| Author: | | Loyal Site Supporter Registered: December, 2009 Location: North Syracuse, NY Posts: 16,476 | | Review Date: August 12, 2010 | Not Recommended | Price: None indicated
| Rating: 5 |
| Pros: | Auto film advance
| | Cons: | No manual mode. Doesn't work without batteries.
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| Pros | Auto film advance | | Cons | No manual mode. Doesn't work without batteries. | | Rating | 5 | | Price (U.S. Dollars) | Don't remember | | Years Owned | 22 |
I can recommend this camera: No
Value, Features, Performance & Size
Value today - none.
Features - Auto film advance, program mode with A-series lenses.
Camera Review
This was my father's camera during my teenage years. The main drawback to this camera is the lack of any sort of manual mode. It is limited to full program mode, with A series lenses, or aperture priority using the aperture ring.
I really don't know why he bought this camera instead of a Super Program or a P3.
| | | | | | | Junior Member Registered: February, 2016 Posts: 35 | | Review Date: April 19, 2021 | Recommended | Price: $12.00
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | good weight helps handling, nice sharp photo's | | Cons: | cheaper plastc build, loud look | |
Camera came with nice vivitar series1 70-210 zoom and I used that along with a miranda 28mm wide angle, the camera gave good overall results, although the metering and program modes are only basic on the A3 it does provide enough info to give good clear results in most situations,
use caution when using flash which is very basic !!
but it produced good photos and was easy to use, goes into my camera box with a tick against good results and ease of use.
| | | | | Site Supporter Registered: October, 2008 Location: Vancouver, Canada Posts: 8,092 | | Review Date: November 25, 2020 | Recommended | Price: None indicated
| Rating: 7 |
| Pros: | Nice handling with a built-in winder. | | Cons: | No DX Coding override, MLU, DOF preview or TTL flash support. | |
The Pentax A3 camera was released in 1984, one year after the initial “A” Series bodies (Super A/Program) came out. The A3 was the budget body in the “A” Series line which was designed around the new “A” Series lenses.
The A3 was renamed as an “A3000” for the North American market, but the finish/look was identical between cameras.
Even though the A3/A3000 was the budget “A” Series body, it did have a couple Pentax firsts that the more advanced “A Series” body did not. This is the first Pentax SLR that has a build-in winder, features DX Coding and takes AA batteries.
Build & Handling:
- Like budget “A” Series lenses the A3/A3000 is not as well built as the previous Pentax “K” & “M“ Series cameras. More plastic and less metal, though the A3/A3000 is still pretty good compared to the budget MZ/ZX bodies!
- The first thing you notice about the A3/A3000 is its size. It’s bigger than the other “A” Series bodies and for me is the best handling one. It has a built-in grip on the right side that helps in supporting my larger A* primes and bigger zoom lenses. The excellent handling is the best feature of this body for me.
- Not many dials/buttons/switches on the A3/A3000 as it’s a budget camera with limited features. There’s just the manual ISO ring, mode selector switch and shutter button on the top. The self-timer lever and exposure compensation button are on the front. The “plunger” type cable release socket has been moved to the front of the camera on the grip. The viewfinder is also sparse, with just the flash/shutter speeds indicated on the left side. The aperture is not displayed in the viewfinder, which is somewhat disappointing and annoying if you are using the Programed AE mode. The A3/A3000 comes with the split image/microprism focusing screen that is excellent for focusing.
Observations:
- The A3/A3000 mode selector lets you choose between “B” (bulb), “1/60” (flash), “PROGRAM” for the Programed AE mode (lens on A) or Aperture Priority (lens set to any f-stop). There is also a “lock” and “battery check “position on this switch. The Programed AE mode is only usable with Pentax lenses with the “A” aperture setting. This mode seems to choose shutter speeds in the 1/125 to 1/250 range, but as the camera does not display the aperture being used, makes this mode pretty well useless for me. The A3/A3000 has no Manual Exposure mode and is totally dependant on batteries.
- The A3/A3000 is the first Pentax SLR to have a built-in winder (1.5 fps). However the A3/A3000 does not have an automatic film rewind and you have to rewind the film manually the traditional way. When you reach the end of the roll, the winder will not advance the film and a red light will turn on in the frame advance counter. The winder is on the noisy side, but is a pretty good built-in feature.
- DX Coding was invented by Kodak in 1983 for their Point & Shoot cameras and was first introduced by Pentax on the A3/A3000 body. If you use non-DX coded film you can set the ISO manually with the ISO dial. The only issue is if you want to shoot DX coded film at an ISO setting different from its box speed. In this case you will have to tape over the DX coding markings on the film canister and set the ISO manually. This is less than perfect, but still better than any “P” Series body which did not have a manual ISO dial. The DX Coded/manual ISO range is 25 to 1600 for both.
- The A3/A3000 also has only one flash mode, “Programmed Auto Flash”. There is no TTL flash support on the A3/A3000. A recommended flash for the A3/A3000 is the Pentax AF-200SA. If you set a lens to the “A” position, the camera will pick the flash speed of 1/60 and the aperture appropriate to the speed of the film being used. Pretty basic stuff.
- Other features on the A3/A3000 are shutter speeds from 2 second to 1/1000, centre-weighted metering with a range of EV 1 to EV 18 and exposure compensation of +1.5EV via a push button, which is only useful for back light subjects. There is also a 12 second delay self-timer, which has a flashing LED light/beeping sound. On the negative side the A3/A3000 has no DOF preview, MLU and exposure lock which are all missed.
