A tale of two MXs

As I now have two of these in very different condition I thought a photo was due:




The one on the left arrived today and is in very good condition with only a little paint loss, it seems to work perfectly and came with a genuine ever-ready case. It now awaits new light seals before I can try it out.

The one on the right evidently had a much harder life before I bought it, as there are numerous rubs and scrapes on the chrome with a dent in the top of the prism. It still seems to work properly though, and I've had several correctly-exposed rolls of film from it.

All you need now is a Black one DM.

I've 2 silver and a black MX's, I bought my second silver one for the ER case like you've done.

It's surprising that there are still good working bodies out there available at good prices.

I have a third silver one which is terminally jammed (I suspect an attempt to dismantle in its past, but I can't see what went back together wrongly). I haven't decided whether to get it professionally sorted or use the body panels to tidy up the scruffy working body.

Thing is, I quite like having a camera which looks as though it won a fight with a bear. It gives a certain credibility and also means that I'm not worried about adding any new scrapes. The jammed one isn't in bad shape cosmetically so I might well have it CLA'd rather than losing the "rat rod" look of the one on the right here.

I'd love a black one but prices are a bit mad. I paid £50 for the minty silver one (came with lens, ERC, gadget bag, an old Prinz flash and a light meter) and £45 for the scruffy one without a lens (probably over the odds, but I wanted an MX and had the money handy!)

I have the winder too, but I don't like the way it leaves the camera wound on as I hear this doesn't do the shutter springs any favours.

I've never taken my MX winder out of doors. The noise scares me!

But I do like my plain MX with a 43Ltd on the front. Trouble is it rarely gets a look in given the competition.

Hmm, see, I find it doesn't echo as much outdoors!

It is useful with lenses like the M 35-70mm to balance the camera, but it rather misses the point of the MX being tiny. I spent a few days with the scruffy one and an M 40/2.8 which made a superb little camera, so I can see the 43mm Ltd working just as well.

Now I really must save for an M 100/2.8 and K 50/1.4 to fill a couple of gaps in the collection!

Could you take a few photos of the ER case so that I can see what the proper one looks like? Very few on ebay that are actually for the MX. Vendors seem to think the case is the same as for the ME Super etc. which it isn't!

Ta muchly, Kris.

That's part of the problem - aside from being slightly wider it does look identical to one of the ME-type cases! I don't think you could tell from a photo unless the two bottom halves were side by side.

The interior felt is a dark blue/black colour, while my ME type ERCs are dark red inside. I think this might be the only reliable way of spotting them, given that they both have the cast metal badge and "Asahi Pentax" stamped on the front of the lens snout.

I did spot a T2 case front recently but I've no idea what it was intended to fit. It looks like it belongs with an ME Super but could equally be from a Super A.

Super A cases have the poppers at two different heights. Looking from the back the right hand side popper is 2-3cm lower than the left.

Thanks for the info re: the dark blue lining. Now I know what to look out for/ask about.

Cheers, Kris.

It's either dark blue or black. Quite hard to tell, but it definitely isn't dark red!

Thanks for that info - it would seem that the T2 fronts are for the M series as I just came across another auction. There seem to be quite a few of these floating about as new/old stock at the moment. I don't know if I'll bother as the first thing I tend to do with an ERC when using the camera is unhook the front and leave it in the car. The back half does protect the body and makes it a bit easier on the fingers in the depths of winter though!

Thanks Matt. I have managed to buy a slightly tatty ER case for my MX thanks to the blue/black lining tip. I don't mind it being a little tatty as the idea is to protect it when I am travelling and it's stuffed in my hand-luggage with all the other gear.

Cheers, Kris.

I did see one on ebay a few days ago but as it only had about 30mins left I didn't PM you (thinking it was probably too late). Glad to hear you've found one anyway!

The T2 front seems to fit the MX as well as the ME-width by the way - it arrived this morning and seems to be sized for both. Handy if you want to keep the rain off something like the 135mm f3.5.

My scruffy MX is no longer scruffy thanks to the donation of a top and baseplate from my spare parts body (after deciding that it wasn't worth having it fixed). It has a bit of rubbing around the strap lugs but is in much better condition than it was before.

That was probably the one I bought. I got it last Sunday for £5.50.

I have one nice chrome MX serviced by Harrow, a black one I have never used because of gooey seals (I have the kit and am about to work on it) and the £5 charity shop one my Lady Love found for me for which I need a new top plate.

I ought to sell one of them really, but I am very fond of MXs.

K.

MX cases - has anybody seen these they look like they're re-manufactured (copied?) link

Yes. I bought one for my MX but it didn't fit. It fitted one of my ME Supers perfectly, however.

K.

The ME case is slightly taller than the MX case, although they look identical to the casual eye. These copies look pretty authentic and if I just saw a picture of one I'd take it for an original. Not sure if that genuine feel extends to how they are in the hand.