The Pentax Electro Spotmatic was the world's first 35mm SLR with a fully electronic shutter system. It was released in 1971 and only sold in Japan. The circuitry was under constant revision during the year of its release which arguably made the camera a prototype, which was evident due to reliability issues. When the shutter speed was set on automatic, it used a 'stepless' shutter. The Pentax memory device computes and delivers an infinite number of exposures between 8 and 1/1000 second - automatically. If 1/555 second will give you the right exposure, that is what will be programmed.
It utilizes the Super-Multi-Coated Takumar and SMC lenses for open aperture metering. The viewfinder remains bright under all conditions, making focusing easy. In the event that earlier lenses without the open-aperture metering coupling, the Electro Spotmatic, ES, ES II and Spotmatic F provide stop-down metering with the familiar switch near the lens mount. In any case, the meter is activated by partially depressing the shutter release button. These features make it one-quarter inch taller and only six ounces heavier than the Spotmatic F.
The standard color for the Electro Spotmatic was black, which was a departure for previous Pentax M42 bodies where black was a special order. With both the ES and ES II, chrome was the special order version. The ES was released in 1972 and had completely revised circuitry that addressed the reliability issues the Electro Spotmatic had. The name was shortened to ES on the face of the body.
| Asahi Pentax Electro Spotmatic |
Year introduced
1971 | Year discontinued
1972 | Mount
M42 | Automatic aperture stop down
Yes |
Metering
Open aperture, centerweight | Meter range
EV 1 to 18 | ISO range
20 to 1600 | DX ISO range
No DX coding |
Exposure modes
Av, Manual, B | Exposure compensation
1/2x, 2x and 4x | Exposure memory lock
No | Shutter speeds (auto)
8s - 1/1000s (stepless) |
Shutter speeds (manual)
B, 1/60 (X), 1/125, 1/150, 1/500, 1/1000s | Shutter speeds (mechanical)
B, 1/60 (X), 1/125, 1/150, 1/500, 1/1000s | Self timer
No | Mirror lock-up
No |
Auto bracketing
No | Multiple exposures
Yes | Winder
Ratchet type rapid wind lever. 10° pre-advance and 160° advance angle | Flash hot shoe
Yes |
Built-in flash
No | TTL/P-TTL flash
No | Flash sync speed
FP and X terminals - 1/60s | Flash exposure comp
Not applicable |
Viewfinder
0.89x (with 50mm lens), 93% coverage | Viewfinder type
Pentaprism finder with Fresnel lens + microprism | Diopter correction
No | Exchangeable screen
No |
Depth of field preview
Yes | Image size
24 x 36 mm | Battery
6V silver oxide battery | Battery grip/pack
No |
Size (W x H x D)
143 x 98 x 50mm (without lens) | Weight
678g |
|
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Last edited by Ole; 10-10-2010 at 04:30 PM.
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