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Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras
4 Days Ago
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I am not sure if this has already been posted here, if it has, sorry for the repeat. I just felt it was a great hack :)
MX ever ready cases are as rare as hens teeth. We have the option of new leather half cases, which are nice, but expensive. There is a cheaper alternative. The Olympus OM1/10 case fits perfectly and there are loads on eBay around the £10 mark. They fix on the straplugs so there are no issues lining anything up and there is plenty of room for the self timer. I think it looks rather swish :)
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Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
12-01-2023, 04:12 PM
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Hate them! A 100ft roll of Ilford Delta 400 is £110, Kodak Tri-X 400 is £225. Someone is making money out of us impoverished film shooters.....well not me :) I get Fomapan for £55 :) it does the job :)
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Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras
04-01-2024, 01:20 AM
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When I started my film journey I was shooting with a spotmatic but dreamed of an MX. Thanks to eBay, that dream soon became a reality as I handed over my £43 and took delivery of a really nice silver model. All seemed fine bar the fact that it hated the cold and wouldn't shoot when the temperature dropped below 5°c.So I did my research and selected an engineer with great Pentax credentials. £135 for a service seemed a lot but it is what it is. When the camera came back it wasn't noticeably different but to be fair, it was pretty good when it went away. The cold issues persisted so it went back. It was never resolved but I just assumed it was one of those things. Twelve months later it started capping! I contacted the engineer who said it wasn't part of the service and would cost a further £75 so it got dispatched to the back of a cupboard in disgrace and was replaced buy a very good KX that I paid £25 for. Twelve months down the line, I now had several nice cameras, but it still annoyed me that my most expensive one was unusable. I decided to bite the bullet, then I saw an advert on eBay of all places for an MX service for £67.99. I contacted the guy and told him what had gone before. He said he replaces all foam and resets the camera, including the shutter as part of the service. I had fallen out of love with the camera so didn't see it as much of a gamble so I sent it off. A couple of days later he called me to tell me that in his opinion it looked like nothing had been done to the camera for years. The foam inside was sludge, and there was grease and detritus in the camera. As for the shutter, it was a mile out!
 IMG_20240116_114257_resized_20240122_083641360 by Peter Kay, on Flickr
 IMG_20240116_115038_resized_20240322_114445264 by Peter Kay, on Flickr
I couldn't believe the engineer was going into such detail and taking such care, given how little he was charging. As we talked I was more and more impressed. He loves Olympus but works on all makes and is especially fond of the MX. He also is one of the few engineers that is happy to work on an LX. The MX came home last week and is absolutely beautiful. When I got it back from the first engineer I couldn't see a difference but I really can this time. While I can't prove what engineer #1 did or didn't do, I am delighted with the work of engineer #2. The MX is just fabulous and I feel supremely confident that it will now outlive me. As for the good engineer, he has faith in his work, gives a twelve month warranty and gets really angry with people who have a different opinion as to what constitutes a service! I have deliberately avoided naming names because I cannot prove what was or wasn't done by engineer #1 for my £135, but am more than happy to pass on details for the good engineer if you send me a DM
 PKKP2724 by Peter Kay, on Flickr
 PKKP2725 by Peter Kay, on Flickr
UN54+ in 510pyro
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
04-03-2024, 06:12 AM
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That is the nice one. I had one but sold it in a purge. Big mistake
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Forum: Repairs and Warranty Service
04-01-2024, 09:35 AM
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@Adam can you add sales@vintagecamerasgalore.com to the UK section please. He serviced my MX and did a lovely job. He also services LXs
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Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras
04-01-2024, 06:59 AM
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I had my MX serviced by Rob sales@vintagecamerasgalore.com and He did a beautiful job on it. I know he services LX cameras so must be worth a shout. He's based in Plymouth UK
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Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras
03-26-2024, 10:43 AM
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Lancaster sunshine.
Program A, adaptall 35-70mm cf @35mm
The adaptall mount was playing up and not opening the lens to focus and meter so every shot was over exposed by a couple of stops. I decided to try a new developing method, 510Pyro 1:200 for 20mins. Yeah, that was a fail. It under developed by a couple of stops and quite a few frames had bromide drag. Luckily, as the film was over exposed by the same amount that the dev under developed, I ended up with nice negatives :) This is Jessops Pan 400s which expired in 2004. That film is a complete mystery so I had to find times by trial and error.
 PKKP2686 by Peter Kay, on Flickr
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Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras
03-25-2024, 05:11 AM
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I have the KX, which I absolutely love. It is as reliable and well built as a spotmatic but with K mount and match needle metering and lots of other nice touches. I also have an MX which is due back from a good service tomorrow. That is a beauty. The only issue I have is with the traffic light metering. I also recently picked up a program A (super program) which only has the 1/1000 shutter speed but it is pristine and cost me £15. I like the LED metering and the option to go auto or aperture priority. If it dies I won't worry because it wasn't expensive. The LX however is so expensive that I would be gutted if the electrics failed. It is a stunning camera and beautiful to use but I don't have the money to gamble on one. We shot one side by side with a Nikon F3. The Nikon felt like a tool, albeit a very nice one, but the Pentax actually made us smile.
