[bm75]

Besides the obvious superiority of the metering system there are other reasons why a LX is one of the best camera ever:

1) Size: if you are doing photography and you need to walk for many hours you will immediately realise a Nikon F2 or a Canon F-1 are bricks, especially with long or fast lenses. A LX with a M 50mm f1.4 or a 85mm f2.0 is tiny and handy.

2) System camera with interchangeble screens, prisms etc...like the F2 and the F1.

3) Bright viewfinder.

4) While not as strong as a F2 or an F1, it's definitely a high duty camera, in comparison a MX or a Super A feels firmsly.

The downside is of course that servicing is more expensive, but again for me it's worth of. If I had to choose to keep a single SLR in my collection that would be the LX.

That's exactly what I'm looking for. And given the fact that I like long exposures, it seems that the superior metering system of the LX would be a big plus.

[ChrisPlatt]

Many years ago when I was a new photographer I tried nighttime color photography.
I excitedly experimented with long exposures with my first autoexposure cameras.

The odd, otherworldly colors in my images were to me both shocking and disappointing.
Perhaps today's municipal lighting (LEDs etc.) and films would yield more lifelike colors.

Member tuco is probably on to something; perhaps I should have limited myself to BW.

Chris

[tuco]

These two test shots were done at home with no extra lighting, with my LX, shooting Acros 100. I was testing the long exposures, using aperture priority.

The first shot is using the K100/4 macro and the exposure was around 10 seconds.
The second is with the K50/4 macro and the #3 extension tube. This expose was over 30 seconds and I though the camera had malfunctioned. But alas it was just LX doing its thing.

Phil.

That's interesting and a good application. The extension tube requires more exposure. But that's not a reciprocity correction.

[monochrome]

That's interesting and a good application. The extension tube requires more exposure. But that's not a reciprocity correction.

How would the camera know what film is loaded so that it could adjust metering for long exposure reciprocity? As LesDMess wrote above, the photographer sets exposure compensation to account for the particular film and lets the camera meter accordingly. If that’s the case it takes experience and practice, but the OTF metering is still an awesome feature of the LX.

All this posting has raised my interest. I got the LX out of the drawer this morning and installed fresh batteries. If only we had some sun. Then again, with a tripod and some water protection, who needs light?

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Last edited by monochrome; 05-26-2019 at 07:19 PM.

[gofour3]

But that's not a reciprocity correction.

Exactly.

That's why I used Acros as it is/was good at long exposures with no compensation needed. For other film you still need to add some exposure compensation for long exposures. (The LX is not going to fix that for you)

Phil.

[LesDMess]

Before the Pentax LX the Olympus OM-2 had real-time OTF metering.
Specifications state maximum autoexposure time was 60 seconds,
but it was in fact unlimited - until the batteries were exhausted.
In the OM-2n Olympus limited actual exposure time to 120 seconds.

If film reciprocity wasn't real I can't imagine why film manufacturers
would spend so much time quantifying it and publishing specifications.

IMO it is unlikely that the relatively primitive electronics of the OM-2 or LX
can account for the different reciprocities of so many available film types.

Chris

The original OM-2 was one of the cameras I tested and autoexposure time maxes at 19 minutes but only with ASA 12. You can read more about it at Camtech OM-2.

I had the Canon 1VHS and it has no facilities for film types and reciprocities and is limited to a maximum of 30 seconds autoexposure time. In fact, all Canons - films and digis, with aperture priority autoexposure are limited to 30 seconds.

[disconnekt]

Since you plan on doing long exposure photography, Fuji is releasing Acros II sometime this fall.

[Cuthbert]

That's exactly what I'm looking for. And given the fact that I like long exposures, it seems that the superior metering system of the LX would be a big plus.

Also I found the K2DMD has the same "infinite" exposure time feature.

Besides these two Pentaxes, Praktica B series can reach 45 seconds of exposure before shutting down at any ISO rate, the Canon F-1AE I think reaches 30 seconds.