[tocster]

Probably no one cares, but given I own a few Pentax camera's I thought it would be fun to rate them. I own a BUNCH of Nikon, Canon, Olympus and Minolta cameras as well, so some of my comments are referenced by those brands build quality/features.

Spotmatic SP II, Spotmatic F 7/10
Classic styling, extremely well made, very reliable mechanically. All 4 Spotmatics I own have non working meters, but none have ever failed mechanically. All Pentax owners should probably own at least one Spotmatic! Downsides compared to newer models are the viewfinder which can be a bit muddy in low light.

Spotmatic ES 6/10
Bit of an odd duck - classic Spotmatic build, but lacks manual shutter settings below 1/60th of a second.

K1000 6/10
K mount version of the classic Spotmatics. They seem to have come down in price, but I have always thought they were a bit overpriced. I would rather have a KX

LX 8.5/10
I own two - I have a love hate relationship - first one developed the sticky mirror issue and cost a lot to get repaired. Lovely Viewfinder - probably the perfection of the 35mm SLR design in many ways.

MX 8/10
So much to love about the design - all mechanical, and innovative VF display of shutter speeds.

ME Super 8/10
This was my first ever film camera, and I loved shooting with it. I no longer own the one I had as a teenager, but have picked up a few over the years. Lovely design and great features - excellent VF and silky smooth film advance make it a pleasure to shoot.

Super A 7/10
An 'KA' mount version of the ME Super - added program mode. Lovely to shoot, but have had a bunch with mechanical failures so I am marking it down for that.

P30 7/10
Seems like a solid design, but I feel its a step down in terms of build quality from the previous models.

MZ-M 7/10
This is my secret little guilty pleasure - light as a feather and so much fun to use. Has a plastic lens mount and a small VF that is not as well suited to MF as the older models, they cost almost nothing.

[Driline]

Aww...No Pentax Program plus

(My first Pentax camera)

[E-man]

My first Pentax was digital, so I've never owned a Pentax film camera, and at this late date, probably never will. Back in my 35mm days, I was into Minolta. I got a brand new X-570 for my birthday in 1984, and five years later, picked up an XD-5 at a pawn shop, because I wanted a second body. I was using the X-570 regularly in my job at a newspaper and wanted to have my own film in one body and the paper's in the other. A few years after that, I found an XG-1 on the cheap, just because. I shot with it occasionally, but preferred the other two. After I left the newspaper to start graduate school in 1991, my interest in photography waned significantly, but in 2002, my dad picked up an SRT-202 for me at a thrift shop and I shot a few rolls with it and rather liked it. After Dad passed away, I ended up with his two Minolta bodies, an X-370N and a Maxxum 4000si. Oddly enough, he had a several manual focus lenses for the X370N, as well as a couple of autofocus ones for the Maxxum, but the only lens of his that I have is a Sears 28-70mm zoom lens on the X-370N. No idea what happened to the other lenses. I've never shot a frame with either of those two camera bodies since I acquired them, but I remember shooting a little bit with the Maxxum, shortly after I got it. The last time I used any of my own Minoltas was right after Christmas 2004, when I went down to Florida to visit my then-girlfriend. That roll of film, half-shot, is still in the X-570.

[kypfer]

I only "moved over" to Pentax when my Fujica AX system became unreliable, so I missed out on all of the "classics" and my only real Pentax film experience is my *ist, which, after a hiatus of some 15 years has been re-instated in a bag with a selection of lenses and some b&w film. So far, nothing but good to report
The light weight is a revelation after years with a DSLR, the a/f seems to be more than adequate and the ever-present green hexagon in the viewfinder makes using manual (KA or M42) lenses a breeze
It's really gratifying to be able to take full advantage of my fisheye lenses again
I do own a Spotmatic, probably circa 1964, which all seems to function but I've never used it. It was bought (very cheaply) for the 8-element 50mm f/1.4 that was fitted
The *ist isn't suitable for i/r work, so maybe the Spotmatic will find it's place in life

[tonyzoc]

Probably no one cares, but given I own a few Pentax camera's I thought it would be fun to rate them. I own a BUNCH of Nikon, Canon, Olympus and Minolta cameras as well, so some of my comments are referenced by those brands build quality/features.



