Pentax SLR...

[seafone]

Yup...recently have been very curious about the early Pentax SLRs, namely the K1000 and Spotmatics. From what I can gather, the Spotmatics are practically the same as the K1000 except the Spotmatic is M42 while the K1000 is k-mount.
Curious if anyone has experience to share with these classics. Was thinking of buying one to play. Should be quite cheap if we buy the earlier batches which is between 1977-1997?

Have some questions, hope someone who is familiar can share...
1. Can one good conditioned early era K1000 be purhased for around $50?
2. If we put in an autofocus lens, will it damage anyth8ing?
3. Is the film used the same "normal" type you can buy anywhere? (The ISO 200 cost $2 per 24 film at Daiso!)
4. For such cameras, you have to depend on the user to guess what ISO, shutter speed to use?

Do share...thanks!

I think it is very unlikely to find a good conditioned classic at around S$50. A price range of around 180 to 300 or more is likely to be the case for good condition set. I once bought a faulty MX for 50dollar and I think it is reasonable price to pay for the spare parts. I spent another 100plus to overhaul the body.

classic camera of these age will usually be poorly condition if they stayed in singapore all their life. A few things to be wary and careful when you buy these classic. Check that the metering is still functioning. Many of these old camera has inaccurate metering and can be a problem when you really start using them in the field. Take the camera up and start firing them at ALL SHUTTER speed from B to 1/1000sec. Listen to the sound of the shutter and observe if there is any unusual movement or mirror lock up at low speed.

It is a real charm to use these mechnical manual camera if you can appreciate them...

The most prefered and wanted Pentax body during the film era are actually LX, MX and K1000.

Have fun if you manage to get one...


cheerss...

 

[airconvent]

I think it is very unlikely to find a good conditioned classic at around S$50. A price range of around 180 to 300 or more is likely to be the case for good condition set. I once bought a faulty MX for 50dollar and I think it is reasonable price to pay for the spare parts. I spent another 100plus to overhaul the body.

classic camera of these age will usually be poorly condition if they stayed in singapore all their life. A few things to be wary and careful when you buy these classic. Check that the metering is still functioning. Many of these old camera has inaccurate metering and can be a problem when you really start using them in the field. Take the camera up and start firing them at ALL SHUTTER speed from B to 1/1000sec. Listen to the sound of the shutter and observe if there is any unusual movement or mirror lock up at low speed.

It is a real charm to use these mechnical manual camera if you can appreciate them...

The most prefered and wanted Pentax body during the film era are actually LX, MX and K1000.

Have fun if you manage to get one...

cheerss...

Thanks seafone..
I did try to bid a fully restored K1000 the other day from someone who specialises in this. The set (body only) had all foam replaced, all gears lubricated and cleaned. A nice one too but I lost the bid. In the end it was sold for S$150 which is pricey as most K1000 deals are done at around US$70 and that's with kit lens. Was at the Camera Workshop and had scoured Peninsula and Adelfi for some but none have them. They have the cheaper spotmatics instead.

BTW, I came across a few working sets of the MV50 for $89 with 30-80mm lens at Cash Converters...but they look too new as I am trying to collect a Classic to play with..heh heh . There was this Pentax P500 there which was a heavy bugger but condition looked like it was on the shelf for too long.

I did also notice in real life the K1000 is huge and heavy ! Anyway, will try ebay again later...
cheers

 

[airconvent]

Hi
I understand those K1000 units without the "Asahi" above the words "Pentax" are made in Hong Kong? Do these fetch a much lower price?
I presently bidding for one such set...hope can get it. And hope the dealer not a con like the previous one. (I won a bid for a Pentax 50mm lens. paid for it and the guy never delivered it..crook !).:angry:

wish me luck..

 

[fengwei]

Hi
I understand those K1000 units without the "Asahi" above the words "Pentax" are made in Hong Kong? Do these fetch a much lower price?
I presently bidding for one such set...hope can get it. And hope the dealer not a con like the previous one. (I won a bid for a Pentax 50mm lens. paid for it and the guy never delivered it..crook !).:angry:

wish me luck..

