Why does the Pentax ME Super manual recommend setting 1/125X when loading or unloading film?
Asked 1/28/2018
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The Pentax ME Super manual says to set the shutter-speed dial to 1/125X before unloading film and while loading a new roll. Why is that recommended? I accidentally loaded film without setting it to 1/125X—did I risk damaging anything or ruining the film? I wondered if 1/125X is just acting like an “off” setting.
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
8y ago
2 Answers
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Page 8 of the manual explains why:
NOTE: You can also advance the film to the first exposure with the exposure mode dial set to "AUTO" or "M" (Manual), but for convenience [sic] sake we recommend setting it to "125X." If you use "AUTO," remove the lens cap and point the camera toward the light; otherwise inordinately long exposures will result, delaying film advance. Also, the same problem will occur if you use the "M" setting, unless a faster shutter speed is used.
The ME Super doesn't have an off setting per se; like many bodies of that era, capping the lens prevents light from reaching the photocell used to do the metering and drives its resistance high enough that the battery doesn't drain.
Originally by user6508. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user6508
8y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Yes, everything is likely fine. On the ME Super, 1/125X is recommended mainly for convenience, not because loading or unloading requires it.
When you load film, you usually fire a few blank frames to advance the leader to frame 1. If the camera is set to AUTO and the lens cap is on or the camera is in dim light, the meter may choose a very long exposure, which slows down film advance. Setting 1/125X gives you a normal fixed shutter speed so those blank frames advance quickly.
It is not really an “off” setting. The camera doesn’t have a true off position in the usual sense.
If you loaded film without using 1/125X, the main consequence would only be inconvenience—possibly slower shutter releases while advancing to frame 1 if the camera was set to AUTO or to a slow manual speed. It would not normally damage the camera or ruin the film.
The same idea applies if you are reloading a partially exposed roll and advancing to the next unused frame: use a reasonably fast manual speed so you can quickly shoot through the already-exposed frames with the lens cap on.
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