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Gabe
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, November 28, 2005 - 07:09 pm: | 
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I have a 'new' Pentax Spotmatic SP and it has a couple of issues. The easiest first. Sometimes on the mid to slower speeds the mirror hangs up. The shutter closes but the mirror will get stuck in the up position. Any thoughts on what needs some cleaning or lubrication?
Second and this is a little strange. It appears that the meter is back words. That is it it reads + when it is under exposed and vice versa. When I check it against a hand meter its pretty close (maybe a half step off). Also the little red light that is supposed to be one when it is in the step down/metering mode doesn't come on. Im not really concerned about the little red light but it might be a clue to the odd metering behavior.
Any help? |
Will
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, November 28, 2005 - 11:00 pm: |
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It sounds like the camera needs a clean and lube. Is the battery polarity correct?
Will |
Gabe
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, November 29, 2005 - 12:02 am: |
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Im pretty sure the polarity is correct and I just realized that the little red 'light' isn't actually a light. Anyway, a little more info on the mirror. I was reading a manual and noticed that the stepdown is supposed to return to 'off' after the shutter goes. I found my problem. The mirror isn't tripping that lever and at the slower speeds it gets caught on that. So with the meter off no problem, but even at the high speeds the meter stays on. Does that help isolate the mirror issue? |
Will
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, November 29, 2005 - 12:47 am: |
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Hi Gabe,
I'm not familiar with this specific camera. However my guess is the issue with the mirror is not so much mirror related as it is slow shutter speed related. In normal operation, there is a certain amount of mechanism momentum required for the mirror to reset. The camera is not getting this because the slow shutter speeds are hanging. IMO a general clean and lube will take care of the problem.
Will |
Roberto Rossi
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, November 29, 2005 - 06:09 am: |
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What you are saying is that with the meter switched off the camera mirror/shutter operates correctly. When you operate the meter/stopdown lever or whatever the mirror hangs. Is this mode of failure correct?
If so; Will is correct in stating that camera needs a service, but I do not think he has pinpointed the area of failure correctly. The fault would seem to be in a 'sticky' meter/stopdown linkage.
I have not handled a Spotmatic for years so may be incorrect myself.
As to the + sign for under exposure, This could be correct, ie you have to increase exposure to get a correct reading from under and decrease to get correct reading from over exposure. |
Gabe
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, November 29, 2005 - 09:47 am: |
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The manual says + is for over exposure. Also for a battery check the manual says the needle should drop rapidly. Mine rises. It seems fairly accurate but its just too strange not to try to figure out. It definitely seems to be hanging on the meter/stopdown linkage. My question is does anybody know if I can just clean and lube this area easily rather than doing an entire service. |
Gabe
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, November 29, 2005 - 09:54 am: |
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One more question. I can still use the camera if I just shut the meter off before I release the shutter. Will cause further damage before I get a chance to have it CLAed? Or is this just postponing or aggravating further issues? |
Glenn Middleton
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, November 29, 2005 - 01:28 pm: |
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Has the camera been got at? The polarity is definitely the wrong way round at some point in the wiring. My guess is that a couple of wires have been reversed during a 'service'. With the correct manual you may be able to free/lube the linkage in question.
Switching off meter before shutter release should not cause a problem if you are exposing 2 or 3 films. However in these situations 2/3 films tend to increase to 20/30, before you know it some other part of mechanism has seized up. Anyway I would want to get the meter sorted sooner rather than later. We are assuming that the linkage is sticking because of dirt/lack of lube. It is just possible that a DIY repair has done more damage than it corrected. |
paul ron
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, November 29, 2005 - 02:36 pm: |
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The original mercury batteries had their posative terminal oposite of the new replacement batteries you are using. Reverse the polarity and your meter will work. |
Gabe
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, November 29, 2005 - 04:03 pm: |
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Well what do you know. I had to pull the little rubber ring off the battery and turn it around and the meter issue seems solved. Strange because I use a lot of cameras with mercury replacement batteries and this camera has been the first to have that problem. If only the mirror issue was that easy. I have looked closer and the foam and seals are a gritty mess. Anyone with experience with a light seal replacement on these know if I go through that process and clean and lube everything on my way if that would clear up the mess inside? The seal replacement kits have pretty good instructions, correct? |
Jon Goodman
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, November 30, 2005 - 07:23 am: |
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Hello, Gabe.
I could mail you a kit for $6 (free shipping in the USA and no more than 80 cents to mail to any other country) that will allow you to re-seal your Spotmatic and about 5 more cameras just like it. The kit does come with good instructions, and I'm happy to answer any questions you might have. The Spotmatic SP is actually a pretty straightforward camera to re-seal. If you're interested, please e:mail me at [email protected].
Jon |
paul ron
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, November 30, 2005 - 01:31 pm: |
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Seals are very east to do especially if the foam is self stick, that makes it a snap.
I believe there is a repair manual on this site. Also there are plenty of threads concerning shutter problems and repairs for Spotmatics. I hate working on 35mms they are too small, brain surgery for a steady hand and lots of patience.
Good luck. |
Jon Goodman
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, December 02, 2005 - 12:17 pm: |
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The Spotmatic SP re-sealing instructions & images are now complete. Tonight I will convert them to a pdf file. If anybody wants them, please e:mail me to ask with something like "Spotmatic Re-Sealing Instructions" in the Re: field.
Jon |
