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08-17-2018, 09:02 AM - 1 Like   #31
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QuoteOriginally posted by craveone Quote
The Super A in Japan is around 70 bucks, no lens. The Super Program turns out to be something different. Some of them say super program, or program plus...
Well, no. The Super Program is simply the US name for the Super A. The Program Plus is the US name for the Program A. The Super Program was only available in chrome and the Super A was only available in black...

08-17-2018, 09:06 AM - 1 Like   #32
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QuoteOriginally posted by boriscleto Quote
Well, no. The Super Program is simply the US name for the Super A. The Program Plus is the US name for the Program A. The Super Program was only available in chrome and the Super A was only available in black...
[Argh I can't read correctly. Please ignore this post.]
08-17-2018, 09:14 AM   #33
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QuoteOriginally posted by UncleVanya Quote
[Argh I can't read correctly. Please ignore this post.]
But if I don't ignore it I'll get to 180 posts faster
08-17-2018, 10:13 AM   #34
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QuoteOriginally posted by boriscleto Quote
Well, no. The Super Program is simply the US name for the Super A. The Program Plus is the US name for the Program A. The Super Program was only available in chrome and the Super A was only available in black...
Even though I'm leaning more towards the LX ( I know my wife would kill me if she found out how much it was). The Super A black is what I would go for. Hell, I may still go that route and see how I feel about the LX after the first of the year. Not like I couldn't sell the Super A on ebay....

08-17-2018, 10:21 AM   #35
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QuoteOriginally posted by boriscleto Quote
But if I don't ignore it I'll get to 180 posts faster
LOL - That makes sense!
08-17-2018, 10:22 AM   #36
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QuoteOriginally posted by craveone Quote
Even though I'm leaning more towards the LX ( I know my wife would kill me if she found out how much it was). The Super A black is what I would go for. Hell, I may still go that route and see how I feel about the LX after the first of the year. Not like I couldn't sell the Super A on ebay....
There... now that bit of GAS is taken care of. You have the right attitude. Now when push comes to shove and you buy the LX and then say to yourself, I may need this later if the LX is in the shop... then you have been truly swallowed whole by the GAS monster.
08-17-2018, 10:33 AM   #37
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QuoteOriginally posted by UncleVanya Quote
There... now that bit of GAS is taken care of. You have the right attitude. Now when push comes to shove and you buy the LX and then say to yourself, I may need this later if the LX is in the shop... then you have been truly swallowed whole by the GAS monster.
That's my fear... I'm worried that I just want some new camera to play with. The K1000 works, its just missing a feature I'd like to have... Which I found in the ME Super... then SOMEONE had to go mention the Super A.... And then there's the LX... which seems to be the Pentax of all Pentax 35mm film camera's

08-17-2018, 10:35 AM   #38
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QuoteOriginally posted by craveone Quote
That's my fear... I'm worried that I just want some new camera to play with. The K1000 works, its just missing a feature I'd like to have... Which I found in the ME Super... then SOMEONE had to go mention the Super A.... And then there's the LX... which seems to be the Pentax of all Pentax 35mm film camera's
...Hiding under a rock... as Mrs. Craveone tosses dagger-like stares my way...
08-17-2018, 10:36 AM   #39
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At least I didn't talk about 645 or 6x7 Film cameras... oops!
08-17-2018, 10:54 AM   #40
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QuoteOriginally posted by UncleVanya Quote
At least I didn't talk about 645 or 6x7 Film cameras... oops!

Oh, she already knows that a 6X7 is on my list. I'm just trying to upgrade my 35mm for now. I'll upgrade form my C330 6X6 to the 6X7 in do time....
08-18-2018, 06:10 AM   #41
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Referring to my previous post (#03):

I did not mention the Super A (and mentally discarded the Program A, as it is just a stripped down Super A), because I thought you may not prefer a fully automatic body.

A lot was already said about the Super A by others, so I just want to add some of my own experiences.

