New (to me) Pentax MX - damaged??
Why not have an overhaul and foam replacement done by Asahi Photo or Harrow Technical, they are both excellent. I suggest the foam is important because when it really goes it could end up as fragments of dry debris to get onto your camera and in it, or even a black sludge.
The lightseals are straightforward, and kits are available. I've removed the remnants of the old material already - a fun hour with cotton buds moistened with alcohol and wooden skewers. 1.5mm foam strips are on their way for installation!
The mirror buffer on mine was half hanging off. (Yours is totally absent by the look of it). I can see that the foam is meant to sit in a sort of groove behind that black plate with the two screw threads. I will extremely carefully remove it with tweezers (looks like it will come away easily in one go - haha famous last words) and install new foam in its place. I will not be putting alcohol anywhere near this part of the camera, or going at it with wooden skewers or anything like that. I will keep you posted as to my success (or otherwise :shock
There's a tutorial I was looking at somewhere, I'll try and dig it out....
As far as the metering goes, test it against your DSLR... mine seems spot on!
Of course if you're planning a CLA, you might as well get the seals & buffer done professionally at the same time...
I've opened up the back & the light seals, while still there (unlike the mirror bumper), are not in a healthy state.
I've inquired at the only local (Edinburgh) camera repair place I know of (Cameratiks) and they have quoted me £29 to replace the light seals & £50 to £70 for a clean out (CLA, I suppose). They take a week unless it's needed faster. I'm going back to Spain on Friday so would need it back by then. Any opinions on whether this is a good price? I imagine I could replace the seals myself but I can't CLA it.
Does a CLA ensure that the shutter speeds are accurate? I know that these can change with age and lose precision.
I can't find Interslice on eekbay, but there are plenty of other sellers of light seals. Any chance I could pick some up locally?
Obviously it's a big increase on what I paid for the camera, but there's no point in using a camera that's not in a fit state to take photos.
Fan of DA limited and old manual lenses
K.
It is an illusion that photos are made with the camera… they are made with the eye, heart and head. Henri Cartier-Bresson
Lots of film bodies, a couple of digital ones, too many lenses (mainly older glass) and a Horseman LE 5x4.
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I'd have sent it to Harrow Technical for the full CLA if there'd been time before I head off.
Now I miss having it to look at, it's such a beautiful machine, DSLRs just can't compare.
Fan of DA limited and old manual lenses
I ordered new foam seals, ready cut and self adhesive, from ebay. God they were awkward to fit. I've just run a film through the camera to see if the job worked.
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2217 posts
13 years
Madrid / Edinburgh
However, as this is the first film SLR I've ever had I don't know how things should be otherwise. I'm aware that light seals may need changed & that a cleaning/lubrication might be good, but I plan to run a cheap roll of film through it first of all to check for any potential problems.
What I noticed when I got home, is that I think it's missing a foam buffer at the top to protect the mirror when it flips up. Below are two pics - one of the camera & lens that came with it, the other of the upper inside of the mount where I believe the foam has degraded & disappeared. Can someone confirm if this is the case? If so, can I replace this myself or will it have to be done by a qualified professional? Any idea how much it's likely to cost?
Many thanks for any advice. I hope that I'll have some fun with film alongside my K200D.
BTW, I will be selling the lens pictured below as I plan to use my Pentax M & K primes. I'll post separately about that, or PM me.
Fan of DA limited and old manual lenses