[Stephen Dowling]

Hello all

I've got a collection of nearly 80 film cameras, and my favourite SLR out of the dozens I've used is the ESII.

The ESII's a brilliant travel camera - aperture-priority is really useful for street, grabbing shots on the hoof. The SMC Takumars made for the ESII are excpetional too.

Anyone else still using this classic?

S

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Last edited by photolady95; 12-06-2016 at 07:26 AM. Reason: Removed personal link

[6BQ5]

I do!

I think the variable, non-stepped shutter speed determination is very cool although I'm not sure it offers any practical gains. Is there really a big difference between 1/800 and 1/1000? Probably not. Heh! Still, I appreciate that Pentax put some innovative thought into this design. It's fun to use such a unique camera.

It's too bad that these are extremely hard to service. I have two first generation bodies and they're as good as jammed door knobs. The ES II is supposed to be far more durable and reliable.

Mine is silver. Anyone black ones out there?

[redrockcoulee]

Someone donated a black ESII and 5 lenses to our local photo club and being the only Pentax shooter and one of the very few film shooters I took them home and shot one roll of film on it. It works perfectly unfortunately for me there is no diopter for the eyepiece. I knew that my nephew was looking for a Spotmatic type camera so I gave him the lot except for the 55 1.8 lens. He is very happy with it and I was able to give him another non Pentax screw mount camera as well.

I don't think I have ever seen a ESII that was not black

[Moe49]

I don't think I have ever seen a ESII that was not black

There are satin chrome ES II's, but not as many as black ones. I believe when new, the satin chrome ES II's had to be special ordered.
I have seen a picture of a gold ES II, but I have not seen one in the wild.

I own 2 satin chrome ES II's, which I bought used. They were way out of my budget range when new

Like the OP, I enjoy shooting with the ES II and SMC-Takumars. The ES II is my favorite Spotmatic era Pentax to use.

Here is the ad photo of one that I bought in 2012.

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Last edited by Moe49; 12-08-2016 at 09:45 AM.

[redrockcoulee]

Thanks Moe, I think the black ones look better though.

[lesmore49]

I bought a black ES ll back when they were new, in 1974. I have the normal F 1.8 lens. Still works, but batteries...4 of them...silver oxide are a pain to get. Good camera though. After I bought it, the bayonet mount came out. I've thought I should of waited and bought a K2.

[Johndav]

Got one a wee while ago with a stuck mirror (easily fixed) and enjoyed using it except when I 'chimped' and tried to look at my results on the non existent rear screen

[redrockcoulee]

I bought a black ES ll back when they were new, in 1974. I have the normal F 1.8 lens. Still works, but batteries...4 of them...silver oxide are a pain to get. Good camera though. After I bought it, the bayonet mount came out. I've thought I should of waited and bought a K2.

And we bought one or two black Spotmatic F that same year. Timing could have been better.

[monochrome]

I have a brassy, dinged, working black ESll that is my user and a pristine - and I do mean pristine - silver that i take out for a walk twice a year in a half-case.

My m42 cameras are K, SV, Spotmatic, ES, ESll and SP-F. Correspondingly, I have several KX'es and 2 K2's. Most are black.

[lesmore49]

And we bought one or two black Spotmatic F that same year. Timing could have been better.

I see you're another Canuck. Back in '74, I bought my new ES ll from Eaton's Dept. store...do you recall if you got your spotmatics there ?

[gofour3]

I bought a black ES ll back when they were new, in 1974. I have the normal F 1.8 lens. Still works, but batteries...4 of them...silver oxide are a pain to get. Good camera though. After I bought it, the bayonet mount came out. I've thought I should of waited and bought a K2.

And we bought one or two black Spotmatic F that same year. Timing could have been better.

I see you're another Canuck. Back in '74, I bought my new ES ll from Eaton's Dept. store...do you recall if you got your spotmatics there ?

I jumped on the Pentax band wagon a year later in 1975. Bought my KX kit from the main Kerrisdale Cameras store on 41st Avenue in Vancouver. They are still up and running with about six other stores in BC. I was in the 41st Avenue store last week, still a great place with some good used Pentax gear.

Phil.

[RobA_Oz]

Welcome to Pentax Forums, Stephen.

I still have the Spotmatic F I bought new in 1974, and the ESII I bought secondhand several years later. My ES, also bought secondhand in between the two, went to my eldest daughter, who used it for another ten years without trouble (so much for the ES being unreliable, at least in this case).

The ESII is a lovely film SLR, and I only put mine away when I bought a K2DMD, which I also still have. They're all very nice cameras to use, but I'd put the K2DMD a small notch above the others, simply because it progressed the line, rather than revolutionised it. My ESII, though, is in much better condition, cosmetically, than the K2DMD, which saw service as a professional's camera before I bought it.

[redrockcoulee]

I see you're another Canuck. Back in '74, I bought my new ES ll from Eaton's Dept. store...do you recall if you got your spotmatics there ?

No we did not, the first one was bought from McBain's and the second one directly from the distributor, McQueen I think it was. At the time my wife was a sales clerk for McBain's. We lived in Edmonton at the time. I think at the time McBains only had the one store downtown Edmonton.

[lesmore49]

No we did not, the first one was bought from McBain's and the second one directly from the distributor, McQueen I think it was. At the time my wife was a sales clerk for McBain's. We lived in Edmonton at the time. I think at the time McBains only had the one store downtown Edmonton.

I lived in Edmonton 1969-70. I remember on a visit to Edmonton in '74 I think I stopped off, with my wife, at a store that sold camera equipment. Can't recall the store. But I came very close to buying a new, old stock Nikon F Photomic, with a 50mm F 1.4 Nikkor. I hemmed and hawed at the store, finally decided against the F Photomic, as I was already into the Pentax system (since '68)...but was thinking if I bought the Nikon F, then I would sell my Pentax equipment and go into Nikon/Nikkor.

A fateful day and soon after I bought the ES ll. I think if I'd made the decision to get the Nikon that day, I would of been a Nikon man till this day.

I sometimes wonder did I make the right decision or not.

I have lots of film Pentax stuff and digital Pentax equipment. I'm happy with it, pix are great, but at this point am once again at a decision making cross road.

If I go full frame, do I stick with Pentax, go with Nikon or Canon. My rationale for this hesitation...I'm sure Nikon/Canon will be around...but Pentax I'm not sure. It's not about the Pentax quality, that's there and it's excellent IMO....it's about whether Ricoh stays in the camera making business.

---------- Post added 12-06-16 at 03:52 PM ----------

I jumped on the Pentax band wagon a year later in 1975. Bought my KX kit from the main Kerrisdale Cameras store on 41st Avenue in Vancouver. They are still up and running with about six other stores in BC. I was in the 41st Avenue store last week, still a great place with some good used Pentax gear.

Phil.

BC, along with Calgary and Edmonton have some very good camera stores.

[redrockcoulee]

Since my mother moved from Calgary to Edmonton we will probably be shopping there more than at thecamerastore. But other than film we do not need much and sometimes Beau Photo is the best place to order from. I figure if we can buy tea from BC then we can buy film. But yes compared to some of the comments about lack of Pentax in stores or even stores in parts of the USA I think we are doing pretty good.