Pentax P series vs K-1000 for beginner

rhysbethell · 10-14-2008, 03:51 AM

Hi,

Haven't even bought a camera yet, but looking into buying a nice little pentax for black and white work. My girlfriend has a P30t, which is very nice. I've seen a P30n on ebay with a few lenses for £19.99, but I've seen a lot of posts praising the K-1000 for its great beginner 'qualities'. Seen a lot of posts with general praise for the ME Super too, don't know what to do!!

Any help would be great!

Cheers

Rhys

montecarlo · 10-14-2008, 05:45 AM

I like the P50 more which is closer to P30n.
As pluses:
-P50 has Aperture priority, Manual and Program (two programs)
-DOF preview (ME Super does not)
-The readings in the VF are very clear and very easy to read and does not thave thet annoing for me, OVER/UNDEREXPOSURE signals. Just indicates you the right and exact shutter speed to select (blinking light) and the selected speed (continuous light). Much, much more easy to work in manual mode this way.
-Has exposure compansation with +3EV and -3EV in half steps (0.5EV) (ME SUper has only 2EV I think)
-Has Exposure lock (ME Super does not have it)
-Has top LCD like modern d/SLRs

-Has buttons for setting the shutter speeds, the exposure compensation, the operating modes which can be done using only one finger not like the dial which, at leas in my case, I need two fingers to operate it. (same for ME Super and A series)
-The light meter seemd to be very good , precise and reliable.
-Same ME winder can be mounted on the camera.
-Looks and is a sturdy little camera even if has more plastic in its construction than the M and K series.
and other pluses.
-Easy to find and cheap batteries.

Minuses of the P50 ans P series:
-ISO of the film can not be set manually. The camera reads the DX code of the film. If no DX code is detected the camera uses 100 ISO as default.
-smaller VF than ME Super (the magnification).
-No mechanical speeds - does not work without batteries but the batteries used are easy to finf and cheap.
-No 1/2000 and 2s, 4s shutter speeds like ME Super but the same speed as K1000 and MX (1/1000 to 1sec.).

I made here a small review of it but it is in Romanian http://www.fotomozaic.ro/artikel.php?s=1&categ=0&idstory=229
At the end you can see som photos made with it, untoutched using also moder, AF , DA kit lens (18-55). Can be used this lens too but only in program mode
Translation by GOOGLE

http://translate.google.com/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fotomozaic.ro%2Fart...hl=en&ie=UTF-8

the P series :
Pentax P-Series Film Bodies

and some manuals: Pentax Manuals
or Pentax Imaging - Manuals & Literature

Goodluck.

KungPOW · 10-14-2008, 01:01 PM

This weekend I gave my sister a K1000 to use. She has never used an SLR of any type before.

I came to realise that the K1000 is not so much a great beginer's camera, as it is a great instructor's camera.

It only has the minimum features you need to take a photo. This made it a great deal easier to explain to a complete beginer.

Shutter
Aperture
Focus
"Center the needle"
ASA (ISO)
Advance lever
Load and unload.

Done.

bobrapp · 10-15-2008, 11:22 AM

Originally posted by rhysbethell

Hi,

Haven't even bought a camera yet, but looking into buying a nice little pentax for black and white work. My girlfriend has a P30t, which is very nice. I've seen a P30n on ebay with a few lenses for £19.99, but I've seen a lot of posts praising the K-1000 for its great beginner 'qualities'. Seen a lot of posts with general praise for the ME Super too, don't know what to do!!

Any help would be great!

Cheers

Rhys

It really depends - on what you expect a camera to do or what you would expect to learn. I would never consider giving my wife a K1000 and the A, P series or ME would work just fine.

If you are interested in learning photography and want the most from your exposures (learning curve required) then a mechanical camera would be the go. In addition to the K1000, the KX or MX should also be considered. I use my mechanical cameras over auto-exposure 10 to 1.

rhysbethell · 10-15-2008, 11:49 AM

Originally posted by bobrapp

It really depends - on what you expect a camera to do or what you would expect to learn. I would never consider giving my wife a K1000 and the A, P series or ME would work just fine.

If you are interested in learning photography and want the most from your exposures (learning curve required) then a mechanical camera would be the go. In addition to the K1000, the KX or MX should also be considered. I use my mechanical cameras over auto-exposure 10 to 1.

