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01-04-2018, 08:55 AM   #1
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Was the MX ever really a pro camera?

The MX is often referred to as a "professional" grade camera, especially by Pentax's marketing materials of its time. I wonder -- regardless of what Pentax imagined, did it ever gain traction in any reportage role, either conflict or general news? It's hard for me to imagine it competing with the Nikon Fs or Canon's early pro efforts. The LX seems more conspicuously pro, but I can't picture it in a conflict, or even in a Nat Geo photographer's backpack. My question for anyone who lived through the time with some exposure to the world of working photographers - was Pentax really there? Or was the brand already locked into the prosumer niche that it seems to have found in the digital era? Just curious.

01-04-2018, 09:14 AM   #2
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The MX is a great camera, but I would not tag it as a pro camera per say. Hand holding a big heavy lens on a MX is not fun, as it's too small. Also it's missing MLU, aperture priority and has a slow flash sync speed. The MX's coloured LED meter lights are also too "unprofessional" in my opinion.

I would consider the K2DMD as Pentax's first real k-mount pro body and then of course the LX replaced it and was Pentax's first pro camera system.

Phil.
01-04-2018, 09:15 AM   #3
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Well, I lived through that time but can't say that I had great exposure to the world of working photographers. I did however observe one professional photographer, working for a newspaper in the late 1980's, that always kept a Pentax MX in his car, ready for use. But it was only as a backup camera, he used Canon cameras for most of his work. I doubt that many professional photographers at that time used the MX or the LX although, of course, studio photographers used Pentax medium format cameras quite frequently. The MX was a good camera, reliable and easy to use but not much professional gear was available for it, except perhaps a motor drive. The LX offered a bit more advanced features, including interchangable viewfinders, not just focusing screens like the MX. The metering system of the LX was also state of the art and the body had some weather sealing (but the lenses did not). It probably would have performed well compared to the Nikon and Canon offerings at the time but I doubt that Pentax convinced many professionals to switch. The advanced amateur or prosumer market was more interested, more or less the same situation as now.
01-04-2018, 09:35 AM - 1 Like   #4
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I would think the complete mechanical nature would make it a must have for anyone in the field for long periods.

01-04-2018, 10:53 AM   #5
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I went through that era Nikon and Minolta dominated Canon wasn't as poputar as though till the eos came out. The K100 were the camera that was most popular right up till digital and is still used today. The SFX was a very profesional camera the design of the sfx is responsibal for the digital design used today in body shaping bit more squarish. The MG and ME were very popular also they had the auto mode and they were the big seller in Australia and the MZ-5n's were very popular any one that was into photography got into the MZ's in the states they were the either XZ-5's or zx-5's and the whole MZ series sold well The MZ-10 was a popular choice but it was no where near the camera the MZ-5's were the Lecia wher the cream of the camera world, Hasselblads common name pentagons. Why did so many chose pentax prior to that they were all Praktica Customers with M42 lenses and when they close all their clients went to pentax the similarity in the two company names help also.
01-04-2018, 11:03 AM   #6
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The MX's have a 'secret' MLU, all you do is flick the shutter button lightly with a fingernail then press to activate the shutter. They also have the depth of field function on the timer lever which I seriously miss on the ME SUPER.

The mirror is very well damped anyway on both sides and the end opposite the hinge, moreso than say the ME SUPER. I know this from refurbishing all the seals and mirror foams.

Whilst not as featured as the LX, it is easier to fix and doesn't need anywhere near as much care or servicing therefore I'd say tougher than the LX. I have 2x MX's, one I got free with a lens. This MX was corroded, the batteries burst and leaked into the shutter button, it had not been used since the 80's I'd say. Well I managed to get it working absolutely perfectly with only a £10 sealing/damper overhaul kit and a new battery. I have used it since with all types of fancy film and it takes perfect negatives, exposure and shutter speeds etc. all spot on.

So I'd say the MX is a bit of an 'AK47' as such.
01-04-2018, 12:42 PM   #7
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Based on price point alone, one would have to argue no.* That being said, the inclusion of a few choice features and accessories** along with the rugged, full-mechanical construction indicate a target market similar to the Olympus OM-1n, a strong favorite for professional wildlife and nature photographers at the time. Whether the MX managed traction in the market is hard to assess.


Steve

* It was cheaper than an ME Super.

