Topic: Pentax P 5 question?

[astrobeck]

As usual I have confused myself about stops and using compensation...

I'm getting a hand me down Pentax P5 soon, and reading about it, it indicates there is no ISO setting feature and the camera only reads DX coded film cans.
If no DX code, then it defaults to  100 speed.
This is fairly common, but what I have confused myself about is the ability to use the compensation feature to "fool" the camera into shooting at a different ISO for my hand rolled films.

So, if I load a roll of 50 ISo film, can I just set the compensation at +1 to make up for it?
Does setting it at -2 mean it will shoot at 400?

Sorry for being a doofus, but lately that is my style.
Old dogs new tricks....unlikely here.
Thanks for all input.
B

[Pete_R]

Correct on both counts. You're not confused at all.

[Francois]

I had the same issue and I got those labels
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005005382885847.html?spm=a2g0o.order_list.order_list_main.45.70ef1802dRSJqK

They work just fine. I have a set of spools for 100 and one for 400 ISO. The in-betweens are done with either compensation or development.
That makes things so much easier.

The shipping is a bit on the slow side from that seller, so it's worth putting-in a bigger order from the sellers that honor the 2 week shipping option (you can mix and match sellers) to get the stuff faster.

[astrobeck]

Thanks!
I thought it was correct, but it's one of those things that is easy for me to overthink.
I may make a little cheat sheet to keep in my wallet, just for handy backup.

Thanks again!
Now if the P5 just shows up so I can show off my Pentaxian prowess...ha!

[astrobeck]

The Pentax P5 has arrived and it's got a shutter button problem.
Sometimes the shutter fires and sometimes not.
New batteries are in, so it's not that.

I suspect there is corrosion, or probably oxidation under the button and it needs attention to make contact each time I press it.
It does work, just not reliably.
A half press make the meter activate and it seems accurate in reading.

should I bite the bullet and take the top off and clean the bottom of the button or just drip a drop or two of contact cleaner in it?

thanks!

[Francois]

Well, I don't know if those switches are sealed...
But if you got the camera for cheap and you really like it, I see no harm in doing so. Just be careful with the wires to the flash contacts.

[Pete_R]

I know nothing about the Pentax P5 but those type of buttons often consist of a domed diaphragm sitting on a printed circuit board with an insulator between them. When you press the button, the diaphragm get pushed down and contacts the PCB below it. Two problems happen, one is oxidisation of the surfaces and the other is the diaphragm gets distorted and doesn't make good contact. They are usually fixable but, often, the assembly is held together with a plastic surround either glued or hot welded into place. Two takeaways from that. They can be a PIA to fix and dribbling cleaner fluid around the button is unlikely to do anything. But Pentax might do things completely differently.

[Francois]

They are probably the rubber dome based things. If they are anything like a laptop keyboard, it can be a real pain to fix, if not impossible.

[astrobeck]

I know nothing about the Pentax P5 but those type of buttons often consist of a domed diaphragm sitting on a printed circuit board with an insulator between them. When you press the button, the diaphragm get pushed down and contacts the PCB below it. Two problems happen, one is oxidisation of the surfaces and the other is the diaphragm gets distorted and doesn't make good contact. They are usually fixable but, often, the assembly is held together with a plastic surround either glued or hot welded into place. Two takeaways from that. They can be a PIA to fix and dribbling cleaner fluid around the button is unlikely to do anything. But Pentax might do things completely differently.

I found a nice link with step by step diagrams to this particular repair.
It's here if you are curious about it.
https://forum.mflenses.com/how-to-pentax-p50-shutter-button-repair-guide-t31702.html
I'm going to bite the bullet and go for this repair, but first I need to get a small spanner wrench to remove that retaining ring from the advance shaft seen in step four.
The entire fix seems very straightforward.
I don't have a small spanner wrench, so am ordering one today. Seems I should have had a small one in my "let's try to fix this kit" from the beginning.

Thanks for all the input. I'm determined to bring this camera back to life.
It meters perfectly and of course I have a few K mount lenses.

P.s. I decided not to drip contact cleaner into it. That seemed wrong for some reason.

[Pete_R]

Unfortunately, the guy only cleans the metering switch which you said was OK on yours. Looks like the switch underneath is similar to what I  described and is within that plastic assembly. Go for it anyway but you'll have to go a bit further than shown in that link.

I wouldn't recommend filing the contact as he did either. Gold contacts are usually just gold plated and filing them will remove the gold. If there's a build up of crud, try scraping it off then cleaning with contact cleaner. But liquid cleaner alone is usually all thats needed.

[Francois]

Like Peter said, filing is really not advised. Gold is soft and non-oxidizing, so just a delicate cleaning with a solvent should be required.