K1000 - Just bought

[Snoopydance]

We've just got the K1000 I was talking about earlier but it does seem to have a few defects.

First, and the least concerning of the problems, is that the front of the lens it came with (not sure exactly what to call it. it's a little circular plate thing in front of the edges of the lens that say the make and specs.) won't stay in. It says 55mm, which is weird, because I thought the lens I was getting was a 50mm. Either way though, it kind of seems to 'click in' so to speak, but then it will still fall out if I hold the camera lens downward. I don't know if this part is just for the wrong lens or if there's something I should be doing to secure it properly. I suppose if nothing can be done about it, I could trade it for the standard 50mm lens of my teacher's otherwise busted camera, if he'd let me.

Next, though, is the shutter. On shutter speeds above from 1/8 to 1 second, it sticks. I can hear the little grinding sound the timer makes kind of sputtering and not going right. Sometimes it'll eventually open again, but after much, much longer than it's supposed to. Has the timer that's in it gone bad or something? Is there a remedy for this? I suppose I won't often need to shoot that high of a shutter speed... and besides, for much longer exposures, I could hand-time it and use a shutter release cable. But it is fairly troubling. I don't know, maybe I'll eventually take it to get repaired.

I actually just got to inspect it today before it goes under the tree. I don't get to take any pictures until after Christmas! Oh well, though. I think I'm going to be able to get a decent amount of stuff for it before then

[Xia_Ke]

Hmm, I'm not really sure about lens construction but, it sounds like a loose retaining ring or something. As for the camera and the sticky shutter, this is not uncommon for older mechanical cameras. A good CLA (clean, lube, adjust) will take care of that. Where it gets tricky with cameras like these is that a CLA will often cost more than it would to get another camera. What kind of condition is the camera in? If it is in really nice condition it would be worth getting the service done. If not you might want to look for another camera. That being said, how often do you think you will be using the 1/8s - 1s speeds? I have a Rolleicord that is sticky 1/15s - 1s and I have put a good 60 rolls through the camera like that so far with no problems. The real question with yours will be how accurate the meter is. If that's off, and you don't have a handheld, might be time to shop around.

[Snoopydance]

The camera seems otherwise to be in very nice condition. Like I said, I don't really think I'll be using those speeds that much. Wow, though, is it really that much to get this old camera fixed up? I paid $100 for it and some filters... it seems a little excessive to be charged that much for fixing up an old camera. I don't know, though. Thank again!

[Xia_Ke]

Not sure how much specifically it would be for that camera but, it was like $125 I think for my Rollei which was on the lower end of the range. Some techs went up to $200+. I just checked KEH and looks like it would be $110 for a CLA on that body. Not cheap at all but, if you like the camera and plan to use it for a while, it's well worth the investment.

[Snoopydance]

Well I don't know if I'm going to be doing that anytime soon. I may eventually, but I think I can skip on those speeds for a while. I just hope it doesn't start sticking on the more common ones...


Actually now I'm worried that my photos are going to come out half-black like I've heard can happen. That would be terrible.

Anyway I'm really looking forward to using this camera(and seeing if it works!). Wish me luck in a few weeks

[ken1953]

Snoopy, do you live in or around a large city? Sometimes they have very good camera repair stores that have been around for years and their prices are a little more reasonable. We have one in Madison and a few years ago, it was only like $75 for a CLA and that included new light seals for my M series cameras.
Anyway, good luck and am anxiously awaiting your first photo posts with it.

[Snoopydance]

Snoopy, do you live in or around a large city? Sometimes they have very good camera repair stores that have been around for years and their prices are a little more reasonable. We have one in Madison and a few years ago, it was only like $75 for a CLA and that included new light seals for my M series cameras.
Anyway, good luck and am anxiously awaiting your first photo posts with it.

I do, indeed.I think I'll look around eventually for repair shops, but unless the camera is completely non-functional, I don't see me going in the near feature just to fix those few shutter speeds. I am just hoping that the camera itself actually just works. I would be so disappointed if it doesn't, and the thing is, I won't know until I get my first roll developed. We'll see how it goes, and thanks, I'm looking forward to posting some photos here.