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07-18-2009, 08:26 PM   #16
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QuoteOriginally posted by ChrisPlatt Quote
Have you ever handled and used a Pentax LX?

Chris

Yes, and in my opinion, it's not world's apart from an MX or K1000 in terms of handling. Many more features, but nothing justifying the huge price difference.

07-18-2009, 08:54 PM   #17
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QuoteOriginally posted by K-9 Quote
Yes, and in my opinion, it's not world's apart from an MX or K1000 in terms of handling. Many more features, but nothing justifying the huge price difference.
The LX's metering is beyond all Pentax film cameras.
07-18-2009, 09:39 PM   #18
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QuoteOriginally posted by Blue Quote
The LX's metering is beyond all Pentax film cameras.
Meter/shutter/viewfinders/build...those are the things that set it apart and allow for the higher price point. Compare the LX prices to those for professional model Nikons of the same vintage.

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07-18-2009, 11:58 PM   #19
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As good as most of the film Pentaxes are, the LX is in a class of its own which fully justifies any price premium.

And IMO it holds its own against most (if not all) of the offerings from the other manufacturers.

07-19-2009, 05:25 AM   #20
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QuoteOriginally posted by Blue Quote
The LX's metering is beyond all Pentax film cameras.
Manual focus bodies maybe as the PZ-1P's meter is superb. I can't tell you how many 1,000's of perfect slides I've taken with it. It's multi-segment metering has incredible ability in backlit situations as well. Another reason not to justify the price of LX, as the PZ-1P, feature wise, is hands down the best bargain for used Pentax cameras out there. You can get it a good $200 cheaper than the LX as well. It's also got a good dozen or more features that it either it betters than the LX, or the LX simply doesn't have.
07-19-2009, 09:30 AM   #21
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QuoteOriginally posted by K-9 Quote
While digital is all about the lens and body combination to get the right image, 35mm film is usually all about the lens quality. I could never justify paying over $80 for a film SLR anymore. I can put a prime lens on any body, whether it be Ricoh, Pentax, or Vivitar and still get a high quality image, providing you watch the different metering systems at hand.
I agree. What practical benefit would an LX give me over my Spotmatic, KX, or MX, each purchased in mint condition for well under $100. I'm not saying I wouldn't like to own one..... I've toyed with the idea more than a couple of times, believe me, but I could never justify it. To me, at least, it's not worth the price it would cost to own one..... I could buy a few beautiful M42 Takumars and/or K-mount primes (there always seems to be another on the horizon I "have to have") for the same cash outlay.
07-19-2009, 10:27 AM   #22
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QuoteOriginally posted by K-9 Quote
Manual focus bodies maybe as the PZ-1P's meter is superb. I can't tell you how many 1,000's of perfect slides I've taken with it. It's multi-segment metering has incredible ability in backlit situations as well. Another reason not to justify the price of LX, as the PZ-1P, feature wise, is hands down the best bargain for used Pentax cameras out there. You can get it a good $200 cheaper than the LX as well. It's also got a good dozen or more features that it either it betters than the LX, or the LX simply doesn't have.
So you are going to go bring in an AF body to challenge the metering statement. I have taken 1000s of slides with a K1000 that were good. That doesn't mean that the K1000 can hang with the metering system of the LX and there are only 2 other mf film bodies that has the 1/2000 shutter speed. I have the SuperProgram that has that shutter speed. However, the LX has the classic dials. Plus the LX has the interchangeable viewfinders and focusing screens. There's a reason the LX's production was 20 years.

There were a some shots that could have been "money" shots for me if I had the "off the film plane" metering instead of the K1000 or SuperProg.

However, the thing with the LX is like comaring a Ford GT40 with a Mustang GT. While the Mustang GT will get you there fast and in style (like a black K2), the LX pushes the envelope.

Edit: Since you guys won't to drag AF into this, why is the MZ-S bringing a premium?

07-19-2009, 11:17 AM   #23
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I don't think you guys defending the superiority of the LX get it. Nobody is denying the superiority of the LX..... I'm sure we'd all like to own one, but to some of us it isn't worth ten times (a slight exaggeration, I know..... poetic license) the price of a KX, especially when what might be considered a huge "advantage" to some, such as interchangeable finders, would be meaningless to a shooter who doesn't care about this feature. Not everyone has unlimited funds to buy anything we'd like without careful consideration. In my case, for instance, raising two daughters as a single parent puts strict monetary limitations on my photographic aspirations. The "extra" money I have to spend on some aspects of my hobby comes at a cost, sometimes dearly, to other aspects of the hobby & other areas of my life. For example, I would love to have a Ferrari instead of my Honda Prelude, but the sacrifice I would have to make in other areas of my life would not be worth the limited advantage owning such a car would afford me.

Last edited by raymeedc; 07-19-2009 at 11:35 AM.
07-19-2009, 12:04 PM   #24
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I'm not "defending" the LX. The original question had to do with why prices hold on the LX. Its similar reasons for the MZ-S.

