Newbie - problem on pictures

Hi everyone,
I have been brought a pentax P30 for xmas, and I'm loving it. But on my first set of pics there is a third of the picture obscurred by black. It is the bottom third of the picture. It was putting up regular warnings for under exposure. We have reseated the lense and now it all seems ok.
Anybody else had similar problems or is it likely the lense was just not on properly ????
Any ideas ?????

Hi, and happy new year.

It sounds to me that the shutter is faulty. It is a vertical run shutter, so maybe it is sticking. Trip the shutter with the back open and you should see if the curtain is opening properly.

where you using flash with higher than x speed shutter?

Donna,

Hi and Welcome.

Can you open the camera back (no film obvioulsy) and fire the shutter at say, 1/15th of a second?

I fear that the shutter curtain isn't always opening completely, or that your mirror isn't always flipping all the way up and out of the way.

When you say that it seems ok now, have you seen results from another roll?

Do you know if the camera has ever been serviced?

Maybe it just needed some exercise after sitting unused for many years - hope so...

Stay with us - we'll try to sort this out.

Cheers

Thanks for the replies, I have just put in another film but I'll try the shutter test when this one is done. I was thinking a service may well be money well spent, any idea of what sort of cost this would be? Sorry, but this is all very new to me....

Donna You didn't answer Don yet. This could be the simplest and quickest answer to your problem. CHEERS Vic

If the camera is faulty it will be cheaper to buy a second-hand replacement from ebay than have it serviced. P30 bodies can be bought for less than £15 including postage.

Good point. A better bet is, of course, the Super A.

G

...or even a P50 - to get an Av mode (aperture priority).

P30 is a nice little camera, but it is a shame it doesn't have Av - a favourite mode for a lot of photographers.

If spending much more then of course you have to start thinking about a digital SLR as well. Hope that's not a swear word on this section of the forum

Just thought had best reply to Vic, Not sure about that at all as I said I'm very new to this. How would I know if I was using the flash with the wrong
shutter speed.
In reply to just get a digital one, that's the problem, we have a digital camera but I really don't like it.
At the moment I'm just trying to finish the film so we can see how the pics are this time. Will let you know.
Thanks for all your answers though, it is appreciated.

Donna Happy New Year. Cameras have a (sync) speed which is the fastest shutter speed at which you can use flash. This speed is slower on older cameras than on new ones. (Technology moves on) The shutter curtains move seperatly and the sync speed is the fastest speed at which both curtains are fully open. One has finished traveling and the other hasn't started traveling therefore the flash can fill the whole frame of film.(The flash speed is much faster than any shutter speed) If the shutter speed is to fast then all you get is a strip of light traveling across the frame of film. Usually it is the second curtain which causes the blacked out part of the picture. I don't know the P30 sync speed but it is very often on the camera somewhere. If not I'm sure someone out there can help you find it or better still tell you it. Once you know it you can shoot at that speed or slower when using flash. CHEERS Vic

try 1/60 s.
every camera since the stone age could manage that.

Donna,

I also have a P30 and there is a flash setting on the speed wheel of 100. It's past the B setting with a flash symbol.

Depending on the type of flash you use, you may want to set the camera to 100.

If you have a flash with TTL .... easier if you tell us what flash you're using.

Let us know how the roll turns out.

(I used to love 12 exposure rolls for this).

Cheers

Hi Everyone,
Would just like to say thanks for all the replies. Finally got back my set of pics after doing all the recommended things and there is no black mark at all.
I now have 2 cameras, my hubby dropped my first one and broke the lens and we went to get a lens off ebay and found a P30T on there with 2 lenses. We bid and got them. My husbands really quite pleased as he now has a camera too.
The pictures aren't too bad, need to learn not to shake at all whilst taking the pictures, a few are blurred, but the ones that have come out properly are cracking.

Glad you got things sorted and that you've ended up with 2 cameras into the bargain! If you have access to a scanner I'm sure that people here would be pleased to see some examples of what you've taken - usually people are kind with there comments! If you really want to progress, I'd thoroughly encourage you to enter the weekly competition - assuming as mentioned you have access to a scanner. I have found that this is the best way for me to make the effort to get out and take some photos each week as I try not to just go through my archives to find something.

All the best,

Steve