Is it worth bringing these cameras back into use?

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TheReverend

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Craig
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Hi all,

My father in law has given me 2 cameras he used to use in the 70's & 80's. He tells me the Cosina was the camera he started out with and used it only for a few years, but the Pentax ME Super got a lot more use.

Both cameras need some work, they at least need light seals (as they're completely perished) and possible some lubrication and adjustment.

I just wondered, if it's actually worth it or should they become shelf pieces? The lenses that come with them are extremely dusty inside (at least I think its dust and not fungus!).

I ask as I don't need to use them, it'd be nice to bring them back into use given the history of them with my Father in law. But I already have a working F60 which I am happy with.

https://flic.kr/p/2s7MR44

Thanks!
 
Have you looked in the battery chambers for signs of acid corrosion ?
 
To check the lenses take them off, open up the apertures to their widest, and shine a torch through from the back, angling it about - maybe use a magnifier too if you've got one. Mould tends to have a distinct, dendritic pattern and is so common after long storage, whereas dust just looks like specks.

Another lens defect is haze (deposition of evaporated oils) which appears as a more general cloudiness. There can also be deterioration where lens elements are cemented together - probably a more ragged, corrosive look.

I won't mention cleaning scratches or dried-out lubricant ...
 
The ME might be nice to look at, but I've never had any success with them. They are far too fragile, in my opinion. The Cosina I know nothing about, but that's the one I'd be more interested in using. Of course, as with all old cameras, you need to check them over first.
 
Plain Nev said:
The ME might be nice to look at, but I've never had any success with them. They are far too fragile, in my opinion. The Cosina I know nothing about, but that's the one I'd be more interested in using. Of course, as with all old cameras, you need to check them over first.
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I used an ME s my only camera for many years & never had an issue with it, my Brother & my Dad both had ME supers which were a little more flexible than the basic ME & also worked well.

If the seals need replacing I doubt the time involved will make these bodies financially worth fixing, but provided there are no other major issues I suspect the history of them would make it well worthwhile if you have the time...
 
I tried both the Pentax and the Cosina you show there, at different times but both suffered from the same problem: despite my not having big hands, they were just too petite for me.

I have nothing against small cameras but they need to be designed properly. I still have these two and no sane person could honestly call them oversized...

Cameras Canon Ixus 70 and Minox B 705020014.JPG
 
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Petrochemist said:
I used an ME s my only camera for many years & never had an issue with it, my Brother & my Dad both had ME supers which were a little more flexible than the basic ME & also worked well.

If the seals need replacing I doubt the time involved will make these bodies financially worth fixing, but provided there are no other major issues I suspect the history of them would make it well worthwhile if you have the time...
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My MES shot one roll and then developed the infinite wind. Another, a plastic lever fell out of the mirror box and is jammed solid. I've got a third one, and that's just the same. I think if you know the provenance, and have looked after it, they are probably okay. But often they have been indifferently treated.
 
Plain Nev said:
My MES shot one roll and then developed the infinite wind. Another, a plastic lever fell out of the mirror box and is jammed solid. I've got a third one, and that's just the same. I think if you know the provenance, and have looked after it, they are probably okay. But often they have been indifferently treated.
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I guess they've aged a lot since I used mine, back in the eighties & nineties!
 
I've had a range of Cosina's from ebay and charity shops. Not met with much success. Electrics had gone on most and would have to resort to the manual shutter speed of 1/100th or thereabouts. The hinge on most was very loose and light leaks from this fault was a pain. Just one that works okay, that being the CSM model which takes M42 lenses. It's a shame really, I like the layout and feel of them. Having them repaired would be too costly. I have 4 Ricohs and they all work perfectly. The KR 5, the KR 10, Xr 2s and the Ricoh 500 RF.
 
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