worth sending in (for other reasons) so I junked it. I would NOT trust it and suggest you send it in or replace it.

Note I am not a camera technician and my advice is nearly worthless.

 

[Mark Fisher]

Is it possible that the mirror stuck up and tapping it released it? If you had a "half-click" and it exposed properly, that is what it sounds like. If that is the case, you could just replace the mirror damper foam. There is a guy on ebay (interslice) that sells kits inexpensively...might be worth trying.

 

[Katier]

I did wonder if it was the mirror, with the lens off I did notice the foam the mirror hits when up was a bit manky and sticky.

 

[Ian Grant]

I think that's highly likely, the foam does perish. I must check our ME - it came with the wife

Ian

 

[JBrunner]

It doesn't sound like a disaster. Most often when something like this happens it is an indication that a simple CLA is in order. Odds are that will prevent a repeat, and your camera will thank you for the little bit of attention. While a big repair usually isn't worth it a periodic CLA is a good investment that pays in the end.

 

[John Koehrer]

Katier,
As a former camera tech I would first replace the foam. If the exposure on the last frame was OK, the shutter is working properly. The camera's shutter should release the mirror when the exposure is completed & if the mirror doesn't return it's stuck(to the foam).
You can test this by setting a slow shutter speed & while the mirror is up, press it gently to the foam & see if it stays up release it & if it stays up it's definitely the foam.
If the foam is the least bit degraded I'd replace it. It's certainly a minimal cost

 

[Ian Grant]

A CLA on an SLR starts at £50 in the UK before parts, that's far more than the value of the camera body second hand

Ian

 

[Katier]

Thanks guys and gals. I'll get the seal kit, no harm in doing that. Anyone know somewhere that does CLA in the West Midlands ( UK ) and if so the likely cost?

Seems logical if a CLA isn't too pricey to do that as it leaves me with a camera that I know has been serviced etc.

 

[Katier]

A CLA on an SLR starts at £50 in the UK before parts, that's far more than the value of the camera body second hand

Ian

yes but buy one second hand and could end up with a worse camera. I'm going to do the foam first as it's definatly a bit sticky and go from there.

 

[ricksplace]

I have two ME supers. They tend to be sensitive to low battery power. The low temperatures will cause the batteries to lose power, so the shutter will tend to act screwy, and then be OK when the batteries and the camera warm up. The seals are probably in need of replacement. Do it yourself. Interslice is by far the best supplier. He even sent me details on replacing the foam on a few different cameras. The instructions were sent to me by email at no extra charge. I bought the big kit (about $15) which has enough material to replace the seals on four cameras and two mamiya backs, and I still have half the kit left!

I do quite a bit of cold weather shooting. I usually stick to mechanical cameras without electronic shutters when I'm out in the nasty cold (-30C). K1000 and KX just click away. When the batteries freeze up, the meter fails, but the camera keeps on working.

 

[yellowcat]

Could be a combination of perished foam and cold conditions.
I have had batteries fail in sub zero conditions.
When the foam perishes it turns into a nasty sticky mess with the cold this would set like tar.
My first actions would be to clean off and replace the perished foam and change the battery.

 

[markbarendt]

I have a Nikon N90s that does this on occasion, I just fire the shutter again and I'm back in business. I have 3 others bodies and normally have at least 2 with me at any time so I figure the worst case scenario is shooting with another camera and finding a pitch black place to get the film out.

 

[iamzip]

Continue using it. It's only a problem if it happens more than once or twice.

 

[resummerfield]

I have a Nikon N90s that does this on occasion, I just fire the shutter again and I'm back in business.......

I have an N90 that has the same problem, anytime the batteries are less than brand new and the temperature is sub-zero.

In the case of the MeSuper, I would replace all the foam, including the back seals, and replace the battery.

 

[Allan Swindles]

If the dampers and seals fell tacky to touch then they need replacing. Could be simply the low temperature affected the battery performance as it does with my OM's. If you decide on a CLA I would recommend Newton Ellis in Liverpool, www.newtonellis.co.uk

 

[Sirius Glass]

I have an N90 that has the same problem, anytime the batteries are less than brand new and the temperature is sub-zero.

In the case of the MeSuper, I would replace all the foam, including the back seals, and replace the battery.

What he said.

Steve

 

[Katier]

Thanks everyone, I'll be ordering the sealing kit.

 

[firecracker]

Thanks guys and gals. I'll get the seal kit, no harm in doing that. Anyone know somewhere that does CLA in the West Midlands ( UK ) and if so the likely cost?

Seems logical if a CLA isn't too pricey to do that as it leaves me with a camera that I know has been serviced etc.

How much longer do you want to use that camera? If you want to use it for a while, CLA is just necessary. I have Canon New F-1. When I bought it years ago, although it was a mint condition or whatever, it failed to work in the cold weather quite often. So, I sent it to a repair shop and that cost me almost 200 USD at the time, but since then it's been working perfectly fine.

It's not so much to worry that something might be broken because it's old. But it's the oil in the mechanism inside the camera that needs to be redone, which was my case.

Just to give you an idea.