F4s film rewind problem

The K1000 is all mechanical, the battery only powers the light meter. So even if the battery is dead, then you should still be getting images even if very over or under-exposed.

If the images are totally black on the negatives, then your shutter is stuck open and massively over-exposing your images. If the images are black on the prints, then the negatives have been unexposed and will be totally clear. The latter problem means that the film has not been exposed at all and is either due to incorrect film loading, faulty film winding, or a shutter which fails to open.

To eliminate the possibility of a shutter fault, hold the camera up to the light with the camera back open and fire the shutter at each setting. You should see light as the shutter opens and from 1s to 1/30s should be able to see and hear the difference at each speed.

To check film loading and advancing correctly, load a film and wind film on (remember this camera needs the film leader to be manually engaged onto the take-up spool). Use the rewind crank (do not press the rewind button) to take up the loose film and take a few shots. You should see the rewind crank turn each time you advance the film if it is correctly loaded and advancing. If not, open the camera back and visually inspect the film. It should be securely engaged into the take up spool. With the back still open, advance the film and take a few shots: the take-up spool should be advancing and the sprocket wheel (just before the spool, it's the wheel which engages the holes at the edge of the film) should also be turning. If it isn't, then the film rewind mechanism is faulty and the camera is behaving as if the rewind button has been pressed. It's usually easy to remove the bottom of the camera to check that the button isn't sticking.

If all checks so far are OK then check the film pressure plate on the inside of the film door. It should be able to give a little when pressure is applied and holds the film firmly in contact with the advance sprocket, if not then one of the seating pins on the flat metal spring may have become dislodged and it's usually easy to reseat it. Clean the plate after touching it as it must be grease-free and spotless.

If you try all this and still have a problem then please add a follow up comment and I'll try to respond asap, but bear in mind that as I'm in the UK I may be in a different time zone to you.

If I've fixed your problem, then please take a moment to rate my answer.

If your film was TOTALLY blank then it's been bleached due to a processing error. By totally blank, I mean that there are no frame numbers or other film markings on your blank film. Otherwise, you simply have an unexposed film.

First, operate the camera with the camera back open, hold the camera up to a bright light and operate the camera as you look into the back of the lens. If you see a brief bit of light coming through as you operate the shutter then the shutter is admitting light into the camera and so you should have got some kind of an image unless you failed to correctly load the film (very common).

Unfortunately, there's no way to tell unless you try another roll of film. Once the film is loaded, turn the rewind crank gently to take up slack film and take a few pictures; each time you advance the film the rewind crank should turn a little. If it doesn't then the film has not been correctly loaded as the film leader has not engaged onto the take-up spool. If so, open the camera and re-engage the film. If it clearly has engaged, then the take-up spool is failing to rotate when the film is advanced: try taking a few shots and winding on the film with the back open. If the film is not advancing then you have a faulty Lomo. This is extremely common as it is a plastic toy camera with atrocious build quality and materials and is the FishEye is only designed for paltry ten rolls of film lifespan.

A final check for film which has not advanced through the camera is if the rewind is extremely short when the film has finished.

Start simple and go from there.

I don't know if you have film in the camera so I'll read the following and choose what works for you.

I will assume the battery is working if applicable.

As stupid as this sounds press the shutter release button. If the shutter is cocked it will hold the advance. I've had people come in with this problem.

Not it?

If the film rewind has been pressed in it will disengage the film advance and stop the shutter mechanism as a result. Open the camera and close the back again resets the release.

If there is film in the camera remove it.

It there are important photos on the film and your rewind is not working use a coat to make a light proof black box. Just turn the sleeves inside out and put the camera in the coat. Wrap it so as it is closed to light. Open the camera remove the film and roll the film back in by hand.

OK so now we have a camera open with no film in it.

Open the back and look just below the shutter. On one side will be a very small "lever". This tells the camera that the film has been advanced and the shutter is cocked. Gently move the lever to the right. It should click. Now try pressing the shutter release.
Note that without film in the camera some cameras will not advance the shutter.

