[lotech]

Lower red, 1 or more stops under, lower yellow half stop under, and so on. It is, as Lord Lucan said, essentially an illuminated version of needle metering (below horizontal under exposed, above horizontal over...). It is very intuitive and a system I get on with very well. Familiarity helps, of course.

Yes, that's more than enough even for beginner, and I don't need to know how much stops it is off but the direction to adjust to make it right.

[pres589]

I like the viewfinder on the MX and the meter readout is easy for me to understand and use. The size is nice and the build feels good. I don't like the Magic Needles take-up; I'm not good at loading film into it reliably, although this seems to be an issue that only I have so take that with a grain of salt. The pull on the film advance doesn't feel great, like they put some kind of gearing into it and the torque required isn't linear. Something is wrong with the focusing screen as the split-prism never actually goes completely in-focus with any of my lenses so I don't really trust it to be in-focus.

It's a nice camera to look at; mine is an all-black model, and it looks great on the shelf, but I just never want to grab it. I will probably sell it in the spring when my life is a bit more calm and people are maybe more interested in spending some money on a film body.

[MossyRocks]

If looking at a Spotmatic F the battery that I have used since I got mine is a single 625 and with the balanced meter circuit the voltage difference hasn't made a difference in how it meters. I little while back someone was asking about the voltage difference between the old mercury batteries and modern ones so I went and ran some tests with my Spotmatic F, MX, and K-3 using the same lens on all 3. In that test the K-3 was assumed to be the one with the correct metering as it offers finer control but even with that the Spotmatic F and MX metered the same as in to the nearest 1/2 stop to what the K-3 gave.

As far a durability my Spotmatic F seems to be damn near indestructable. In my ~20 years of ownership it has been heavily used and somewhat abused. It show a fair amount of brassing and the body has some dents but it still works great. I did have it CLAed a few years ago with new seals put in but other than that it has been a solid performer.

The MX takes dual 357 batteries so those are dirt common and ultra easy to find. Again it is a pretty robust camera, I haven't used it as much as the Spotmatic and haven't owned it for anywhere near as long so I can't speak to how it hold up to borderline abuse but given how well my Spotmatic F and K-3 (also heavily used bordering on abuse sometimes) I would be surprised if the MX was anything but quality. It was a flagship camera in its day and has a nice hefty, if small, feel like the Spotmatic F.

[gofour3]

2. The viewfinder

When comparing the KX with my Super A I found the KX is about 2 stop dimmer in the viewfinder, where the Super A is close to the current K3 digital, it is quite hard to focus on my KX with wide angle lens below f2.8, such as the Pentacon 30mm/f3.5 when use in indoor, but it is fine on the Super A, so the KX was a disappointment to me, especially I will use vintage slow lenses, I don't know what the KM looks like.

I believe all K models use the same dim finder I can safely Skip !

I own a KX & Super A and don't really see any difference in the viewfinder, other than the standard focusing screens that came with the camera. Most KX's came without the split-image screen, so that may be what you see as the difference between the Super A and are having focusing issues with? I've used my KX & K28/3.5 for decades using the standard microprism screen and have never had any issues focusing with a slower f3.5 lens.

The K2 & K2DMD did come with the split-image focusing screen, so they would be more like the one in a Super A and they are not the same as the other K Series bodies. Also note the Super A is electronic, so once the electronics go the camera is a brick, you won't have that issue with a KX.

The KM & K1000 are just like the Spotmatic, so your experience will be similar.

Phil.

[pres589]

The K2 and K2DMD sound nice but I think they both require the film advance lever be slightly out from the at-rest position to function. I won't touch cameras like that as I'm left-eye dominant and don't want to jab the advance lever into my right eye when using the thing. Something to think about if you're left-eye dominant. This seems like something rarely if ever done on other cameras by Pentax (but it's super common in cheaper cameras like a lot of the Cosina CT-1 based cameras).

[LesDMess]

When comparing the KX with my Super A I found the KX is about 2 stop dimmer in the viewfinder, where the Super A is close to the current K3 digital, it is quite hard to focus on my KX with wide angle lens below f2.8, such as the Pentacon 30mm/f3.5 when use in indoor, but it is fine on the Super A, so the KX was a disappointment to me, especially I will use vintage slow lenses, I don't know what the KM looks like.

Would you prefer the very small viewfinder magnifications found in all autofocus cameras - film or digital? This may be important because you prefer your eyes farther from the viewfinder. The reason I ask is because the MX & LX have the biggest viewfinder magnifications of all slrs ever made and may require you to move your eyes closer to the viewfinder. For the LX this will depend on the viewfinder attached as it has the widest range - extremely small to extremely large, magnifications available of any camera.

[Alex645]

I've 3 things to consider.

1. The shutter
I was considering the MX since it is relatively modern design and compact, but it has a cloth curtain, on the other hand the older (?) K2 has metallic shutter, but the electronics would not work properly after such a long time.

2. The viewfinder
I don't know what the KM looks like.

3. Battery type
Btw I did have a LX before I join the digital camp but sold it, I will definitely get one back if it is cheap enough.

The shutter: I have original cloth shutters from the 1980's and they are perfectly fine. If the camera hasn't been abused, I wouldn't not get the MX because of this. I've seen more metal shutters needing repairs than cloth ones.

