What should I do with my LX?

I am planning to clear out my photo drawer of unused and little used equipment. I checked over the LX and it's immaculate, not a mark on it but operation is a bit sluggish. Although everything appears to work the mirror lifts quite slowly, nothing that could be measured in seconds but slow enough for me to see the lens stop down.

I have heard they suffer from stuck mirrors and I suspect I am seeing signs of that. As it is basically working is it something for which there is a simple fix or is it the end for this old camera? If it goes there will be a few old accessories for it going cheap.

My ME Super seems to have died totally. The lights come on but the shutter doesn't operate. If that goes in the bin it won't seem quite a traumatic as dumping an LX.

If you do decide to dump the ME Super, I need a mirror for mine ...

and I am sure there will be a few others in need of odd parts.

I've recently sold two LX's on eBay - both of which suffered from "Sticky Mirror Syndrome". One was as-new and boxed (fetched £565), the other was an average condition user model (fetched £231 including the FA-1 finder and SC-21 screen). Both would have required a service before being pressed into use - Harrow Technical offer such a service for around £90 which will restore your LX to perfect working order for years to come.

So you have a couple of choices; fix it for about £90 or flog it for a few hundred. I can't see binning it being a realistic option...

On this occasion Hefty1 is wrong, your camera is almost certainly useless and valueless. However, I could do with a new project so would be happy to take it off your hands, and will pay the postage plus a quid or two for packaging. PM me with your bank details.

Davex.

Thanks hefty, that sounds a whole load better than I expected. I have the box and supplied accessories, all absolutely mint. Ditto winder and FC-1 finder. I think I shall look at selling it.

I also have a pack of ten synchro terminal caps which I doubt are easy to find and probably gone missing from quite a lot of LXs. They may make a few LX owners happy.

I assume Dave is being a wind-up merchant. Not absolutely sure but I guess so.

If the ME Super winds but doesn't cock the shutter it's probably not worth repairing. Jammed ones can be sorted out with a squirt of lighter fuel and a bit of gentle prodding of internals with a screwdriver (you're just trying to make it complete the cycle and return to the resting position).

There are still people able to repair and service them, but TBH if you want an ME-S then I'd keep my eyes on ebay for a good working example. So long as you're happy replacing light seals (really simple providing you have steady hands) then you can get one back into working order.

That said, if you want rid then try sticking it on ebay as a spares or repair (either 99p start or £10 buy it now), it'll most likely go. There's a steady trade in them and they're not a bad buy if you're after something to learn camera repairs on. I have one on the way which, assuming I can get it unjammed and working, will be gaining the black bodywork from another one and having its peeling leather repainted dark red before refitting same. At this rate I'll end up with five of them, two standard and three custom finished!