When I bought a used ME Super in 1981, my financial situation was not really good. But end of 1983 I skipped University, worked for half a year for research and development companies (micro processors, vastly improved situation), before in 1984 I got hired by an international, Scotland based company, which finally stopped my financial struggling. And then I saw a Super A with the A 1.4/50, both in mint condition, for half the price of a new Super A body, and could not resist. One must keep in mind the initial price of the Super A (inflation) in Germany was roughly the same as it was for the K-1.
Now the ME Super went (with a Tokina AT-X 2.8/35-70) to the boot of my car as an emergency set.

Some thoughts about the Super A:
It has the same body as the ME Super (but black only), and handling for Av and M is identical.
It does not work at all without batteries (but they last very long). The fully mechanic 1/125 sec of the ME Super is missing.
The self timer is electronic with a blinking LED, instead of mechanic.
It has a tiny, detachable grip for better handling than the ME Super..
It can use the winder MEII (with detached grip, the main source for lost grips!), the better winder A, and the motor drive A.

The LCD alphanumeric display in the viewfinder was fantastic when it was new. Sadly, monochrome LCDs of the first generations tend to fast loosing contrast. I remember Canon had to inform users of their first professional flagship with LCD, that the LCD unit in the viewfinder had to be replaced every view years, which was not really cheap.
The light for the LCD enters the viewfinder through a front "window" beneath the prism. If it is dark outside, you can enlighten with a built-in white LED, which unfortunately, after 35+ years may also have lost half of its strength.

With both the ME Super and the Super A you set exposure times with small buttons on the camera top, so you don't need to change your grip to modify it. But with the ME Super, you can see the set value only in the viewfinder, whereas the Super A has a small LCD window on top.

The DOF is nice to have, but for me it was of limited value (as with the MX). It really helps only with very fast lenses (where, of course, DOF control is needed most), but I tried to avoid the F1.4 whenever possible because of the drastic loss of contrast. But that is just me.

If the Super A detects an active flash, it will automatically reduce the exposure time to a workable value (with the ME Super, you have to do it yourself); when the flash gets off-line, the camera will automatically revert to the previously set exposure time. Times slower than 1/125 sec will generally stay untouched (for fill-in).

The TTL controlled flash operations turned out to be a mixed bag, at least for me.
I always used Metz flashes (of course, I am German), which offered TTL as well as auto thyristor mode (photo cell controlled).
Results with the flash auto mode had always been quite good and consistent, whereas I found TTL controlled shots of contrasty objects to turn out extremly contrasty, vastly extending even the dynamic range of black and white film (or prints). To me it seemed the limitation of the measurement to the actual frame (theoretically a good thing) compared with the slightly wider angle of view of the flash photocell made the difference. It could also have been an effect of the processing by the print service in handling slightly over or under exposed pictures. Anyway, I ended up using TTL controlled flash only for macro and close distance work.

Thats all (for the moment).

Last edited by RKKS08; 08-18-2018 at 02:18 PM. Reason: Typing and info added
08-18-2018, 06:43 AM   #42
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QuoteOriginally posted by RKKS08 Quote
Referring to my previous post (#03):

I did not mention the Super A (and mentally discarded the Program A, as it is just a stripped down Super A), because I thought you may not prefer a fully automatic body.

A lot was already said about the Super A by others, so I just want to add some of my own experiences.

When I bought a used ME Super in 1981, my financial situation was not really good. But end of 1983 I skipped University, worked for half a year for research and development companies (micro processors, vastly improved situation), before in 1984 I got hired by an international, Scotland based company, which finally stopped my financial struggling. And then I saw a Super A with the A 1.4/50, both in mint condition, for half the price of a new Super A body, and could not resist. One must keep in mind the initial price of the Super A (inflation) in Germany was roughly the same as it was for the K-1.
Now the ME Super went (with a Tokina AT-X 2.8/35-70) to the boot of my car as an emergency set.

Some thoughts about the Super A:
It has the same body as the ME Super (but black only), and handling for Av and M is identical.
It does not work at all without batteries (but they last very long). The fully mechanic 1/125 sec of the ME Super is missing.
The self timer is electronic with a blinking LED, instead of mechanic.
It has a tiny, detachable grip for better handling than the ME Super..
It can use the winder MEII (with detached grip, the main source for lost grips!), the better winder A, and the motor drive A.