- The A3/A3000 is the first Pentax SLR to use two “AA” regular batteries, so this is another useful feature for some. (Rated at 50 rolls of 36 exposure film with a fresh set) The A3/A3000 has a dedicated soft Eveready case (marked A3-x) that came in various sizes for different lenses. I have the “A3-S”case which holds a small normal/wide prime lens.
Summary:
The A3/A3000 was not on my radar to buy and was gifted to me by a Pentax Forum member. (Thanks Murray!) It’s actually a pretty good backup camera that I can see myself using on a trip, when I take multiple bodies. However I would not recommend the A3/A3000 as your only film body, as it does not have enough features.
Here is how I rank the A3/A3000 in my Pentax K-mount body collection:
1) LX, 2) K2DMD, 3) KX, 4) Z-1p, 5)MZ-S, 6)SUPER A, 7) K2, 8) MX, 9) SF1n, 10) ME F, 11) P50, 12) KM, 13) ME, 14)A3000, 15)K1000SE, 16) K1000
Price:
My A3000 was free and it’s in EXC+ condition.
| | | | | Forum Member Registered: January, 2015 Location: McKenzie River Valley, Oregon Posts: 80 | | Review Date: July 9, 2018 | Recommended | Price: None indicated
| Rating: N/A |
| Pros: | Cheap and good | | Cons: | No control | |
This is the perfect camera to keep in the trunk of my motorcycle/car for snapshot opportunities while on the road. Don't think I'll ever emulate Ansel Adams with this (or ANY other) camera but you can capture somethingt you want at a moment's notice. Of course, my iPhone does the same thing. No film required, either.
I'f you're a film "Luddite" this camera has a place in your arsenal.
| | | | | | | Pentaxian Registered: April, 2017 Location: Driving a Mirage Posts: 1,670 | | Review Date: August 22, 2017 | Recommended | Price: None indicated
| Rating: 7 |
| Pros: | Auto film advance, AA batteries | | Cons: | Manual rewind, DX-override | |
The greatest advantage of this camera in my mind is that it takes two ordinary AA batteries.
Not a hugely automated, but rugged and reliable.
I view it somewhat like the K1000 of the A-series, although it does require batteries to activate the shutter and the winder, and there is no manual winding. If you find a P3/P3N for cheap, and have button batteries, I'd recommend the P3/P3N instead.
The fact that it manually rewinds is just another quirk.
In short, if you are looking for lots of features look elsewhere, but if you want a camera that runs on regular batteries, this is a camera for you  | | | | | Senior Member Registered: December, 2015 Posts: 137 | | Review Date: August 20, 2017 | Recommended | Price: $11.50
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | Full automatic usage, a "single lens point-and-shoot" if you will. Works on AA batteries. | | Cons: | No full manual control at all, definitely a beginners (or collectors) only camera. Defaults to 1/60th if not using an A lens | |
I got this in the mail yesterday from a Forum Member, and it is about as simple as cameras get. There are only three modes on the dial- Program, flash synch of 1/60th shutter speed and bulb. There is also lock and battery check, which is interesting. Unfortunately the lens didn't work and I didn't have any film on hand so my review is going to be purely aesthetic. It is quite comfortable to use and makes a cool retro noise when it winds the film on. I reckon it'd be a good one for anyone's collection, as they go for next to nothing,but only if you want to "complete the set". Similar usage to my Canon t50- all you need to do is insert and rewind the film. Good if you just want to chuck it in your bag for some quick film shots but apart from that.....
| | | | | Junior Member Registered: December, 2012 Location: Southwest Colorado Posts: 39 | | Review Date: December 24, 2013 | Recommended | Price: $20.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Very sharp pics | | Cons: | No manual operation | |
This is a nice simple camera, and fun to use. Runs on AA batteries. I use it a lot for black and white photography, as it seems to excell in this area. The A 50mm 1.7 is a great lens to have. The camera is built rock solid, typical Pentax.
Again, you do not need to run through several settings to take a nice quality shot.
| | | | | Veteran Member Registered: March, 2008 Location: Oslo Posts: 309
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: December 30, 2010 | Recommended | Price: $15.00
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | Simple, reliable and quite rugged
| | Cons: | Noisy winder, no M mode, no exp. lock.
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| Pros | Simple, reliable and quite rugged | | Cons | Noisy winder, no M mode, no exp. lock. | | Rating | 6 | | Price (U.S. Dollars) | 15 | | Years Owned | 1 |
I can recommend this camera: Yes
Value, Features, Performance & Size
Collector value is about none. Winder is fast but noisy. Body is larger than the older M-series, mostly due to use of 2xAA batteries. Very easy to use, but not a lot of features.
Camera Review
Arguably a camera targeted at beginners, it offers a similar feature level as the older ME, while also including an automatic winder.
There is no EV comp. wheel as on the ME series (aside from the backlight +1.5EV comp.), but it's easy to achieve by setting the ISO manually (taping the DX contacts on the film canister) and compensating by setting film speed instead.
Probably one of the cheaper choices of older amateur-level SLRs, it even runs off two AA batteries. Also, my sample does not have any light seals at the back, which makes for one less thing to check for. If you are to buy one, check if the camera seems to work normally (shutter, mirror, normal winder noise without loud 'clicks') and see if the meter responds. Move the aperture feeler lever (2 o'clock looking into the mount) if you don't have a lens on-hand.
Personally, I prefer my MX or K2, but for just trying film out, it is a decent choice, even though most of the P-series bodies also are cheap, reliable and easy-operated.
(But then again, considering used prices today, there's not really any bad Pentax SLRs, at least among the pre-AF-series. I got mine practically for free with an A50/1.7 and case, all in mint condition.)
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