[Lulerfly]

So I have been looking up film cameras and this one caught my eye, I like that it is all black and it seems nicely built, I like all manual controls, this seems to have them, how does it match up with other Pentax cameras since I know its not official, well at least from what I can tell.

Any advice? It seems to go by Sigma SA-1 also and a few others, rebranded I assume?

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Last edited by Lulerfly; 02-02-2011 at 08:24 PM.

[Ole]

The camera has a Pentax K mount, Av exposure automation and manual exposure. Much like a Pentax ME Super, except that it has a shutter speed dial instead of push buttons. Details here:

Ricoh XR-7 on-line manual, sigma SA-1, KS-2 user manual clone

[Lulerfly]

Is it reliable(I am assuming its mechanical and metal exterior)? Anything in particular I should know? Is the Pentax ME Super better?

[Ole]

Winding and rewinding film is manual (mechanical), but the shutter is electronically controlled, and so is the self timer. I have no experience with it so I don't know about reliability. I would venture that it would be easier to find spare parts for a Pentax ME Super due to the quantity sold.

You could also go look for a P30T which adds program automation but otherwise looks quite similar:

https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/pentax-manual-focus-film-slr-camera-revie...ntax-p30t.html

[stevebrot]

I have a Ricoh XR7 and have extensive experience with the camera. I bought my first one new in 1982 in preference to a Pentax ME Super. At the time it was a Consumer Reports Best Buy and was priced about the same as the Pentax. The manual linked to above gives the full rundown on features. In addition to the feature list, I will add a few bullet points:

• Light and compact
• Cast/CNC aluminum chassis with polycarbonate shell (the plastic shell was typical for the day...the alloy chassis was not)
• Full information viewfinder is very bright
• Very good battery life (no LEDs)
• AE Lock and DOF Preview and Exposure Compensation
• Excellent control layout. You can actually change shutter speed with a single finger without removing your eye from the viewfinder.
• Great handling (very well balanced)
• Shutter speed display cannot be seen in dim light
• SPD meter
• Durable

I will elaborate a little on that last point. I am on my second XR7, but due to no fault of the camera. About two years ago, the aperture coupling was severely damaged by a defective lens. I kept the body for parts and picked up a replacement the next day. Yes, the camera is that good. My original body made many thousands of exposures under all conditions (rain, salt spray, snow, cold, heat, dust) and kept on clicking without a single failure in 25 years of hard use. I used to hang it from the side of my backpack where it swung freely until I needed to make a shot.

After all that time, I still don't have a single reservation about recommending the XR7 to other photographers. Ask IS050 on this site. He just bought the Sears version and is also very pleased with his purchase.

I don't have a lot of camera porn of that body, but here is a photo of the XR7 and two other cameras mounted to their powerwinders:



As you can see, the XR7 is a little larger than the tiny Pentax Super Program and smaller than the predecessor Ricoh XR-2s. BTW...the XR-2s is also a fine value in a K-mount camera. I like both of the Ricoh's better than the Super Program.

In regards to glass...The XR Rikenon lenses that came on the XR7 are decent optics, but I would suggest the Pentax-M 50/1.7 as a better alternative if you have the option of buying body + lens of your choice.

Here is a link to some photos on my Flickr account that were taken with the camera above or my first copy:

http://www.flickr.com/search/?w=28796087%40N02&q=ricoh+xr7&m=text


Steve

P.S. The P30T mentioned above is also a nice package, though I would prefer the P3N. The requirement for DX encoded film cartridges is my only caution regarding the P-series Pentax bodies.

[Abstract]

Hmmm that interests me, how does it fair size wise up the the MX? From what I can tell it has all the stuff the MX does, DOF, Split Prism, etc...

[stevebrot]

Hmmm that interests me, how does it fair size wise up the the MX? From what I can tell it has all the stuff the MX does, DOF, Split Prism, etc...

It is larger than an MX and a tiny bit larger than the ME Super. The split image is diagonal, if that makes any difference. Flash sync is 1/125s.


Steve

[Abstract]

Hmm never saw a diagonal one, I can't imagine it being worse though. I will look into it. seems like a cheaper alternative...can maybe have a bit left over for a nice 28mm...Thanks for all the info, very helpful.

[IS050]

Ask IS050 on this site. He just bought the Sears version and is also very pleased with his purchase.

Steve

I LOVE the XR7!! As Steve said, I have the Sears KS-2 equivalent to the Ricoh XR-7. I was looking for a film camera with AE Lock and DOF Preview features that my ME Super lack of. Additional small features I like:
Judas window; tiny mirror window shows you the actual selected f-stop in the viewfinder.
Exposure indication stay on for 8 minutes instead of few seconds.
And the camera body is all black!!
Best of all, it is a great bargain and can be find around $30 or less AND could last for the next 25 years of hard use.

David

[Abstract]

So guessing I should grab one before the price goes up because of this thread lmao....

[IS050]

So guessing I should grab one before the price goes up because of this thread lmao....

You will not regret it! Let us know your thoughts after getting the camera and post some pictures you have taken with it.

David

[Abstract]

You will not regret it! Let us know your thoughts after getting the camera and post some pictures you have taken with it.

David

Sure will if I get a hold of one, my school has a Coolscan 5000 so I can scan alright I suppose.

[Ratmagiclady]

So guessing I should grab one before the price goes up because of this thread lmao....

Heehee. Yeah, that's one of the ones I had a chance to use and have a positive impression of. The feel isn't as nice as a Pentax, but the design's all sorted.

The diagonal split prism's pretty cool, though not a very big deal, I think. The nice thing is that whether you're shooting horizontal or vertical, it's easy to just rock the camera a little ways, if you need to get a good bead on a horizontal or vertical line.

Size is perfectly average for cameras of the time: some Pentaxes are just unusually-small.


I'd encourage giving one a try. Just careful about mounting a lens with a Ricoh pin on an AF body, in case one comes with.

[SpecialK]

I came across this while getting things for an Archive thread I'm starting.

[IMGtall]http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q78/KylePix/Tests/Ricoh08106.jpg[/IMGtall]

[IMGtall]http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q78/KylePix/Tests/Ricoh08106-2.jpg[/IMGtall]

[IMGtall]http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q78/KylePix/Tests/Ricoh08106-3.jpg[/IMGtall]

[stevebrot]

I'd encourage giving one a try. Just careful about mounting a lens with a Ricoh pin on an AF body, in case one comes with.

It should not be a problem. The Ricoh pin debuted several years later. Interestingly, the XR7 shipped were sold with Pentax-M optics in some parts of the world. Mine (bought from Cameras West in Seattle) had a Pentax-M 50/1.7 attached when I took delivery. Ricoh and Pentax are rumored to have had a close working relationship in the mid-70s to early 1980s that extended to both lens and body designs features. There is at least one Rikenon that is supposed to be Pentax-made (one of the 28s, I believe).


Steve



Steve