The LCD alphanumeric display in the viewfinder was phantastic when it was new. Sadly, monochrome LCDs of the first generations tend to fast loosing contrast. I remember Canon had to inform users of their first professional flagship with LCD, that the LCD unit in the viewfinder had to be replaced every view years, which was not really cheap.
The light for the LCD enters the viewfinder through a front "window" beneath the prism. If it is dark outside, you can enlighten with a built-in white LED, which unfortunately, after 35+ years may also have lost half of its strength.

With both the ME Super and the Super A you set exposure times with small buttons on the camera top, so you don't need to change your grip to modify it. But with the ME Super, you can see the set value only in the viewfinder, whereas the Super A has a small LCD window on top.

The DOF is nice to have, but for me it was of limited value (as with the MX). It really helps only with very fast lenses (where, of course, DOF control is needed most), but I tried to avoid the F1.4 whenever possible because of the drastic loss of contrast. But that is just me.

If the Super A detects an active flash, it will automatically reduce the exposure time to a workable value (with the ME Super, you have to do it yourself); when the flash gets off-line, the camera will automatically revert to the previously set exposure time. Times slower than 1/125 sec will generally stay untouched (for fill-in).

The TTL controlled flash operations turned out to be a mixed bag, at least for me.
I always used Metz flashes (of course, I am German), which offered TTL as well as auto thyristor mode (photo cell controlled).
Results with the flash auto mode had always been quite good and consistent, whereas I found TTL controlled shots of contrasty objects to turn out extremly contrasty, vastly extending even the dynamic range of black and white film (or prints). To me it seemed the limitation of the measurement to the actual frame (theoretically a good thing) compared with the slightly wider angle of view of the flash photocell made the difference. It could also have been an effect of the processing by the print service in handling slightly over or under exposed pictures. Anyway, I ended up using TTL controlled flash only for macro and close distance work.

Thats all (for the moment).

From what I'm gathering, the Super A would be an upgrade from the K1000. And that at a price point, it would be the option before an LX? Of course I'd love an LX.... And I could see getting one, the live exposure is what REALLY makes me want it over the Super A. From what you wrote here it sounds like the Super A was an excellent choice, other than the TTL flash. Which honestly, I never use a flash. Unless I'm doing wedding receptions with my DSLR. I don't even have a flash for my K1000.... Then again, I've never tried the flash that I have with my K1000.
08-18-2018, 06:59 AM   #43
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I don't know whether this will matter to you, but the ME / ME Super / Super Program / Super A bodies were (together with the Olympus OM series) the absolutely smallest SLRs on the market.
I remember the advertisments by Asahi stating the ME Super matched with the M 2.8/45 (pancake) would easily fit in the pocket of a coat.
08-18-2018, 07:11 AM   #44
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QuoteOriginally posted by RKKS08 Quote
I don't know whether this will matter to you, but the ME / ME Super / Super Program / Super A bodies were (together with the Olympus OM series) the absolutely smallest SLRs on the market.
I remember the advertisments by Asahi stating the ME Super matched with the M 2.8/45 (pancake) would easily fit in the pocket of a coat.
Yeah, I'm not sure about the size thing, if it will be something i care about or not. My K1000 is tiny compared to my 5D DSLR. I did come across a K2 DMD.... Would this be another option to an LX or Super A?
08-18-2018, 07:48 AM   #45
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QuoteOriginally posted by craveone Quote
I did come across a K2 DMD.... Would this be another option to an LX or Super A?
I don't know.
I switched to Pentax only in 1981, and missed the K series completely.
During the 1970s, as a student, Pentax was just out of my reach.
In West Germany, East German cameras were sold at extremely low prices.
At that time, I got my Exakta VX1000, Exa500, 35/50/135mm lenses, 2x TC, and extension tubes all together for roughly the same money a Spotmatic (just the body!) would have cost me.

But there are (or were?) a couple of members always raving about the K2, specially the DMD.
Maybe you will get suggestions by these.
But certainly the K2 (and the KX!) are big and heavy compared with the M series models.

Last edited by RKKS08; 08-18-2018 at 02:14 PM. Reason: Typing
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