Originally posted by Ed Scott I have been using Pentax Spotmatic cameras for 50 years. I was a US Army combat photographer in the Vietnam War (1968-70) serving two back-to-back combat tours and winning a Bronze Star. The Pentax Spotmatic is the only camera I used in Vietnam which never failed. In the years since doing combat photography, I have never had a Pentax Spotmatic camera or Takumar lens fail. I recently had Eric Hendrickson (Knoxville, TN) service two of my Pentax cameras (adjust shutter speeds, replace battery, etc.) and he did an excellent job. I currently own four Pentax film cameras with M-42 screw mount and over a dozen Takumar lenses. I also own a Sony a7R E-mount camera which I can use Takumar M42 mount lenses on. I shoot medium format and 4x5 too. I think the Pentax Spotmatic has one of the best user interfaces ever designed. It is a pity that most high school and college students are no longer learning photography on this film camera. Many great 35mm films are available - Kodak Ektar 100 (color neg), Kodak Tmax 100 & 400 (B&W neg), and Rollei infrared (B&W neg). Reasons to shoot film in addition to digital include: film cameras work well in winter at much lower temperatures, you can shoot 35mm film when you don't want to risk expensive digital equipment, you can shoot separation RGB + infrared using two film cameras and filters, the Spotmatic is easy and fun to use, film lasts virtually forever, etc.
Welcome! It is nice to know that one
can use a camera for such a long time.
I also began photography over fifty years ago, but after using rangefinder cameras 1969-79, I got a Pentax ME/SE in 1979, then switched to KA lenses in 1983, and to AF in 1995, and to digital in 2007.