Pentax K2 vs K1000

**monochrome** · 05-01-2009, 07:27 PM

Uhmmm, for the price of a K-7 you can own a K1000, KM, KX AND K2 - and if you get really lucky, a K2DMD - have Eric CLA them all, forget arguing about which is better and have $500 left over for film.

.

Erasmo · 05-07-2009, 03:44 AM

I have a K1000 and it's really my film camera of choice. I wonder if it has to do something with the fact that i own a 2CV

Jonson PL · 08-11-2009, 10:35 PM

Originally posted by monochrome

The best feature? Split-image focusing screen - although the viewfinder internal blinds are pretty cool.

Cool, does the regular K2 also have VF blinds ?
or other Pentax K-mount MF cams ?

(I know that the Spotmatic ESII also had it : https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/692721-post32.html)

8540tomg · 08-12-2009, 05:54 AM

Originally posted by Jonson PL

Cool, does the regular K2 also have VF blinds ?
or other Pentax K-mount MF cams ?

(I know that the Spotmatic ESII also had it : https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/692721-post32.html)

Nice shot Monochrome. Camera porn at its best.

Yes, The K2 and K2 DMD shared the same Seiko shutter.

The was some discussion about this shutter, mirror lockup and vibration in another forum:

K2 shutter vibration question

From the Kent Gittings post above.

"When (Herbert) Keppler did a test (POP, June 99) of cameras with and without the
mirror locked up, the biggest difference was around 1/15th of a second,
where locking up the mirror could increase the resolution from a 135 mm lens
by 80%.

If you use a long exposure, like a few seconds, it won't make that much
difference, since the vibrations will occur only for a small percentage of
the time the exposure is underway. With a 5 second exposure, Keppler found
that there was no difference in resolution with or without the mirror locked
up. This might be why Mark Roberts likes his K2 "with small apertures, long
shutter speeds."

When Popular Photography tested the K2 (December 1976) they reported the
shutter vibration was about 0.7 volts, double the average of cameras tested
up to that time. (For the cloth focal plane shutter MX, by contrast, the
vibration level was about 0.2 volts)."

Interesting.

Cheers

Tom G

Last edited by 8540tomg; 08-14-2009 at 04:27 AM. Reason: typo

**gofour3** · 08-12-2009, 12:49 PM

Thanks Tom good article on the K2 shutter, yes it is quite different from the KX.
I did a night shoot two weeks ago with one of my K2s and had no issues using the mirror lockup and shutter speeds down to 4 seconds. The slides look good and you can read the signs from lit up restaurants. Have you had any vibration issues?

This is one big difference that the K2 has over the KX, is the shutter speeds up to 8 seconds and the better mirror lockup button. Before when I used my KX at night, I would have to use the B setting and count off the seconds.

Phil.

8540tomg · 08-12-2009, 01:01 PM

Originally posted by gofour3

Thanks Tom good article on the K2 shutter, yes it is quite different from the KX.
I did a night shoot two weeks ago with one of my K2s and had no issues using the mirror lockup and shutter speeds down to 4 seconds. The slides look good and you can read the signs from lit up restaurants. Have you had any vibration issues?

This is one big difference that the K2 has over the KX, is the shutter speeds up to 8 seconds and the better mirror lockup button. Before when I used my KX at night, I would have to use the B setting and count off the seconds.

Phil.

Phil,

Never had any issues with the K2 in any way. I suspect this vibration thing was the pixel peeping of the 1970's.

Tom G

Jonson PL · 08-12-2009, 01:54 PM

Originally posted by 8540tomg

Nice shot Monochroome. Camera porn at its best.

Yes, The K2 and K2 DMD shared the same Seiko shutter.

I found a K2 at KEH. They did write that it had :
Vertical moving, metal blade Seiko MF focal plane shutter.

But also lined up differences between K2 and K2DMD :
"Pentax K2DMD (Data Motor Drive): Produced simultaneously with the K2 until 1980. Similar to the K2 except for the addition of: Use of Motor Drive MD and Data Back MD. F/stop info and exposure compensation warning visible in VF, Eyepiece blind, low battery warning and AE lock."

So maybe the later K2DMD had eyepiece blind, but the K2 didn't ?

8540tomg · 08-12-2009, 02:37 PM

Nesster,

Since you appear to have access to a number of old photo magazines perhaps you have Popular Photography December 1976? It seems there was a review of the K2 in that issue. I'd be curious to see what they had to say. It seems they noted shutter vibration was alittle on the high side from the above excerpt. I wonder how it did overall.

Anyone have a copy of Popular Photography around the house?