Well I've only ever used a point and shoot, so I really want to get to grip with the basics of making a photo look good. I'm wanting to do as much as I can. We're coming to America in November and are 'seeing the sights', so I want my picture of the Grand Canyon to look great! My girlfriend is really interested in photography, (but doesn't know a great deal about models) and will teach me as I go. By the way, why would you never consder giving your wife a K1000?

Thanks for the replys so far!

rhysbethell · 10-15-2008, 12:01 PM

Originally posted by ChrisPlatt

The P bodies all offer autoexposure modes. AE is a great convenience, but IMO one should master exposure first.

I would choose the K1000 mainly because it is a manual exposure only camera.
This will force you to always think about the interrelationship of shutter speed and aperture.

My wife learned photography with a K1000 and has continued to use hers for 25 years.
IMO it is near perfect for learning the fundamentals of photography.

That said I think the P series are very nice, underappreciated cameras.
I recently bought my wife a P3n and myself a P30-T...

Chris

by the way...can you turn the AE off? The P series on ebay are a lot cheaper than the K-1000 (and sometimes come with a couple of lenses too), so if I could turn it off I wouldn't use it...Promise!

bobrapp · 10-15-2008, 01:11 PM

Originally posted by rhysbethell

By the way, why would you never consder giving your wife a K1000?

Thanks for the replys so far!

I have known my wife for 37 years - I would not make the same mistake twice!!

montecarlo · 10-16-2008, 04:11 AM

Originally posted by rhysbethell

by the way...can you turn the AE off? The P series on ebay are a lot cheaper than the K-1000 (and sometimes come with a couple of lenses too), so if I could turn it off I wouldn't use it...Promise!

Remember that there is Pentax P30 (P3) (not P50, P30n or P30t) which does not have Av (aperture priority) , only Program mode (one program) but usable only with KA Pentax mount lenses (those with letter/position "A" on the aperture ring). So it's as manual as K1000 (well, less the ISO settings which are made automatically through reading the film's DX code in the case of the P30).

rhysbethell · 10-16-2008, 12:52 PM

Just to let you know, I ended up going with a P30n. I just won one with a couple of lenses on ebay for £31. I'll let you know how I get on! Thanks for all the info, I'm totally new to the photography thing so I need all the help I can get.

10-14-2008, 03:51 AM	#1
rhysbethell New Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Sheffield, UK Posts: 5	Pentax P series vs K-1000 for beginner Hi, Haven't even bought a camera yet, but looking into buying a nice little pentax for black and white work. My girlfriend has a P30t, which is very nice. I've seen a P30n on ebay with a few lenses for £19.99, but I've seen a lot of posts praising the K-1000 for its great beginner 'qualities'. Seen a lot of posts with general praise for the ME Super too, don't know what to do!! Any help would be great! Cheers Rhys

10-14-2008, 05:45 AM	#2
montecarlo Inactive Account Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts: 161	I like the P50 more which is closer to P30n. As pluses: -P50 has Aperture priority, Manual and Program (two programs) -DOF preview (ME Super does not) -The readings in the VF are very clear and very easy to read and does not thave thet annoing for me, OVER/UNDEREXPOSURE signals. Just indicates you the right and exact shutter speed to select (blinking light) and the selected speed (continuous light). Much, much more easy to work in manual mode this way. -Has exposure compansation with +3EV and -3EV in half steps (0.5EV) (ME SUper has only 2EV I think) -Has Exposure lock (ME Super does not have it) -Has top LCD like modern d/SLRs -Has buttons for setting the shutter speeds, the exposure compensation, the operating modes which can be done using only one finger not like the dial which, at leas in my case, I need two fingers to operate it. (same for ME Super and A series) -The light meter seemd to be very good , precise and reliable. -Same ME winder can be mounted on the camera. -Looks and is a sturdy little camera even if has more plastic in its construction than the M and K series. and other pluses. -Easy to find and cheap batteries. Minuses of the P50 ans P series: -ISO of the film can not be set manually. The camera reads the DX code of the film. If no DX code is detected the camera uses 100 ISO as default. -smaller VF than ME Super (the magnification). -No mechanical speeds - does not work without batteries but the batteries used are easy to finf and cheap. -No 1/2000 and 2s, 4s shutter speeds like ME Super but the same speed as K1000 and MX (1/1000 to 1sec.). I made here a small review of it but it is in Romanian http://www.fotomozaic.ro/artikel.php?s=1&categ=0&idstory=229 At the end you can see som photos made with it, untoutched using also moder, AF , DA kit lens (18-55). Can be used this lens too but only in program mode Translation by GOOGLE http://translate.google.com/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fotomozaic.ro%2Fart...hl=en&ie=UTF-8 the P series : Pentax P-Series Film Bodies and some manuals: Pentax Manuals or Pentax Imaging - Manuals & Literature Goodluck. Last edited by montecarlo; 10-14-2008 at 05:52 AM.

