Pentax MG

MG
Year introduced 1981	Mount K	Meter range 2 - 19 EV	Meter pattern c
ISO range 25 - 1600	DX ISO range No DX coding	Exposure modes Av, X, B	Exposure compensation +/-2 EV
Exposure lock No	Shutter speeds (auto) 1 - 1/1000s	Shutter speeds (manual) None	Shutter speeds (mechanical) 1/100s, B
Self timer Yes	Mirror lock-up No	Auto bracketing No	Multiple exposures Yes
Winder External winder 2 fps	Built-in flash No	TTL flash No	P-TTL flash No
Sync speed 1/100s	Flash exposure comp No	Autofocus No	Autofocus sensitivity Not applicable
Power zoom No	Viewfinder 0.87x, 92%	Viewfinder type Pentaprism	Diopter correction No
Exchangeable screen No	Depth of field preview No	Image size 24 x 36 mm	Panorama format No
Battery 2 x S76	Battery grip/pack No	Size (W x H x D) 132 x 85 x 49.5 mm	Weight 420 g
Comment A simplified low cost variant of the ME. As opposed to the MV the MG retains shutter speed readout in the viewfinder

[pacerr]

Quiz: What was the lightest "real" M-body package?

Ans: The MG with an SMC-A 50/2.0 at < ~535 grams/~1lb 3oz -- and the M /1.7 only added another 20 grams/< 1 oz.

For me, this was the perfect daylight walk-about package. If I'd had the money to get a pancake-40 it would have quite literally been a pocket camera. Pentax build quality and compact handling and all the functionality I needed short of doing special projects or low-light situations (I never cared much for flash but the shoe was there if needed).

With an M-mode lens it was as simple as it gets -- with hyper-focal distance set and the most likely Sunny-Sixteen aperture pre-selected for DOF control few situations needed more than a tweak of the focus or aperture rings. Exposure compensation? Use the ASA dial. And it used the ME Winder too.

The ME and ME-Super added a bit of functionality but at the price of additional complexity -- I seemed to always have to THINK about what to set with them while I always KNEW what was about to happen with the MG.

I got carried away once and put an SMC-A 1:4 /35~70 on one of the MG's. Should have been a sweet combination, and it worked with an ME-S, but all it did was mess up my simple habit patterns with the MG.

I did sort of miss the larger view finder of the ME's (.85 vs. .92 x-factor) but the lighter weight had to come from some compromise and younger eyes and snappy focusing primes got the job done anyway.

I eventually wore out one black body, sold another one and still have a nearly pristine MG sporting an M 50/1.7 sitting where it's handy should I ever have the urge to burn a roll of film again. I occassionally run "fire drills" with it just to confirm the old habits are still alive.

This was the camera that went out the door with me unless there was a good reason for something more complex. While not the most USEFUL camera, I voted this one "Miss Congeniality".

H2

Added pictures of a black MG with Winder ME 2 grip and a size comparison with K1000.