[6BQ5]

I understand that the MG is the successor to the MV. They seem very similar. What is the difference between these two bodies under the hood so to speak?

[THoog]

Slightly different light meter and viewfinder, with an LED display of shutter speed in the MG's VF. The MV had no timer; the MV1 and MG had a mechanical timer. None of them is really worth bothering with, IMHO - they were the stripped-down cheapo version of the ME.

[Dartmoor Dave]

I had an MV, but didn't like it because there's no way of knowing which shutter speed the camera has set. You just get LEDs for over/under/correct exposure.

I like my MG very much. It shows the shutter speed in the viewfinder, and by turning the ASA dial with my left hand I can apply exposure compensation without taking my eye from the focusing screen. Yes, it feels flimsily built, but it's also so small and light that it handles more like a compact than an SLR. I keep mine loaded with ISO400 negative film with the M35mm/2.8 mounted, then set f/8 and hyperfocal and use it as a snapshot point and shoot. I just wish I hadn't sold my M40mm pancake when I first went digital; with that lens mounted the MG really was pocket-sized.

I've never owned the ME or ME Super, so I can't comment on those.

[THoog]

The "flimsy" feel was what turned me off on the MV/MV1/MG - I have a couple of them that I got just for collecting's sake (and/or for parts to repair an ME). I just didn't like the feel. The ME/ME Super are the same size body as the MV/MV1/MG (or maybe a hair smaller, by Bojidar Dimitrov's specs), feel solidly built, and have more features and a better viewfinder. The ME Super was the first SLR I ever used, thirty years ago, so I may be biased.

[boriscleto]

I have an MV. It looks quite nice on the self...

[Dartmoor Dave]

I have an MV. It looks quite nice on the self...

I cannibalised mine and cut down the focusing screen to use in my K100D. Worked well.

[6BQ5]

I opened this thread because I recently bought a MV with a M 50mm f/2 lens for $10 + $12 S&H. The total was probably a little high for a camera like this but it is in relatively clean condition. I was playing around with it this past week and there was something attractive about the simplicity of this camera. It seems like Pentax was trying to make the simplest Point-Focus-Shoot SLR camera possible. It's automated enough for the 1st time user yet requires enough initial setting up to get you thinking at least a little bit about photography.

I bought two 357 batteries for it today and the meter seems to work. The shutter goes slow in the dark and fast in the light. I am thinking of running a short roll of film through it for fun. It seems like an excellent learning tool if you wanted to learn manual focus. You don't get distracted by other information. Focus on the focusing!

I came across the MG model when I was researching this camera and I was curious about the progression of models.