The Problem with Pentax LX Cameras

**gofour3** · 08-19-2017, 03:21 AM

Originally posted by GPZ

28mm f2, a 50mm f1.2 and a 85mm f1.8.

Yep the original K Series three amigos!

Phil.

Jonathan Mac · 08-19-2017, 03:23 AM - **1 Like**

The real problem with LXs is that they're expensive and I don't have one!!

This is one camera that doesn't crop up cheap ever, as their owners know what they're worth. Of course, if I sold a chunk of my existing gear I could afford an LX, but selling gear is very, very difficult unless I actually dislike it, and I rarely buy stuff that I later dislike.

**clickclick** · 08-19-2017, 06:40 AM

Originally posted by grhazelton

And you need perhaps THREE bodies! Gotta have the winders, if possible with the remote release cable. Anyone got an extra one? An original ever ready case is nice for "formal" occasions, its handsome in black REAL leather and has a discreet little Pentax logo. Don't forget the RF viewfinder for close to the ground work. (Psst! the RF viewfinder from the OM series will also fit.) Look for the AF400T flash. Its powerful, TTL and its flash head will tilt and swivel. Will scorch paint at ten feet. The auxiliary battery pack is good for long sessions. If you're lucky you might score the WA and Tele adapters for the flash head. The LX, AF400T and the battery pack will give you that incredible 1980s pro photographer look, and its combined weight will endear you to your chiropractor! And the list goes on.... There's a ring light with TTL; not too expensive. And of course the 50mm f 1.2 will intimidate the Canikoneers, no small thing in itself.

I've come too close a couple times to buying the high speed motor drive, but then I'd have to buy the bulk film magazine for it.... I thought about the AF400T just because, but "settled" on the AF280T. My M50/1.4 looks pretty good on them, but a 1.2 would be nice.

Eyewanders · 08-19-2017, 09:25 AM

Originally posted by clickclick

I've come too close a couple times to buying the high speed motor drive, but then I'd have to buy the bulk film magazine for it.... I thought about the AF400T just because, but "settled" on the AF280T. My M50/1.4 looks pretty good on them, but a 1.2 would be nice.

I actually prefer the M50/1.4 nearly all of the time on the LX simply for portability and balance. The 1.2 feels great on a KX, but in my hand and small bag, the 1.4 enjoys more time on the LX. And, it's far lighter. The LX is the perfect sized shooter for me and for whatever reason I've always felt the 50/1.2 negates that perfection to a small extent.... at least for my running out the door purposes.

wombat2go · 08-19-2017, 06:33 PM

The reason I don't want a winder for the Pentax MX is blowin' in the wind, after C41 session today.
https://app.box.com/s/gwv5yxrw9ybt6zmc7n8li3jmdl7yy2x4

Craftsman · 08-19-2017, 06:39 PM

Two mint MX bodies and working my way thru the MX accessories. I have two winders,the motordrive with M battery pack and charger,bulk film back, battery grip,bulk film loader, five of the eight focus screens, most of the diopters,90degree as well as the magnifying eyepiece. Not everything but getting there. Now I've been eyeing the LX,

**monochrome** · 08-19-2017, 07:06 PM

Originally posted by chickentender

I actually prefer the M50/1.4 nearly all of the time on the LX simply for portability and balance. The 1.2 feels great on a KX, but in my hand and small bag, the 1.4 enjoys more time on the LX. And, it's far lighter. The LX is the perfect sized shooter for me and for whatever reason I've always felt the 50/1.2 negates that perfection to a small extent.... at least for my running out the door purposes.

I've kept a small group of M lenses* that either were given to me or came with a camera I wanted just to use on the LX (and MX).

* especially nice - 28/2; 35/2.8; 100/2.8; 150/3.5; 75~150/4

Last edited by monochrome; 08-19-2017 at 07:12 PM.

