SP1000 mirror problem

Hi All,

I finally got round to running a film through my recently acquired SP1000 (it was queued up behind an S1a & K1000). There appears to be an intermittent problem with the mirror (I think) causing the shutter not to fire.

With the meter switch up when I hit the shutter release, the mirror seems to only go about 3/4 of the way up and the shutter doesn't fire. Moving the switch back down seems to raise the mirror fully and another press of the shutter release fires the shutter.

With the meter switch down when the shutter is released it seems OK.

Any ideas what might the problem (it was fine for the first half of the roll)?

Thanks, John.

Wierd, but having swapped a couple of lenses and back it now seems to be working. Does anybody know if all the Spotmatics are compatible with the SMC 50mm f/1.4 lens?

They should be fine with the lens, but there could be a problem with the meter switch. These were a weak point and often caused problems. Try turning the meter off manually by pushing the switch down before you take the shot and see if that cures the problem. Maybe with a bit of encouragement it will ease up a little.

Thanks John.

With the meter switch up when shooting it seems fine. Without a lens on it also appears OK. I'm sure I'll get used to pushing it down, it only takes a second.

I also recently got an SP1000 and when I took it in to get new seals, the tech pointed out that the meter switch was not coming down. This being my first M42 camera, and the first one with a separate meter switch, I had assumed it was normal.

I got a full service on the camera instead of just seals and now it seems ok, the switch drops down when the shutter is fired. From what you've said, it needs to drop down slightly before the mirror goes up or it interferes with it. If it's the same problem, then a service would fix it, or maybe you could do it yourself if you're confident in that sort or thing.

Yes, I'm sure a service will sort the problem out. As I'm also not enormously familiar with M42 bodies I was first looking for signs it was user error.