Pentax Program A - shutter buttons not responding

[wojtek]

[FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica]Hello 🙂

I have a Pentax Program A, which - unfortunately - has a fault. The shutter buttons aren't changing the speed, and no matter what I do, 1/1000sec appears in the viewfinder. Although, after turning the mode selector, speed can be changed to 1/125 and B.

I have opened the body and I've cleaned the electrical contacts, but nothing has changed.

Do you have any ideas about what can be wrong? Any help will be highly appreciated.

Thanks, Wojtek
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[zuikologist]

Try new batteries - I think 1/1000 flashes when new batteries are required.

Also, the metered speed is not shown until the shutter is fired 2 or 3 times when film is being loaded, when film is wound on to 1st frame.

 

[wojtek]

Try new batteries - I think 1/1000 flashes when new batteries are required.

Batteries are fresh.

Also, the metered speed is not shown until the shutter is fired 2 or 3 times when film is being loaded, when film is wound on to 1st frame.

Are you saying that it's impossible to change the shutter speed in manual mode without a roll of film in the camera?

That would be bizarre 😀 I have to check it. Thanks!

 

[zuikologist]

Batteries are fresh.



Are you saying that it's impossible to change the shutter speed in manual mode without a roll of film in the camera?

That would be bizarre 😀 I have to check it. Thanks!

No. Fire the shutter 3 times, with or without film, and it should revert to the metered reading. I think it was a feature to stop battery drain and long exposures for those first 2 or three shutter firings when loading film if you had the camera in AV or program mode while loading film and had the lens cap on.

 

[wojtek]

Thank you very much - I will try at home, in the evening. Who knows, maybe it'll work! 🙂

 

[wojtek]

Zuikologist - you are a genius and I feel dumb. Won't say any more. Ha ha.

It works. Thanks.