Eyewanders · 08-19-2017, 09:50 PM

Originally posted by monochrome

* especially nice - 28/2; 35/2.8; 100/2.8; 150/3.5; 75~150/4

I should follow suit someday, particularly one or two longer Ms - for their size, they're just tiny little gems. I've the M35/2, K24/2.8 (may as well be an M), and M20/4.

Church Key · 08-22-2017, 02:15 PM - **1 Like**

I just added a Winder LX to the collection. Got it on Fleabay in excellent condition. Only issue is that it has almost too many abilities plus a 16 page instruction manual to explain things. Good grief; they engineered in as many features as they possibly could, using a total of four buttons and dials. It certainly seems well made, but remembering its processing sequence seems to be a PIA. Probably will become a safe queen.

Church Key

Craftsman · 08-22-2017, 06:49 PM

Originally posted by chickentender

I should follow suit someday, particularly one or two longer Ms - for their size, they're just tiny little gems. I've the M35/2, K24/2.8 (may as well be an M), and M20/4.

All three really nice and desirable lenses. Might want to add the 100mm f2.8

skierd · 09-12-2017, 12:44 PM

I first read this thread about two weeks ago, and thought about how lucky you are to not have my local camera shop in your town.

I stopped in back in June and I found a nice "user" grade Leica M2, minty Canon 35mm 1.5 LTM, VG Canon 50mm f1.2 LTM, and Leitz 90mm f2.8, and clean Canon 19mm f3.5 other than having the previous owner's license number and state etched on it. All told it'd only be about $2500.

I stopped in yesterday... and he had a clean LX (with the grid screen, no split prism) and K 85mm 1.8 combo for $650. I know he has an A 20mm f2.8 too, several 50 1.4's and probably a 1.2 hiding somewhere. I could build a very nice and light Pentax film system for about $1400 to rival that M...

And here I am trying to swear off film after spending a nice new lens worth of money on developing this summer...

LesDMess · 09-12-2017, 05:07 PM

Originally posted by skierd

I first read this thread about two weeks ago, and thought about how lucky you are to not have my local camera shop in your town.

. . .

I stopped in yesterday... and he had a clean LX (with the grid screen, no split prism) and K 85mm 1.8 combo for $650. I know he has an A 20mm f2.8 too, several 50 1.4's and probably a 1.2 hiding somewhere. I could build a very nice and light Pentax film system for about $1400 to rival that M...

I used to live in the same city as KEH but fortunately they didn't have a "store front".

I am sure the LX has no rival by any brand or model - RF or SLR . . .

Lord Lucan · 09-14-2017, 05:35 AM

The best 35mm film camera ever! It had everything (except an AE lock) yet was straightforward to use. Using it became an instinct for me. As extras I have the motor drive, motor drive pistol grip, waist level finder, about ten K and M lenses including the macro and shift, AF280 flash, hot shoe grip and the 4P flash lead. Sad it was made obsolescent by digital, for which I cannot form the same affection.

Mine was bought new £410 at Fox Talbot's shop in London, 1983, and still mint, with the sticky mirror repaired. I still have all the original packaging, guarantee card and manual. I have Geoffrey Crawley's book "Pentax LX System" which is like a super-manual - every LX fan should get a copy - and other books covering Pentax at the time. I also have several of the big glossy brochures for the LX that camera makers used to issue, and some Pentax accessory catalogues of the time (with weird things like the 90 degree mirror adaptor, and the stereo adaptor), and a contemporary Pentax lens poster "The Many Eyes of Pentax".

The LX was Pentax's third pitch at the pro market (after the K2 DMD and MX), but they never really made it. The LX was the equal of the Nikon F3 and Canon F1, and in some ways better, but in a smaller package which was perhaps a disadvantage in that market, as it looked more "amateur". Pentax never broke the mould of being seen only as a serious amateur brand. Perhaps the K-1 will change that.

LesDMess · 09-14-2017, 07:49 PM - **2 Likes**

Originally posted by Lord Lucan

The best 35mm film camera ever!

. . .

