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01-09-2014, 10:26 PM   #61
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QuoteOriginally posted by LesDMess Quote
When it comes to a big bright uncluttered viewfinder, Pentax got it right from the start . . .
And that 55mm f2.2 preset is no slouch either!
Les... Am I allowed to request any two cameras next to each other and ...voila... they will appear in the thread? For example, if I said, "hey Les, show us a Minolta XK next to a Pentax Spotmatic SP," might a photo comparing the two magically materialize?

01-11-2014, 07:40 PM   #62
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Jake, I am always happy to provide side by side shots - as long as I have it, but it would seem out of context to display those two models in this thread about a K1000 & MX comparison. That would just be showing off . . .
01-12-2014, 09:39 AM   #63
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QuoteOriginally posted by Canada_Rockies Quote
It sure wasn't. I have way too many Kodachromes taken with that rig or maybe its predecessor - I cannot read the shutter speeds on the screen - mine had the original shutter sequence 1, 1/2, 1/5, 1/10, 1/25, T on the front dial, 1/25, 1/50, 1/100, 1/250, 1/500, B on the top dial. For those of you not familiar with that lovely beauty, there were two shutter dials; low speed on the front, high speed on the top, 1/25 was the common speed to work correctly.

I think the most beautiful portrait I have ever taken was with that camera, the Takumar 135/3.5 preset, in Stanley Park, of a lovely young woman reading. The book acted like a reflector.

That camera, bought in a pawn shop in 1961, lasted me until 1978, when the cloth shutters finally pinholed.
That is the original Asahi Pentax. If you still have that camera - with the cloth shutters pinholed, then I would suggest you contact Eric as I believe he can take care of that!
01-12-2014, 01:58 PM   #64
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QuoteOriginally posted by LesDMess Quote
That is the original Asahi Pentax. If you still have that camera - with the cloth shutters pinholed, then I would suggest you contact Eric as I believe he can take care of that!
Yes, I know it was the first of the line. I learned a whole lot about SLRs and using them with that camera. I am sure Eric could do something with it, but I made a good trade with a collector back then for a KX. It was on his collectibles shelf in the store until he retired some years later.

01-12-2014, 06:27 PM   #65
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I feel that comparing the K1000 to the other K cameras isn't really a good comparison with hindsight. The other K's had more features, but were in production for much shorter periods of time, the K1000 probably only continued a couple more decades because it was simple and therefore cheaper to produce than the others (and the MX too). Without the inherent simplicity, production would probably have stopped soon after the other K's, and a whole generation or two of students would have probably learned on something else. It also ensures an ample supply of more recent cameras is still available today.
01-13-2014, 12:00 AM   #66
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QuoteOriginally posted by johnha Quote
K1000 probably only continued a couple more decades because it was simple and therefore cheaper to produce than the others
Another factor was that the camera was the value queen for 35mm SLRs for a long time with the result that sales were strong for most of its history. Yes, you could get a Ricoh or a Chinon for a few dollars less, but the K1000 was a PENTAX and that name was a source of pride of ownership. It was also pitched as being rock solid with a design based on decades of successful use starting with the original Spotmatic...A quality camera with the essential features at a price that most could afford.


Steve

(...preferred Ricoh during those years, but respected the Pentax product...)
01-13-2014, 08:37 AM   #67
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It was the value queen, and the darling of photo instructors all over the world

QuoteOriginally posted by stevebrot Quote
Another factor was that the camera was the value queen for 35mm SLRs for a long time with the result that sales were strong for most of its history. Yes, you could get a Ricoh or a Chinon for a few dollars less, but the K1000 was a PENTAX and that name was a source of pride of ownership. It was also pitched as being rock solid with a design based on decades of successful use starting with the original Spotmatic...A quality camera with the essential features at a price that most could afford.


Steve

(...preferred Ricoh during those years, but respected the Pentax product...)


01-13-2014, 11:42 PM   #68
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QuoteOriginally posted by johnha Quote
I feel that comparing the K1000 to the other K cameras isn't really a good comparison with hindsight. The other K's had more features, but were in production for much shorter periods of time, the K1000 probably only continued a couple more decades because it was simple and therefore cheaper to produce than the others (and the MX too). Without the inherent simplicity, production would probably have stopped soon after the other K's, and a whole generation or two of students would have probably learned on something else.
Well…sure: if the K1000 weren't the perfect camera for the job, people would've found another camera to do that job (probably the KM or some Nikon offering). That doesn't detract from the K1000's merits or make it hard to compare to other K-series and M-series cameras. Also, I don't think Pentax continued to manufacture these cameras only because the production costs were low—it makes sense to say that was part of their decision, but not the main reason.

I think the K1000 owes its success to the fact that it is an extremely simple camera, and lots of folks love(d) that.
01-14-2014, 12:52 AM - 2 Likes   #69
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I choose the K1000.

It has been my go-to SLR for more years than I care to count any longer. It has been the perfect camera for me.

