Both of my LX's suffer from the infamous 'Sticky Mirror Syndrome' which I can live with but also intermittent exposure problems -- then I read on www.pentaxforums.com ( Mostly YANKS ! ) that if you do the same as on the ME Super ie Rotate the exposure compensation and ASA dials back and forth many times it cleans the contacts underneath which I DID and found the exposures now agree with a Weston Master V and test B&W film came out well !

I have a small 'Stash' in my Freezer given to me years ago by a Studio Photographer who came to my Club and asked 'Does anyone here still use FILM ? " so of course i piped up " YES, but mine is all outdated" --- " Oh if you like outdated Film come to my Studio as I want to make room in my Fridge for my BEER" he replied -- so I rushed there and he took me into his darkroom and opened a fridge and filled a carrier bag with packs of 120 and 35mm FILM including the Infra Red and PANATOMIC -X dated 1989 , bulk E6 and lots more !

thanks Folks ! This Old Bloke has not Lost His Touch only HAIR ! Ha ha !

I had a trip out into the Wide, Wide World for the first time since i came home from Hospital 2 weeks ago -- we went to Central Park CHELMSFORD Essex for a 'Family Socially Distanced' Picnic -- I took my Asahi Pentax LX with the 'Sticky Mirror Syndrome' which I have not used for a long time, loaded with 1997 dated Kodak High Speed Infra-Red Film found in my Freezer . I used 2 lenses. SMC Pentax-A 24mm f2.8 and SMC Pentax-M 50mm f1.7 and a 25A RED Filter. I had done a short length TEST in the garden before going to Chelmsford. I corrected the exposure and increased Development time . I used my Home-Made FX-15 ( Acutol-S Formula) 1+1 for 14 mins @ 20oC

InfraRed Set Up by Peter Elgar, on Flickr

InfraRed Test 01 by Peter Elgar, on Flickr

InfraRed Test 02 by Peter Elgar, on Flickr

InfraRed Test 03 by Peter Elgar, on Flickr

InfraRed Test 04 by Peter Elgar, on Flickr

InfraRed Test 08 by Peter Elgar, on Flickr

InfraRed Test 09 by Peter Elgar, on Flickr

InfraRed Test 10 by Peter Elgar, on Flickr

After my Big Operation I'm not allowed to walk out anywhere ! I am stuck with 'Garden Photography' -- you have some wonderful results there . Don't get Rectal Cancer !

When things finally allow I want to give my Camera Club members some 'Workshops' and show just that BUT it means coming to BRENTWOOD here in darkest ESSEX !

Thanks ! Another 'Shielding Lockdown' time indoors as due to my big Operation am Vulnerable so only 'Garden Photography' and more time to check over old cameras and service them a bit !

I re-furbished a 'Gift' Asahi Pentax ME body ( new mirror bumper and back door foam, straitened a bent lens aperture activating lever in mount and lubricated in Base-Plate the levers and cogs.
I tried it with a TAMRON BBAR MC Close-Focus 135mm f2.5 with the 'K' adaptall mount as it came with a C/Y mount. I first used up a very short length of 1992 ORWO NP22 Processed in FX-15 1+1 then took a few more on 11/2002 JESSOPS PAN 100 processed in FX-4 1+1

Well -- I'm out of Hospital with a huge semi-circular glued SCAR after Liver Cancer Lesions cut out - the 4th time I have been 'Opened Up' ! SO - very sore but yesterday spent time lubricating ME Super with 'Winder Failure Syndrome' and got it to work. and new Mirror Bumper foam on a 'Gift' ME body and did the moving lens aperture activating ring so lens now stops down !! YES-- I saw the 'Blotches' -- i think is from Bad Storage of the 1995 Ilford XP2 400 sent to me by a fellow Forum Member . On processing the negs had 'Greening' effect due to storage but got rid of it on de-saturation to B&W in FastStone IMage Viewer. I had scanned as 'Colour' .

Brentwood & District Photographic Club have an On-line Photo Comp next week for 'B&W A Kitchen Utensil' so I had a go on Kitchen Table with 2 old tungsten lamps and kitchen lights on and a blue cloth background. Camera was my original Asahi Pentax 6x7 MU and FILM was 'Gift' Feb. 1995 dated ILFORD XP2 400 which I processd in well-used C41 and scanned with CANON 9000F Mk II + Vuescan Pro + FastStone Image Viewer. Metered by Weston Master V FILM was a Kind GIFT fro ma Forum Member !