Tom G

Jonson PL · 08-12-2009, 03:16 PM

Originally posted by 8540tomg

Nesster,

Since you appear to have access to a number of old photo magazines perhaps you have Popular Photography December 1976? It seems there was a review of the K2 in that issue. I'd be curious to see what they had to say. It seems they noted shutter vibration was alittle on the high side from the above excerpt. I wonder how it did overall.

Anyone have a copy of Popular Photography around the house?

Tom G

Actually, I was just going through some of Nesster’s previous threads; finding old adds.
Maybe these could be of help :
https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/pentax-film-slr-discussion/65471-1977-pen...directory.html

https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/pentax-film-slr-discussion/48965-special-...s-bayonet.html

**monochrome** · 08-12-2009, 03:54 PM

Tom: The internal VF blind was offered on the K2DMD, not the K2. It is selected on the shutter speed dial.

Unfortunately I had a financial reversal last spring and sold my K2DMD to Chris Platt. At least it went to a worthy member. I'll get another someday.

8540tomg · 08-12-2009, 04:08 PM

Originally posted by monochrome

Tom: The internal VF blind was offered on the K2DMD, not the K2. It is selected on the shutter speed dial.

Unfortunately I had a financial reversal last spring and sold my K2DMD to Chris Platt. At least it went to a worthy member. I'll get another someday.

Duhhh!

Sorry for some reason I mistook the V in VF for the Seiko shutter as it was vertical run. You are, of course, correct. The K2 did not have a VF blind. On the bright side we opened up a discussion on the K2 shutter.

Cheers

Tom G

**monochrome** · 08-12-2009, 04:50 PM

Originally posted by 8540tomg

Duhhh!

Sorry for some reason I mistook the V in VF for the Seiko shutter as it was vertical run. You are, of course, correct. The K2 did not have a VF blind. On the bright side we opened up a discussion on the K2 shutter.

Cheers

Tom G

Yes, the K2 shutter is sublime.

I still haven't found a K2 that the ASA ring doesn't stick on, though - Even after Eric had one of them three times.

I should just be happy with my KX, a small complement of my favorite K lenses and quit messing around in the Marketplace and eBay.

A K-7 and the three FA Limited, plus the manual kit, would be everything I could ever dream of needing :ugh:

8540tomg · 08-12-2009, 05:03 PM

Quote:

Snip

Yes, the K2 shutter is sublime.

I still haven't found a K2 that the ASA ring doesn't stick on, though - Even after Eric had one of them three times.

I should just be happy with my KX, a small complement of my favorite K lenses and quit messing around in the Marketplace and eBay.

Monochrome,

I took out my K2 again today and ran through the various features. I must be lucky but the ASA on my K2 rotates smoothly and easily. It was quite stiff when I purchased it but CLA took care of the issue.

I had a chance at a K2DMD many years ago but didn't bite as it was pretty beat up. I got a very nice K2 instead. The K2 ad K2DMD had an amazing feature set for their time. In keeping with the spirit of this thread you could use them like a K1000 if you wanted to but it sure was nice to have all the extras.

Even my MX seems pretty Spartan in comparison. A very nice and under appreciated camera that got lost in the miniaturization craze of the late 1970s.

Tom G

**gofour3** · 08-13-2009, 07:24 AM

Originally posted by 8540tomg

Monochrome,

I took out my K2 again today and ran through the various features. I must be lucky but the ASA on my K2 rotates smoothly and easily. It was quite stiff when I purchased it but CLA took care of the issue.

I had a chance at a K2DMD many years ago but didn't bite as it was pretty beat up. I got a very nice K2 instead. The K2 ad K2DMD had an amazing feature set for their time. In keeping with the spirit of this thread you could use them like a K1000 if you wanted to but it sure was nice to have all the extras.

Even my MX seems pretty Spartan in comparison. A very nice and under appreciated camera that got lost in the miniaturization craze of the late 1970s.

Tom G

The ASA rings on my K2s are now both OK as well. My first black one was OK when I bought it, but Eric had to fix my silver K2 ASA ring and it's much better now.

Still wish Pentax had used a dial, like on the KX...

Phil

Blue · 08-13-2009, 08:41 AM

The Mamiya NC1000 and NC1000s had a dial like the K2 that did the film speed and shutter speed. This camera is the size of the MX and probably a little lighter. Its like the SuperProgram however in that with no batteries it is of limited use.

