I have a Pentax ME Super that is about 30 years old. I haven't used it in over 10 years, and decided I want to bring it with me on an upcoming trip. I initially ordered batteries from Amazon, which turned out to be dead. I just returned from a local camera shop and they tried fresh batteries which still didn't work in the camera.
Shutter still opens, I could wind/unwind film but the problem is that the shutter only opens at one speed; the person at the counter thought it might be 1/60 second.
Has anyone had an issue where the light meter stopped working on their camera? I'm wondering if I might still get "OK" pictures by using 400 speed film and using a mid-range aperture (5.6 or 8).
Thoughts, suggestions? Surely one is replace it if I still want to use film; another would be not to neglect it and leave it on a shelf for 10-years but that's in the past and won't solve today's problem.
Thanks!!
An all electronic camera like the Pentax ME Super is basically not functional if it's electronics are shot. Since you are limited to a single X-sync shutter speed, and no meter, I wouldn't waste my time bringing it on a trip you might care about - you'll be better off using most phone cameras.
If you really wanted to still use a film SLR in the future, you can get good, working ones on ebay for under $25 nowadays. I would recommend getting an all mechanical one like a Pentax MX or KX or K1000, which can work at a full range of shutter speeds even if the batteries are dead.