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Re: [APML] Pentax ME Super camera(Tommy Lim)
Yo, Tommy
It's funny about the ME Super SE. When mine died I took it all apart and
played with the guts for a while and have since kept them in a box. I still
have the mirror box/shutter/film rail assembly in one piece because I
couldn't figure how to take it all apart. (I was interested in recovering
as many tiny metric screws as possible and was curious how the whole thing
worked.) There are two shutter solenoids built into this contraption and no
mechanical escapment for the release/timing at all. Without batteries, this
particular model I had would not function in any way. The shutter release
wasn't much more than a switch with a pushrod that led to the self timer
mechanism and to some motor-drive/override lever or something down in the
bottom chassis. If yours was mechanical, then the SE was entirely different
internally. Perhaps that's why I had so much trouble! I thought there was
no difference between the ME and the ME-SE than the lizard skin upholstery
and the funny 45° focusing device.
Was yours equipped with a vertical moving metal blade shutter?
Maybe I took apart the wrong camera:-O
Maybe mine's a flea-market brand-name rip-off!
It seems I remember something associated with ME's and the 1/60 and B
shutter settings as being a kind of manual override or something but I may
be confusing other cameras. I know mine wouldn't fire with dead batts, no
matter what. With the batts dead, I couldn't tell where it was set because
the shutter speed was displayed by LED's in the viewfinder. I'll have to
go look at all the parts again to see if there were any manual overrides on
the shutter controls. I only remember the shutter button, the button lock,
and the two little inc/dec buttons that kept getting stuck *in* and
malfunctioning. They were the first to dissolve and deform under the
influence of bug spray.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Jim Vineyard" <sky4me@msn.com>
To: <astro-photo@seds.org>
Sent: Friday, March 29, 2002 9:25 PM
Subject: Re: [APML] Pentax ME Super camera(Tommy Lim)
> Hi Andrew,
> A couple minor additions, the Pentax ME Super (not an "SE") does have a
> mechanical shutter and needs no batteries to hold the shutter open. I use
> mine as a backup to my Pentax LX (main camera) and Pentax ME (used
> exclusively as a knife-edge body). I haven't found the ME Super to be
> particularly unreliable, mine has never failed or malfunctioned. I
believe
> it was made in the 70's.
> If you're a professional photographer who takes a lot of daylight photos
> your requirements and performance expectations may be somewhat different
> than mine.
> The ME Super does incorporate some exterior plastic parts (I'll remember
> about the bug repellent when using it in the future, I have noticed this
> effect on my watch band) but I wouldn't really rate it too flimsy. The
body
> itself is made of metal.
> To me, the biggest drawback in using it for astrophotography is the lack
> of a removable viewfinder and a non-removable focusing screen which is a
bit
> too dark for many applications.
> Can it be used for astrophotography? Yes. But there are better cameras
> out there. I picked mine up for only $35 on ebay. I use it for
occasional
> meteor showers alongside the LX on a tracking platform, or with a lens in
> piggyback rings while doing prime focus with the LX.
> Sometimes I'll use it for daylight photos just to use up the rest of a
> roll of hypered film already loaded. Or maybe if the LX is already loaded
> with a non-hypered astro-film which I don't want to waste on daylight
photos
> of the family, not deserving it, as none of them have even the slightest
> interest in astrophotography. :-)
> I had a Pentax K1000 many years ago and really can't remember much about
> it. It seems like it did have a removable focusing screen but I
definitely
> would not swear to it. It did have a non-removable viewfinder which, for
me
> and my equipment, would tend to make it a bit of a write-off for a really
> nice all-around astrocamera. Mirror lock-up has never been really
important
> to me as I use the "hat trick" usually even for lunar and planetary
> photography. Depth of field isn't really too important in a dedicated
> astrocamera as far as I've been able to figure yet.
>
> Jim Vineyard
>
> Visit my Astro-photography website at:
> http://www.homestead.com/sky4me/astrophotography.html
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Andrew Schott" <aschott@cfl.rr.com>
> To: <astro-photo@seds.org>
> Sent: Thursday, March 28, 2002 11:10 PM
> Subject: Re: [APML] Pentax ME Super camera(Tommy Lim)
>
>
> > I had an ME Super SE and found it to be extremely unreliable, flimsy,
and
> > poorly suited to astrophotography. It has an electronic shutter which
> will
> > consume a set of batteries every night if used for time/bulb exposures.
> > It's internal circuitry cannot handle moisture of any kind and nightly
> > exposure to dew and condensation will kill it in no time at all.
Shutter
> > speeds and other control settings drift extensively as temperature and
> > humidity changes. The plastics used universally in the external
controls
> > and components are extremely subceptable to mosquito repellent and will
> > dissolve instantly on contact.
> >
> > I would rate the ME Super as one of the most miserable, short-lived
> cameras
> > I've ever owned. I currently use an old Cannon FTb QL which is ten
times
> > the camera the ME was. Yes, it's heavy. No, you can't buy batteries
for
> it
> > any more. BUT, it has mirror lockup, depth of field preview, mechanical
> > shutter, easy load-in-the-dark film handling feature, and a metal body
> that
> > doesn't melt when I touch it.
> >
> > For astrophotography, I would rate the Pentax K1000 as a much better
> camera
> > than the ME Super. Mine is 23 years old and still functions great.
I've
> > handed it down to a friend who uses it on a regular basis to take better
> > astrophotos than I can and for everyday use taking pictures of his
family.
> > It's been a while since I've actually held it so I may not get all the
> > features right. It has no mirror lockup, or depth of field preview, but
> you
> > can still buy batteries for it and it's fully manual with mechanical
> > shutter. The focusing screen seemed dark, from my memory, but that
> > shouldn't stop you from using it.
> >
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "Brian Larmay" <brileau@earthlink.net>
> > To: <astro-photo@seds.org>
> > Sent: Thursday, March 28, 2002 10:20 PM
> > Subject: [APML] Pentax ME Super camera(Tommy Lim)
> >
> >
> > > Hi,
> > >
> > > Someone can give me some advice about the Pentax ME Super camera?
> > > Is it suitable for astrophotography????
> > >
> > > Tommy
> > > ___________________________
> > > Sun dogs fire on the horizon
> > > Meteor rain stars across the night
> > > This moment may be brief
> > > But it can be so bright
> > > Reflected in another source of light
> > > When the moment dies
> > > The spark still flies
> > > Reflected in another pair of eyes
> > >
> > > My website
> > >
> > > http://home.earthlink.net/~brileau/index.html
> > >
> > > -- APML Archives at <http://astro.umsystem.edu/apml/> ---
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> >
> >
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> >
>
>
>
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