[stevebrot]

The older cameras are quite a bit simpler, but the basic principles remain the same. The camera is still a light-tight box and there is still a shutter, a lens with adjustable iris, a focus mechanism, and some way to frame the shot. Most of us who cut our teeth using film back-in-the-day found the transition to a digital SLR fairly simple in that the cameras basically did the same things.

What has changed is that the old manuals tended to be a little terse and the new ones tend to be a bit verbose. My K10D manual has the same information in multiple places.

I think that you may find that using a film camera along with your dSLR will improve your photography in general. At the very least you may gain an appreciation for the pleasure that many of the older cameras bring in general operation.


Steve

[D4rknezz]

Hey guys -

So i did a search in my area, and unfortunately no store was selling any second hand pentax. But, a guy in kijiji was selling his k1000 for 50 bucks with an AF 160, and he was 5 minutes away from me - so, I thought, for my first foray into the film arena i guess I can use the k1000.

When i first started photography a few years back, i got my first manual 50...and I think it went a long way in explaining what aperture is, simply because it had an aperture ring. I have went on and unsuccessfully explained aperture to alot of people - because of the confusing 1/x value.

Now that i am holding an old manual camera, i finally understand something else too! What steve said, a tight - light box. Looking at this camera, I realized it seems to me that the most complicated piece of engineering in this whole thing must have been the roll of film itself. The camera seems to be a device that simply lets light in..between two curtains. The existence of a subject in front of the lens, blocks the light, resulting in different values of light intensity being projected into the film roll. Did i just really oversimplify things? But seriously, from someone who has been holding a digital camera all this time, with so many buttons and functions, looking at this camera i suddenly feel that i can probably create a camera with a matchbox. I've seem some pictures of photography student project - but i am getting a clearer idea of whats actually involved. lol.

A question : The shutter speed is ..mechanical. There were specific settings up to 1/1000. I am guessing there is some sort of errr...winder? or spring? that basically moves the two curtain.
Now my question - Why would it stay consistent all these time? 30 years old camera? The spring must be loose, no? Am i correct to assume if something could possibly be wrong with the camera - it would be the shutter? How would i diagnose it to know that 1/1000 is 1/1000?

[D4rknezz]

Another question : I am kind of loving this focusing circle in the middle of my viewfinder. Why did we do away with it? And how accurate is it really? It seems to me (without seeing the result of my first roll yet), that it would be more accurate than my little red dot in my camera. Even when I think I have focus, sometimes my digital camera doesnt. This circle thing - I just need to align it...and ..err, voila.

Can I have it installed on my digital camera? what would be the drawback?

[stevebrot]

Ha! Ha! Ha!

I have several online acquaintances who have made pinhole cameras out of cardboard boxes!

Regarding the shutter. With time, the shutter can fall out of adjustment, though even the ancient stuff can typically be brought into adjustment as part of a CLA (clean/lube/adjust) and many don't even require that. I have a Canon P (35mm rangefinder camera) that was made in the late 1950s and the shutter works as good as new. Ditto for my close to 50 year-old Pentax SV. The key is how the shutter actually works. The rate of the curtain travel is the same for all speeds. What varies is the period of time between the release of the first curtain and the release of the second. At speeds slower than 1/160s (on your camera), the timing is done using a clockwork. At speeds faster than 1/60s, the shutter acts as a moving slit with the spacing being set by an actual physical "stop" in the mechanism. A competent camera repair can evaluate the shutter accuracy and will often do so for free. It is not unusual for the slow speeds to be off even if the fast speeds are OK.

As for the viewfinder and its focus aide (usually a microprism on your camera, though it might be a split-image)...that is one of the best parts of using a manual focus film camera. The microprism is VERY accurate and is much more so than the AF system in a dSLR. Depending on the subject, the matte portion of the focus screen may actually work better, but for the most part the focus aid is a godsend.

You can purchase after-market focus screens with a center focus aide for most dSLRs (I have one made by Katz Eye), but they can be expensive.


Steve

[Louicio]

+1 for the PZ-1 or PZ-1p, they may not meet your criteria for looks, but they are solid workhorse cameras and function amazingly.

[stevebrot]

they may not meet your criteria for looks

Major understatement!!

[Jamey777]

Edit for bad form sorry to hijack the thread.

---

Last edited by Jamey777; 06-26-2013 at 02:41 PM.

[stevebrot]

Am I allowed to state that I have a me super with a 50 1.7 up on the bay? I am already a site supporter

I guess you have already said it, though it is in bad form.


Steve

[Jamey777]

So I have just gotten into film the last few months. I have purchased k1000, me super, super program, a3000, and LX. Many of these were to acquire lenses or to test the camera out.

K1000 was built like a tank, but I wanted a better viewfinder. Also missing loads of things that make photos fun. Man the viewfinder was dark.

Me super I loved, but it was so close in viewfinder and size to the super program I kept the super program.

Super program I had Eric do a full CLA on, cost roughly $80 by the time you ship back and forth. I am keeping this one. Has everything a modern camera has except auto focus.

A3000 was horrible. The kids liked it best because it did a very noisy auto load

LX I just got and I haven't developed any film yet but so far it's the best pentax I have touched. Viewfinder is as good as the supers.

Good luck!

Jamey

[TropicalMonkey]

I am not a big Pentax film camera user. Have not used film cameras since 2002-2003, up until recently when I ran a Kodak Gold 200 ISO though ME Super! So nice to see the full frame view - suddenly my normal lens covers so much area!.
+1 for ME Super, even compared to Super Program with its more advanced LCD read-out and more informative view finder (which displays shutter speed and aperture), May be I liked the low-tech factor of ME Super! It reminded me of my first SLR Zenit 122 even though ME Super is more advanced than Zenit.

[Louicio]

Major understatement!!

Lol Still a great camera, if they still made them I would probably buy one

[builttospill]

Film cameras are readily availble, and the nice thing is they are mostly inexpensive. Because of their price I don't think it's uncommon to have a few different models. I've owned every K-series body from Pentax and only sold the K2 as it was my least favorite (although I love the K2 DMD). Many people really like the K2 though. The best way to see if a camera will work for you is to hold one. If it feels nice run a roll through it. If it doesn't feel right, move on.

Not too long ago I decided I wanted to try an autofocus film body. I bought the PZ-1p and the *ist. I ended up keeping the *ist because of its similarities to my K10D. The PZ-1p was nice and has more than enough features, including a flash sync of 1/250 as mentioned earlier. However from my own experience, I passed on it because it didn't feel right in my hands when using it. It's difficult to explain this concept, but I think many here will understand what I'm saying. The PZ-1p was nice to hold, but when taking photos with it the process wasn't as natural for me as using some other bodies I enjoy.

My favorite film camera from Pentax is the MX. It's a joy to use and very reliable. It's fun to have a black body as well as a silver. Besides the MX, I also reach for the K2 DMD most. If you're not limited by a budget, the LX with the action viewfinder combo is one of the best viewfinders I've ever used.

I'd use the K1000 you picked up for a little bit, then find another body and try it out. See which you like best and post questions and photos in this forum.

[builttospill]

Oh, one more thing. I use my FlashWaves triggers on my K2 DMD and they work great remotely firing several flashes.