The LX was the equal of the Nikon F3 and Canon F1, and in some ways better, but in a smaller package which was perhaps a disadvantage in that market, as it looked more "amateur". Pentax never broke the mould of being seen only as a serious amateur brand.

You had me at the best camera ever . . .

But to say the Nikon F3 and Canon New F-1 were it's equal is just plain wrong. Just in aesthetics alone they're nowhere near the equal of the LX!

You should post a review of the LX in the camera review section when you get a chance.

Lord Lucan · 09-17-2017, 05:59 AM

Originally posted by LesDMess

You had me at the best camera ever . . .

But to say the Nikon F3 and Canon New F-1 were it's equal is just plain wrong. Just in aesthetics alone they're nowhere near the equal of the LX!

I prefer the LX looks with the hot-shoe pentaprism. The non-hot-shoe prism as shown in your picture looks a bit dunce-hattish to me

; it also lacks the aperture viewing window AFAIR. I believe that the smallness of the LX, compared with the Nikon and Canon, worked against it in the pro market. This was because it does not have such a look of "authority" as its rivals, and at a glance appears like many an amateur camera. When you are phographing a wedding, say, crowd control is part of the job, and a big camera acts as a symbol of authority, and also impresses the client that they are getting "value for money". Rightly or wrongly anyway - thats why some wedding and publicity work pros used 35mm film for economy, but put it in a 135 film back on a 6x6 Bronica or Rollei.

Incidentally, how did both Canon and Nikon manage to end up with their rival cameras both designated as "F"s? - although there was never a Nikon F1.

Originally posted by LesDMess

You should post a review of the LX in the camera review section when you get a chance.

Will do.

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08-19-2017, 03:21 AM	#16
gofour3 Site Supporter Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Vancouver, Canada Posts: 8,088	Originally posted by GPZ 28mm f2, a 50mm f1.2 and a 85mm f1.8. Yep the original K Series three amigos! Phil.

08-19-2017, 03:23 AM - 1 Like	#17
Jonathan Mac Pentaxian Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Madrid, Spain Posts: 10,879	The real problem with LXs is that they're expensive and I don't have one!! This is one camera that doesn't crop up cheap ever, as their owners know what they're worth. Of course, if I sold a chunk of my existing gear I could afford an LX, but selling gear is very, very difficult unless I actually dislike it, and I rarely buy stuff that I later dislike.

08-19-2017, 06:40 AM	#18
clickclick Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: May 2016 Location: East Coast Posts: 2,903	Originally posted by grhazelton And you need perhaps THREE bodies! Gotta have the winders, if possible with the remote release cable. Anyone got an extra one? An original ever ready case is nice for "formal" occasions, its handsome in black REAL leather and has a discreet little Pentax logo. Don't forget the RF viewfinder for close to the ground work. (Psst! the RF viewfinder from the OM series will also fit.) Look for the AF400T flash. Its powerful, TTL and its flash head will tilt and swivel. Will scorch paint at ten feet. The auxiliary battery pack is good for long sessions. If you're lucky you might score the WA and Tele adapters for the flash head. The LX, AF400T and the battery pack will give you that incredible 1980s pro photographer look, and its combined weight will endear you to your chiropractor! And the list goes on.... There's a ring light with TTL; not too expensive. And of course the 50mm f 1.2 will intimidate the Canikoneers, no small thing in itself. I've come too close a couple times to buying the high speed motor drive, but then I'd have to buy the bulk film magazine for it.... I thought about the AF400T just because, but "settled" on the AF280T. My M50/1.4 looks pretty good on them, but a 1.2 would be nice.

08-19-2017, 09:25 AM	#19
Eyewanders Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Land of the Salish Sea Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 3,343	Originally posted by clickclick I've come too close a couple times to buying the high speed motor drive, but then I'd have to buy the bulk film magazine for it.... I thought about the AF400T just because, but "settled" on the AF280T. My M50/1.4 looks pretty good on them, but a 1.2 would be nice. I actually prefer the M50/1.4 nearly all of the time on the LX simply for portability and balance. The 1.2 feels great on a KX, but in my hand and small bag, the 1.4 enjoys more time on the LX. And, it's far lighter. The LX is the perfect sized shooter for me and for whatever reason I've always felt the 50/1.2 negates that perfection to a small extent.... at least for my running out the door purposes.

