[monochrome]

Phil, seamus. RML, woof, prob. Mike Cash and a few others (EDIT: SteveM - smc) are among the few to whom I referred.

Phil you reminded me - it is my 35th college reunion year and my KX was my graduation present!!

---

Last edited by monochrome; 01-07-2012 at 07:28 AM.

[Ratmagiclady]

Huh. There is a very small number of members here I've ever read express this attitude. I quietly share your thoughts.

Appreciating the beauty of the camera for itself, or the lens (usually Takumar or M) for engineering and feel.

Enjoying the company of the camera - most of mine are "stored" on a shelf in my study, where I can look at them. Some of these Pentaxes are works of industrial art, aren't they?

I'll enjoy the new cameras and, as I said, be their steward for 10 or 20 years.

Hee. Interesting word, though. I suppose i feel similarly, only, machines, especially old machines, are at least as alive as most people see in animals. There's an archivist's relationship about keeping things on shelves, and then there's the 'handing this off and/or using it' one. I used to always be fixing old cameras and not waiting too long before someone needed one. Now the stable piles up.

(taking out Yashicamat, to speak of old machines. )


(following a mental tangent, and my lens-hood fixation, but sweet Mother of Punk, look at this, TLR fans: http://www.amazon.com/Rollei-Bay-2-Rolleiflex-Camera-Tessar/dp/B003G8MRDQ/ref=pd_cp_p_2)



(Still looking for a functional Bay1 hood for 'Calypso,' my newish friend here that I've just been thinking to take out on the town.


It's one thing about old cameras and such, though: some kind of want collector's pieces, ....if I'm to have an LX (Or maybe a black KX, speaking of beauty,) I kind of like the idea of seeing a bit of brass. May not be like *your* worn-in pair of jeans, but there's still depth there.

I still think it's possible that part of why I took so much to K20D+grip is that that is nearly the *exact same size* as Canon F-1N+ Winder FN. But hey.

[gofour3]

Phil, seamus. RML, woof, prob. Mike Cash and a few others are among the few to whom I referred.

Phil you reminded me - it is my 35th college reunion year and my KX was my graduation present!!

That’s pretty neat having a camera that long and still using it, a testament to Pentax for sure.

Here is a shot of my old KX along with the K28/3.5 I got at the same time.

Phil.

[pickles]

G'Day Phil...ANOTHER beautiful piece of CLASSIC Pentax gear from you......Have you ever owned anything that is not pristine?.....As you know, that is the way I like my stuff!
Regards, Martin.

[séamuis]

G'Day Phil...ANOTHER beautiful piece of CLASSIC Pentax gear from you......Have you ever owned anything that is not pristine?.....As you know, that is the way I like my stuff!
Regards, Martin.

I really find that fascinating, because anything that old that is pristine likely didn't get used much(I know that's not always the case, but often is) and I like to take ownership of something that I know could tell a story or two if it could talk. To know that there was another previous strong connection with another person that is clearly visible in its wear and tear, that is wonderful to me. Im not old enough to have purchased these old cameras when new, so maybe my view comes from a different place, but I relish the idea of a well worn camera. I line to spruce it up of course, but I maintain it's well worn 'soul'. This is why I chose a black SV, because it has visible wear from previous owner(s), and I get to add to that with my own brassing and wear. But when I hang it up, retire it (and myself) I get the pleasure of sprucing it up again as a reward for job well done. When something is kept pristine, what stories does it have to tell, for that matter what stories with the camera do you have to tell?

I'm a sentimental crybaby, yes I know.

[monochrome]

I really find that fascinating, because anything that old that is pristine likely didn't get used much(I know that's not always the case, but often is) and I like to take ownership of something that I know could tell a story or two if it could talk. To know that there was another previous strong connection with another person that is clearly visible in its wear and tear, that is wonderful to me. Im not old enough to have purchased these old cameras when new, so maybe my view comes from a different place, but I relish the idea of a well worn camera. I line to spruce it up of course, but I maintain it's well worn 'soul'. This is why I chose a black SV, because it has visible wear from previous owner(s), and I get to add to that with my own brassing and wear. But when I hang it up, retire it (and myself) I get the pleasure of sprucing it up again as a reward for job well done. When something is kept pristine, what stories does it have to tell, for that matter what stories with the camera do you have to tell?

