[Time Traveller]

When I see an old movie clip and a camera is displayed there (usually a SLR camera), I wake up. For what camera brand was it? 'Oh yes, it was probably a Nikon F, a Pentax Spotmatic, or ...?' It often arouses the same old interest in photography (as the memory of an old girlfriend when you think of her). How can it be? One might think of the many fine hours one has spent with the camera and the many excellent shots? One might also rejoice in the camera itself, the fine craftsmanship behind its manufacture? And the many fine lenses one might have acquired? You might also be interested in the history of the camera brand? The joy of owning the camera and the many possibilities that come with it are surely shared by everyone who photographs. It is a deep joy! The same interest, however, is not aroused with a camera in a mobile phone. And it probably never will! There is a world of difference between these two types of cameras. Therefore, I welcome the fact that Pentax (through Ricoh) is experiencing what I would call a renaissance. No better and more advanced Pentax cameras and lenses have ever been made than under Ricoh's ownership of the camera brand. It's gratifying!

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Last edited by Time Traveller; 07-31-2020 at 07:18 AM.

[Apet-Sure]

I too am always interested to see if I can ID a camera in an old movie or TV show. Some times you only see it for a second or less, so it can be a challenge. I'm almost certain I saw a Pentax in a British detective show a few weeks ago. I think the show was from the '80s.

[clickclick]

Agree. Like trying to figure out what it is, and always hopeful it's something "neat".

[Wasp]

I am able to tell the difference between a Nikon F and a Pentax Spotmatic. I can differentiate between a Nikon F, F2 or F3 but that's about it. I am not enough of a camera spotter/anorak to tell the difference between models of other manufactures like Minolta, Canon, Olympus, etc. I have always been a Pentax guy - never gave the competition a second look.


There are things about (old) cameras in (old) movies that annoys me. When I see an actor using an SLR camera in a movie, I am often struck by how vigorously the focus ring is rocked back and forth. The sound guy will add a motor drive sound to the final mix, even if there was no winder attached. Everybody knows what sound a camera makes and they have to fix it. And then there is the number of frames that the hero is able to shoot in the heat of the moment. No thoughts of running out of film, it's a movie.

Funny. I do the same thing with handguns; there are websites devoted to identification of which are used in what movies by whom. I wonder whether similar websites exist for cameras?

[E-man]

It also irritates me when I see a 'photographer' in a movie or TV show who obviously has no idea how to properly hold a camera and is gripping it by both sides of the body instead of supporting the lens with their left hand.

I used to be an avid 'camera spotter' back in my newspaper days whenever I was at an event where there were a lot of cameras. I was always keenly aware of what people around me were shooting with. I was often a bit of an oddball with my Minolta gear.

[Apet-Sure]

No thoughts of running out of film, it's a movie.

It's easy to keep cocking the shutter when actually there's no film in the camera. Hollywood reality is not real reality. Ask a real fighter pilot what they think of the movie Top Gun. Be prepared for a blistering earful!

[automorphism]

One movie with a Pentax camera is Universal Soldier with Jean-Claude van Damme. In the scene where the reporter sneaks onto the military base, you can see her carrying a Pentax camera.