Originally posted by ecostigny I am amazed at how broad-based the Pentax ecosystem was back in the 1980s. They might not have been Canikon, but they were definitely competing for serious photographers!
Pentax were having a serious shot at the professional market in the early 1980s. The LX system was at that time, IMHO, on a level with its rival Nikon F3 and Canon F-1 sytems. In some ways it was superior - after all Pentax were able to learn from observing their rivals, who were making pro system cameras first. For example the LX had more interchangeable viewfinders than either rival, and had mechanical backup of a range of shutter speeds rather the single speed (X) the F3 had. The Canon F-1 (even the last generation) lacked off-the-film metering, and its Auto exposure mode was only available with a particular one of its viewfinders.
Sadly, by 1980 the Nikon and Canon were too entrenched in the professional world for the Pentax LX to make much of a dent, it was believed that most were sold to serious amateurs. I doubt Pentax recovered its development costs on the LX's more specialised accessories, like the motor drive and the action finder sub-system. The upside of that for Pentaxians today is that used LXs are generally in better condition than used Canon F-1s and Nikon F3s, some of which I hae seen in a very battered state, veterans of paparazzi scuffles perhaps.
PS : Wow, my 1000th post!
Last edited by Lord Lucan; 11-21-2020 at 03:34 PM.
Reason: PS added