Just Bought a K1000

krp · 09-12-2012, 08:39 PM

I just bought a k1000 off ebay, and it looks like it's in good condition. This will be the first film camera I've used, but I have plenty of lenses I want to try out with it: Bower 14mm f2.8, Vivitar 28mm f2, Pentax A 50mm f1.7, Takumar 135mm f2.5
This weekend I'm taking a little trip to the Mississippi River. I plan to capture some landscape photos, astrophotography (mostly startrails) and the sunrise over the river. I'm not sure which of these films to use that I already have: Kodak Gold 100 and 400, Fujicolor 200, or Kentmere 400 B&W.

Any tips on using this camera would be appreciated.

LightMeter · 09-12-2012, 08:52 PM

Congrats on the K1000. I bought one last year, but it had a sticky shutter. Hope yours gives you years of good service. I'd love to have the Bower 14mm!! What part of the MS River are you going to?

Pioneer · 09-12-2012, 08:57 PM

Enjoy it. They are very simple, but excellent cameras. Take your time and think your way through the exposure process and you will do fine.

The simple meter readout is very easy to use. Centering the needle should put you exactly where the camera is suggesting you make your exposure. This works very well for most subjects, but once in a while you will have to make some adjustments. If you are shooting something against a bright background, and want your subject to show up as more than a black outline, then you will have to add in a little more light. Open your aperture or slow down your shutter until that needle just starts to move into the upper region. That will be about right and will give you a decent image. As an example, I take pictures of hummingbirds at the feeder against the sky. I open up my aperture about two stops more than the meter recommends so that I get a better shot of the hummingbird. Either that, or I use my flash for a little fill light, though that is a little tougher to do with the 1/60 shutter synch on the K1000.

The other thing I found a little challenging in the beginning was focusing. What helped me was to focus the lens on an object until I thought it was pretty close, read the distance off the lens, then pace it off to see how close I was. It didn't take too long before I trusted my focusing skills. It also helps to learn to pre-focus. I shoot my grandkids with manual focus all the time now but I do a lot of pre-focusing and then shooting the shot when they come into range.

Like I said, don't rush yourself in the beginning and you will eventually find yourself becoming pretty good at exposing and focusing your shots. I absolutely love that I am in total control of my images. One thing about it, when I focus now I know for sure what I was focusing on.

krp · 09-12-2012, 09:25 PM

Originally posted by LightMeter

Congrats on the K1000. I bought one last year, but it had a sticky shutter. Hope yours gives you years of good service. I'd love to have the Bower 14mm!! What part of the MS River are you going to?

Thanks. I just bought that lens last week, so I'm looking forward to testing it more on film and digital. I'll be near Savanna, IL. I'm mostly going there to get away from the light pollution and use my telescope and take pictures of the stars. But since it's such a beautiful area, I want to get some other pictures also.

Originally posted by Pioneer

Enjoy it. They are very simple, but excellent cameras. Take your time and think your way through the exposure process and you will do fine.

The simple meter readout is very easy to use. Centering the needle should put you exactly where the camera is suggesting you make your exposure. This works very well for most subjects, but once in a while you will have to make some adjustments. If you are shooting something against a bright background, and want your subject to show up as more than a black outline, then you will have to add in a little more light. Open your aperture or slow down your shutter until that needle just starts to move into the upper region. That will be about right and will give you a decent image. As an example, I take pictures of hummingbirds at the feeder against the sky. I open up my aperture about two stops more than the meter recommends so that I get a better shot of the hummingbird. Either that, or I use my flash for a little fill light, though that is a little tougher to do with the 1/60 shutter synch on the K1000.

The other thing I found a little challenging in the beginning was focusing. What helped me was to focus the lens on an object until I thought it was pretty close, read the distance off the lens, then pace it off to see how close I was. It didn't take too long before I trusted my focusing skills. It also helps to learn to pre-focus. I shoot my grandkids with manual focus all the time now but I do a lot of pre-focusing and then shooting the shot when they come into range.

Like I said, don't rush yourself in the beginning and you will eventually find yourself becoming pretty good at exposing and focusing your shots. I absolutely love that I am in total control of my images. One thing about it, when I focus now I know for sure what I was focusing on.

Thanks for the tips. Hopefully the first roll of film I shoot won't be too bad.