You can brag about your gray mule all day long and how it can plow the field with the best of the horses. However, the old reliable gray mule isn't going to beat a white stallion at the steeple chase.

The fact is the LX IS superior to all mf K-mount Pentax bodies. The LX is probably better than my black K2 and SuperProgram combined when features and build are factored in. I'm not talking about just bells & whistles features either. If one don't need those features o.k. One doesn't need the top of the line John Deere to plow a garden plot when the old gray mule will do it efficiently.

Edit: Btw, this thread was about a couple of LX's that were available. You guys decided to turn it into a bash the LX thread.
07-19-2009, 12:18 PM   #25
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QuoteOriginally posted by K-9 Quote
Manual focus bodies maybe as the PZ-1P's meter is superb. I can't tell you how many 1,000's of perfect slides I've taken with it. It's multi-segment metering has incredible ability in backlit situations as well. Another reason not to justify the price of LX, as the PZ-1P, feature wise, is hands down the best bargain for used Pentax cameras out there. You can get it a good $200 cheaper than the LX as well. It's also got a good dozen or more features that it either it betters than the LX, or the LX simply doesn't have.
Nice to see another Z-1P fan. That camera landed me solidly in the Pentax fold


QuoteOriginally posted by Blue Quote
So you are going to go bring in an AF body to challenge the metering statement. I have taken 1000s of slides with a K1000 that were good. That doesn't mean that the K1000 can hang with the metering system of the LX and there are only 2 other mf film bodies that has the 1/2000 shutter speed. I have the SuperProgram that has that shutter speed. However, the LX has the classic dials. Plus the LX has the interchangeable viewfinders and focusing screens. There's a reason the LX's production was 20 years.

There were a some shots that could have been "money" shots for me if I had the "off the film plane" metering instead of the K1000 or SuperProg.

However, the thing with the LX is like comaring a Ford GT40 with a Mustang GT. While the Mustang GT will get you there fast and in style (like a black K2), the LX pushes the envelope.
Good points
07-19-2009, 01:49 PM   #26
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QuoteOriginally posted by raymeedc Quote
...it isn't worth ten times (a slight exaggeration, I know..... poetic license) the price of a KX...
Where can you get a KX for 1/10th the price of an LX? It is getting hard to find a KX for even 1/4 the price. Ditto for a good MX or even a K1000.

All told, however, I don't own a LX and likely never will for the simple reason that my current K-mount bodies are all three in excellent condition, meet my needs as a photographer, and will likely last longer than I will.

Steve

(Paid $25 for my Ricoh XR7, $38 for the Ricoh XR-2s, and $210 including CLA and K 55/1.8 for the KX...done spending money on film bodies for awhile..and NO, the KX is not worth EIGHT Ricohs...)

Last edited by stevebrot; 07-19-2009 at 01:55 PM.
07-19-2009, 03:29 PM   #27
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$210 for a KX? I guess I was more fortunate than you were, as mine was purchased last year with the same lens as yours on Ebay in just about mint condition for $70. I picked up a second KX body for my daughter just 6 weeks ago at a BIN price of $49 that had been sitting there for 2 days with new mirror & door foam. On Ebay the k1000, due to it's massive reputation & demand as a great starter camera, usually goes for more than a KX..... most newbies snapping up all of those k1000s have never heard of a KX.

Last edited by raymeedc; 07-19-2009 at 07:03 PM.
07-19-2009, 03:37 PM   #28
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QuoteOriginally posted by Blue Quote

The fact is the LX IS superior to all mf K-mount Pentax bodies.
I guess you didn't read my post too carefully..... I totally agree with your assertion..... you're preaching to the choir. I'm not your adversary, just a fellow shooter with different priorities & opportunities.
07-19-2009, 06:14 PM   #29
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Yes, raymeedc and I aren't saying that the LX is a crap camera, with a bad metering system, bad handling, and bad everything. We're not. It's a great camera. It's the price we have a huge problem with. There's nothing on that camera or about that camera that warrants $300 vs. getting a PZ-1P for $80.

Also, the MZ-S is my least favorite AF camera, mainly due to it's insanely high price when it was new, and the prices it still gets used. It's ridiculous and totally not worth it. I have ZX-L that I feel is nearly as good feature wise, and I paid about $60 for it brand new in the box. No justification whatsoever to purchase an MZ-S unless you're collecting all the Pentax bodies ever made. The *ist film body is also way overpriced on the used market. The high price on this is simply based on rarity, and not on popularity or it being a superb camera body.
07-19-2009, 06:47 PM   #30
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QuoteOriginally posted by K-9 Quote
Also, the MZ-S is my least favorite AF camera, mainly due to it's insanely high price when it was new, and the prices it still gets used.
that's a stupid way to pick favourites... everybody has different value propositions. i have 2 MZ-S's, but have also had an ZX-L. i agree that the ZX-L is very close to what the MZ-S is if not better in other aspects.

Last edited by k100d; 07-19-2009 at 06:52 PM.
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