I just found a 1970 era pentax 35mm camera.Would it be worth taking it to a camera store to clean and check out?
Absolutely! You have nothing to lose! Maybe you found something cool and interesting. Worth checking out. I'm an old Pentax Head anyway.
Was they making the Sp500 than??
Clean it yourself, put film in it, and start shooting. If it doesn't work, a repair would cost more than you paid for the camera.
Bigmike1
Loc: I am from Gaffney, S.C. but live in Utah.
A little WD 40 won't hurt it if the shutter sticks. The WD 40 will eventually evaporate anyway. A little on a rag will also work wonders cleaning it.
Never use wd 40 on your camera!
Bigmike1 wrote:
A little WD 40 won't hurt it if the shutter sticks. The WD 40 will eventually evaporate anyway. A little on a rag will also work wonders cleaning it.
If you are planning to clean it up to sell it, you will be disappointed. The Pentax ME in great condition, for example, sells for about $25. (In bad condition, it sells for $1.)
Always try cleaning it yourself. There are plenty of videos on the web that will walk you through how to do it. If you are planning to use it, you might fall in love just by cleaning it.
Now if it has a great lens on it, that is a different matter. The old lenses are almost always worth more than the camera. The old 55mm F1.2 lens, for example, is worth $200 to $400, depending on condition.
boberic
Loc: Quiet Corner, Connecticut. Ex long Islander
gmango85 wrote:
Never use wd 40 on your camera!
WD 40 was not designed for camera repair and will leave a residue on anything it is sprayed on. Never use it on items as sensitive as camera parts.
What model is it? Pentax produced the Spotmatic, the K-series, and the M-series in the 70’s.
Stan
I also found an old camera in my basement last week. Was surprised that it had a focal plane shutter. Says "Folmer Schwind Graflex, Eastman Kodak" with a very clean 7 1/2 inch f4.5 Kodak lens. Looks to be about 5x7 inch with many film holders. Not sure what to do with it...
ELNikkor wrote:
I also found an old camera in my basement last week. Was surprised that it had a focal plane shutter. Says "Folmer Schwind Graflex, Eastman Kodak" with a very clean 7 1/2 inch f4.5 Kodak lens. Looks to be about 5x7 inch with many film holders. Not sure what to do with it...
Send it to me for proper disposal 🤓. Actually, get some film and give it a go. Might want to open the film holders in a dark bag to see if there is film in them. If there is, you will have no way of knowing for sure if it is exposed or not. I would look at the holders with the black marker out and may develop a few sheets to see what happens.
I hope you posted this in jest.
--Bob
Bigmike1 wrote:
A little WD 40 won't hurt it if the shutter sticks. The WD 40 will eventually evaporate anyway. A little on a rag will also work wonders cleaning it.
ELNikkor wrote:
I also found an old camera in my basement last week. Was surprised that it had a focal plane shutter. Says "Folmer Schwind Graflex, Eastman Kodak" ...
Nice. Send us a picture. (In sepia tones.)
olemikey
Loc: 6 mile creek, Spacecoast Florida
Grumpy 1 wrote:
I just found a 1970 era pentax 35mm camera.Would it be worth taking it to a camera store to clean and check out?
I still miss my Pentax ME Super, what a nice little film camera. Have fun!!
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