How much should I expect to pay to service a camera?

Tom Pinchenzo

Tom Pinchenzo

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Tom
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And what would they do? My Pentax ME Super is jamming and I’ve fixed it once by having a poke around, it’s happened again so I imagine it needs a bit of lubricating. I’m thinking I should just give it a service as I don’t think it has ever had one. How much can I expect to pay (ball park) and what would they do? I know they can also replace light seals...

Thanks,
Tom
 
When I've used Miles Whitehead's services it has usually cost around £50-60. If you email him, he'll give you a quote.

http://www.mwcamerarepairs.co.uk

Other than specific repairs you might want sorted, a CLA (Clean. Lubricate. Adjust) will involve things like cleaning the optics - viewfinders etc., lubricating the moving parts so it operates smoothly, and adjusting the mechanics to ensure that shutter speeds are working correctly and so forth.
If you need new light seals, that’s a job that’s fairly easily and more cheaply done yourself. If a clumsy oaf like myself can manage it, anyone can. :)
 
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I have used Robin Gowing, a Pentax specialist, for all my old Pentaxes, who charges £86 for spotmatics; his standard charge for an ME Super is £96. I've been really pleased with the service from him.
http://harrowtechnical.co.uk
 
Tom Pinchenzo said:
And what would they do? My Pentax ME Super is jamming and I’ve fixed it once by having a poke around, it’s happened again so I imagine it needs a bit of lubricating. I’m thinking I should just give it a service as I don’t think it has ever had one. How much can I expect to pay (ball park) and what would they do? I know they can also replace light seals...

Thanks,
Tom
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Don't give up yet, put a tiny drop of say sewing machine oil on the moving parts. IMO the ME super is not worth £50 to repair as to me it's nothing special.
 
excalibur2 said:
Don't give up yet, put a tiny drop of say sewing machine oil on the moving parts. IMO the ME super is not worth £50 to repair as to me it's nothing special.
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I’ve been looking at the value of the camera and you’re right that I’d probably have to pay more for a service than I would get for the camera. It was my father-in-Law’s old camera though so has some sentimental value. And I really enjoy using it...
 
Tom Pinchenzo said:
I’ve been looking at the value of the camera and you’re right that I’d probably have to pay more for a service than I would get for the camera. It was my father-in-Law’s old camera though so has some sentimental value. And I really enjoy using it...
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Oh well a simple choice:- if you don't want to oil it yourself to see if that works, then you either put it in a drawer and buy another camera or get it serviced.
 
I renewed the light seals and mirror bumper with a sheet of black foam from Hobby Crafts Romford costing 80 pence and i cut the strips with a trimmer 'made in Poland' bought at Brentwood Photographic Club annual auction for £1 !
Then I took off base- plate using my JLS Screwdriver set £9 odd off Amazon from Tokyo and lubricated with a minute amount of sewing machine oil price £2 from Hobby Crafts.
 
pentaxpete said:
I renewed the light seals and mirror bumper with a sheet of black foam from Hobby Crafts Romford costing 80 pence and i cut the strips with a trimmer 'made in Poland' bought at Brentwood Photographic Club annual auction for £1 !
Then I took off base- plate using my JLS Screwdriver set £9 odd off Amazon from Tokyo and lubricated with a minute amount of sewing machine oil price £2 from Hobby Crafts.
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Sounds doable! Did you just lubricate all the articulating parts?
 
Yes -- all the cogs and levers I could reach -- touching a pin or very small Brush in a small amount of the oil in a developing dish. Be careful not to get any near where the shutter blind works.
The Asahi Pentax 'MX' has LOADS of cogs and levers as it has not an 'Electronic 'shutter' I refurbished my 1961 Asahi Pentax S3 like that as i got it back as 'Not Working' 40 years after selling it for £20 and the bloke said I could have it back ! See my Video about it here ---
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5GYIlVvg_s
 
pentaxpete said:
Yes -- all the cogs and levers I could reach -- touching a pin or very small Brush in a small amount of the oil in a developing dish. Be careful not to get any near where the shutter blind works.
The Asahi Pentax 'MX' has LOADS of cogs and levers as it has not an 'Electronic 'shutter' I refurbished my 1961 Asahi Pentax S3 like that as i got it back as 'Not Working' 40 years after selling it for £20 and the bloke said I could have it back ! See my Video about it here ---
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5GYIlVvg_s
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I took the base plate off and the other bits as shown here:
View: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=NJUeXlA2qjM


