Hello all,

I'm buying new lenses for my Pentax K-1000 and I'm curious if I can change lenses, while film is loaded, without exposing it.
Do I need to be in a dark space? A dark room? Can I do this outside? Is it completely safe do change lenses in all environments?

Sorry, that's a lot of questions but I want to protect my film, of course.

[boriscleto]

You don't need a dark room. The shutter stays closed behind the mirror.

[photoptimist]

As boriscleto, the closed shutter protects the film from light.

That said, too much direct sunlight on the shutter could leak through tiny imperfections in the shutter especially in a worn cloth shutter on an old camera. (If you happen to get weird bright spots on almost every picture and the same place on almost every frame, there's a good chance the shutter has a small hole that's leaking light.)

When changing lenses, I generally turn my back to the sun and try to avoid pointing the camera up. That minimizes the amount of light falling on the shutter and also reduces the chances of eyelashes, dust, etc. from falling into the open camera.

Have fun with the K-1000!

[stevebrot]

The risk in daylight is the same as having the lens cap off.


Steve

[35mmfilmfan]

It's not a good idea to change lenses in the middle of a rainstorm, or to trip the shutter while no lens is on the camera. Apart from that, the film is protected, as others have said, by the shutter curtains and the mirror.

[noblepa]

To the OP, who is apparently not completely familiar with the K-1000:

Just remember that the light meter on the K-1000 is always on. When not using the camera, it is imperative that you put a lens cap on the lens. Failure to do so will cause the battery in the light meter to go dead. Other than a dead battery, it will not harm the camera.

If you were aware of that, I apologize, but that is a common mistake made by those new to the K-1000.

It is a wonderful camera. Its no wonder that film-based photography classes still recommend it.