Originally posted by pathdoc Interesting - apart from a self-timer, what did they (particularly the KM) offer the film-neophyte student that the K-1000 did not? Do DOF preview and mirror lockup really make that much of a difference in this context?
I
did write teaching tool.
On a KX you have aperture* and shutter speed visible in the VF, and you 'match the needle' by changing either parameter to achieve proper exposure. Checking DoF every time reinforces the variable effects of changing aperture vs. shutter speed. Given enough repetitions a student internalizes the relationship between light and composition and eventually can 'see' the desired image while looking at the scene and can intuitively set the camera for the desired effect. Harder to learn on a K1000.
Having learned how difficult it is to hand hold below 1/30, MUP is a useful feature to use with a tripod to achieve a desired image; again, with experience a shooter can judge when a tripod is required.
My daughter had a resident B&W film photography college credit Winter Term class @ Ghost Ranch in NM. A mechanical camera and tripod were required (and an O2 and Y2 or YG filter). She took my KX and several lenses. The course taught everything from Chemistry to surface mounting, all juried for the grade. One of the juried assignments was a self-portrait composed 'in' the landscape. She had to incident meter herself and reflective meter the background, use Exposure Comp and preset everything using her judgement. A self-timer was naturally obligatory.
KX can teach the whole deal. KM less of it, but you get DoF preview. K1000 with center-needle and no aperture or shutter speed indicator, no timer, no DoF preview and no MUP almost none of it except to learn by failing. By the time the prints come back the student has forgotten what the scene looked like.There are better teaching cameras than K1000, except for the price. **
* iOS wants to auto-capitalize Aperture.
** ducks.
Last edited by monochrome; 03-26-2017 at 07:54 AM.