Well, since the main use for the body is going to be astrophotography, I wasn't so concerned about the shutter speeds being exactly 'on'. Going through them and just listening, it seemed like everything scaled the way it should and was about the same as a mint in box K1000 that I borrowed from the astronomy club at school. I doubt my ear can tell the difference, but we'll see how the roll of B&W print film I have in there now comes out. I'll try some slide film after I get the foam replaced.
-Andrew On Sun, 08 Aug 2004 19:07:37 -0700, Alan Chan <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > If the MX is in such condition, I suspect the shutter might not be accurate > or even way off (shows when shooting slides). The 1st thing is to remove the > screen, put it on a piece of clean tissue and set aside. Use a pair of > tweezers and tiny slot screwdriver to remove as much old foam as you can, > then use alcohol to clean up the mess (don't use alcohol on screen btw). It > is vital not to let any old foam to stick to the plastic screen or you will > have a tough time to clean it up. If it did, I have no idea how to remove it > w/o damage the screen. I tried, but failed. As for the new foam, just buy > them on eBay. The one you need is 3mm thick, no less. Also, replace the foam > on the back. > > Alan Chan > http://www.pbase.com/wlachan > > >Well, first I'd like to say hello to everyone here on the list! I'm > >in my third month as a Pentax user, and I've got a few questions ;) > > > >So far I've accumulated a few pieces of Penatx gear (enough to get a > >good start in photography, anyway): > > > >Pentax P30t body & 35-80mm f/4-5.6 lens - $62 shipped (excellent condition) > >Pentax 50mm f/2, Focal 28mm f/2.8, Focal 80-200 f/4.5 lenses - $36 > >shipped (good-excellent condition) > >Pentax AF200T flash - $30 shipped (like new, with manual and leather > >pouch!) > >Pentax MX - $50 > > > >The P30t, lenses, and flash are all in good shape, although I don't > >know about the quality of the Focal zoom (seems a little soft at > >times) it's good for me to start with. My plan is to get a good bag > >to put all this stuff in, a decent tripod, and milk if for all it's > >worth until I am technically proficient and know what I want in a new > >camera. > > > >The MX needs to have the mirror foam replaced, and there are a few > >bits of the foam already collected on the mirror surface. Also, there > >is a dark smudge on the focusing screen when looking through the > >viewfinder - nothing major, but a little bit annoying. Looking at the > >screen itself it looks like someone might have tried to clean it and > >damaged it, or maybe smudged it with some kind of cleaner. Whats the > >best do it yourself way to replace that little piece of foam? How to > >safely clean the mirror/focusing screen? > > > >The shutter speeds and meter seem fine, mechanically the camera is in > >excellent condition, so a full CLA seems a little overboard. Also, > >its got a couple small dents on the bottom from someone overzealously > >screwing in a tripod, and the hot shoe sits a little crooked from a > >small dent (hence the price). My plan was to use the MX for wide > >field astrophotography during the winter, so I didn't need a 100% > >perfect specimine, and I would rather give a slighlty worn camera a > >good home ;) > > > >Thanks in advance for your suggestions, > > > >-Andrew > > > > _________________________________________________________________ > Powerful Parental Controls Let your child discover the best the Internet has > to offer. > http://join.msn.com/?pgmarket=en-ca&page=byoa/prem&xAPID=1994&DI=1034&SU=http://hotmail.com/enca&HL=Market_MSNIS_Taglines > Start enjoying all the benefits of MSN� Premium right now and get the > first two months FREE*. > >
