ME Super -- faulty shutter?

[sircarl]

I recently returned from a vacation in New York, where I shot three rolls of HP5 with my recently acquired ME Super. When I developed them yesterday, I found a dark band at the bottom of many frames, like this:





While this happened in only a few frames in the first roll I shot, there were more in the second, and in the majority of frames in the last. I initially I thought there was something wrong with the seals. But they look OK, and it seems odd that defective seals would get progressively worse in so short a time. A friend suggested a faulty shutter, and I have a feeling that may be true. Does anyone here have any thoughts on the cause?

This isn’t the end of the world, since I use the camera mainly for vacations and the like. Still, it is frustrating, since this is my second Super in six months. The earlier one had a shutter that wouldn’t fire at all, intermittently. I do like the camera a lot. Here are some shots I posted from these rolls without the bands, or bands fixed (sort of) in PP: http://tinyurl.com/y9dgvzs But I really don’t want to spend money repairing an older camera that isn’t reliable. I’m toying now with getting an MX, which I’ve read on the Web is sturdier. Not sure -- have never even seen one. Or maybe I should just sell my three Pentax lenses and (heresy!) get an OM system instead?

 

[squirrel$$$bandit]

No biggie, you just need a shutter adjustment and lubrication. Send it to Eric at Pentax Camera Service:

http://pentaxs.com/index.html

 

[sircarl]

Mabelsound,

Thanks for the suggestion, but I'm not about to ship a camera overseas for repair, especially a camera whose reliability I'm worried about in the first place. And for what he charges, I can almost buy an MX! But I'm interested to hear you think it's a shutter problem too.

 

[bmattock]

Yes, it's a shutter, IMO. The ME Super has a vertical Copal metal shutter, electronically controlled. They tend to last a very long time. Unfortunately, I have a Canon T60 that had the identical dark band across the bottom and it was the shutter. In fact, if you open the back and put the camera on 'B' and press the shutter, you'll probably see that the last metal blade does not clear the film gate entirely. That's what happened to mine. Given the cost of rebuilding the Copal, I'd suggest another Pentax, unless this one has sentimental value to you.

 

[squirrel$$$bandit]

Yeah, agreed. I'm sorry, I missed that you were in the UK. There is likely to be a camera repair shop somewhere near you, though, that can do a simple CLA for a reasonable price. But, worst case scenario, ME Supers are very affordable, and you could find a good one on eBay or elsewhere.

Though it seems unlikely to me, bmattock, that a shutter rebuild is in order here. I'm willing to bet it's just hanging a little and is only a lube/dirt problem. I've had this exact problem on one of my Pentaxes and a CLA fixed it.

 

[titrisol]

yes your shutter is lazy, so you'll need to have it adjusted Also the band is at the bottom of your images, thus at the top of your film chamber so maybe it is something not so complicated.
However, the MESuper is pretty sturdy, and you might as well sacrifice a roll.

Let's start from the simplest things....
Try exercizing the camera in the M position, something maybe stuck somewhere and as long as the camera fires it may get released.

Try taking the batteries out, clean the contacts with the eraser side of a pencil and see if the problem improves.

Also look here:
http://www.kyphoto.com/classics/pentaxmeproblems.html

 

[bmattock]

Yeah, agreed. I'm sorry, I missed that you were in the UK. There is likely to be a camera repair shop somewhere near you, though, that can do a simple CLA for a reasonable price. But, worst case scenario, ME Supers are very affordable, and you could find a good one on eBay or elsewhere.

Though it seems unlikely to me, bmattock, that a shutter rebuild is in order here. I'm willing to bet it's just hanging a little and is only a lube/dirt problem. I've had this exact problem on one of my Pentaxes and a CLA fixed it.

You may be right. To me, however, if the shutter isn't rebuilt, then any fix is likely to be untrustworthy. Not a big deal if you're willing to sacrifice a roll of film every so often, but perhaps not a good idea if you're going to depend on the camera. I say this because I've had leaf shutters which I've 'fixed' later have problems again, and I didn't know until I got the roll developed and then I was most unhappy. So I tend to either do the entire shutter rebuild thing or consider the camera a 'play toy' and not use it for anything critical.

 

[ZeissFan]

You might want to closely inspect the shutter blades and shutter channel for debris, such as a film chip. Use a small torch/flashlight to inspect it. Set the shutter on B and lock the shutter open so that you can inspect it with the shutter open and closed.

You'll also want to see if there is any damage to the blades.

As others suggest, I wouldn't spent too much time or money on it. These cameras are plentiful and inexpensive.

The MX, by the way, uses a horizontal cloth curtain. If you have the ME winder, it won't fit the MX.

 

[sircarl]

Thanks everyone, I will try your suggested fixes. But again, I'm reluctant to send it out for a professional repair if my DIY efforts don't work. It just isn't worth it for a camera this cheap, especially since the MX might be a viable (and hopefully, better built) alternative.

 

[zuikologist]

I would give it lots of exercise, dry firing it without film, and then try another roll.

As a longer term alternative, the MX or KX is probably better, being independent of any electrnics except for the meter.

 

[sircarl]

Just to update everyone who contributed to this post, I tried your suggested remedies and today shot off another roll. Banding has completely disappeared. So, many thanks for your ideas. I'm not totally confident this will last, however, so I suspect there will be an MX for me sometime in the near future.

 

[titrisol]

To be honest I have more trust in electronic shutters than I do in mechanical ones.
I have a Nikon FE that has ticks perfectly after 20+ years, and th ME Super I got 2 years ago has been perfect.
Even a ME-F (ME Super + Autofocus) that I got in "ugly" shape keeps firing perfectly.

Mechanicla shutter, specially the curtain type always require adjustments, the electronics dont.