Spotmatic SP II, Spotmatic F 7/10

Classic styling, extremely well made, very reliable mechanically. All 4 Spotmatics I own have non working meters, but none have ever failed mechanically. All Pentax owners should probably own at least one Spotmatic! Downsides compared to newer models are the viewfinder which can be a bit muddy in low light.



Spotmatic ES 6/10

Bit of an odd duck - classic Spotmatic build, but lacks manual shutter settings below 1/60th of a second.



K1000 6/10

K mount version of the classic Spotmatics. They seem to have come down in price, but I have always thought they were a bit overpriced. I would rather have a KX



LX 8.5/10

I own two - I have a love hate relationship - first one developed the sticky mirror issue and cost a lot to get repaired. Lovely Viewfinder - probably the perfection of the 35mm SLR design in many ways.



MX 8/10

So much to love about the design - all mechanical, and innovative VF display of shutter speeds.



ME Super 8/10

This was my first ever film camera, and I loved shooting with it. I no longer own the one I had as a teenager, but have picked up a few over the years. Lovely design and great features - excellent VF and silky smooth film advance make it a pleasure to shoot.



Super A 7/10

An 'KA' mount version of the ME Super - added program mode. Lovely to shoot, but have had a bunch with mechanical failures so I am marking it down for that.



P30 7/10

Seems like a solid design, but I feel its a step down in terms of build quality from the previous models.



MZ-M 7/10

This is my secret little guilty pleasure - light as a feather and so much fun to use. Has a plastic lens mount and a small VF that is not as well suited to MF as the older models, they cost almost nothing.

At one time or another I've had all of these cameras except the MZ-M. I did (and still do) have the ZX-5. I'd agree overall with your ratings, except I'd flip the scores on the ME Super and the Super A. I have 2 Super Programs and I found them to be more reliable than the ME Super. This is probably because I bought a Super Program new and the ME Supers I've owned, I got used. They all ended up with shutter issues...probably something fixable with a CLA. The only major film body I never owned was the MZ-S. I've got 2 KX, 2 ESII a K2 and a K2dmd also. I did have a MZ-3, but the plastic gear failed. I also have and still use the SF-1N. Overall I'd give the MX and PZ-1p top scores. A close second is the Spotmatic SP. I've got 2 Spotmatics that work great with good meters.

[titrisol]

Never had an LX, and the K-1000 is meh

My only disagreement is in the Spotless Spottie, a camera I always come back to 9/10

[reh321]

My first Pentax was digital, so I've never owned a Pentax film camera, and at this late date, probably never will.

Maybe you’ll buy one of the fruits of their new effort - assuming it gets around to producing fruit.

[reh321]

At one time or another I've had all of these cameras except the MZ-M. I did (and still do) have the ZX-5. I'd agree overall with your ratings, except I'd flip the scores on the ME Super and the Super A. I have 2 Super Programs and I found them to be more reliable than the ME Super. This is probably because I bought a Super Program new and the ME Supers I've owned, I got used. They all ended up with shutter issues...probably something fixable with a CLA. The only major film body I never owned was the MZ-S. I've got 2 KX, 2 ESII a K2 and a K2dmd also. I did have a MZ-3, but the plastic gear failed. I also have and still use the SF-1N. Overall I'd give the MX and PZ-1p top scores. A close second is the Spotmatic SP. I've got 2 Spotmatics that work great with good meters.

It sounds like you’ve owned a lot more cameras than I have. Beginning with the Yashica rangefinder camera {which I purchased with graduation gift money when I graduated from college in 1969}, I have owned roughly 10 cameras in the last 54 years.

[Driline]

I also have and still use the SF-1N

I've had 2 of these cameras acquired from eBay listings that I was after the lens only. I really enjoyed using them but unfortunately they both became bricks after awhile.