08-19-2017, 06:33 PM	#20
wombat2go Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Michigan Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,207	The reason I don't want a winder for the Pentax MX is blowin' in the wind, after C41 session today. https://app.box.com/s/gwv5yxrw9ybt6zmc7n8li3jmdl7yy2x4

08-19-2017, 06:39 PM	#21
Craftsman Forum Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Traveling Posts: 54	Two mint MX bodies and working my way thru the MX accessories. I have two winders,the motordrive with M battery pack and charger,bulk film back, battery grip,bulk film loader, five of the eight focus screens, most of the diopters,90degree as well as the magnifying eyepiece. Not everything but getting there. Now I've been eyeing the LX,

08-19-2017, 07:06 PM	#22
monochrome Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Working From Home Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 26,276	Originally posted by chickentender I actually prefer the M50/1.4 nearly all of the time on the LX simply for portability and balance. The 1.2 feels great on a KX, but in my hand and small bag, the 1.4 enjoys more time on the LX. And, it's far lighter. The LX is the perfect sized shooter for me and for whatever reason I've always felt the 50/1.2 negates that perfection to a small extent.... at least for my running out the door purposes. I've kept a small group of M lenses* that either were given to me or came with a camera I wanted just to use on the LX (and MX). * especially nice - 28/2; 35/2.8; 100/2.8; 150/3.5; 75~150/4 Last edited by monochrome; 08-19-2017 at 07:12 PM.

08-19-2017, 09:50 PM	#23
Eyewanders Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Land of the Salish Sea Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 3,343	Originally posted by monochrome * especially nice - 28/2; 35/2.8; 100/2.8; 150/3.5; 75~150/4 I should follow suit someday, particularly one or two longer Ms - for their size, they're just tiny little gems. I've the M35/2, K24/2.8 (may as well be an M), and M20/4.

08-22-2017, 02:15 PM - 1 Like	#24
Church Key Site Supporter Join Date: Nov 2015 Location: West (By Gawd) Virginia Posts: 133 Original Poster	I just added a Winder LX to the collection. Got it on Fleabay in excellent condition. Only issue is that it has almost too many abilities plus a 16 page instruction manual to explain things. Good grief; they engineered in as many features as they possibly could, using a total of four buttons and dials. It certainly seems well made, but remembering its processing sequence seems to be a PIA. Probably will become a safe queen. Church Key

08-22-2017, 06:49 PM	#25
Craftsman Forum Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Traveling Posts: 54	Originally posted by chickentender I should follow suit someday, particularly one or two longer Ms - for their size, they're just tiny little gems. I've the M35/2, K24/2.8 (may as well be an M), and M20/4. All three really nice and desirable lenses. Might want to add the 100mm f2.8

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09-12-2017, 12:44 PM	#26
skierd Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Fairbanks, AK Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,472	I first read this thread about two weeks ago, and thought about how lucky you are to not have my local camera shop in your town. I stopped in back in June and I found a nice "user" grade Leica M2, minty Canon 35mm 1.5 LTM, VG Canon 50mm f1.2 LTM, and Leitz 90mm f2.8, and clean Canon 19mm f3.5 other than having the previous owner's license number and state etched on it. All told it'd only be about $2500. I stopped in yesterday... and he had a clean LX (with the grid screen, no split prism) and K 85mm 1.8 combo for $650. I know he has an A 20mm f2.8 too, several 50 1.4's and probably a 1.2 hiding somewhere. I could build a very nice and light Pentax film system for about $1400 to rival that M... And here I am trying to swear off film after spending a nice new lens worth of money on developing this summer...