** High magnification/coverage full-information viewfinder, interchangeable screens, motor drive, and bulk film back compatibility. Sadly, MLU was not a feature

01-04-2018, 01:04 PM   #8
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There were always a few pros who used the OM cameras, and Pentaxes because of the smaller size. I remember Pentax ads showing the MX against the silhouette of what was obviously a Nikon F2 with motor. But obviously, the MX was no F2.

Still, I do remember one fellow who ran an agricultural magazine, and did some of the photography for it. Unfortunately, he wasn't called upon to do much more than photograph the latest tractors and other equipment out in the fields. He bragged to me that his main photo kit was his MX with 50mm stuffed in one coat pocket. The other coat pocket had his 28mm, and extra film. He couldn't have done that with a bulkier F2 or similar. He could have worked twice as hard taking a wider variety of shots more creatively, but his trade magazine readership likely couldn't have cared less.

But he was a working pro (at least when out of the office on assignment), and he chose an MX for its simplicity, compact size, and ruggedness.
01-04-2018, 01:18 PM   #9
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QuoteOriginally posted by gofour3 Quote
Hand holding a big heavy lens on a MX is not fun, as it's too small.

Phil.
I found hand-holding the MX with a 300mm lens was pretty easy after I bought the Winder MX and, later, the Motor Drive MX. With the built-in grips on those devices, I could get a good grip on the whole assembly. With the latter, 5 frames per second at shutter speeds down to 1/60 second seemed pretty professional.

Pentax Winder MX reviews - Pentax Camera Accessory Review Database
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Last edited by pete-tarmigan; 01-04-2018 at 01:19 PM. Reason: omission
01-04-2018, 02:44 PM   #10
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In those days the Nikon F2 was the standard for professional 35mm camera systems.
Pros who wanted something smaller and lighter had already opted for the Olympus OM system.
Pentax was a little too late to the game with the MX.

Chris
01-04-2018, 03:13 PM - 1 Like   #11
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QuoteOriginally posted by pete-tarmigan Quote
I found hand-holding the MX with a 300mm lens was pretty easy after I bought the Winder MX and, later, the Motor Drive MX. With the built-in grips on those devices, I could get a good grip on the whole assembly. With the latter, 5 frames per second at shutter speeds down to 1/60 second seemed pretty professional.

Pentax Winder MX reviews - Pentax Camera Accessory Review Database
Yep the winder/motor drive would solve the MX size issue and make it closer in size to a K2DMD or LX. Though with those bodies and a motor drive they also become even bigger than the MX equivalent.

To be honest the only really widely used professional Pentax system that I have seen used by photographers in a documentary is the 6x7. I've never seen the LX system used by a photographer, but the 6x7 numerous times.

Phil.
01-04-2018, 07:02 PM   #12
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I have the MX with 2fps winder, , used it for years and still going strong, enthusiastic amateur use, professional , no. I have acquired all the focusing screens, motor drive, 5fps motor drive, power pack M, battery pack M , Data back M , refconverter, microscope adapter and 250 exposure back over time. So now I believe it is and always was capable of professional use, sadly the camera is more advanced than me, however I cant think of anything else a professional would need from a camera.
01-04-2018, 08:37 PM   #13
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The MX was in production from 1976 to 1985 so it was a relatively long cycle. I don't have sales figures but I would guess that the MX must have sold in some numbers.

For that period, the MX was clearly a professional level tool. However, I don't know of any known pro photog who may taken advantage of the many features that it offered then.

Some 40 years later we can look back and know what a standout camera Pentax made - the smallest full info fully manual camera with the largest viewfinder magnification. And mine are fully functional and accurate, outstanding!

