Pentax ME Super SLR Camera 50mm f1.7 M Series Lens

General

Pentax ME Super SLR: A very clean and fully serviced Pentax ME Super (Serial 1881012). These can be a troublesome camera thanks to the rubber washers and the large amount of internal foam that Pentax used decaying over time and many of these bought on eBay will be defective. This one has been completely rebuilt by us from the top with brand new custom-made washers and fresh foam to the same quality as Pentax used so now good for another 30 years use.

The camera has been extensively rebuilt and calibrated to factory standard. Supplied with a very clean and serviced Pentax M Series 50mm f1.7 lens (Serial 2564030. There are a few micro-spots in the viewfinder but these do not affect the pictures.

Camera and lens show some wear consistent with a well-used camera with some minor paint loss on external trim and a few minor scuffs from use, overall very nice condition for a camera that’s approaching 40+ years old Now fully serviced with extensive work including many new parts and calibrated to its original specification.

There are a few micro-spots in the viewfinder and an almost invisible small scratch to the very front edge of the mirror but these do not affect the pictures.

Complete with generic lens cap.

About

The Pentax ME Super was manufactured by Pentax between 1979 and 1984.

The ME Super was a development of and the replacement of the Pentax ME.  The ME Super features semi-automatic (aperture priority) operation, and was part of the Pentax M Series Cameras which included the fully mechanical and manual operation only MX and briefly the ill-fated Pentax ME-F. The ME Super added a manual mode to the feature set of the ME.

The camera is notable for its small size and fully electronic operation though it does have an emergency mechanical mode to cover the user against battery failure.

Many of the ME-Supers sold on eBay will suffer failure from of the shutter mechanism due to the rubber washers used on the mirror box assembly and the rubber washer inside the air damper system.

The camera is powered from two SR44 button cells which are readily available.

WARNING – like all many electronic cameras of this period you should NEVER use off brand flashguns.  The very high trigger voltages (over 300volts ) in some off brand guns like the Vivitar 273/283  is high enough to destroy the electronics in cameras like the ME-Super.

Restoration

Camera acquired as a non-runner – this is assumed to be an early model of the ME super though its hard to date as Pentax do not provide a date code or serial number database.

Like many ME Supers this one was suffering from the classic ME Super issue of decayed rubber washers causing the shutter to jam and also producing the ‘endless wind-on’ issue. The camera also had a very badly marked mirror, a badly scratched viewfinder and a lot of dirt and decayed seal material throughout giving a very poor view through the viewfinder and poor shutter times. In addition it had a broken self-timer and a missing self-timer lever. In addition the rubbers stops in the vertical shutter were badly decayed. These have been removed and the shutter completely cleaned.

Camera completely rebuilt using spare stock and custom made 3D printed replacements for the soft washers that break down inside these.  Shutter completely stripped and rebuilt to remove old decayed rubber stops. Many replacement parts fitted.

• Complete strip and clean
• Shutter cleaned and rebuilt
• New internal washers and seals
• Lubrication of key parts as per service manual
• Replacement mirror fitted
• Replacement viewfinder optic fitted
• Replacement self-timer and lever
• New light seals
• Calibrated to factory specification
• Supplied lens cleaned

Please be aware that the cameras and lenses for sale can be up to 50 years old.  They have been serviced and/or checked and are always as good as they can be made, but please don’t expect them to be flawless as if they were made yesterday.

All lenses of this age exhibit some small particles of dust and coatings are not up to modern standards. Cameras will exhibit some wear signs and likewise may have small dust specks in their viewfinders or focus screens.  These do not affect the picture in any way.

ANY problems or issues will be described in the main text which you are advised to read carefully.If you are unfamiliar with film cameras we suggest you do some online research and read the manuals which are freely available from online resources.

We are enthusiastic film fans and spend our time hunting cameras and lenses that have been or are being unloved. We then spend hours to bring them back to fully working and clean condition, ready for a new lease of life with you  We always change the film seals, give the camera a clean/service and make sure its fully working before we sell it on to you.

Most lenses are cleaned, re-lubricated and all of their functions checked prior to sale so you know they will work, full details will always be in the text. All items are packed safely for transit using proper packing material NOT something the cat was sick in. Having been stung both on eBay and by dealers alike who often know very little about film cameras we decided to offer people a chance to experience film using a camera that will last for many years and which we can say for sure works reliably

Mel & Claire