Managed to get the mirror unstuck and gave it all a bit of sewing machine oil (probably too much). Then came the fun part of putting it together.... eventually managed it! When I put it back together I noticed the batteries had completely died, so while it does work in full manual mode I suspect when it’s trying to control the shutter speed in AE mode rather than the 1/125 of its manual mode it gets confused and jams up. I picked up some new batteries so hopefully all will be well! Thanks for the help all.
 
In case anyone is still following this thread I’ll post this here before starting a new one. Having solved the second problem arising with my Pentax, it’s no longer jamming after giving it an oil and new batteries. But now take-up spool isn’t winding on. Or rather is is winding when there’s no pressure on it but as soon as I load some film it stops going round. The advance lever works fine and I can advance and shoot without any film in all day long but as soon as there’s a bit of pressure on the spool it stops working. Surely that mechanism doesn’t rely on friction? Is so maybe I oiled too much?
 
The film is pushed through by the drive sprockets near the take-up spool. The spool is only there to gather up the film as its driven through by the sprockets. The take-up spool does use friction because the film is driven through at a constant rate by the sprockets, but the rotation speed of the take-up spool has to change because the diameter of the spool increases as more film is wound on. In other words, the sprockets are direct drive from the advance lever, and the take-up spool is driven via a clutch. The drag on the take-up spool can vary from camera to camera, but it generally doesn't need to be particularly high - just enough to gather up the film and build up the layers without them being loose.

If the film isn't advancing, the issue is more likely to be with the drive sprockets. If they were okay and the take-up spool wasn't working, then you'd have film bunching up in the chamber around the spool until it filled up, at which point, things would jam. Ergo, check the sprockets: With no film in the camera, open the back and try winding on while putting a finger on a drive sprocket - it should force its way round regardless of your finger trying to stop it. If that's not happening, something is amiss internally - rewind button is in and not releasing, or some part of the sprocket drive isn't working.
 
Nomad Z said:
rewind button is in and not releasing, or some part of the sprocket drive isn't working.
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This is the problem! The rewind button is not releasing. I must have done something to it when I was poking around inside... Why would it not be releasing? Is it just a case of taking the bottom off and having another poke around to release it?

Thanks.
 
I just found this on t'internet.

"Notice there is a little black plastic sleeve around the rewind release button. Inside the camera there is a groove around that sleeve, and when the button is pushed in, a spring-loaded cam arm clicks into that groove and holds the button in. When the winding lever motion begins, the cam arm is pushed out of the groove and releases the button.

If you have a small cross-head screwdriver, take off the bottom cover (three tiny screws, one toward each end and one in the middle). Don't lose the screws! You'll then be able to see the button, the black plastic sleeve around it, and the cam arm that fits into the groove.

With a small tool, gently press outward on the end of the cam arm nearest the winder shaft, and the other end of the cam arm should release the sleeve and the button. Then work the winding lever and shutter and try the rewind button again a few times to make sure your repair worked. On normal ME Supers, the beginning of the winding action (after the lever is popped out to winding position) should release the button.

If the metal shaft of the button is depressed but the plastic sleeve is not, try jiggling the toothed spindle inside the film compartment as geowelch suggests and work the winding lever and shutter again. With your fingertips, gently turn the sleeve on the shaft.

If the cocking action doesn't move the cam arm, or if the cam arm isn't moving enough to release the groove in the button sleeve, then the cam arm isn't making proper contact with the winding lever ratchet wheel and may be bent or worn. If the cam arm doesn't click into the groove, then the spring is probably broken or unhooked. These kinds of problems probably will require repair by a professional."

I'll give it a try in the morning!
 
FishyFish said:
You'll soon be able to start repairing cameras as a profession at this rate. :)
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It’s a good learning experience! I might have to get my own tiny screwdriver though- my neighbour will start to get fed up of me going round to borrow his :D
 
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