08-12-2009, 01:01 PM	#51
8540tomg Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Waterloo, Ontario Photos: Gallery Posts: 4,461 Original Poster	Originally posted by gofour3 Thanks Tom good article on the K2 shutter, yes it is quite different from the KX. I did a night shoot two weeks ago with one of my K2s and had no issues using the mirror lockup and shutter speeds down to 4 seconds. The slides look good and you can read the signs from lit up restaurants. Have you had any vibration issues? This is one big difference that the K2 has over the KX, is the shutter speeds up to 8 seconds and the better mirror lockup button. Before when I used my KX at night, I would have to use the B setting and count off the seconds. Phil. Phil, Never had any issues with the K2 in any way. I suspect this vibration thing was the pixel peeping of the 1970's. Tom G Last edited by 8540tomg; 08-12-2009 at 01:25 PM. Reason: typo

08-12-2009, 02:37 PM	#53
8540tomg Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Waterloo, Ontario Photos: Gallery Posts: 4,461 Original Poster	K2 reviews Nesster, Since you appear to have access to a number of old photo magazines perhaps you have Popular Photography December 1976? It seems there was a review of the K2 in that issue. I'd be curious to see what they had to say. It seems they noted shutter vibration was alittle on the high side from the above excerpt. I wonder how it did overall. Anyone have a copy of Popular Photography around the house? Tom G

08-12-2009, 05:03 PM	#58
8540tomg Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Waterloo, Ontario Photos: Gallery Posts: 4,461 Original Poster	Quote: Snip Yes, the K2 shutter is sublime. I still haven't found a K2 that the ASA ring doesn't stick on, though - Even after Eric had one of them three times. I should just be happy with my KX, a small complement of my favorite K lenses and quit messing around in the Marketplace and eBay. Monochrome, I took out my K2 again today and ran through the various features. I must be lucky but the ASA on my K2 rotates smoothly and easily. It was quite stiff when I purchased it but CLA took care of the issue. I had a chance at a K2DMD many years ago but didn't bite as it was pretty beat up. I got a very nice K2 instead. The K2 ad K2DMD had an amazing feature set for their time. In keeping with the spirit of this thread you could use them like a K1000 if you wanted to but it sure was nice to have all the extras. Even my MX seems pretty Spartan in comparison. A very nice and under appreciated camera that got lost in the miniaturization craze of the late 1970s. Tom G Last edited by 8540tomg; 08-12-2009 at 05:07 PM. Reason: typo

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05-01-2009, 07:27 PM	#46
monochrome Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Working From Home Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 26,276	Uhmmm, for the price of a K-7 you can own a K1000, KM, KX AND K2 - and if you get really lucky, a K2DMD - have Eric CLA them all, forget arguing about which is better and have $500 left over for film. .

05-07-2009, 03:44 AM	#47
Erasmo Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: The Netherlands Posts: 191	I have a K1000 and it's really my film camera of choice. I wonder if it has to do something with the fact that i own a 2CV

08-11-2009, 10:35 PM	#48
Jonson PL Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Copenhagen Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,842	Originally posted by monochrome The best feature? Split-image focusing screen - although the viewfinder internal blinds are pretty cool. Cool, does the regular K2 also have VF blinds ? or other Pentax K-mount MF cams ? (I know that the Spotmatic ESII also had it : https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/692721-post32.html)

08-12-2009, 05:54 AM	#49
8540tomg Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Waterloo, Ontario Photos: Gallery Posts: 4,461 Original Poster	Originally posted by Jonson PL Cool, does the regular K2 also have VF blinds ? or other Pentax K-mount MF cams ? (I know that the Spotmatic ESII also had it : https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/692721-post32.html) Nice shot Monochrome. Camera porn at its best. Yes, The K2 and K2 DMD shared the same Seiko shutter. The was some discussion about this shutter, mirror lockup and vibration in another forum: K2 shutter vibration question From the Kent Gittings post above. "When (Herbert) Keppler did a test (POP, June 99) of cameras with and without the mirror locked up, the biggest difference was around 1/15th of a second, where locking up the mirror could increase the resolution from a 135 mm lens by 80%. If you use a long exposure, like a few seconds, it won't make that much difference, since the vibrations will occur only for a small percentage of the time the exposure is underway. With a 5 second exposure, Keppler found that there was no difference in resolution with or without the mirror locked up. This might be why Mark Roberts likes his K2 "with small apertures, long shutter speeds." When Popular Photography tested the K2 (December 1976) they reported the shutter vibration was about 0.7 volts, double the average of cameras tested up to that time. (For the cloth focal plane shutter MX, by contrast, the vibration level was about 0.2 volts)." Interesting. Cheers Tom G Last edited by 8540tomg; 08-14-2009 at 04:27 AM. Reason: typo

08-12-2009, 12:49 PM	#50
gofour3 Site Supporter Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Vancouver, Canada Posts: 8,089	Thanks Tom good article on the K2 shutter, yes it is quite different from the KX. I did a night shoot two weeks ago with one of my K2s and had no issues using the mirror lockup and shutter speeds down to 4 seconds. The slides look good and you can read the signs from lit up restaurants. Have you had any vibration issues? This is one big difference that the K2 has over the KX, is the shutter speeds up to 8 seconds and the better mirror lockup button. Before when I used my KX at night, I would have to use the B setting and count off the seconds. Phil.