09-12-2017, 05:07 PM	#27
LesDMess Pentaxian Join Date: May 2011 Location: Santa Cruz, CA Photos: Albums Posts: 3,235	Originally posted by skierd I first read this thread about two weeks ago, and thought about how lucky you are to not have my local camera shop in your town. . . . I stopped in yesterday... and he had a clean LX (with the grid screen, no split prism) and K 85mm 1.8 combo for $650. I know he has an A 20mm f2.8 too, several 50 1.4's and probably a 1.2 hiding somewhere. I could build a very nice and light Pentax film system for about $1400 to rival that M... I used to live in the same city as KEH but fortunately they didn't have a "store front". I am sure the LX has no rival by any brand or model - RF or SLR . . .

09-14-2017, 05:35 AM	#28
Lord Lucan Pentaxian Join Date: Sep 2017 Location: South Wales Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,951	The best 35mm film camera ever! It had everything (except an AE lock) yet was straightforward to use. Using it became an instinct for me. As extras I have the motor drive, motor drive pistol grip, waist level finder, about ten K and M lenses including the macro and shift, AF280 flash, hot shoe grip and the 4P flash lead. Sad it was made obsolescent by digital, for which I cannot form the same affection. Mine was bought new £410 at Fox Talbot's shop in London, 1983, and still mint, with the sticky mirror repaired. I still have all the original packaging, guarantee card and manual. I have Geoffrey Crawley's book "Pentax LX System" which is like a super-manual - every LX fan should get a copy - and other books covering Pentax at the time. I also have several of the big glossy brochures for the LX that camera makers used to issue, and some Pentax accessory catalogues of the time (with weird things like the 90 degree mirror adaptor, and the stereo adaptor), and a contemporary Pentax lens poster "The Many Eyes of Pentax". The LX was Pentax's third pitch at the pro market (after the K2 DMD and MX), but they never really made it. The LX was the equal of the Nikon F3 and Canon F1, and in some ways better, but in a smaller package which was perhaps a disadvantage in that market, as it looked more "amateur". Pentax never broke the mould of being seen only as a serious amateur brand. Perhaps the K-1 will change that.

09-14-2017, 07:49 PM - 2 Likes	#29
LesDMess Pentaxian Join Date: May 2011 Location: Santa Cruz, CA Photos: Albums Posts: 3,235	Originally posted by Lord Lucan The best 35mm film camera ever! . . . The LX was the equal of the Nikon F3 and Canon F1, and in some ways better, but in a smaller package which was perhaps a disadvantage in that market, as it looked more "amateur". Pentax never broke the mould of being seen only as a serious amateur brand. You had me at the best camera ever . . . But to say the Nikon F3 and Canon New F-1 were it's equal is just plain wrong. Just in aesthetics alone they're nowhere near the equal of the LX! You should post a review of the LX in the camera review section when you get a chance.

09-17-2017, 05:59 AM	#30
Lord Lucan Pentaxian Join Date: Sep 2017 Location: South Wales Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,951	Originally posted by LesDMess You had me at the best camera ever . . . But to say the Nikon F3 and Canon New F-1 were it's equal is just plain wrong. Just in aesthetics alone they're nowhere near the equal of the LX! I prefer the LX looks with the hot-shoe pentaprism. The non-hot-shoe prism as shown in your picture looks a bit dunce-hattish to me ; it also lacks the aperture viewing window AFAIR. I believe that the smallness of the LX, compared with the Nikon and Canon, worked against it in the pro market. This was because it does not have such a look of "authority" as its rivals, and at a glance appears like many an amateur camera. When you are phographing a wedding, say, crowd control is part of the job, and a big camera acts as a symbol of authority, and also impresses the client that they are getting "value for money". Rightly or wrongly anyway - thats why some wedding and publicity work pros used 35mm film for economy, but put it in a 135 film back on a 6x6 Bronica or Rollei. Incidentally, how did both Canon and Nikon manage to end up with their rival cameras both designated as "F"s? - although there was never a Nikon F1. Originally posted by LesDMess You should post a review of the LX in the camera review section when you get a chance. Will do.