The viewfinder: The KX, KM and K2 all share the same generation of finders and you should expect them to be similar. The ultimate is the LX with a third party brighter focusing screen like the Beattie Intenscreen.

Battery type: IMO the LX is the ultimate manual focus Pentax SLR. It's expensive because it's worth it. It has all the features you want and more. If you're not a collector, then unload one or two of your current 'stock' and spend it on a clean LX.

[tonyzoc]

I wouldn't worry about the cloth shutter curtains. I've got Exaktas from the early 1950s with functional cloth curtains...I've got others from the late 1950s with pinholes. It the quality of the material that matters. Also, when they eventually need replacing it will be allot easier to find someone to make a pair of cloth curtains, and nearly impossible to replace metal curtains unless you have a parts body stashed away.

All of the cameras you mentioned you should get. I have multiple MXs, Spotmatics, KXs, K2s...the only one I don't have is the KM. I did own one once but gave it to my niece. I've never wanted another or a K1000...I'd rather have the KX or K2. Oh regarding the Spotmatics... I especially like the original SP with no hotshoe...it's the best looking one. I have one chrome and one black.

[ismaelg]

Hello,

It is very personal. My 32 years old K1000 is in perfect working order so I can't be objective or impartial about it. I just love it so much that I now have like 4 or 5. Putting that one aside, I love my KM, probably because it feels like the K1000. I also love shooting with the K2 more than the KX and the MX. No explanations. It just feels. But at the end, you can't go wrong with any of those. By the way, my favorite M42 is the SV(H3v) and for what it's worth, I also enjoy shooting P30T and ZX-M if I'm in the mood for something lightweight.
My recommendation: Get the MX and see if it talks to you. If not, you can sell it back quickly as the market is hot.

Thanks,
Ismael

[steephill]

Some useful information from a UK Pentax film camera repair specialist https://harrowtechnical.co.uk/camera-faults/

[richard0170]

As a long time accumulator of film cameras, most of which I still own, the one piece of advice I would give is that if one wants a reliable camera choose one that can be readily repaired and serviced and factor in such a cost to one's purchase. Considering this one should also choose a camera which is worth the cost of the repair or service. Even models with a rock solid reputation can need treatment.
Having said this, a number of my cameras are of the cheaper variety and certainly not economically worth such expense. To date my Fujica ST601n, Chinon CE4, Yashica FX3 and Pentax P30n have been 100% reliable. Cheaper models can be a lot of fun at little expense (the big, ugly, noisy lump that is the SFXn always puts a smile on my face when I use it and it cost me about £25) and I am contemplating a sally into Canon EOS territory for just such a reason . I would not risk taking any of these on a holiday though. For that I take one from my available following:-
Pentax MX,
Nikon FA
Nikon FM2n
Fujica ST801n
Canon FT QL

Battery is two standard LR44s. The finder is a thing of beauty. Downsides (to some) are (a) lack of mirror lock-up (although there is the "flick the shutter button" trick), (b) the "traffic light LED system for measuring exposure and (c) a stiff shutter speed dial. None of these things have ever bothered me, I've had four (one stolen, one given away, two in use). None have had problems with the shutter curtain. Apart from the one which was stolen a long time ago, I sent all three for a CLA although the only thing that they desperately needed was the foam replacing. My standard travel set-up is my LX for colour film and my MX for BW.

I have had three MX cameras, two of which I still own. Only the first one, which I regretfully sold on, had the very stiff shutter speed dial. I did not find it to be a big deal. The other two, whilst not as loose as that on my Nikon FM2n, are perfectly fine. One of my existing MX's has a sticky mirror, which two trips to different service centres has failed to rectify. The mirror sticks mostly when the camera is cold and at slower than 1/30th sec. I have a Spotmatic which exhibits exactly the same problem. Despite this somewhat sketchy record from the MX model in my personal experience, it is still one of my favourite cameras, and should the heretofore reliable one in my stable develop a fault, I would certainly want to get it either fixed or acquire a replacement.

[andrewd]

One thing that has put me off a Spotmatic F, KM or K1000 is the meter system which is always on and needs the lens cap on to preserve batteries.
I never use lens caps when out and about taking pictures. Perhaps this is not an issue in practise, but I don’t like the idea of unnecessarily draining the batteries.

[Benz3ne]

The K2 and K2DMD sound nice but I think they both require the film advance lever be slightly out from the at-rest position to function. I won't touch cameras like that as I'm left-eye dominant and don't want to jab the advance lever into my right eye when using the thing. Something to think about if you're left-eye dominant. This seems like something rarely if ever done on other cameras by Pentax (but it's super common in cheaper cameras like a lot of the Cosina CT-1 based cameras).

Same applies for the MX.
I'm left-eye dominant, too, and have had no issues using that.

[richard0170]

Same applies for the MX.

Neither of my MX's need the lever advanced to function. Just tested to make sure.

[andrewd]

Neither of my MX's need the lever advanced to function. Just tested to make sure.

Yes the lever out just gives you a timer for the meter leds (30 seconds from shutter half press I think). With the lever closed the meter leds only come on while the shutter button is half pressed.