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10-14-2008, 01:01 PM	#3
KungPOW Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Vancouver, Canada Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,699	This weekend I gave my sister a K1000 to use. She has never used an SLR of any type before. I came to realise that the K1000 is not so much a great beginer's camera, as it is a great instructor's camera. It only has the minimum features you need to take a photo. This made it a great deal easier to explain to a complete beginer. Shutter Aperture Focus "Center the needle" ASA (ISO) Advance lever Load and unload. Done.

10-15-2008, 11:22 AM	#4
bobrapp Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Grand Junction Colorado Posts: 209	Originally posted by rhysbethell Hi, Haven't even bought a camera yet, but looking into buying a nice little pentax for black and white work. My girlfriend has a P30t, which is very nice. I've seen a P30n on ebay with a few lenses for £19.99, but I've seen a lot of posts praising the K-1000 for its great beginner 'qualities'. Seen a lot of posts with general praise for the ME Super too, don't know what to do!! Any help would be great! Cheers Rhys It really depends - on what you expect a camera to do or what you would expect to learn. I would never consider giving my wife a K1000 and the A, P series or ME would work just fine. If you are interested in learning photography and want the most from your exposures (learning curve required) then a mechanical camera would be the go. In addition to the K1000, the KX or MX should also be considered. I use my mechanical cameras over auto-exposure 10 to 1.

10-15-2008, 11:49 AM	#5
rhysbethell New Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Sheffield, UK Posts: 5 Original Poster	Originally posted by bobrapp It really depends - on what you expect a camera to do or what you would expect to learn. I would never consider giving my wife a K1000 and the A, P series or ME would work just fine. If you are interested in learning photography and want the most from your exposures (learning curve required) then a mechanical camera would be the go. In addition to the K1000, the KX or MX should also be considered. I use my mechanical cameras over auto-exposure 10 to 1. Well I've only ever used a point and shoot, so I really want to get to grip with the basics of making a photo look good. I'm wanting to do as much as I can. We're coming to America in November and are 'seeing the sights', so I want my picture of the Grand Canyon to look great! My girlfriend is really interested in photography, (but doesn't know a great deal about models) and will teach me as I go. By the way, why would you never consder giving your wife a K1000? Thanks for the replys so far!

10-15-2008, 12:01 PM	#6
rhysbethell New Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Sheffield, UK Posts: 5 Original Poster	Originally posted by ChrisPlatt The P bodies all offer autoexposure modes. AE is a great convenience, but IMO one should master exposure first. I would choose the K1000 mainly because it is a manual exposure only camera. This will force you to always think about the interrelationship of shutter speed and aperture. My wife learned photography with a K1000 and has continued to use hers for 25 years. IMO it is near perfect for learning the fundamentals of photography. That said I think the P series are very nice, underappreciated cameras. I recently bought my wife a P3n and myself a P30-T... Chris by the way...can you turn the AE off? The P series on ebay are a lot cheaper than the K-1000 (and sometimes come with a couple of lenses too), so if I could turn it off I wouldn't use it...Promise!

10-15-2008, 01:11 PM	#7
bobrapp Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Grand Junction Colorado Posts: 209	Originally posted by rhysbethell By the way, why would you never consder giving your wife a K1000? Thanks for the replys so far! I have known my wife for 37 years - I would not make the same mistake twice!!

10-16-2008, 04:11 AM	#8
montecarlo Inactive Account Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts: 161	Originally posted by rhysbethell by the way...can you turn the AE off? The P series on ebay are a lot cheaper than the K-1000 (and sometimes come with a couple of lenses too), so if I could turn it off I wouldn't use it...Promise! Remember that there is Pentax P30 (P3) (not P50, P30n or P30t) which does not have Av (aperture priority) , only Program mode (one program) but usable only with KA Pentax mount lenses (those with letter/position "A" on the aperture ring). So it's as manual as K1000 (well, less the ISO settings which are made automatically through reading the film's DX code in the case of the P30).

10-16-2008, 12:52 PM	#9
rhysbethell New Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Sheffield, UK Posts: 5 Original Poster	Just to let you know, I ended up going with a P30n. I just won one with a couple of lenses on ebay for £31. I'll let you know how I get on! Thanks for all the info, I'm totally new to the photography thing so I need all the help I can get.

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