Problems with Pentax K1000 light sensor

[Robert Knight]

I'm fairly new to film photography, so I was hoping someone could help me with my inquiry.

My boyfriend recently gave me a Pentax K1000 camera that he hasn't used for about 15 years. It still had the original battery in it from 30 years ago, and the funny thing is that the battery actually worked! But two days ago, the light sensor stopped working. I bought a new battery because I was sure that was the problem, but after installing the new battery the light sensor still didn't work. The weirdest thing is, if I set the shutter speed to faster (EDIT: actually, slower) than 1 second, the light sensor works just fine. I've tried fiddling with the aperture, the focus, the shutter speed; I've even tried using three different lenses. The only thing I haven't tried is winding the film back up and trying a different roll, though I can't imagine how that would make a difference. I'm really hoping I don't have to buy an external light meter; I'm on a fixed income and I can barely afford to be getting my rolls of film developed.

Thanks in advance for your advice!

Sometimes when the

I'm fairly new to film photography, so I was hoping someone could help me with my inquiry.

My boyfriend recently gave me a Pentax K1000 camera that he hasn't used for about 15 years. It still had the original battery in it from 30 years ago, and the funny thing is that the battery actually worked! But two days ago, the light sensor stopped working. I bought a new battery because I was sure that was the problem, but after installing the new battery the light sensor still didn't work. The weirdest thing is, if I set the shutter speed to faster (EDIT: actually, slower) than 1 second, the light sensor works just fine. I've tried fiddling with the aperture, the focus, the shutter speed; I've even tried using three different lenses. The only thing I haven't tried is winding the film back up and trying a different roll, though I can't imagine how that would make a difference. I'm really hoping I don't have to buy an external light meter; I'm on a fixed income and I can barely afford to be getting my rolls of film developed.

Thanks in advance for your advice!

I'm fairly new to film photography, so I was hoping someone could help me with my inquiry.

My boyfriend recently gave me a Pentax K1000 camera that he hasn't used for about 15 years. It still had the original battery in it from 30 years ago, and the funny thing is that the battery actually worked! But two days ago, the light sensor stopped working. I bought a new battery because I was sure that was the problem, but after installing the new battery the light sensor still didn't work. The weirdest thing is, if I set the shutter speed to faster (EDIT: actually, slower) than 1 second, the light sensor works just fine. I've tried fiddling with the aperture, the focus, the shutter speed; I've even tried using three different lenses. The only thing I haven't tried is winding the film back up and trying a different roll, though I can't imagine how that would make a difference. I'm really hoping I don't have to buy an external light meter; I'm on a fixed income and I can barely afford to be getting my rolls of film developed.

Thanks in advance for your advice!

Pentax K1000 light meters seem to have a tendency to fail with age. Since it's a mechanical camera I would recommend using the sunny 16 rule or using an external light meter app installed on your phone.