Originally posted by LesDMess Another useful accessory for the K1000 - since it doesn't have a self timer, is a add on self timer!
Oh, these are so cool. I shot for
ages before I ever even knew they existed, & I found one totally by accident on eBay while browsing misc. lots of stuff. "What? A
timer???! They make those?!!"
Had to tweak the thing a little to get the plunger to go down to the right depth.
Tom, if you look around online you may find an "exposure calculator" for long exposures... things which give you examples of lighting situations, & what kind of exposures to use. I have a little cardboard-slide-rule-y type thing called the "Jiffy Exposure Calculator" for night exposures (I assume this is what you're doing?) which I got from my parents; its gotta be 50 years old at least, & gives recommended exposures for different lighting situations. On MY K1000 at least, Mr Light Meter packs it in at twilight, & I've never got round to getting a proper light meter (or learning to use the one that's somewhere in a closet), so I use the Jiffy card & in general it works. I follow the guide & add half a stop for "reciprocity failure"... Tom, don't worry about it too much; look it up sometime when you get the basics figured out
Try long exposures of running water, or if you have a dark sky, get yourself a locking cable release & try an hour's exposure for star trails.
Congrats on your awesome new camera (yes, I'm biased!) & have fun!