[TwoUptons]

The KX fixed all the SP/KM/K1000 meter/lens cap issues, while still being fully manual and well built.

That was one of the reasons I bought a KX in 1975 and not the SP or KM (K1000 was not available yet), even though the KX cost more and I had limited money back then. (poor teenager)

Phil.

But on the KX you have to remember to lock/unlock the shutter button

I get that every once in a while with mine, usually after pulling it out of the bag in a hurry...

One of the things that makes the KX "fancy"...

-Eric

[redbirdpete]

I have to agree with you re the ME and ME Super, and if fact ALL the M series cameras, except the MX. They suffered a mechanical problem which afflicts the wind-on hook-up, leaving the shutter uncocked. I've never found a satisfactory way of fixing it, although I did read somewhere recently of claims that a repairer had managed to sort out a fix, and done it to dozens of them. Sadly I can't verify that claim, and I know when I investigated it back in the early 1980s, I could see no way of resolving the issue, which seemed to be caused by simple wear to a fundamental part of one of the the wind-on levers in the base of the camera.

I have a quite different experience with the M series - I have 2 MEF's (one I've had since 1984), an ME (since 1986, originally a backup for the MEF) and an MV1. All are reliable. The only work any of them have ever needed is repairing the awful battery door (twice) on the original MEF. I got the MV1 in a job lot (see below) as non-working and all it needed was the contacts cleaning and a replacement securing cap for the winder.

However, I don't have an ME Super because every one I've had has failed. I used to buy lots of broken cameras on eBay and fix the ones with simple problems and resell - if an ME Super turned up in a batch it almost always had some serious failure beyond my ability to repair. I don't do it any more because my eyesight is not what it was.

For those reasons I'd recommend to anyone who wanted a manual K mount SLR that is reasonably full featured to look at the K series instead. I'm very fond of my MEF's but they are not for everyone.

[martin42mm]

I have a quite different experience with the M series - I have 2 MEF's (one I've had since 1984), an ME (since 1986, originally a backup for the MEF) and an MV1. All are reliable. The only work any of them have ever needed is repairing the awful battery door (twice) on the original MEF. I got the MV1 in a job lot (see below) as non-working and all it needed was the contacts cleaning and a replacement securing cap for the winder.

However, I don't have an ME Super because every one I've had has failed. I used to buy lots of broken cameras on eBay and fix the ones with simple problems and resell - if an ME Super turned up in a batch it almost always had some serious failure beyond my ability to repair. I don't do it any more because my eyesight is not what it was.

For those reasons I'd recommend to anyone who wanted a manual K mount SLR that is reasonably full featured to look at the K series instead. I'm very fond of my MEF's but they are not for everyone.

I wonder if the MEF, being the last of the M series line, had a modified wind-on interlock which overcomes the achilles heel of the other models. Can't say I've ever stripped one down.

[steephill]

The MV series has a serious weakness in the re-wind lever. The lever will break off the cap. You can still re-wind film by gripping the cap and turning it but it isn't an elegant or quick solution.

[martin42mm]

The MV series has a serious weakness in the re-wind lever. The lever will break off the cap. You can still re-wind film by gripping the cap and turning it but it isn't an elegant or quick solution.

Probably because Pentax replaced the original metal parts with plastic.

[Jonathan Mac]

But on the KX you have to remember to lock/unlock the shutter button

I get that every once in a while with mine, usually after pulling it out of the bag in a hurry...

One of the things that makes the KX "fancy"...

-Eric

Far preferable to having to remember not to wind the camera on after a shot in case it's going in the bag where you might lose a shot because there's no lock.

[redbirdpete]

Probably because Pentax replaced the original metal parts with plastic.

Interesting . I didn't notice, but the replacement parts I used came of a comprehensively dead - and which would otherwise be desirable - black ME Super. So maybe I've replaced plastic with metal. I use the MV-1 (with a 40mm pancake) as a pocket camera. I'm quite fond of it - you can (kinda) use it like a K1000 using the LED's as the equivalent of the needle, although there is no direct control of shutter speed.

[ereimjh]

I think this is the most reasonable explanation. People who want to start fast into analog photography and do not bother with the market.

And from this point the K1000 is a reasonable choice. There are plenty of excellent lenses on the market, which recommends Pentax instead of any other brand. The K1000 was built for a very long time, so there are is a lot of them available in good working condition. And they are most likely newer then a KX or KM.

Personally I agree with the postings here, that there are better all manual cameras from Pentax. As my first camera was a Chinon CE-4 I would even go one step further and recommend a Chinon CM-4s or a Cosina CT-1 with their reliable copal blind as a analog all manual beginners camera . Dirt cheap and high usability and with a bit of luck with intact light seals.

I believe this is a very reasonable explanation. They are iconic, even if they're not the best manual cameras from Pentax (not that I would know because the K1000 is the only Pentax camera I have). They fact that they have a reputation for being reliable and great for learning, probably increases the likelihood that those in the market for an SLR, but without any experience with one, would search for one.

Like a lot of people, I learned on one in a high school photo class way back in 87. I loved it. I still have it. It's in great working condition, although the light seals could do with replacing, but it isn't leaking any light yet. Part of why I love it is that it's a real workhorse, just like people say. It just keeps on doing what it was built to do, without fail. And when you have a camera that doesn't quit and teaches you the fundamentals, you're always honing your skills. There's satisfaction in knowing that every picture, good or bad, was your own.

I don't want to be a K1000 guy only though. I have a Vivitar 220SL too. It's also manually operated, and it was manufactured by Cosina. It's a good 10 years or more older than my K1000 and a lot heavier, but the operation is smooth. The light seals were shot. I tamped down some electrical tape, just inside the back (the lid rattled), while I have more genuine light seals on order, just so I could pop in a cheap roll of Fomapan and take some shots.

I feel sure that I'd love an MX, too. but I know I'd use it, not to replace the K1000, but to make it last longer by trading off from one to the other. It would be cool if I'm still around another 30 years. It would be even cooler if my K1000 was too, and still working.