[Aaron28]

Spotmatic ES 6/10
Bit of an odd duck - classic Spotmatic build, but lacks manual shutter settings below 1/60th of a second.

love the ES! currently most used film body after the 6x7..........so cool to use M42 glass with AE........

MEsuper is next on the list to finally go through a roll or two rather looking forward to it

[reh321]

I've had 2 of these cameras acquired from eBay listings that I was after the lens only. I really enjoyed using them but unfortunately they both became bricks after awhile.

I used my “Super Program” for just over twelve years - almost 1/4-th of those fifty-plus years. As far as I know, it still works. In fact, I may run a roll of film thru it ‘for old times sake’. Unfortunately, I’ll have to use some other lens - the lubrication for the ‘A’ 50mm F/1.7 lens that was kitted with it, and I used most of those 12 years, seems to have dried up.

With the exception of that lens - and the “ME/SE” which got damp at Niagara Falls and served me only 4 years - the Pentax equipment I’ve had has lasted and lasted.

[ffking]

Mmmm - time to start exploring MF - 6X7, 67, 645 etc

[LesDMess]

Probably no one cares, but given I own a few Pentax camera's I thought it would be fun to rate them. I own a BUNCH of Nikon, Canon, Olympus and Minolta cameras as well, so some of my comments are referenced by those brands build quality/features.

Spotmatic SP II, Spotmatic F 7/10
Classic styling, extremely well made, very reliable mechanically. All 4 Spotmatics I own have non working meters, but none have ever failed mechanically. All Pentax owners should probably own at least one Spotmatic! Downsides compared to newer models are the viewfinder which can be a bit muddy in low light.

Spotmatic ES 6/10
Bit of an odd duck - classic Spotmatic build, but lacks manual shutter settings below 1/60th of a second.

K1000 6/10
K mount version of the classic Spotmatics. They seem to have come down in price, but I have always thought they were a bit overpriced. I would rather have a KX

LX 8.5/10
I own two - I have a love hate relationship - first one developed the sticky mirror issue and cost a lot to get repaired. Lovely Viewfinder - probably the perfection of the 35mm SLR design in many ways.

MX 8/10
So much to love about the design - all mechanical, and innovative VF display of shutter speeds.

ME Super 8/10
This was my first ever film camera, and I loved shooting with it. I no longer own the one I had as a teenager, but have picked up a few over the years. Lovely design and great features - excellent VF and silky smooth film advance make it a pleasure to shoot.

Super A 7/10
An 'KA' mount version of the ME Super - added program mode. Lovely to shoot, but have had a bunch with mechanical failures so I am marking it down for that.

P30 7/10
Seems like a solid design, but I feel its a step down in terms of build quality from the previous models.

MZ-M 7/10
This is my secret little guilty pleasure - light as a feather and so much fun to use. Has a plastic lens mount and a small VF that is not as well suited to MF as the older models, they cost almost nothing.

Better have your flame suit on, posting ratings with no pics of said cameras. How do we know you even have these . . .

Welcome aboard. You should add these to the camera reviews section too.

BTW, is there a 10 in your collection?

[tonyzoc]

It sounds like you’ve owned a lot more cameras than I have. Beginning with the Yashica rangefinder camera {which I purchased with graduation gift money when I graduated from college in 1969}, I have owned roughly 10 cameras in the last 54 years.

Well I'm a long time suffer of GAS... I currently own about 30 Pentax, 20 or so Nikon and about 80+ Exakta 35mm cameras. I used to own Canon, Olympus, and other cameras but sold everything off except Pentax and Exakta... The Nikon collection started around 2020. I also have a number of medium format cameras, including a couple of Rolleiflexes and two Pentax 645s and a Bronica EC.

[pentaxus]

It is amazing how addicting GAS can be. I have Asahiflex H2, K M42, S3v, SL, Spotmatic, Spotmatic II, KX, K1000, a Chinese camera made by Ming camera after they bought Pentax's K1000 tooling, Super Program, MX, LX, PZ-1 and Auto 110 cameras. Film is fun.