Last edited by LesDMess; 01-04-2018 at 09:29 PM.
01-04-2018, 10:11 PM   #14
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In Australia fron 1976 to 1985 in Australia in the costal country area where I lived there were no camera shops at the time so people here were using their Praktia's with sun zoom lens Carl Zesis lens etc and the only new cameras were purchased from the chemist as the chemist handled the film etc in those days and they mostly supported Kodak yes the box brownie was a profesional camera too, they sold mostly hanimex, kodak and instamatic cameras a lot of which were plastic so I guess like all good things in those days you would have needed to mail order a camera from a magazine and Nikon 's advertising + 007 they would have been mostly ordered it would depend on what was proven, and how good the adds were as to which camera was ordered along with word of mouth. Japanese cameras cars etc were like chinese stuff today but better quality I would have expected better quality from china as they are basicly the same race as the Japanese it was china that conqurered Japan long ago.back to my point which I don't really have, It's like dirt bikes as well they were simply ordered through the magazines, now there is no real reason why 35mm couldn't be used professionally but those of you who saw the era know the Medium and large format cameras won the day 35mm really just didn't cut it as you didn't have the larger negative to start cropping with it was only when the 35mm got sopfisticated with quality zoom lenses that they were accepted. Even in the late 90's first question was do you have a medium format camera it was the versilitality of the zoom lenses that really opened the doors and the flood of newcomers like myself that forced the 35mm onto the publishers as we didn't want to use the medium format because to get a good shot with a medium format you would spend ages setting up your shot but the 35mm you could already get 20 shots off in the same time. The reason for this was any imperfections on medium format would show up big time but 35mm could escape a lot of the scrunity the 35mm was also the birth of the action shot, no more posing of football teams etc it could all be caught on the field etc and if you missed the shot with a medium size camera the shot was gone but the 35mm slr you could go after it for a second chance. Most old photo's in cold wet countries would have been taken with old manual cameras the k1000 was from what I was hearing a very popular camera in these enviroments as they never let the user down as with the SP The sp was a very clever move by pentax as it enabled the use of all the preexisting m42 lenses then when the K1000 came people were hooked on the Pentax features and then had to start buying k-mount lenses or m42 pk adapters and the k-mount lens is why your all here today you have your lenses and you don't want to be forced to buy new lenses by a change in lens mount. We are also here because we are nice people and I myself wouldn't want a Nikon because of the nature of people that buy Nikon. Except one guy my tafe teacher he was cool he never taught me anything wasn't his fault I already knew what he was teaching but he is a dam nice person.
01-04-2018, 10:26 PM   #15
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QuoteOriginally posted by Kombivan Quote
In Australia fron 1976 to 1985 in Australia in the costal country area where I lived there were no camera shops at the time so people here were using their Praktia's with sun zoom lens Carl Zesis lens etc and the only new cameras were purchased from the chemist as the chemist handled the film etc in those days and they mostly supported Kodak yes the box brownie was a profesional camera too, they sold mostly hanimex, kodak and instamatic cameras a lot of which were plastic so I guess like all good things in those days you would have needed to mail order a camera from a magazine and Nikon 's advertising + 007 they would have been mostly ordered it would depend on what was proven, and how good the adds were as to which camera was ordered along with word of mouth. Japanese cameras cars etc were like chinese stuff today but better quality I would have expected better quality from china as they are basicly the same race as the Japanese it was china that conqurered Japan long ago.back to my point which I don't really have, It's like dirt bikes as well they were simply ordered through the magazines, now there is no real reason why 35mm couldn't be used professionally but those of you who saw the era know the Medium and large format cameras won the day 35mm really just didn't cut it as you didn't have the larger negative to start cropping with it was only when the 35mm got sopfisticated with quality zoom lenses that they were accepted. Even in the late 90's first question was do you have a medium format camera it was the versilitality of the zoom lenses that really opened the doors and the flood of newcomers like myself that forced the 35mm onto the publishers as we didn't want to use the medium format because to get a good shot with a medium format you would spend ages setting up your shot but the 35mm you could already get 20 shots off in the same time. The reason for this was any imperfections on medium format would show up big time but 35mm could escape a lot of the scrunity the 35mm was also the birth of the action shot, no more posing of football teams etc it could all be caught on the field etc and if you missed the shot with a medium size camera the shot was gone but the 35mm slr you could go after it for a second chance. Most old photo's in cold wet countries would have been taken with old manual cameras the k1000 was from what I was hearing a very popular camera in these enviroments as they never let the user down as with the SP The sp was a very clever move by pentax as it enabled the use of all the preexisting m42 lenses then when the K1000 came people were hooked on the Pentax features and then had to start buying k-mount lenses or m42 pk adapters and the k-mount lens is why your all here today you have your lenses and you don't want to be forced to buy new lenses by a change in lens mount. We are also here because we are nice people and I myself wouldn't want a Nikon because of the nature of people that buy Nikon. Except one guy my tafe teacher he was cool he never taught me anything wasn't his fault I already knew what he was teaching but he is a dam nice person.
Nice essay. I had never really thought of the Chinese and Japanese that way.


Steve
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