MX and Winder - Noisy but Nice!

Nostalgia is a great thing, I've recently purchased a black MX and a Winder. They look fantastic together and although quite heavy compared to todays "lightweights" they feel great in the hand (The MX was my first real SLR back in 1980 but in never had a winder at that time)

The only thing that suprises me is the noise! Age hasn't improved my hearing but this combination would wake the dead. Slightly improved since I put film in the camera but still noisy - is this what I should expect or would a service help?

Could anyone with experience of this kit advise?

Steve

I think they're generally pretty noisy, but a service couldn't hurt given the age of the combination. I've just picked up a jammed MX (think a previous "repairer" put it back together wrongly) with a view to having it repaired and serviced to give me a reliable backup body alongside my currently working MX.

They are noisy even without a film in. When they were new any MD or winder was a bit of a head turner 'must be a pro with that racket'

I inherited an ME super and Super A + Winder. It is very loud!

I think my winder may need some maintenance as when I tested it it reeled off continuously until I stopped it by turning it off! Luckily I had no film in the camera but I don't think I'll be using it once loaded up.

I would make a video of my MX/winder but I don't think it'd help much, as you can easily make something sound louder or quieter depending on recording levels and distance to microphone.

It works well with the Pentax-M 35-70mm f2.8-3.5. The lens is too big and heavy to go with an M series camera alone IMO, but add the winder and it balances nicely.

Edit, the continuously turning winder may be suffering from dirty contacts. I know I had one which did that when not attached to a camera, but it was absolutely fine once attached to a body and hasn't played up since. I would assume that one of the contacts tells the winder to stop turning. Try a cotton bud dipped in lighter fuel and wipe the contacts on the base of the camera.

As far as I can remember it is normal for the winders to run continuously without film. Might be wrong since its a long time since I used it.

I used the sound of the MX+winder as an effect in a photography doc I made for the BBC... must get round to putting it on youtube.

The MX even with winder was incredibly light in its day!

I didn't want to risk it with film, but then again as long as the lens cap is on there is no harm done as I can always wind it back.

It might be normal for them to run continuously if not attached to a camera, but they should behave the same regardless of whether there's film in an attached camera or not in my experience (Winder MX and a couple of Winders ME II).

It's funny how if they want a sound effect of a camera to indicate "stardom" it's still something of that age with the bolt-on winder!

All the winders (I have the MX, MEII, Motordrive A, LX winder and LX Motordrive) are as noisy as hell. Not something I use if I want to be discreet.

If you want heavy try the ME-F with the MEII winder, the AF35-70 zoom lens and a flash... Only takes 16 batteries (8x AA, 4x AAA, 4x LR4).

Best wishes, Kris.

I have a MX with winder and the winder, unattatched to the camera, will run continuously. Not to worry. Yes, they are noisy, although one can turn off the winder. For unobtrusive shooting my Retina IIIc is ideal, and I expect in the mail a Voigtlander Vitessa L with the f2.0 Ultron which should also be a fine "street camera."

I like the grip the MX winder furnishes, and the grip shutter release makes vertical shots easier, at least for me. While I don't have particularly large hands the winder furnishes enough more bulk to make the camera feel a bit more secure.

And with the 50mm f1.2 it looks so formidable! Digital shooters have asked how many megapixels it has!

One useful thing with the MX winder:

When you press the button in single shot mode it will trigger the shutter, but it won't wind on until you release the button. Can be useful if you're trying to be quiet.

I find the camera will sit on the winder with lenses up to about the M 135mm f3.5, any longer and it noses over!

I had a couple of drives for the LX but got rid of them because I never used them. I still have a winder for the MES and the MX somewhere and I doubt I will use those!

I find I can wind faster manually in any case!

Kim