A Beautiful KX (a.k.a. Thanks Adorama!)

vinzer · 01-21-2009, 07:38 AM

It's my first purchase from Adorama, and since the transaction went hassle-free (I had more trouble from local customs than Adorama), I'd just like to extend my thanks to Helen and her colleagues over at Adorama.

Helen, you'll be sure to get more business from me in the future.

I'd also like to extend gratitude towards forum members who have reassured me of Adorama's good service in another thread. Thanks guys!

Anyway, I got a KX rated as E-. I thought the description given for the rating was similar to KEH's BGN rating, and I was not disappointed.

The front face of the camera looks flawless, save for a little brassing that you really wouldn't notice unless you looked closely enough.

The top of the camera is equally clean, and save for a bit of dirt on the main pin on the hotshoe, you couldn't tell if it's new or not.

The back of the camera had two discernible scratches near the top (not significant for me) and on the viewfinder frame (doesn't affect anything save for aesthetics), and amazingly, the innards are clean, curtain cloth and all.

The bottom of the camera is most likely where it fell from a possible E rating. There's a circular brassed area surrounding the tripod mount, and I'm guessing it might have come from the camera being stuck on a tripod for so long or something. I really don't mind it.

What's most important is that everything works as it should, even the metering. Being used to the KM and K1000's metering, I thought the KX's meter was borked since the needle was stuck at the top even when I had no batteries on the camera yet (that situation denoted a charged battery for the KM/K1000 using the battery check method on those cameras).

Feeling less happy about it but not sad (the listing didn't indicate a broken meter, but still pleased with everything else working), I popped two LR44's inside, hoping it might goad the meter to jumpstart or something. Lever advance, half-press... then the needle moved!

I was giddy all of a sudden! Then I pushed back the film lever and the needle popped back in it's place at the top. I thought, "Bummer!", since I was of the idea that there might be some loose coupling or something since the film advance lever was playing tricks on the needle. I already was planning a trip to the local repair guy to fix that up.

Then, I read a downloaded KX manual. Everything behaved like it was supposed to behave, apparently.

Lesson learned for me - always read the darn manual before assuming that something's wrong with a device.

That, and KEH's BGN is roughly akin to Adorama's E-.

All in all, one happy camper here. I would've wanted an MX to be the all-mechanical complement to the LX, but I'm not complaining. The KX is as competent. The newly-acquired KX being black is a nice bonus.

*Blue* · 01-21-2009, 09:26 AM

congrats! its a black one also.

*Ratmagiclady* · 01-21-2009, 09:43 AM

Hey, congrats.

Yeah, ...it seems to me that KEH's 'BGN' rating kind of covers a lot of ground, though, actually: I've often wished they'd be more specific there, particularly as regards if it has any functional issues or just looks a little rough. I tend to like Adorama's system a bit better. Good company, though, they've been very good lately with exchanging a couple of things which turned up with manufacturer's defects. (I must be on a weird streak, here, wasn't a big deal this time, but what's happened to quality control lately?)

Hope you're treating your employees right, there, Helen. They do deserve it.

AndrewG NY · 01-21-2009, 10:33 AM

Nice, Vinzer! She's a beaut, thanks for sharing your experience. I picked up a black MX (a little smaller but somewhat similar) a few months ago, these really look sharp and feel solid. I sort of wish it had the KX's match-needle viewfinder.

drewdlephone · 01-21-2009, 10:44 AM

Congratulations!

For a black body, it's in amazing shape (they seem to show their age a little more than the brass/silver bodies because of the paint). Glad that everything works too, the metering on those is more like a modern SLR than the older "take the cap off" modus operandi of the K1000 and Spotmatics. I do have a question though: what's the little teeny button-looking thing next to the viewfinder lump on the left hand side?

Mike Cash · 01-21-2009, 11:05 AM

Originally Posted by drewdlephone

what's the little teeny button-looking thing next to the viewfinder lump on the left hand side?

Probably the battery-check button.

VF-19 · 01-21-2009, 11:09 AM

Second that. It is the battery check button. Just don't hold it down forever, or you'll waste the batteries.

Helen Oster · 01-21-2009, 01:40 PM

Originally Posted by vinzer

It's my first purchase from Adorama, and since the transaction went hassle-free (I had more trouble from local customs than Adorama), I'd just like to extend my thanks to Helen and her colleagues over at Adorama.

Helen, you'll be sure to get more business from me in the future.

I'd also like to extend gratitude towards forum members who have reassured me of Adorama's good service in another thread. Thanks guys!

Delighted to hear it!

Sincerely

Helen Oster
Adorama Camera Customer Service Ambassador

helen.oster@adoramacamera.com
Digital cameras, all other cameras and everything photographic from Adorama Camera

Nesster · 01-21-2009, 01:57 PM

The KX sure is pretty in black, but then it's pretty in silver too. Congratulations.

I definitely can recommend Adorama as well, the prices are fair (better than at B&H) and sometimes they have things others do not.

*Ratmagiclady* · 01-21-2009, 03:59 PM

Originally Posted by drewdlephone

Congratulations! For a black body, it's in amazing shape (they seem to show their age a little more than the brass/silver bodies because of the paint).

I think that's actually the point of (old, actual) chrome finishes, they stay looking new longer, regardless of treatment.

vinzer · 01-21-2009, 06:37 PM

Thanks guys! It's amazing how clean this camera is, considering it's black, which, like Drew mentioned, is more prone to brassing and thus show it's age. Pentax's black paint feels pretty tough, though, and it really does take a feverish photographer to whittle the paint down to brass. Not having had any other black SLR from other brands, I can't comment about the paint they use.

I sure would still be on the lookout for a black MX, though, Andrew. It's probably the closer sibling to the LX than the KX.

VF-19 and Mike got it right. That odd button there is the battery check button. No more switching over to B and removing the lens to test batteries.

Pentax K- and M- series SLRs are pretty, whether in black or chrome. If you're into retro styling, though, chrome beats black hands-down, especially with the wave of black DSLRs we're getting nowadays (save for the limited white K-m). I'd be okay with either, but there was a black KX sitting in Adorama's used department and it was priced less than KEH's MX bodies at the time of purchase, so I decided to go for that.