[Huss]

I'm pretty sure that I'm exactly the same person I was before this LX came into my life...

That actually is an impossibility.

[troika]

Believe me, if I had improved as a person in any way you'd all be the first to know about it.

[LesDMess]

Hmm. After I sell my beautiful tartan LX I'll give my opinion. Until then I can equivocally state that the Pentax LX is the best, most reliable and frankly the most beautiful camera known to human kind. To own one is to be a better person.

No wonder I'm twice as good now . . .

I just remembered I have both the Modern and Popular Photography magazine reviews of the LX with teardown inspection but I had converted it to PDF and previously posted it on fototime before they went defunct. I'm on flickr now and apparently they don't accept PDF files so I gotta find the original JPEG scans or convert the PDF to JPEG . . .

[aslyfox]

. . . I just remembered I have both the Modern and Popular Photography magazine reviews of the LX with teardown inspection but I had converted it to PDF and previously posted it on fototime before they went defunct. I'm on flickr now and apparently they don't accept PDF files so I gotta find the original JPEG scans or convert the PDF to JPEG . . .

sound like work

of course there is this information starting at Page 101 of Popular Photography August 1981 Volume 88, No. 8

Popular Photography - Google Books

I hope it helps

[troika]

The internet is a wonderful place sometimes

[LesDMess]

sound like work

No doubt that these days a few strokes on a keyboard does sound like work! But the actual work of digitizing has already been done . . .

I bought magazines which in turn fueled the hunt even more. It all adds to the excitement of the hunt!

[andrewd]

I don’t think any of the pro SLRs were designed for a 40 year life. The best strategy for any of them is to buy one that is working and in as clean as possible condition and then find someone who can give it a full strip down service. Electronics are always a bit of a gamble, since replacement circuits are generally not available.

I agree that the LX is a beautiful camera and well worth the effort of finding a good one.

[Huss]

I don’t think any of the pro SLRs were designed for a 40 year life. The best strategy for any of them is to buy one that is working and in as clean as possible condition and then find someone who can give it a full strip down service. Electronics are always a bit of a gamble, since replacement circuits are generally not available.

I agree that the LX is a beautiful camera and well worth the effort of finding a good one.

The thing that makes the LX stand apart is the way it feels in hand. It's not just the more compact size, but the smoothed edges and density that is just so nice.

[Lord Lucan]

I think the test of time has been kinder to the F3 than the LX. The F3 electronics circuits and mechanical components have been proven to be extremely durable, whereas Pentax made poor materials choices in the mirror damping system

My LX had the sticky mirror problem but that was easily repaired and otherwise it's fine. I understand that the bane of the F3 is the viewefinder LCDs fading, which must be much harder to solve.

I don’t think any of the pro SLRs were designed for a 40 year life

Thats right. They were pro cameras and the emphasis was on heavy usage rather than long term usage. Pros would expect to wear out their cameras within a few years, especially with motor drives in use, long before mirrors became sticky or LCDs faded.

[troika]

It is a beautiful camera to both the eyes and hands.

[LesDMess]

It is a thing of beauty . . .

[troika]

It certainly is.