[wacrider]

I'm looking for a K mount program body that will meter with screwmount lenses and has DOF preview. A big clear viewfinder would be nice.

[boriscleto]

Any Pentax K body that has manual metering will work with screw mount lenses. Program modes won't work with screw mount lenses, so a program body isn't really necessary, unless you want to use A series K-mount lenses with it. All metering will be stop down so DoF preview isn't necessary either, you get the DoF preview while metering.

The Spotmatic ES will give you AV mode, and a stepless electronic shutter, as long as you are using S-M-C or SMC Takumar lenses.

[Ole]

A K-mount body cannot activate the auto-diaphragm on a screw mount lens so you'll have to use the M/A switch on the lens for DOF preview. Similar for metering - only stop-down metering is available. Av auto-exposure is possible as long as you stop the lens down manually.

Pentax ME, ME-Super, Super Program/Super A and Program/Plus/program A come to mind assuming you are talking a film body. They all have Av exposure automation that can be used with screw mount lenses in stop down mode.

[wacrider]

Thanks for the suggestions. Is there one that has a better viewfinder to help my old eyes?

[womble]

Thanks for the suggestions. Is there one that has a better viewfinder to help my old eyes?

ME Super has a lovely big viewfinder, Av mode and is as cheap as chips as they made a million of them. Factor in CLA from someone like Eric though as the original seals etc. will need replacing by now. K.

[Cuthbert]

Thanks for the suggestions. Is there one that has a better viewfinder to help my old eyes?

If you talking just about Pentax the LX is the best and the MX gets the second place, generally speaking if you want a M42 body that meters wide open the only choices on the market are the Pentax Spotmatic F with last generation SMC taks, you might check out the mechanical Fujica ST705 and 801 (viewfinder as bright as the MX, open metering with Fujinon lenses) too...the only other M42 system I am aware that allows open wide metering is the electric one that came with high end DDR Prakticas (not your bread and butter MTLs) but I have to experience with these chunky machines, I remember that one of them came with a detachable pentaprism.

[LesDMess]

Say you've got perfectly good screw mount lenses - Pentax or other.
And you're thinking how nice it would be to own an automatic SLR that uses all those lenses.

That's what the ad starts off on . . .


Fullsize -> Chinon CE II magazine ad


Of course what the ad doesn't tell you is to achieve this automation requires likely the longest throw shutter button of any camera I have ever used. This way it closes the lens down first, then meters then fires the shutter. The Chinon lenses are actually also quite good.


Fullsize -> Chinon CE II

[Cuthbert]

Les, I also assume you don't have any Zenit in your collection:



As you can see the throw of the shutter is more or less as long as the Chinon, and it works on the same principle I assume: half way it activates the meter and steps down the lens (even if in the owner's manual they don't tell you this particular).

Plus the collar can be pulled up to rewind the film, another particular that a lot of Zenit first users don't know and they often wonder how to unload their camera.

[LesDMess]

Les, I also assume you don't have any Zenit in your collection:

As you can see the throw of the shutter is more or less as long as the Chinon, and it works on the same principle I assume: half way it activates the meter and steps down the lens (even if in the owner's manual they don't tell you this particular).

Plus the collar can be pulled up to rewind the film, another particular that a lot of Zenit first users don't know and they often wonder how to unload their camera.

There are many missing from mine for sure!

[Cuthbert]

There are many missing from mine for sure!

C'mon everybody should prove the experience of shooting a primitive Zenit! It's the T55 of the cameras, basically speaking a Leica IIa shutter without slow speeds (rangefinder Zorki 6), transformed in SLR form ( Zenit 3m) and then updated until the 90s with a TTL meter, leds and finally a plastic body (Zenit 122).

Nevertheless, no matter how Neanderthalian it might be, it can still take pics like this one with its sharp Helios 44m-4 lens:



That was taken with a NOs (£20 including case, flash, spare lens etc...) 12XP, a Helios 44-2, BW400CN and a yellow filter...it's the power of the M42 mount!

[wacrider]

Love the odd stuff. Where do you get them cla'd tho?