I'm not sure that most people really understand this, especially when we have become so accustomed to buying a new digital camera every two years, but I have used this camera for so long that it is like an extension of me. Within seconds of picking it up I can recall again in my mind exactly how many clicks (and in which direction) it takes to get from 1/2 a second to 1/60 seconds on the shutter dial. I really don't need a readout in the viewfinder to know the shutter speed. I can close my eyes and slide my fingers along the gap between the ridges on the aperture ring of that old 50mm f2 lens and tell almost exactly where the aperture is set. A window in the prism housing to show the number is superfluous. The little balancing needle is the only thing in that viewfinder, and it works perfectly for me. One glance at that needle and I can tell if I am a stop or two above or below what the meter believes to be the perfect exposure. After 28 years of pretty much steady use the plastic cover on the film advance lever was worn out, but Eric kindly replaced it with a new one when I finally sent it in for service last year.

Most people have long ago decided they need something more sophisticated and the K1000 just doesn't fit their picture of the world any longer. It is just a student's camera after all. But it is the perfect camera for the minimalist.

I choose the K1000.
01-14-2014, 03:01 AM   #70
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QuoteOriginally posted by Pioneer Quote
I'm not sure that most people really understand this, especially when we have become so accustomed to buying a new digital camera every two years, but I have used this camera for so long that it is like an extension of me.
You've said it all, and said it beautifully.

After thirty years, I can use my K1000 with no conscious awareness of taking a photograph at all. My hands seem to make the simple focus and exposure adjustments on their own, leaving my eyes free to look and see. Over the past few months I've gone back to shooting film more and more, using my K1000 exclusively since Christmas, and it's like drinking pure spring water to wash away the taste of years of sugary digital soda. I don't need any more features than that big bright focusing screen and that match-needle meter, and I don't want them.
01-14-2014, 05:12 AM   #71
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QuoteOriginally posted by Pioneer Quote
I choose the K1000.

It has been my go-to SLR for more years than I care to count any longer. It has been the perfect camera for me.

I'm not sure that most people really understand this, especially when we have become so accustomed to buying a new digital camera every two years, but I have used this camera for so long that it is like an extension of me. Within seconds of picking it up I can recall again in my mind exactly how many clicks (and in which direction) it takes to get from 1/2 a second to 1/60 seconds on the shutter dial. I really don't need a readout in the viewfinder to know the shutter speed. I can close my eyes and slide my fingers along the gap between the ridges on the aperture ring of that old 50mm f2 lens and tell almost exactly where the aperture is set. A window in the prism housing to show the number is superfluous. The little balancing needle is the only thing in that viewfinder, and it works perfectly for me. One glance at that needle and I can tell if I am a stop or two above or below what the meter believes to be the perfect exposure. After 28 years of pretty much steady use the plastic cover on the film advance lever was worn out, but Eric kindly replaced it with a new one when I finally sent it in for service last year.

Most people have long ago decided they need something more sophisticated and the K1000 just doesn't fit their picture of the world any longer. It is just a student's camera after all. But it is the perfect camera for the minimalist.

I choose the K1000.
There are only three settings once the film is loaded.
1) aperture
2) speed
3) Focus
The film sitting behind the lens is only concerned with these three. (The lens can only focus on ONE point, no matter how many a digital camera offers one.) Do we really need all the options some cameras are offering us at the expense of simplicity?
01-14-2014, 12:38 PM   #72
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QuoteOriginally posted by arnold Quote
Do we really need all the options some cameras are offering us at the expense of simplicity?
So true. I would love to have a fully manual dSLR or rangefinder camera.


Steve
01-14-2014, 05:25 PM   #73
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QuoteOriginally posted by Pioneer Quote
...I have used this camera for so long that it is like an extension of me.
QuoteOriginally posted by Dartmoor Dave Quote
After thirty years, I can use my K1000 with no conscious awareness of taking a photograph at all. My hands seem to make the simple focus and exposure adjustments on their own, leaving my eyes free to look and see.
Oh good, I'm not alone in this . The K1000 is the only camera I have ever used that felt so natural. It is a part of me and even though the camera is all manual, the settings fall into place automatically. I don't have to think about adjustments, they just happen as I'm focusing on the photos.
02-12-2014, 02:01 PM   #74
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My first SLR was the Pentax MX. I bought it new in late 70's, had to sell it mid 80's. In early 90's I bought a P30t also new. Had to sell that one a few years later. I prefer the mechanical shutter, because I know that even without batteries, the camera will take a picture.
When I had an opportunity to get another film camera, I bought a used MX off ebay.
The LED meter was not always the best, depending on light conditions, but I soon learned that if the light does not change, the exposure does not change. Position the camera so the LED are visible, set the exposure, then point it where you want and shoot.

Now I have the MX, a P30t, a P3n, and a Ricoh KS-5 Super, and a Ricoh KS-5 Super II

The P3n, and the KS-5 Super are leaving as soon as I find a good home for them.
02-12-2014, 05:48 PM   #75
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Since this thread has been running I've acquired a KX to compare with my MX & K1000. All things considered I prefer the KX/K1000 body size and viewfinder (I wear glasses and the MX's is too large to see comfortably in one go). Comparing the KX/K1000 is harder (I haven't used the KX in anger yet), seeing the aperture/shutter speed in the finder is better (although I don't often look at the projected aperture). I still think finding a working K1000 is easier though, they're simpler and the later ones are much younger than any KX.
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