**arnold** · 09-13-2012, 02:36 AM

I focus by over-shooting into blur, then backing into undershooting blur. You will see the image go in and out of focus. Slowly reduce the bracketing amount either side of sharp, until it is nothing and the image is clear. You may then check the distance reading on the lens, as a reasonable confirmation.

henkvanzuylen · 09-13-2012, 04:39 AM

You will have a lot of fun with your K1000, it's a nice and very reliable camera.
I've used it a lot before my LX was serviced.

a example:

Henk

krp · 09-20-2012, 08:33 PM

I think the meter on the K1000 is broken since it still doesn't work after replacing the battery. Is it worth trying to get it fixed? I'll keep it either way. I shot almost a whole roll of film already, I just used my K-x to guess the right exposure. Also since I do a lot of night photography, a meter isn't really necessary for that.

hks_kansei · 09-20-2012, 09:01 PM

Might be a silly thing to ask....

is the battery in the right way round?

krp · 09-21-2012, 07:49 PM

Ya I tried putting the battery in both ways

**PPPPPP42** · 09-21-2012, 08:05 PM

Is the needle centered and non responsive or pegged top or bottom. To verify the electrical circuit you can set the ISO to 100 and the shutter speed to B, on a K1000 that turns the exposure meter into a battery meter, a good battery will peg the meter full up.

If its broken its very fixable but you have horrible timing as Eric (the only one who should touch these) is out of commission due to his wife dying until further notice.

Normally a K1000 that has never been serviced needs a full CLA with new light seals by now.

krp · 09-25-2012, 08:33 PM

Originally posted by PPPPPP42

Is the needle centered and non responsive or pegged top or bottom. To verify the electrical circuit you can set the ISO to 100 and the shutter speed to B, on a K1000 that turns the exposure meter into a battery meter, a good battery will peg the meter full up.

If its broken its very fixable but you have horrible timing as Eric (the only one who should touch these) is out of commission due to his wife dying until further notice.

Normally a K1000 that has never been serviced needs a full CLA with new light seals by now.

I can't get the needle to move either way, it just stays in the center. I just got my first roll of film back and the pictures are all overexposed, so I guess I do need new light seals. I'll probably send Eric an email in a few weeks.

09-12-2012, 08:39 PM	#1
krp Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Illinois Photos: Gallery Posts: 470	Just Bought a K1000 I just bought a k1000 off ebay, and it looks like it's in good condition. This will be the first film camera I've used, but I have plenty of lenses I want to try out with it: Bower 14mm f2.8, Vivitar 28mm f2, Pentax A 50mm f1.7, Takumar 135mm f2.5 This weekend I'm taking a little trip to the Mississippi River. I plan to capture some landscape photos, astrophotography (mostly startrails) and the sunrise over the river. I'm not sure which of these films to use that I already have: Kodak Gold 100 and 400, Fujicolor 200, or Kentmere 400 B&W. Any tips on using this camera would be appreciated.

09-12-2012, 08:52 PM	#2
LightMeter Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Houston, Republic of Texas Posts: 158	Congrats on the K1000. I bought one last year, but it had a sticky shutter. Hope yours gives you years of good service. I'd love to have the Bower 14mm!! What part of the MS River are you going to? Last edited by LightMeter; 09-12-2012 at 08:54 PM. Reason: Typo

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09-12-2012, 08:57 PM	#3
Pioneer Pentaxian Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Wandering the Streets Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 1,411	Enjoy it. They are very simple, but excellent cameras. Take your time and think your way through the exposure process and you will do fine. The simple meter readout is very easy to use. Centering the needle should put you exactly where the camera is suggesting you make your exposure. This works very well for most subjects, but once in a while you will have to make some adjustments. If you are shooting something against a bright background, and want your subject to show up as more than a black outline, then you will have to add in a little more light. Open your aperture or slow down your shutter until that needle just starts to move into the upper region. That will be about right and will give you a decent image. As an example, I take pictures of hummingbirds at the feeder against the sky. I open up my aperture about two stops more than the meter recommends so that I get a better shot of the hummingbird. Either that, or I use my flash for a little fill light, though that is a little tougher to do with the 1/60 shutter synch on the K1000. The other thing I found a little challenging in the beginning was focusing. What helped me was to focus the lens on an object until I thought it was pretty close, read the distance off the lens, then pace it off to see how close I was. It didn't take too long before I trusted my focusing skills. It also helps to learn to pre-focus. I shoot my grandkids with manual focus all the time now but I do a lot of pre-focusing and then shooting the shot when they come into range. Like I said, don't rush yourself in the beginning and you will eventually find yourself becoming pretty good at exposing and focusing your shots. I absolutely love that I am in total control of my images. One thing about it, when I focus now I know for sure what I was focusing on.

