About to join all you MX owners...

Thanks for the kind words, I'm just hoping I haven't built a good-looking paperweight!

It is a shame you binned yours, once you clean all the gunk out of them (the light seals disintergrate and just deposit black mush everywhere) they're pretty much bullet proof - the insides actually remind me of a Swiss watch (I'll post some pics of bodies in various states of undress when I do the write up at the end of the project) in their intricacy. I'm totally smitten by camera from the way it feels in the hand to the way it sounds when the timer's running down! Probably the best mechanical camera I've ever had the pleasure of owning - and there's been a few...

The trick with MX's seems to be finding one with an undamaged top-plate (borne out by looking at a few at the camera fair - not a single un-dented example in sight), everything else on them appears fixable. Unfortunately, all 4 of the top plates I received had some damage so I've used the one with a tiny dent behind the rewind lever (doesn't show in the photo above or in real life unless you look for it). If anyone has a non-functioning MX with immaculate cosmetics then I may well be interested.

do you know what thread the battery cover takes mine is missing the cove and we don't know what to replace it with. - this will probably cause uproar but i prefer my miranda - it may just be more experience with it or semi auto shutter speed.

David

Actually, the battery cover is the one thing that seems quite plentiful - you can buy them here: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/2-X-Battery-Cover-Pentax-MX-ME-Super-x1000_W0QQitemZ200221769394QQihZ010QQcategoryZ30038QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Failing that send me a PM and I'll send you one of my spares (I received 3 in total - 1 nice one which I'm keeping, and 2 scruffy/scratched but useable ones).

A quick update: The photos came back from the lab in yesterday's post and I'm happy to confirm that exposure and focus seem to be spot on. All speeds worked as they should and I'm hereby declaring this rebuild a success!

Unfortunately, the film that I used appears to have lost all its "blue-ness", here's a couple of examples:







The first should have some nice rich greens rather than the rather wishy-washy shades here, and the second was taken against a beautiful bright blue sky - not this pale grey one that you see before you.

Oh well, that'll teach me to buy cheap short-dated film huh? I'm now running a roll of (full priced brand new) Fuji Reala 100 through her to see if I can get some pictures that are actually worth showing...

The first usable results from the MX are here at last!!

There was a "Vintage Vehicle Rally" up at Aylesbury Rugby Club yesterday afternoon and I could think of no better test for a vintage camera than to take some shots of vintage cars (and trucks, busses, steam engines, etc). I think I may have been the only person there with a film camera and I did get some strange looks and double-takes from people lugging their heavy Canon and Nikon DSLRs around with them. Didn't see any other Pentaxes of any stripe all day unfortunately...

Once again I relied entirely on the camera's meter to guide me and it performed flawlessly; I finished the film and ran it down to Snappy Snaps this morning for development - I'm really pleased with the results but see what you think (all put on CD at time of development, no cropping or *any* modifications except reduction in file size for web use):

Started by getting my self-portrait in the paintwork of a Rover P5 (M50/1.7)




Then tried to fool the meter with an expanse of white Daimler bonnet (FA43)




Then went the other way by shooting a dark interior through the open window (FA77)




Tried some "scene" shots to assess the levels of sharpness/detail (doesn't really show on here but trust me, the print is as good as anything I've ever taken with 35mm in terms of detail resolved!) (FA43)




Will the meter be fooled by lots of highly reflective surfaces running across the picture? Apparently not! (FA77)




And finally, another white subject sat in direct sunlight - will it under-expose? No! (FA77)




The other 30 pictures tell a similar story, only one from the whole batch was poor (operator error though) so I am truly delighted with my efforts. So much so I've used one of the pictures in this week's competition.

I will write up the rebuild when I get time (there's a lot to write!) but in the meantime I've just bought another roll of Reala and I'm looking forward to getting many more developed over the next few years.

Would have seen you there had I known! Unfortunately, we did something very stupid and went and looked at new houses, it wasn't til I said 'blimey, there's a lot of old cars driving around' that the future father-in-law told me that a rally was on! Impressive photos too, by the way!

Cheers fella! I was only there for a couple of hours but there were a lot of really nice motors down there - very photogenic subjects

Excellent shots Hefty, you have yourself a little gem there

And well done with your rebuild project,you must have the hands of a surgeon.

You will be e-baying your digi gear before long

Are you expecting to get another keeper from the remains of the other bodies :

Thanks Clarky - I am feeling quite pleased with myself right now, but I won't be selling the digital kit anytime soon. The costs and hassle of getting films developed means the K10D will still get the lion's share of use, but it's nice to have a good film body to use my FA Limiteds on from time-to-time.

