[stevebrot]

I'm afraid the years have made me forget the little details
until reminded. In regards to the film door thing, we are both right, and both wrong. The early production P3ns had the metal film door, but the later ones had the plastic door like the P30t. I have had 3 P3ns over the years, and they all had the plastic door. That being said, I do remember seeing a metal door example at a camera show once. I have no idea how many were made with one door versus the other.

Mine had a metal door, though it would not surprise me that later copies would have plastic.

And a photo "compliments of" pacific rim camera:

That is a very intriguing screen. I think I like it. I also noticed that the metal bottom plate is also nicely called out. I am quite fond of Pacific Rim Camera and have purchased many the odd item from them over the years, the most recent being a cosmetically perfect CZJ Pancolar 50/2 in Exakta mount with a stuck aperture.

There are two versions of the P3/P30 - it is the later one that has the shutter release socket and the rectangular microprism area. They look identical unless you notice the socket on the side. I currently have examples of both.

One learns something new every day. Since you have both, perhaps you can ask the mods to update the review description on this site with a photo(s) of your variant.


Steve

[Steve Beswick]

I'd like to try that rectangular prism screen, but not at the expense of av mode. Oh well.

[Lord Lucan]

If we were to start a thread for the most over-rated pentax film SLR then I suspect the K1000 would come out on top.... it's the K1000 that gets the fame, purely due to it's longevity in the line-up.

And the Number sold. .... The market usually will tell you what your best options are

But isn't that the point here? Part of "being over-rated" means being popular in the market beyond what is merited. The greater the sales numbers of anything (cars, computer systems), the more I tend to question if it is being overrated, knowing that people tend to follow a crowd.

Cost, Quality, & performance for the all round Photographer

On cost, in the UK around 1985 a K1000 cost more than the MX (around £135 vs £125 AFAIR - I might even be able to find some old price lists), despite the MX being superior on several counts. They were equivalent cameras in being manual only, but the MX was certainly more expensive to manufacture, so it seems that Pentax or the retailers were cashing in on the those art and photography course students and others insisting on a K1000.

There are specific usages that require a limited type of equipment response e.g. medium format for studio work etc. But in the 80's the K1000 was my platform for Aerial , Industrial, Commercial , Landscape , Exterior portraiture and even a lot of Interior and Studio photography.

I'm not clear why you should think a K1000 should be specifically required for those usages, rather than the contemporary KX, MX or ME Super for example.

courses at Universities & Colleges across Canada that without fail I believe used the K1000 for basic to advanced tutorial.

... and in the UK. Art and photography course leaders told starting students to go out and buy one, as they were reliable and relatively cheap. Therefore a lot of "arty" young people were using them, so they acquired a status of trendiness, even though most of the students would not have had a clue what they were buying at the time. The same students also remembered them with affection (or kept them) in later years. But affection and status do not in themselves make something good.

The K1000 was far from over-rated and was quite often under-rated by some with no knowledge of it's capabilities & construction Quality.

Maybe by some people for those reasons, but not me. The earlier K1000s had equal or better build quality and used the same lenses as any other Pentax camera of its time. Get the right exposure and focus and its pictures would be exactly as good as from any other - MX, LX, P3, whatever. But it was not superior as some people claim; in fact it spent its life as Pentax's bottom-of-the-range offering (notwithstanding the MX price tag dipping below it for a time), both back in its early days among the K-series (when it was a KM with its modest "extras" removed, itself a Spotmatic F with a K lens mount), and in its later years among the M and A-Series.

BTW, with "overrated" I mean in the world generally, not necessarily in the reviews on this website.

[monochrome]

I've thought the affinity for K1000 over KM / KX odd going back more than 15 years, when a PDML member posted a 'Pentax Camera' survey of the members*, K1000 received the 7th most votes. Why wouldn't a KX or KM get more love? Probably because few people even know they exist. The surprise to me on that list is the MZ-3 at number 5.

Personally, I think the SV is sublime. Definitely overlooked, as stated above.


* This poll is discussed here The “Best” Pentax Cameras | The K-Mount Page on the 'new' Boz's K-Mount page. Responsibility for maintaining the website has recently been taken over by 'German Pentaxians'.

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Last edited by monochrome; 10-02-2017 at 01:09 PM.

[honey bo bo]

You must have pinched your ????? in the film door of K1000 that has damaged your relationship with one so unrepairably. Off to the Bailer in a Salvage Yard you overrated scoundrels.

But isn't that the point here? Part of "being over-rated" means being popular in the market beyond what is merited. The greater the sales numbers of anything (cars, computer systems), the more I tend to question if it is being overrated, knowing that people tend to follow a crowd.


People gravitate to Value!


On cost, in the UK around 1985 a K1000 cost more than the MX (around £135 vs £125 AFAIR - I might even be able to find some old price lists), despite the MX being superior on several counts. They were equivalent cameras in being manual only, but the MX was certainly more expensive to manufacture, so it seems that Pentax or the retailers were cashing in on the those art and photography course students and others insisting on a K1000.



People gravitate to Value !


I'm not clear why you should think a K1000 should be specifically required for those usages, rather than the contemporary KX, MX or ME Super for example.



People gravitate to value!


... and in the UK. Art and photography course leaders told starting students to go out and buy one, as they were reliable and relatively cheap. Therefore a lot of "arty" young people were using them, so they acquired a status of trendiness, even though most of the students would not have had a clue what they were buying at the time. The same students also remembered them with affection (or kept them) in later years. But affection and status do not in themselves make something good.


People gravitate to value! Incl even sum Professors of which I was One.



Maybe by some people for those reasons, but not me. The earlier K1000s had equal or better build quality and used the same lenses as any other Pentax camera of its time. Get the right exposure and focus and its pictures would be exactly as good as from any other - MX, LX, P3, whatever. But it was not superior as some people claim; in fact it spent its life as Pentax's bottom-of-the-range offering (notwithstanding the MX price tag dipping below it for a time), both back in its early days among the K-series (when it was a KM with its modest "extras" removed, itself a Spotmatic F with a K lens mount), and in its later years among the M and A-Series.

BTW, with "overrated" I mean in the world generally, not necessarily in the reviews on this website.

People gravitate to Value! & (Over 25 Million Lens with K mount)

Additionally I Have a ME Super & motor drive, Bronika ETR and Yashica D's all of which I still have and in the 80's were used for specific jobs sparingly but the K1000's were my money makers. That and Kodak Slide and Negative film especially Ektar 125. I did my own Print processing up to 36" Colour & B&W. 8' X 4' panels for Industrial shows had to be done in Toronto. The K1000 was underrated by a handful of Pentaxians most Nikor groupies and Canonites didn't know there were other cameras manufactured in the world.