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Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras
03-21-2024, 01:27 AM
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Exactly :) I shoot a lot of expired film which looks nasty on my laptop and fabulous on my phone :) I don't shoot it to print, I shoot it for fun, so looking great on a phone is all I need :)
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Forum: Film Processing, Scanning, and Darkroom
03-13-2024, 12:15 PM
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Ooh, that's a good idea :)
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Forum: Film Processing, Scanning, and Darkroom
03-13-2024, 01:48 AM
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I crop the scan, click B&W, then flip it using the tones histogram. I click on the left end of the diagonal line (no idea what these are called, lol), lift it to the top and across so that it lines up with the beginning of the histogram, I then do the reverse with the right hand point, bringing it left and down. I sometimes move the midpoint too, but mostly do that with the sliders. I do find i need to scan it slightly over exposed so that the tones histogram sits in the middle of its window.
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
03-12-2024, 01:54 PM
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If you fancy something cheap to go with the MX, the Tokina RMC 28mm f2.8 is nice as is the Miranda (cosina) 24mm f2.8 macro. Going the other way, the M 135mm f3.5 is a cheap & nice lens. Then there are the adaptalls. I got a 35-70mm f3.5 cf for £20 and that's a lovely zoom. I also got a mint, cased 28mm f2.5 for the same price. If you want adaptall mounts it's often cheaper to buy an 80-210mm with a mount on. I got one of those for £3, and, as it turns out, it's a really nice lens :). The MX is a gorgeous camera. Mine was a disaster (I got ripped off by a so called engineer) but it is due back from a proper service any time and I can't wait. Re the 50s, the 1.7mm edges it because it is slightly faster, but they are both superb performers.
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Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras
03-11-2024, 01:49 AM
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You beat me by one :) sweet minolta btw. I am on 6slr, (KX, MX, SP1000, Program A, P30, contaflex) they sit in the "use me" queue alongside my 4 rangefinders (Feds 1 & 3, Retina 2c & Minoltina-s) 2 TLRs and 2 viewfinder cameras. Do you ever feel pressure to get them all shooting? If you fancy something different, have a look at Zeiss Contaflex. They are cheap because camera engineers won't touch them but they are gorgeous and quirky leaf shutter SLRs. Just make sure you get a good one
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Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras
03-11-2024, 01:23 AM
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I got the half case. It adds a little to the depth of the camera which is a shame because its size is a big selling point, but it now feels great in the hand and looks rather swish. This whole minty rig now stands me at £25 ($32) and I love it :)
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Forum: Vintage Cameras and Equipment
03-11-2024, 01:54 AM
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The contina ii is such a beautiful thing. There was a Contina (viewfinder version) in a thrift shop but it was not working and a bit expensive. So small and perfectly formed though. I have a beautiful Kodak Retina iic so the Contina ii sits atop my wish rather than need list. Gorgeous camera
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Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras
02-27-2024, 11:49 AM
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Not really a versus but I wasn't sure how to condense the question to a title. I have a Program A and have seen a half case for a Super A. Question is, are they physically the same size?
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Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras
02-27-2024, 12:25 PM
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Thanks Boris :) time to buy a half case :)
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Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras
12-14-2023, 03:29 PM
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Mint KX for £25 (now my daily driver) and a 30m roll of expired XP2 in a loader for £28 :) I have had lots of other bargains but those were the ones that had the greatest impact :)
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Forum: Mini-Challenges, Games, and Photo Stories
01-02-2024, 02:23 PM
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Good idea :) she pulls like a pack of huskys so it could work rather well :) Madam is already getting tired of me stopping to shoot. I got woofed at a lot this morning lol
---------- Post added 02-01-24 at 09:24 PM ----------
Get a working dog :) no matter how wet it is they insist on going out, so you may as well take a camera along :)
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Forum: Mini-Challenges, Games, and Photo Stories
01-01-2024, 12:52 PM
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Happy new year everyone :) I am sitting out January. My wife is unwell and I am not massively mobile (dodgy knee) so photo opportunities are a bit limited. Once I get my knee sorted, Willow will take me places, but for now I will sit it out
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
08-03-2023, 04:43 AM
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I had a K30 and loved it. I moved up to the K3 then the KP and still have and use both. The KP is my main camera because the IQ & AF are slightly better, while the low light noise handling is better by miles. The KP has five programmable user modes to whereas the K3 has three. Also the KP, especially when paired with a small lens like the ones mentioned by the op is a bit smaller and more discreet. I use the KP when image quality matters but still get the K3 out regularly. The ergonomics on the K3 are superb and it just feels indestructible. When the light isn't challenging (lit portraits, landscapes, general stuff) the K3 is excellent. I recently shot a theatre dress rehearsal on both cameras and the images are indistinguishable. The only thing I will say against the K3 is the noise when the iso goes up. The KP has a chip that boosts image quality at 800iso and above. Also the sensor is an upgrade on the K3 but they are both brilliant cameras. As for which to buy, for the price of the KP you could get the K3 and a beautiful limited prime like the gorgeous 21mm f2.8 and still pick up a plastic fantastic 35mm or 50mm (both excellent lenses). Regarding the cameras, most pentax models had an issue (K5-AF, early K3- sudden death, K30/50/70/S1/S2- solenoid) but the KP has been brilliant. There is an issue developing with the rear screen contacts failing but it isn't anything like the scale of solenoids. I will replace my KP with a KP, and that with a KP. It has cult status on PF, although both the KP and the K3 retain their value for good reason (As does the K5).
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Forum: Mini-Challenges, Games, and Photo Stories
12-14-2023, 03:05 PM
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No changes from me either. The plan is to improve my digital stuff. I have been focusing (no pun intended) on film and my digital stuff has suffered, a lot! Also, I have said a few times that the sic/dic keeps me sane and shooting so I need this for the good of my health :)
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Forum: Pentax Forums Giveaways
12-14-2023, 03:42 PM
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4th and final entry :) huge thanks to @Adam for facilitating this. You're a star :)
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