09-12-2012, 09:25 PM	#4
krp Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Illinois Photos: Gallery Posts: 470 Original Poster	Originally posted by LightMeter Congrats on the K1000. I bought one last year, but it had a sticky shutter. Hope yours gives you years of good service. I'd love to have the Bower 14mm!! What part of the MS River are you going to? Thanks. I just bought that lens last week, so I'm looking forward to testing it more on film and digital. I'll be near Savanna, IL. I'm mostly going there to get away from the light pollution and use my telescope and take pictures of the stars. But since it's such a beautiful area, I want to get some other pictures also. Originally posted by Pioneer Enjoy it. They are very simple, but excellent cameras. Take your time and think your way through the exposure process and you will do fine. The simple meter readout is very easy to use. Centering the needle should put you exactly where the camera is suggesting you make your exposure. This works very well for most subjects, but once in a while you will have to make some adjustments. If you are shooting something against a bright background, and want your subject to show up as more than a black outline, then you will have to add in a little more light. Open your aperture or slow down your shutter until that needle just starts to move into the upper region. That will be about right and will give you a decent image. As an example, I take pictures of hummingbirds at the feeder against the sky. I open up my aperture about two stops more than the meter recommends so that I get a better shot of the hummingbird. Either that, or I use my flash for a little fill light, though that is a little tougher to do with the 1/60 shutter synch on the K1000. The other thing I found a little challenging in the beginning was focusing. What helped me was to focus the lens on an object until I thought it was pretty close, read the distance off the lens, then pace it off to see how close I was. It didn't take too long before I trusted my focusing skills. It also helps to learn to pre-focus. I shoot my grandkids with manual focus all the time now but I do a lot of pre-focusing and then shooting the shot when they come into range. Like I said, don't rush yourself in the beginning and you will eventually find yourself becoming pretty good at exposing and focusing your shots. I absolutely love that I am in total control of my images. One thing about it, when I focus now I know for sure what I was focusing on. Thanks for the tips. Hopefully the first roll of film I shoot won't be too bad.

09-13-2012, 02:36 AM	#5
arnold Site Supporter Join Date: Aug 2012 Location: Queensland Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 4,299	I focus by over-shooting into blur, then backing into undershooting blur. You will see the image go in and out of focus. Slowly reduce the bracketing amount either side of sharp, until it is nothing and the image is clear. You may then check the distance reading on the lens, as a reasonable confirmation.

09-13-2012, 04:39 AM	#6
henkvanzuylen Pentaxian Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Netherlands, 's-Hertogenbosch Posts: 461	You will have a lot of fun with your K1000, it's a nice and very reliable camera. I've used it a lot before my LX was serviced. a example: Henk

09-20-2012, 08:33 PM	#7
krp Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Illinois Photos: Gallery Posts: 470 Original Poster	I think the meter on the K1000 is broken since it still doesn't work after replacing the battery. Is it worth trying to get it fixed? I'll keep it either way. I shot almost a whole roll of film already, I just used my K-x to guess the right exposure. Also since I do a lot of night photography, a meter isn't really necessary for that.

09-20-2012, 09:01 PM	#8
hks_kansei Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2012 Posts: 834	Might be a silly thing to ask.... is the battery in the right way round?

09-21-2012, 07:49 PM	#9
krp Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Illinois Photos: Gallery Posts: 470 Original Poster	Ya I tried putting the battery in both ways

09-21-2012, 08:05 PM	#10
PPPPPP42 Site Supporter Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Wisconsin Photos: Albums Posts: 951	Is the needle centered and non responsive or pegged top or bottom. To verify the electrical circuit you can set the ISO to 100 and the shutter speed to B, on a K1000 that turns the exposure meter into a battery meter, a good battery will peg the meter full up. If its broken its very fixable but you have horrible timing as Eric (the only one who should touch these) is out of commission due to his wife dying until further notice. Normally a K1000 that has never been serviced needs a full CLA with new light seals by now.

09-25-2012, 08:33 PM	#11
krp Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Illinois Photos: Gallery Posts: 470 Original Poster	Originally posted by PPPPPP42 Is the needle centered and non responsive or pegged top or bottom. To verify the electrical circuit you can set the ISO to 100 and the shutter speed to B, on a K1000 that turns the exposure meter into a battery meter, a good battery will peg the meter full up. If its broken its very fixable but you have horrible timing as Eric (the only one who should touch these) is out of commission due to his wife dying until further notice. Normally a K1000 that has never been serviced needs a full CLA with new light seals by now. I can't get the needle to move either way, it just stays in the center. I just got my first roll of film back and the pictures are all overexposed, so I guess I do need new light seals. I'll probably send Eric an email in a few weeks.