Good luck

Yes, those made in Hong Kong ones are also all metal and practically indestructible, just like the earlier made in Japan versions. Those 'Assembled in China' versions used a plastic base and prism cover and made extensive use of plastic in the mechanism, so they are abit cheaper. If you are getting one for collection, get the earlier made in japan. They are plenty at the evilBay

 

[airconvent]

Good luck

Yes, those made in Hong Kong ones are also all metal and practically indestructible, just like the earlier made in Japan versions. Those 'Assembled in China' versions used a plastic base and prism cover and made extensive use of plastic in the mechanism, so they are abit cheaper. If you are getting one for collection, get the earlier made in japan. They are plenty at the evilBay

thanks fengwei....welcome back!
I already won a bid for the camera but not sure how to tell its china or hong kong one.
It does not have the asahi label. on hindsight, there were almost no bids for this one, so I assume people have checked its the china one! my only concern is although the item is from canada, the seller speaks with broken english...so not sure if this guy is genuine, or some immigrant trying to earn a quick buck or a con artist...:think:
will PM you the link...
cheers!

 

[airconvent]

Hi guys
I won the bid for a China-made K1000. Hadn't realised or thought to confirm first before I bid..no wonder no one bidded with me..
I hope the China-made plasticky ones are still ok.
Anyone has experiences with this batch. The seller claims the metering is ok, but I was told due to the degradation of the components, chance of the meter working are low. Is this true?
Looks like have to go and disturb Alvinclee now. We own the same K100D, the same K1000 and maybe same telescopes too!
Only diff I don't look at birds! :bsmilie:

 

[alvinsclee]

Disturb? Airconvent, you sure don't want to ruffle my feathers, do you? Just be careful of this old bird here whose talons still have the power to rip flesh :bsmilie:

Sure, would love to handle a K1000 again (it's yesterday once more... every shalalalala... every silver halides still shine ). Afterall, she was my first love! Meanwhile, 2 other beauties have caught my eyes... Asahi-Pentax Spotmatic F and Asahi-Pentax KX

 

[airconvent]

Hi Alvin
Wished I was able to buy the re-furbished asahi one earlier on ebay. I bid the same amount as the other guy during the last minute but he got it because he bidded first..
Now I have won the China version. Hope I get it because the last transaction on ebay, I got cheated by a guy with 1000+ positive feedback!
In anycase, I started looking around to see where I can still find photo studios that develop film...;p
I suspect mine would be lighter than yours because its supposed to be made of plastic more. Hope all the metering and stuff works.
Will have to consult your guru self when I try it out..heh heh
BTW, some guy is selling a defective spotmatic in the buysell section although price is a little high. Maybe you can search Cash Converter?
I have perused the Toa payoh and AMK ones. They have the Pentax MX selling at $89 with kit lens but no spotmatic. There was one called the P500 or something at amk that looked like the K1000 but I can't seem to find any info on it on the pentax website...
If the camera arrives, I will be able to use the samyang M42 zoom lens my uncle gave me..

 

[creampuff]

Cheated on eBay? If you paid by Paypal, you can make a claim if the item isn't as described, defective or damaged even after the transaction has ended.

Actually I'm curious why people are keen on the K1000 when the MX is far, far better camera. Compact, and it has a better and far more accurate meter. The K1000 has a few things that I don't like - no DOF preview, no self timer and as you can't lock the shutter button, there is the tendency for the meter to be on whenever the shutter button is depressed.

A better choice would be the KM, which has the DOF preview buttton and self timer. The KM is specs wise literally unchanged from a Spotmatic ES with the exception of the lens mount. As for the K series, the one to go for is the K2DMD or normal K2 as it uses silicon photo diode meter, electronic shutter and has mirror lockup. Alternatively, the KX is also a good one.

BTW I just saw a very good condition Pentax ME Super with a cheapo tele zoom at Cash Converters in Punggol Plaza. Metering works, shutter fires and condition is good - abt $130.

 

[airconvent]

Cheated on eBay? If you paid by Paypal, you can make a claim if the item isn't as described, defective or damaged even after the transaction has ended.

Actually I'm curious why people are keen on the K1000 when the MX is far, far better camera. Compact, and it has a better and far more accurate meter. The K1000 has a few things that I don't like - no DOF preview, no self timer and as you can't lock the shutter button, there is the tendency for the meter to be on whenever the shutter button is depressed.

A better choice would be the KM, which has the DOF preview buttton and self timer. The KM is specs wise literally unchanged from a Spotmatic ES with the exception of the lens mount. As for the K series, the one to go for is the K2DMD or normal K2 as it uses silicon photo diode meter, electronic shutter and has mirror lockup. Alternatively, the KX is also a good one.

