RE: Bought a Spotmatic, need some advice...
Thanks for all the replys. I went to the camera store looking for an Exell or Eveready battery. I gave the existing cell to a kid who was a lot younger than the camera. He was a bit puzzled, but someone else pointed him to a Wein cell and I have it loaded now. Everything seems to work as it should. The meter needle now moves as it should and I am learning to use the camera. It came with a Super Tak 50mm f 1.8 and I found a 300mm SMC Tak f4, plus I had 28 and 135 lenses from 3rd parties. The shutter release is extraordinarily smooth and mirror vibration seems very slight. I've downloaded the manual from Paul P. and will try to learn how to use this fine camera properly g. Regards, Bob S. - This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org .
RE: Bought a Spotmatic, need some advice...
Glad to hear that you got it up and running. You have a fine selection of lenses - the 300mm is a favorite of mine. Paul M. Provencher http://whitemetal.com/pentax/index.htm - This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org .
RE: Bought a Spotmatic, need some advice...
Oh by the way, if that old battery had a plastic ring on it you might want to save it for use with the 392 battery - it's probably a perfect fit! Paul M. Provencher http://whitemetal.com/pentax/index.htm -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] Sent: Thursday, March 22, 2001 1:38 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: RE: Bought a Spotmatic, need some advice... Thanks for all the replys. I went to the camera store looking for an Exell or Eveready battery. I gave the existing cell to a kid who was a lot younger than the camera. He was a bit puzzled, but someone else pointed him to a Wein cell and I have it loaded now. Everything seems to work as it should. The meter needle now moves as it should and I am learning to use the camera. It came with a Super Tak 50mm f 1.8 and I found a 300mm SMC Tak f4, plus I had 28 and 135 lenses from 3rd parties. The shutter release is extraordinarily smooth and mirror vibration seems very slight. I've downloaded the manual from Paul P. and will try to learn how to use this fine camera properly g. Regards, Bob S. - This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org . - This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org .
Bought a Spotmatic, need some advice...
Well, you guys finally enabled me. I've been watching for a nice Spotmatic on ebay and the price was never right. I found one for $60 at a local camera show, no dents or bruises so I bought it. After figuring out how to turn the meter on, I shot a roll of 12. But I noticed the meter seems off, way too slow. It also move very slowly, and not very far when I change f-stops. If f 5.6 is the centered position, then f 4 barely moves it and you need f 22 to push it out of the small central area. I'd check the battery, but don't have it with me... And what's the deal on the batteries? Did people say it took a 1.35 volt, but had a bridge so 1.5 volt was OK? (This is an old Honeywell Spotmatic, no flash holder integrated into the pentaprism.) Any advice would be appreciated. Regards, Bob S. - This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org .
RE: Bought a Spotmatic, need some advice...
Hi Rob, The battery sounds to be on the way out. You can use an Exell S400PX that has 1.5v, a Wein Cell (see micro-tools.com) at 1.35 volts, or, with a plastic washer to center the battery, an Eveready 392. I like the 392 because it is cheaper than the Exell (and appears to be the same battery minus the plastic washer). My experience with the Wein suggests that it is too expensive for the short life it offers, and requires you to make holes in the battery cover. This may spark (no pun intended) a debate about the power rating of the batteries and a whole spectrum of other issues. Suffice to say you have several alternatives, most of which will give you a working meter (if the meter is only slow because of the battery). I use my cameras daily, shoot chromes and negatives and find the meter readings on all my Spotmatics and Spotmatic II's to be within acceptable limits as compared to my Gossen meter. You can visit my site and download the manual in PDF if you want http://whitemetal.com/pentax/index.htm Paul M. Provencher, Senior Systems Engineer NICHD Tracking System - Technical Lead 703-575-6147 [EMAIL PROTECTED] -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] Sent: Tuesday, March 20, 2001 8:14 AM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Bought a Spotmatic, need some advice... Well, you guys finally enabled me. I've been watching for a nice Spotmatic on ebay and the price was never right. I found one for $60 at a local camera show, no dents or bruises so I bought it. After figuring out how to turn the meter on, I shot a roll of 12. But I noticed the meter seems off, way too slow. It also move very slowly, and not very far when I change f-stops. If f 5.6 is the centered position, then f 4 barely moves it and you need f 22 to push it out of the small central area. I'd check the battery, but don't have it with me... And what's the deal on the batteries? Did people say it took a 1.35 volt, but had a bridge so 1.5 volt was OK? (This is an old Honeywell Spotmatic, no flash holder integrated into the pentaprism.) Any advice would be appreciated. Regards, Bob S. - This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org . - This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org .
RE: Bought a Spotmatic, need some advice...
-Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]On Behalf Of [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Tuesday, March 20, 2001 8:14 AM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Bought a Spotmatic, need some advice... Well, you guys finally enabled me. I've been watching for a nice Spotmatic on ebay and the price was never right. I found one for $60 at a local camera show, no dents or bruises so I bought it. After figuring out how to turn the meter on, I shot a roll of 12. But I noticed the meter seems off, way too slow. It also move very slowly, and not very far when I change f-stops. If f 5.6 is the centered position, then f 4 barely moves it and you need f 22 to push it out of the small central area. I'd check the battery, but don't have it with me... And what's the deal on the batteries? Did people say it took a 1.35 volt, but had a bridge so 1.5 volt was OK? (This is an old Honeywell Spotmatic, no flash holder integrated into the pentaprism.) Any advice would be appreciated. Regards, Bob S. Sound like bad meter cells to me. The response should be fairly fast and only a couple of stops to peg the meter + or -. JCO - This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org .
