After I got the camera with no lens fitted just the body cap I wound the film lever on a pressed shutter release button. The mirror is in the up position and I cannot wind the film lever on. Any sugestions?
If the batteries are flat or missing you wont get LED's to light up and it will set itself to 125 naturally. I know as I have tried it. It could be that the shutter has got stuck on its way down and it is preventing the mirror from coming down as a result this is a mechanical issue, not battery related. The best way I found to release the mirror was to gently, really gently stroke the shutter nearest to the film down towards the groove it goes home in. Recommend a cotton budd so you don't damage the shutter leaves or get grease from your fingers on the movement. This should release the mirror. The next thing to do is try preventing the shutter getting stuck again by removing the bottom plate which will allow you access to the cogs for the shutter. it is tight in there and it is recommended by some that you remove some of the movement to see and clean them up. I did this but it is tricky and it involves winding on the camera and rocking parts out with itself. Not easy to do. The shutter cogs are brass (or look like it) and they may have old oil stuck inbetween the teeth which needs cleaning out with a tooth pick and then lubricate but not with WD40 which gets sticky with age. Use a cotton budd again with the lubricant on so you don't affect other sensitive parts around this section. Alternatively send the camera for a good service. I just had mine done, got it sorted with a warranty for 12 months to and cost me just £45. They cleaned everything up, new light seals and sorted issues common to this model of camera. The photos are instantly back to their best. Compare a good service to a series of wasted film with an inconsistent camera. Peace of mind too, it is worth it and so is the camera!
What you have is a condition called "mirror lock up".
It's completely normal when the batteries are flat, so you won't know if there is really a fault with your camera until you try it with fresh batteries. On the ME Super you can usually unlock the mirror by turning the function dial to "125X" which selects the single 1/125th of a second mechanical shutter speed, but it doesn't always work as the camera is about thirty years old and will inevitably have some gummed-up, dried-out lubricants inside.
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