BTW I just saw a very good condition Pentax ME Super with a cheapo tele zoom at Cash Converters in Punggol Plaza. Metering works, shutter fires and condition is good - abt $130.

I bought a pentax A 50mm f/1.7 manual from these guy. Paid by pay pal but the lens never arrived. he claimed stuck at customs.
after several months, I asked for a refund, he said ok and I never heard from him again. Even ignores my mails for his ongoing sales.
I contacted paypal and ebay after much difficulty but the claim process is very tedious. they kept on pushing to each other and asking for all kinds of evidence I have paid including my banks statements, etc. I thought it was too intrusive and troublesome.
they claimed to have tried to contact the seller but never feedback what happened after that, so I have considered that as a bad investment. guess that's the risk of transacting on ebay.
I was hoping now that paypal has an office in singapore, maybe it would be easier but does not seem to be so.

as for your comments on the MX...fren..we already have the k100D!
Buying a film slr is merely for the nostalgic factor and the top of the line for that is the K1000. The MX would have no real value as far as this is concerned but if looking for a film slr, then perhaps a nikon F series or the pentax MX would be good.

 

[alvinsclee]

... If the camera arrives, I will be able to use the samyang M42 zoom lens my uncle gave me..

Are you refering to the K1000 SLR? It is a K-mount body... not M42. The Spotmatics were the last of the Pentax M42 bodies

 

[whoelse]

I have the trio-x.
LX, KX and MX.

KX sell just a little bid more then the K1000 nowaday. The K1000 meter is always on if you off the lens cap (I think I remember this correctly). Aperture doesn't show in the viewfinder and doesn't have mirror lockup. The meter needle in the KX is different/better then K1000 I think. Last, I think K1000 uses CdS meter (yes?) where KX uses SPD cell.

From my old memory hope I am correct.

The shell of KX is much thicker the MX. MX viewfinder magnification is larger and brighter. Shutter release is also smooter on the MX. KX shutter is strong and reliable, LX shell is casted and very strong. Winding the LX feel like the MX but shutter release is closer to the KX.

When using the LX, you really get the feeling you are holding the king of mechanical camera. KX give you the confident and reliability and MX is a joy to use especially the viewfinder. LED meter on the MX can be hard to see if the scene is bright.

 

[airconvent]

haha...the camera arrived today! wooowie! :bsmilie:

Tried it out...lots of observations and lots of questions. Hope the gurus here can help out.

The camera arrived without lens (as expected). Condition is 9.5/10. The meter appears to be working as each setting of the shutter changes its position. It heavy and less plasticky as I had anticipated. And yes..its the Made-in-China version without the "Asahi" label.

Ergonomics : Strange to hold! Without the handgrip on the right, holding a flat piece is a little uncomfortable and its not helped by its sheer weight! The film advance lever is oddly placed because it blocks the shutter control. Quite difficult to change exposure setting especially when you are aiming.

Getting started : A little unsure as to how to load the film. Is it normal to have to snap the shutter in order to release the film advance to load the film? Also the part on tension a little unclear but in the end, I managed to get it started. The LR44 battery that came in the camera is gone, so I replaced it. I could not see any switch to switch it off, so does it means the camera is draining the battery all the time?

Compatible the lenses : Can I use the AF lenses that I have? They all snapped in but since I can't see the output until I go to the studio, I would not be able to tell if its ok. I remember "DC" lenses are designed for smaller CCD, so I suppose all the "DC" lenses cannot be used? I have tried the FA50mmf/1.4 and 18-55 kit lens. and of course, my samyang M42 lens with adapter.

Viewfinder : I thought these camera uses a large split screen ? The one in my K1000D is very small and uses the blinking type viewfinder instead. i.e. adjust until the circle image is stable and not longer flicker. because it is small, I had a very hard time trying to figure out if its blinking or not. Is it possible someone has harvested the original split screen and replaced with this one? All in all, the split screen is practically useless. I had to rely on the main viewer for focussing.

Metering : Strangely, the meter works for my Samyang lens but not my FA50mm and kit lens. The meter remains pointing at max downwards regardless of the exposure setting.
Only pattern I see is both lenses are k-mount whereas the samyang is m42. Anyone can explain why?

Aperture : The aperture setting on the lens does not seem to have any effect. I guess that's because the pin that engages the aperture is not pressed in when the lens is mounted. So I assume the aperture is wide open all he time?

