Originally posted by millsware Given how many people seem to still be using film cameras, and how many repair threads there are, I'm wondering whether Pentax could make any money selling new film cameras.
I'm not even talking about developing a new one, just re-releasing an old design, like the ME, K1000, LX...
Respond whether you would pay for one if it was ~$200 or less, and what model you would like to see.
No, but not because I don't use film. I wouldn't buy one because the Pentax cameras I tend to like and use are much older. I don't like the more recent type of cameras that they made. If I am going to have to settle for a modern plastic body I might as well get another DSLR. When it comes to film cameras I like them more like the Spotties, my KX's, the K1000's that type of camera. Anything from 1980 and before that doesn't look like a plastic box, that's fine but I don't want most of what they were making in the 80's and 90's. They won't go back to making film cameras built like the Spotties I'm sure as it's not very cost effective for them to make them given today's market.
Film is a niche thing now. They can barely sell enough DSLR's. They probably would sell some, but not enough to make it a viable thing. People who are going retro, shooting film, they're going there because they love the classic cameras. There are some film people who are shooting film with a later film camera but not as many. Mostly I see people shooting with K1000's and cameras made before that. I still have one P3. I never touch it. It's not a bad camera but I'm not fond of it. I actually gave it to one of my nieces and she soon gave it back to me in exchange for a K1000. She said she liked the K1000 better. No big surprise to me. I kind of figured she might. I'm probably going to end up donating the P3 to my local college's photo dept so a photography student can have it. I can't sell it. I've tried. Nobody wants it, lol.
Most of the local colleges they've finally gone digital for their photography programs. There is still one specific class that teaches film and film lab at my local college but it's not even given every semester now. Those students are given a list of cameras that are preferred. At the top of the list is the K1000. You're allowed to bring other types of cameras in, but they have to meet certain standards, be older and fully manual, for that class. No fully automated modes, absolutely nothing like the program modes they have on digital cameras. Surprisingly they prefer Pentax for film, where otherwise for the digital classes they're suggesting Nikon, Canon, mostly. The irony of course makes me laugh...
As for the K1000's? I have two now that my niece has the one and from the looks of it they are in decent shape, and seem to work okay, though I have not tested them out extensively for lack of interest. (Too busy with my KX's!) I have listed those puppies several times for less than $75 without a lens, and less than $100 with whatever decent K mount lens I felt I could spare. I have yet to have one nibble on either. I see them listed locally for $100-200 all the time but I don't think anyone is selling them for anything like that if they are selling them at all. I could give the K1000's away if I was so inclined to a local college or thrift but I'm not into giving them away. I'm not nearly as fond of those as I am the KX's but still they're not bodies I can see just parting with for nothing. But they might as well be nothing in terms of value here from what I can see.
Not even the local college kids in the film photo class will pay for one. If they can't get it for free they don't seem to want it. :P I have had collector's offer me a decent if not impressive sum for my SP's and SPII's and of course I've got some people fairly drooling over my black KX's and offering me a hundred or more for those, but the K1000's? Nah. No interest at all from what I can tell.