I'm a sentimental crybaby, yes I know.

My wife and I "rescue" old things from estate sales. We're shocked and dismayed that the children don't want these prints or lamps or this furniture or whatever. We both have inherited several times in our lives pieces that have been in our families for hundreds of years, and know the stories the character reflects. How sad that our finds cannot talk to us - but we enjoy having these things around us.

At the same time we do try to use our things with care and preserve them. O I know I like cleaner cameras and lenses; maybe that reflects my conflict - I can have something like-new now that I wanted, but couldn't have, when it was new.

The LX has brass on the edges and dings under the clear strip on the base. It doesn't trouble me, surprisingly. Maybe I'm growing up at last.

And that KX is beautiful.

[Argenticien]

... I relish the idea of a well worn camera. I line to spruce it up of course, but I maintain it's well worn 'soul'. ...

Oh we've seen your AP though, that looks (at screen resolution anyway) as-new! I have to say, I go for the sort of 80%-perfect looking machines. Exactly because they're such works of industrial art (as said above), I hate to see a complete beater, like with all the paint worn off and dents or chips everywhere. Yeah, it's nice to romantically think--hope--that's due to someone who loved it having run a megameter of film through it over 40 years in all sorts of interesting corners of the world; but really it can just be that someone did not take good care of it. As to completely pristine examples, I guess I have nothing against them, but to get that last 20% of perfectness can cost 300% more, and I just can't stomach the prices. But least most Pentaxes, even when pristine, haven't gotten to the absurd Leica price levels...yet.
--Dave

[gofour3]

G'Day Phil...ANOTHER beautiful piece of CLASSIC Pentax gear from you......Have you ever owned anything that is not pristine?.....As you know, that is the way I like my stuff!
Regards, Martin.

Thanks Martin. The KX has held up pretty well over the 36 years that I’ve had it, which is not hard to do if you keep it in the “everyready” case all the time. This guy has survived multiple trips all over the world, usually in the bottom of a small backpack. As long as it and the lens are enclosed in the “everyready” case they can pretty well survive anything. Same goes for the other lenses I would carry around, they were always carried in their hard lens cases. These cases took a beating over the years, but the lenses still look almost new.

Phil.

[LesDMess]

The understated elegance of LX masks it's considerable advantages over it's peers . . .

Larger version -> http://www.fototime.com/462FC7180D7AA1A/orig.jpg

[Harmonica]

Here's my film gear:






...and because one (ka-bajonet) lens was missing on first 2. photos, here's one more:

[LesDMess]

Sweetness! I am on the lookout for a f1.2 lens and curious what that Vivitar Series 1 is capable of delivering.

[Harmonica]

Thanks.

What comes to that 55mm Vivitar. Sorry, I can not help you very much here. It's K-bajonet lens and very rare one. For example Wikipedia does not recognize it at all Vivitar - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I have newer owned any other f1.2 lens, so I have not done any comparisions. My simply & wild guess is that perhaps it could be similar as 55mm f1.2 lenses made by Tomioka (based on it's specs)? + Vivitar's own coating (VMC)...see Pentaxforums. link:
https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/374079-post20.html

And for me?.... it is heaven & hell category lens (razor thin DOF). But I still like it a lot!

[fearview]

@harmonica

great God!

impressive... *bow*

[SteveM]

Great set of lenses with the MZ-S. I think this is the first time I've seen the vivitar 55/1.2.

[Jüri]

Here's my Pentax *ist with two of it's best companions. The Cosina 19-35 is for those cool wide-angle photos and the Pentax 1.4/50 for those shallow DOF images.