Taking pictures :
- I noticed that for objects further than 5-6 m away, it automatically uses infinite focus setting.
- And I keep on forgetting to advance the film once I taken shot!
- I also noticed the shutter sound is very loud...so why are people complaining about how loud the Sony Alpha is?
- When the shutter snaps, there is a short whirring sound for a brief moment. Any idea if this is normal?

Took quite a number of shots. Not sure how they will turn up though. I have almost depleted the film reel, so can develp and see how they turn out soon.

thanks

 

[alvinsclee]

Some answers...
Film advance: Yes, you need to trigger shutter first, only then will film advance lever unlock for you to move it by one frame.

Viewfinder: I love split-image focussing! It is excellent for manual focus lens. However, it suffers from blacking out if you stop lens down... somewhat similar optics phenomena as seen in telescope eyepieces that has kidney-bean blackouts when your eye is not properly placed in optical axis.

Metering: Yes... meter has no turn-off switch but once you keep lens covered, it is supposed to stop draining the batteries. Hence if you leave lens uncovered while on the move for a long time, batteries will surely be exhausted!

Aperture: As the K1000 is a K-mount body, the aperture control mechanism is different from M42 bodies... hence it will not depress aperture pin on M42 lenses... but if your Samyang lens has auto/manual switch, switch it to manual and use the aperture ring on the lens. Please note that the K1000 requires lenses to have aperture rings. For K-mount lenses, you can do open-aperture metering (as opposed to stop-down metering in your Samyang M42 lens due to lack of body-lens aperture mechanism linkage). For 'modern' K-mount lenses without aperture rings, it is quite a problem (that explains the strange behaviour of the D-FA 50mm and DA 18-55mm DSLR kit lens).

In my opinion, the best lenses for interchangeable use in both K1000 and DSLR are the "A" lenses, "F" lenses and "FA" lenses (all with aperture rings). Avoid the FA-J, D-FA, and DA series... they have no aperture rings, which is why you cannot use the DSLR kit lens on K1000. Of course, if you don't mind fiddling with full manual lenses, "K" and "M" lenses work on the K1000 too.

For more info, read this... http://www.mosphotos.com/plensesexplained.htm

Have fun! I just won a bid for a Pentax KX body from eBay... I'm now eagerly waiting for it to arrive next week

 

[ToaPayoh123]

haha...the camera arrived today! wooowie! :bsmilie:

Hi airconvent,

You can download your Pentax K1000 camera manual from this link, is free ;p
http://www.pentax-manuals.com/manuals/mf/mfmanuals.htm

 

[airconvent]

Thank ToaPayoh123
I already did but their quality is so bad I do not believe its from Pentax website. The pictures are practically blobs of black mass! But at least I can still get by with it..
Any kind soul with an original K1000D manual I can zap a copy?:angel:

 

[alvinsclee]

This may be better...
http://mcfaddenphoto.com/camera_manuals/k1000_manual.htm

 

[airconvent]

Alvin
Thanks for the info!
I had a few offers for both af and mf lenses and still thinking if I should go for them. For your info, my FA50mm AF lens does have an aperture ring and it works beautifully..i think. Just sent the roll of film for developing so I will know how it turns out. Should I just stick to using this lens or buy the original A50mm f/1.7 instead?

My only grip is the so-called split screen thingy (not half screen but the jiggly type) does not work so well because its too small. I remember when I was a kid and looking through a yashica camera and that was very big an clear. Could mine be a non-original one?

cheers

 

[alvinsclee]

Hmmm... it should look like this...
http://mcfaddenphoto.com/camera_manuals/img/k1000_12.jpg

The centre half-circles is the split-image focusing area, the surrounding area is filled with micro-prisms. When in focus, the image in the top and bottom half of the centre half-circles should be aligned, and those in the mirco-prism area should be clear.

 

[airconvent]

Hmmm... it should look like this...
http://mcfaddenphoto.com/camera_manuals/img/k1000_12.jpg

The centre half-circles is the split-image focusing area, the surrounding area is filled with micro-prisms. When in focus, the image in the top and bottom half of the centre half-circles should be aligned, and those in the mirco-prism area should be clear.

Thanks alvin..mine is actually the cross microprism system. The dots are diffucult to see because the "circle" is very small in my viewfinder. And sometimes as I strain my eye, I realised the flickering does not became stable at any focus....:dunno:

BTW, thanks everyone for the manuals!