[timw4mail]

So I got an SP1000 with a Super-Multi-Coated Takumar (The reason I even got the body).

Playing around with the body a bit, there seem to be a few issues:

• Every so often the mirror gets stuck up
• The exposure length is really inconsistent.

No actions seem to really hitch, other than that.



Otherwise, the body is in great shape. How involved do you think it would be to fix the camera, and would it be worth it?

[boriscleto]

Eric Hendrickson charges about $65 for a Spotmatic CLA, not including shipping or minor parts. The SP1000 was the low-end Spotmatic. So not really worth the bother IMO. A Spotmatic II or F on the other hand...

[jatrax]

That camera is likely 40 years old at this point. So what you are seeing is fairly normal. Can it be 'fixed'? Yes most likely though I would suggest it is not really 'broken' it just needs maintenance. This is called a CLA, or Clean, Lubricate, Adjust. Easy enough to find someone to do for you. You can do most of it yourself if you are OK taking cameras apart. I would suggest sending it out but thats just my opinion.

Try Eric at Home-Pentaxs

[timw4mail]

Eric Hendrickson charges about $65 for a Spotmatic CLA, not including shipping or minor parts. The SP1000 was the low-end Spotmatic. So not really worth the bother IMO. A Spotmatic II or F on the other hand...

Isn't it basically the M42 equivalent of the K1000? I thought those were actually pretty popular.

[pete-tarmigan]

Isn't it basically the M42 equivalent of the K1000? I thought those were actually pretty popular.

Yes they were popular. They're just not worth much money because they are so abundant that people are practically giving them away. You might be able to find one that has recently been CLA'd for about the same or less money than fixing yours.

[stevebrot]

Isn't it basically the M42 equivalent of the K1000? I thought those were actually pretty popular.

It is a Spotmatic, though without a self-timer. It differs from the K1000 in that metering is still stop-down and it lacks a hot shoe. The Spotmatic II is actually quite a bit more common and was not that much more expensive new.

To the OP, if you are interested in the classic M42 experience and the body is in generally very good to excellent condition, the price of the CLA by Eric is less than what you would pay for a CLA'ed copy in a shop and about the same as what one in excellent working condition with good seals would cost otherwise. (Even the cleanest bodies on Craigslist or eBay generally required new light seals and mirror bumper, part of a CLA.) Yes, other more desirable bodies may be had for about the same money, but this one you already have.

P.S. BTW, be careful with your S-M-C Takumar and the A/M switch. The switch should only be used if the lens is mounted to the body, has a rear cap on, or is attached to an M42 adapter. There is a tiny pin on the mount face that is part of the interlock for open-aperture metering. That pin must be depressed before using the A/M switch. Note too that some M42 bodies and accessories have screw holes on the mount face that might foul the pin...not good.*

P.P.S. Batteries are not a huge issue. The Renata S387 (or equivalent) silver cell is readily available and works well with the Spotmatic meter in all but the lowest light levels. If desired, adjusting the meter for the silver cell's 1.5V may be done as part of a CLA by most competent techs.


Steve

* My Mamiya 1000 DTL will foul the pin on my S-M-C 28/3.5 if extended. Rather than try and remember to always have the switch in the "man" position when mounting/removing the lens, I simply don't use the lens with that camera. I have other 28's

[pathdoc]

To get the full benefit of the S-M-C and SMC Takumars, you really need a Spotmatic F, ES or ES-II. The first of these differs from the others in that it does NOT have aperture priority available. However, this also means that when and if the electronics become irreplaceable/unrepairable, you can still use the camera fully manually with an external light meter (e.g. a cellphone app, of which there are quite a few which are good enough for colour and B&W negative film). They all take odd and (depending on where you live) sometimes difficult to get batteries. All of these cameras AFAIK have an inbuilt flash hotshoe.

Despite being released into the market with the open-metering Takumars, the Spotmatic II bizarrely did not have the necessary gear to work with them and still required stop-down metering. It did however have an inbuilt hotshoe, and some of them (rare and hard to find) had inbuilt, in-body thyristor control of a specific Honeywell-model flash (but good luck finding that too), which ought to be almost as good and flexible as the analogue TTL flash protocol of the much later LX (because you can put the flash anywhere within reason and the body will shut it down when enough light has been received). Also, the thyristor eye was said to leave the camera prone to light leaks.

That being said, those same S-M-C and SMC Takumars do have the newer coatings with greater flare resistance (in some cases they are optically the same as the subsequent bayonet mount Pentax K equivalents), and your SP1000 will still take very good photos; you will just need to stop it down with the meter switch to get your in-camera light-meter readings. If you are using an external meter, no need to worry even about the battery.

If the camera is that shaky, consider finding a good, functioning Spotmatic F instead. I have to admit, I would not in your shoes spend money on a shaky SP1000 unless it had been in my family for many years or the property of a late beloved relative, in which case sentimentality carries its own price tag.

[ChrisPlatt]

Currently my only M42 screw mount SLR camera body is a Pentax SP1000.
With the ES II and Spotmatic F it was among the last of the Spotmatic line.
It was positioned as the economy, value or entry-level model in the range.

One might consider the SP1000 the purest expression of the Spotmatic line.
Just like the later K1000 it is the simplest model with the least features.

Chris

[Ranchu]

Agree. SP1000 is a good camera. It's no more shaky than a Spotmatic F. It lacks a stupid hot shoe. If I was going to use a spotmatic I'd use an SP1000.