Pentax Spotmatic siezed up

[Aemb]

Hi, I recently purchased a Pentax Spotmatic F which was seized up.
Thinking it was the usual problem with the sliding lever slipping off in the base of the camera, I removed the base & moved the lever back into position but unfortunately this did nothing, the wind on lever will not move more than 5mm & the shutter button will not go down, in other words its locked up. Does anyone have any ideas as to where I go from here. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[colyn]

If you got it off eBay send it back and find another working body.

Sounds like the shutter may be set and needs to be tripped. You may need a small screwdriver to get in deep from the bottom where this lever may be. Beyond that I haven't been inside the Spotmatic in years so I can't help.

 

[charjohncarter]

Agree, send it back.

 

[Swift1]

This may be a silly question, but is the shutter button lock set?

 

[tedwhite]

I used Spotmatics for a couple of decades, but never had that problem. Yahoo has a forum for Spotmatic users and Eric Hendrickson is the go-to guy for repairs. In fact, he would willingly give you info via email (Eric27@aol.com). His prices are quite reasonable, and if your 'F' is in otherwise good condition it might be worth sending it to him for a CLA. He lives in Sharps Chapel, TN.

 

[Pioneer]

I am always in favor of bringing a Spottie back to life if it can be done reasonably. But some of these have been rode real hard and put away wet. It may not be worth the time or money. But drop Eric a line and get his advice.

 

[Aemb]

Pentax spotmatic F

Pentax spotmatic F

Hi, I bought the camera as not working as it looks like new & thought the problem was an easy fix but unfortunately its not so was just hoping someone out there had some ideas on what the problem is so that I can have a go at repairing it.
P.S. I have not left the shutter button lock on & I think the cost of sending the camera to the states from London for repairs would be uneconomical.

 

[tedwhite]

Sorry, didn't know you lived in London.

 

[nikon_sam]

Well here's your chance at "Having a go at repairing it..."
Open that sucker up, look for the obvious problem and fix it...
Seriously, have a go at getting it back up and running yourself...you bought it knowing it wasn't working, hoping it was an easy fix and you'd get a nice looking camera for cheap...well, that didn't pan out so get out the tools...learn something...

 

[rodt16s]

Drop it off at Harrow technical, the UK Pentax repairer

 

[Aemb]

Pentax spotmatic f

Pentax spotmatic f

Sam, that was the general idea, but I was hoping that someone out there might be able to give me an idea of where & what to look for.
I have repaired cameras in the past but was hoping to save time by tapping into some knowledge as I used to at Kyphoto classic camera repair forum which sadly has closed down.

 

[KoNickon]

Kyphoto is still available for searching here at RFF -- not as good as a live forum, to be sure, but maybe the question and answer are there. Try also photo.net.

 

[Penny Lane]

I'm surprised nobody posted this link: http://pentax-manuals.com/manuals/service/servicemanuals.htm

Lots of information on servicing Pentax bodies there. No service manual for the F but I think it's mechanically largely comparable to the 'normal' Spotmatic (correct me if I'm wrong).

Derk

 

[mikemc_photo]

If the mirror was tripped , but the shutter cocked, then retensioning the mirror would allow it to cycle. You can check the shutter bars to determine this, you can move them if not set....Otherwise you could have a jammed ST, did you pull the lever down ? Is the bottom gearing clear of debris? Then it is top cover time. Look for a broken or stuck clutch pin...

 

[Frontman]

The shutters on the old Pentaxes get a little sticky. Check to make sure the shutter has fully closed, it may look closed, but the second curtain may need to move a few more millimeters to release the shutter button and winding lever. If this is the case, adding a little more tension to the shutter curtain rollers may fix the problem.

 

[farlymac]

I've got an F that when you release the shutter, the second curtain takes it's dear sweet time strolling across the film gate. So it's either a lube thing, or tensioning. It's waiting in the que for attention.

You might be able to trip the shutter from the bottom, Aemb, get things in sequence again.

PF

 

[Aemb]

Hi, thanks for the help, I think the top needs to come off as I have also noticed that the frame counter reset tab appears to be stuck & doesn't reset the frame counter. Maybe this is linked to the other problem.

 

[mikemc_photo]

Its possible that the counter is jamming the upper wind....did you check the curtains position yet?

 

[Aemb]

Hi, the shutter curtain looks normal to me. I will have to remove the top, just have to make a tool with two small prongs on it to remove the winder & dial on top first, as my lens removal tool is too wide to fit the two small holes.