08-12-2009, 01:54 PM	#52
Jonson PL Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Copenhagen Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,842	Originally posted by 8540tomg Nice shot Monochroome. Camera porn at its best. Yes, The K2 and K2 DMD shared the same Seiko shutter. I found a K2 at KEH. They did write that it had : Vertical moving, metal blade Seiko MF focal plane shutter. But also lined up differences between K2 and K2DMD : "Pentax K2DMD (Data Motor Drive): Produced simultaneously with the K2 until 1980. Similar to the K2 except for the addition of: Use of Motor Drive MD and Data Back MD. F/stop info and exposure compensation warning visible in VF, Eyepiece blind, low battery warning and AE lock." So maybe the later K2DMD had eyepiece blind, but the K2 didn't ?

08-12-2009, 03:16 PM	#54
Jonson PL Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Copenhagen Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,842	Originally posted by 8540tomg Nesster, Since you appear to have access to a number of old photo magazines perhaps you have Popular Photography December 1976? It seems there was a review of the K2 in that issue. I'd be curious to see what they had to say. It seems they noted shutter vibration was alittle on the high side from the above excerpt. I wonder how it did overall. Anyone have a copy of Popular Photography around the house? Tom G Actually, I was just going through some of Nesster’s previous threads; finding old adds. Maybe these could be of help : https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/pentax-film-slr-discussion/65471-1977-pen...directory.html https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/pentax-film-slr-discussion/48965-special-...s-bayonet.html

08-12-2009, 03:54 PM	#55
monochrome Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Working From Home Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 26,276	Tom: The internal VF blind was offered on the K2DMD, not the K2. It is selected on the shutter speed dial. Unfortunately I had a financial reversal last spring and sold my K2DMD to Chris Platt. At least it went to a worthy member. I'll get another someday.

08-12-2009, 04:08 PM	#56
8540tomg Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Waterloo, Ontario Photos: Gallery Posts: 4,461 Original Poster	Originally posted by monochrome Tom: The internal VF blind was offered on the K2DMD, not the K2. It is selected on the shutter speed dial. Unfortunately I had a financial reversal last spring and sold my K2DMD to Chris Platt. At least it went to a worthy member. I'll get another someday. Duhhh! Sorry for some reason I mistook the V in VF for the Seiko shutter as it was vertical run. You are, of course, correct. The K2 did not have a VF blind. On the bright side we opened up a discussion on the K2 shutter. Cheers Tom G

08-12-2009, 04:50 PM	#57
monochrome Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Working From Home Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 26,276	Originally posted by 8540tomg Duhhh! Sorry for some reason I mistook the V in VF for the Seiko shutter as it was vertical run. You are, of course, correct. The K2 did not have a VF blind. On the bright side we opened up a discussion on the K2 shutter. Cheers Tom G Yes, the K2 shutter is sublime. I still haven't found a K2 that the ASA ring doesn't stick on, though - Even after Eric had one of them three times. I should just be happy with my KX, a small complement of my favorite K lenses and quit messing around in the Marketplace and eBay. A K-7 and the three FA Limited, plus the manual kit, would be everything I could ever dream of needing :ugh:

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08-13-2009, 07:24 AM	#59
gofour3 Site Supporter Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Vancouver, Canada Posts: 8,089	Originally posted by 8540tomg Monochrome, I took out my K2 again today and ran through the various features. I must be lucky but the ASA on my K2 rotates smoothly and easily. It was quite stiff when I purchased it but CLA took care of the issue. I had a chance at a K2DMD many years ago but didn't bite as it was pretty beat up. I got a very nice K2 instead. The K2 ad K2DMD had an amazing feature set for their time. In keeping with the spirit of this thread you could use them like a K1000 if you wanted to but it sure was nice to have all the extras. Even my MX seems pretty Spartan in comparison. A very nice and under appreciated camera that got lost in the miniaturization craze of the late 1970s. Tom G The ASA rings on my K2s are now both OK as well. My first black one was OK when I bought it, but Eric had to fix my silver K2 ASA ring and it's much better now. Still wish Pentax had used a dial, like on the KX... Phil

08-13-2009, 08:41 AM	#60
Blue Moderator Site Supporter Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Florida Hill Country Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 17,377	The Mamiya NC1000 and NC1000s had a dial like the K2 that did the film speed and shutter speed. This camera is the size of the MX and probably a little lighter. Its like the SuperProgram however in that with no batteries it is of limited use.