[dave sz]

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not the kind of japanese import I was hoping for...

[vinzer]

Séamuis, that's a seriously wonderful-looking camera. Kudos to you for the great purchase and also to Mike Cash, for helping out a fellow forum member.

[Ratmagiclady]

Pretties!

[legacyb4]

In a nutshell, the note says something along the lines of "as this item was delivered during the wintertime and the item has become as cold as the outdoor temperature, please wait 2-3 hours before use to avoid trouble".

Hope you waited...!

[Mike Cash]

is it totally unused? looks awesome

It was lovingly restored by a gentleman who is a lifelong Pentax user and took up camera restoration as a hobby after he retired. He buys up old Pentax film bodies, gives them an ultrasound cleaning, replaces anything that needs replacing, lubes what needs lubing, and adjusts the shutter speeds as closely to original specifications as he can.

This particular one has brand new shutter curtains and a brand new mirror. The lens that came with it also underwent a cleaning and lube job.

The great thing is that the fellow does this as a hobby and gets his satisfaction from putting these gems back into usable condition and into the hands of people who will use and love them. He sets the opening bid for strictly the amount he has tied up in the purchase of the body and any replacement parts. This camera and lens started at about $25 and we managed to win the auction for about $50. Shipping to me and then on to the US added about another $30. Not at all bad for a such a fine camera fresh off a CLA and ready for a few more decades of service.

In truth, I really would have liked to get the camera for myself and wouldn't mind snagging up every camera the guy restores. But that would go against the spirit of why he's doing it. So I was happy to cooperate with putting one of his babies into a pair of hands I knew would love and use it.

Since I have done business with the gentleman before and trust him implicitly I didn't open the box to inspect the camera before sending it on. I knew that if I opened it I would have a hell of a time bringing myself to box it back up and turn it loose again.

Anyone calling himself a photographer who can hold an SV and not want one of his very own has a hole where his soul ought to be.

[séamuis]

Séamuis - congrats. I thought of asking Mike if he'd help me with that too. Glad you got such a nice SV. Gorgeous.

Since you roll German... The German glass from the same period as the SV was extraordinary. My first camera was an Asahi AP with an Isco-Gottingen Tele-Iscaron 1:2.8/135.

Seriously, try some German glass!

This is not for Pentax, but they are out there... dead sexy stuff...

ISCO TELE-ISCARON 180/2.8 EXAKTA TOPCON lens - eBay (item 360133395573 end time Mar-22-09 17:20:57 PDT)


woof

now I kind of have no choice but to try, thanks...

not the kind of japanese import I was hoping for...

haha.. I was trying to come up with a title that I thought Mike would come up with, he is very witty when it comes to these things, and since he helped me I thought it would be fitting.

Séamuis, that's a seriously wonderful-looking camera. Kudos to you for the great purchase and also to Mike Cash, for helping out a fellow forum member.

yes, I cant thank mike enough for the help, I know he would love to have had it for himself. a very selfless act and considering what was being purchased a show of will power.

Pretties!

you will have a whole new appreciation when you get tour hands on the sightseer SV. just make sure to actually send it to me instead of keeping it and running away.

In a nutshell, the note says something along the lines of "as this item was delivered during the wintertime and the item has become as cold as the outdoor temperature, please wait 2-3 hours before use to avoid trouble".

Hope you waited...!

its not cold here in Georgia. I guess that note would only apply if Mike had decided to keep the camera instead of sending on to me!

In truth, I really would have liked to get the camera for myself and wouldn't mind snagging up every camera the guy restores. But that would go against the spirit of why he's doing it. So I was happy to cooperate with putting one of his babies into a pair of hands I knew would love and use it.

considering the starting prices, I cant blame you for wanting all of them!

Since I have done business with the gentleman before and trust him implicitly I didn't open the box to inspect the camera before sending it on. I knew that if I opened it I would have a hell of a time bringing myself to box it back up and turn it loose again.

then Im glad you didn't.