It should clear the problem.

If not something physical in jamming.

The film advance system could be jamming. On the side the film advance is on there will be a plastic "gear" inside the camera. Try moving by hand it should turn. You can reset the shutter this way.

Give this a try.

Hope this is helpful, if it gives you some direction please rate this answer.

Thanks

You can check the shutter without film in the camera. Remove the lens and open the film door. You will see the cloth curtains of the shutter in the center. Advance the film lever to **** the shutter and set the speed dial to a slower speed like 1/15. Hold the camera so it is aimed a a light source, (a window will do) and fire the shutter. You should see the light through the shutter for the time duration is is set to. (1/15). If you see the light source, repeat the process going up one speed setting until you reach 1/1000. If you see the shutter open and close as described, then try another roll. After you load the film and close the back door, make note of what the rewind knob is doing as you advance the film. It should spin counter-clockwise each time. That is a easy test to know that the film is traveling in the camera properly. Vary your exposures with the new roll at different speeds and f-stops. You should get exposures, but if not let us know.

If the film advance lever is "flopping" back and forth, the problem is most likely a jammed advance mechanism inside. The shutter is cocked *mechanically* and released the same way--no battery power is needed. One old trick you could try to release things is to push the rewind button on the bottom of the camera.*sometimes* it will free up the mechanism enough to unjam.

Do you have fresh batteries in the camera. Batteries may be needed to set the exposure and trip the shutter. If the batteries are good, the back when closed may be jamming the film between the cassette and the body. Also make sure your fingers is not restricting the rewind knob on the left side of the camera.

Pentax ME Super was one of my favorite camera, small and clean shutter release. But it has been about 25 years since it was manufactured. They happen to use rubber break within shutter unit and as any rubbers, it started to deteriorate and melt between the shutter-blades. This prevents the complete cycle of the shutter and jams the winding. You may be able to unjam the winding but eventually you have to overhaul the shutter unit. Overhaul charge is around $100 in US repair market. -James

Do you have film in the camera? If so, is it an old film or you have just loaded it?
If it's an old film, could it be at the end of the roll - to check this, 'lightly' turn the rewind lever backwards and forwards. As the camera is pointing away from you, turning the rewind knob clockwise will normally rewind the film (don't press the rewind button in, we don't actually want to rewind the film yet), turning the knob clockwise should be tight and a firm stop, if the film is at the end, you will feel the same tight firm stop if you turn it counter-clockwise. Don't turn the rewind knob backwards (counter-clockwise) too hard, you'll unscrew it and it may fall apart. If turning it backwards rolls freely in a full circle, then you have film left.
Another option is that, since it's been so long since you used it, the loading of the film may have gone amis and sometimes the cassette will flip backwards, jamming the film in place so it wont advance - if you have loaded the film and not taken any pics or have not been able to advance it at all, it should be safe to open the back as the film will be in it's original loading position, if you have left the film in it from some time and don't know what stage it's up to it may be best to take it to a camera store where they will have a "Black Bag" to put the camera in and manually open and unload the film. Make sure you get an experienced person - some pimply-face teen that's never used a film camera can easily put their fingers through the shutter while it's in the black bag - I've seen it plenty of times.
OK, that's enough to get started, did this work or do we need to try more options?

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jeep111

be sure batteries are good. pull up on the rewind knob to open film door. load film ,push down rewind knob. pull enough film to connect to take-up spool. close film door. advance film to counter # 1. look through finder and set meter ( push shutter button to turn on meter ) focus subject and fire shutter repeat to end of film. push rewind button ( bottom of camera ) rewind film.
remove lens by pushing button and turn lens left to remove.

No, it is not the battery. My guess is that the film leader did not stay in the take-up spool and is now bunched up around it. Try rewinding the film carefully as you normally would but remember that you are only rewinding a small portion of the length. You can even just open the film door and start over. You will only loose 3 or 4 frames on the roll.