Camera Talk

Stopped by a local thrift store and was surprised to find a Pentax ME Super with 50mm lens, never-ready case, and Vivitar flash for $5! Score!!! The lens alone is worth several times that!

Figured out why it was so cheap when I got home: the shutter is jammed. From what I read in a quick search, this is a fairly common problem. Anyone ever unjammed one of these? If so, is it something I could fix myself or should I just ship it to Eric Hendrickson?

I would remove the bottom plate and jimmy some of those gears and see if you can get it to release. Did you try it on B or M?

I tried it on all it's settings. Shutter won't move.

I'll take the bottom plate off once this headache finally goes away. ;(

there is a way of unjamming them...throw them in a WPB and get another one.
the ME cost way more to repair than they are worth. usually they are jammed because an arm in the winder mech assy has been forced.
they are a good camera as long as they work. i have had a dozen dfferent me/mg in the last few years, and the ones that have failed are due to shutter jam. could be lucky and it isjust a minor problem but the odds are usually stacked against that...

That's what I'm starting to gather from various forum posts...

I have an ME that works well and I really enjoyed using it on my trip to Yellowstone. Was hoping this one could be a backup for it, but now I'm not so sure. ;(

I know the MX is the manual version of this camera. Does it have the same problems with jamming?

I know the MX is the manual version of this camera. Does it have the same problems with jamming?

yes. unfortunatly.
i love the M series and i seem to have inherited a lot of them .sometimes a sticky shutter is simply a matter of cycling the shuttter /fire/rewind sequence a few dozen times. and that will clear the problem.i just had a thought. check the battery and install a new one, then set the exposure to auto.or bulb.

I've been pretty lucky. I've owned a couple of MXs and a couple of MEs, and so far, none of them has been a dog.

Nathan, I have a couple of ME supers.... they jamming is quite common but curable
A good solution is found on KY Photo
http://www.kyphoto.com/classics/pentaxmeproblems.html
If it is the 2nd problem you are set!

All right folks, here's another question!

The 50mm lens that came with this camera is the same one that's on my ME (SMC Pentax-M 50mm/2). Turning the aperture ring on this one doesn't feel as smooth as the one I already have. Is there any easy way to clean/lube it or should I just send in for a CLA?

titrisol wrote:Nathan, I have a couple of ME supers.... they jamming is quite common but curable
A good solution is found on KY Photo
http://www.kyphoto.com/classics/pentaxmeproblems.html
If it is the 2nd problem you are set!

It is indeed the second problem! Thanks for the link!