Anyone calling himself a photographer who can hold an SV and not want one of his very own has a hole where his soul ought to be.

im using that.

[k100d]

wow ... what other cameras does he restore?

[lesmore49]

Very nice, reminds me of my old Penax S1a.

[ftpaddict]

my last Japanese car was a Subaru, but I have been rolling German for quite some time... hmm Ive never used a German camera though... unless my Kodak Retinas count?

Only the early Kodak Retinas were made in Germany. You probably already know the link, but here it is: Photoethnography.com - Photoethnography Equipment

I have a Praktica MTL5 and although it's not as pretty or as refined as any Pentax, its boxy design and clunky shutter have very special appeal to me.

[Mike Cash]

wow ... what other cameras does he restore?

Sometimes an SL and I think he did a KM recently.

[Jonson PL]

What a beauty, it looks like a brand new camera

[séamuis]

What a beauty, it looks like a brand new camera

its certainly not. it has its share of cosmetic issues, as one would expect from a camera this old, and obviously used. but it still looks fantastic, and more importantly, works flawlessly.

[Jonson PL]

its certainly not. it has its share of cosmetic issues, as one would expect from a camera this old, and obviously used. but it still looks fantastic, and more importantly, works flawlessly.

Maybe it was just your pictures that were good then


I hadn't heard about this one before, so looked it up :
"Introduced in 1962, the Asahi Pentax SV (known as the Honeywell Pentax HV in the U.S.) represented the opposite pole of SLR development to Nippon Kogaku's Nikon F which was three years old at the time.

Where the Nikon is a rough tough bruiser built to take on anything the user can throw at it, the SV is almost a jewel: compact, precise and beautifully finished. Despite its delicate appearance, though, the Pentax is very nearly as tough as the Nikon and there are still plenty of examples on the used camera market, many of which have obviously survived years of heavy use.

Prime among the Pentax SV's qualities is its marvellous feel, which led the Rank Organisation, Asahi's UK importers, to initiate the 'Just Hold a Pentax' campaign. This was so successful that it spread around the world, boosting Asahi's sales at just the point where they faced increasing competition from a burgeoning SLR Market."
Asahi Pentax SV

It was lovingly restored by a gentleman who is a lifelong Pentax user and took up camera restoration as a hobby after he retired. He buys up old Pentax film bodies, gives them an ultrasound cleaning, replaces anything that needs replacing, lubes what needs lubing, and adjusts the shutter speeds as closely to original specifications as he can.

This particular one has brand new shutter curtains and a brand new mirror. The lens that came with it also underwent a cleaning and lube job.

The great thing is that the fellow does this as a hobby and gets his satisfaction from putting these gems back into usable condition and into the hands of people who will use and love them. He sets the opening bid for strictly the amount he has tied up in the purchase of the body and any replacement parts. This camera and lens started at about $25 and we managed to win the auction for about $50. Shipping to me and then on to the US added about another $30. Not at all bad for a such a fine camera fresh off a CLA and ready for a few more decades of service.

In truth, I really would have liked to get the camera for myself and wouldn't mind snagging up every camera the guy restores. But that would go against the spirit of why he's doing it. So I was happy to cooperate with putting one of his babies into a pair of hands I knew would love and use it.

Since I have done business with the gentleman before and trust him implicitly I didn't open the box to inspect the camera before sending it on.

Does he have a site, where the stuff can be seen ?

[Jonson PL]

Here is one, which looks like a somewhat similar model :



I guess it depends on whether from U.S. market or not. (And I guess SV was the top model).



I also found some more related articles. Didn't now much about these pre K-mount cameras :
Pentax SV and H1a -- differences? - Photo.net Classic Manual Cameras Forum



The Camera Collector - PENTAX H1a Revival



Screwmount

[woof]

Here is one, which looks like a somewhat similar model

That's an H1a/S1a In this case, definitely an H1a (Honeywell).

Comparison of various models here:

History of Early Pentax

woof