As for making a second body; there are enough good parts there to build one but I'll be honest and say that after doing one (many, many hours work) I've lost the inclination to make another. So now I need to decide whether to keep all the bits as spares (enough to keep MX#1 alive and running for beyond my lifetime) or whether to sell them on and let someone else have a go at putting a body together. Decisions, decisions...

Just like to say I've followed your camera rebuild with great interest and feel a little inspired to have a go myself. Got a couple of candidates at home in need of a little tender loving care. My late fathers Program A, and his tamron 28-70 zoom. The mirror cushioning foam has all fallen to pieces, so it needs replacing and the camera needs a good clean. I guess it would be a good idea to change the light seals at the same time. The zoom is so loose if feels like it will fall apart at any moment. I remember when he bought it back in the 80's it was a well regarded lens, but his particular example was not a good one.

Anyway, congratulations on restoring a great camera.

/Ian.

Hi Ian, I'm glad I've been some inspiration to you!

If you're going to be replacing light seals then can I recommend using Interslice foam? (link to ebay shop: http://search.ebay.co.uk/_W0QQsassZinterslice ) The guy who sells it is incredibly helpful and the kits offer exceptional value compared to any other light seal materials I've stumbled across. He sells two sizes of kit and the smaller one has easily enough material for 2-3 cameras, but the larger one is better value still and comes with a handy booklet covering many types of camera - neither are exactly expensive!

Being a more modern design of foam it shouldn't deteriorate into the black sticky goo that the OEM foam does, meaning a future CLA in 20 years time shouldn't be such a messy procedure!

If you're intending lubricating anything then do so *very* sparingly and use a good quality watch oil (I used Moebius 8000) which you can get from several places online (Google it) or probably from your local jewellers on special order. Watch oil is very expensive (around £5 for just 4ml) but even a tiny amount should be sufficient for several cameras.

Take your time and you should find it a very rewarding experience! Good luck and don't forget to post some results.

I just discovered this thread, and have enjoyed your saga of Pentax rennovation. My MX is currently out of service, something amiss with the meter switch, which causes the button cell to discharge in a matter of days. With your inspiring story I might just dig out my service info and have a go at it, as you say across the pond.

The MX is a delight to use, as you've discovered; light, small, but blessed with wonderful finder. I happened across the winder Pentax sold for it, 2 fps with a nice hand grip with integral shutter/meter button. Worth looking for. It adds some bulk and mass to the camera, but not much.

Since I bought my K10D I've rather ignored the MX and my LX. I'll have to remedy that neglect, in view of the 50 cassettes of film in the freezer.

Hi George, glad you enjoyed the build!

Fixing the battery drain problem is actually quite straightforward; have a look at the last section on this page for instructions and a diagram.

I have looked at winders on eBay but I've so far resisted as I've now got in the habit of just slipping the MX in my pocket when I go out with the K10D - this way when I take a shot that I particularly like with the DSLR I can then swap the lens onto the MX, recompose and shoot a copy for "best". For example, both of these were shot with the FA43 within a minute or so of each other:

K10D

[IMG]http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd37/hefty1969/mx%20rebuild/IMGP9906.jpg[/IMG]

MX

[IMG]http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd37/hefty1969/mx%20rebuild/61820031.jpg[/IMG]

There's just a quality to film that I can't get with digital, although digital is far more convenient I have to admit! It's nice to have both and the MX is small enough to always be close to hand.

Many thanks for the repair tip! I'll have to give it a try.

I've had good luck buying used gear from KEH, which is just up the road from me in Atlanta. Sadly they don't have a walk-in showroom; all sales are by mail, or as you say, post. They have a website, www.keh.com or can be called on the phone, probably not a good option for you!

I bought the MX winder from them as I did my LX, its winder, various bits of "kit" for the LX, and several lenses. All have been as represented or in better condition. On one instance I ordered the wrong item, and they cheerfully accepted its return, less shipping. Their prices are probably higher than eBay, but at least one is dealing with a bricks and mortar shop.

The LX needs some attention, the dreaded sticky mirror, etc. I've heard good things about Eric Hendrickson in Tennessee, so I may send it to him. The mighty LX is too choice and costly for me to muck around with.

If any out there have old leaf-shutter cameras, like Retinas, Dean Williams in Idaho at http://www.deansphotographica.com/ does nice work and at moderate prices. Sadly he doesn't work on Pentaxes, and he seems to have cut back his work load. He got my Retina IIIc up and running, its a true "blast from the past."

Just got back online after a computer melt down and having to get another one(learn a new operating system and all)any way, it was great to find this link and people still non-digital. Love my Program A but it isn't working right now and I know nothing about how to fix it. love the story of your fix.