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Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras 05-13-2023, 09:32 PM

K-mount SLR?
Posted By Autonerd

Replies: 59
Views: 2,588

I'm waaaaaaaaaaay late to the party, as usual (or did I answer and forget?)

If you like old style, I say KX or K2 -- the latter is great if you want the advantage of an automatic mode. I have always been a KX devotee, but now I have a K2 and am *amazed* at how much I like it. (I think mechanical shutters, while lovely, are overrated. I also don't care for the MX; don't like the meter display.)

If you are going to *primarily* shoot in automatic mode, I say get an ME Super. It's one of my favorite walk-around cameras, super small and light. Also GREAT for long exposures. If you never want to shoot manual, try ME or MG, which are less expensive still.

If you are on a tight budget, I would also recommend Ricoh, but I prefer the XR-2 (or XR-2s) to the XR-7 -- I don't care for the LCD meter display in the newer Ricohs; XR-2 has a match needle. XR-1 is an all-mechanical camera (basically Ricoh's answer to the KX) but I've had poor luck finding a working one.

I'd stay away from the LX, they are expensive, complex, and difficult to get repaired. For what you spend on that camera you could get a K/M *and* have change left over for some nice lenses.

Aaron

Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras 03-28-2023, 08:30 PM

most robust K mount camera
Posted By Autonerd

Replies: 26
Views: 1,597

I thought the MXs were prone to shutter problems? Certainly seems that a lot of owners have issues with shutters (including me).

My KX has been running for 40-odd years (albeit with a two-decade break 1999-2019) and still works just fine with a good meter and shutter timing. BUT -- if I were going to guess at the most robust, I'd say the KM. Less features to break than the KX and K2, and didn't suffer the "decontenting" of the K1000.

Aaron

Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras 02-12-2023, 07:45 PM

Pentax film SLR history question
Posted By Autonerd

Replies: 27
Views: 1,880

I would disagree -- if you're using a camera with a fully mechanical shutter, you have to worry that it's timing is correct. Mechanical shutters will likely go out of adjustment and/or can be slowed down by caked-up lube.

A camera with an electronic shutter (K2, all Ms save the MX, Ricoh XR-series) will need a battery for the shutter (at anything but sync speed) -- but if the shutter works, you can count on it to be timing correctly. As I understand it, they rarely go out of adjustment. The only way to guarantee that with an older mechanical camera is to get it CLAd -- and the $125 or so that costs you buys a LOT of LR-44 batteries. :)

I really do think that electronic shutters get a bad rap, and that clockwork cameras are overhyped. There is something very cool about an all-mechanical camera, but most of my film workhorses have electronic shutters. The feel isn't quite the same but they cost less to buy and work just as well, if not better.

Aaron

Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras 01-26-2023, 10:29 PM

My subjective rating of the Pentax film cameras I own. Flame suit on!
Posted By Autonerd

Replies: 18
Views: 2,149

I actually rather like (and agree with) your ratings.

If I had to rate my Pentaxes, favorite to least favorite... well, lets try it.

1. KX -- My first real camera, so hard not to love it. It really has everything I could want, so much so that I bought a second and had it CLA'd. But then I bought...

2. K2 -- I almost wish I'd bought this before I got the second KX. It's handy to have an automatic mode, and the electronic shutter, IMHO, doesn't distract from the sensation of using it. (Sounds better than other electronic-shutter cameras I own.)

3. PC35AF -- I don't like P&S cameras generally, but I consider this a star of my arsenal. So light, so quiet, such a good meter and such a lovely lens. Would if all P&S cameras had this much character.

4. ME Super -- Great, light-weight walk-around body. Too bad it's such a pain to use in manual mode. With a proper shutter dial, it might rank above the K2 due to its lower weight.

5. MG -- I haven't used this in years (had one as a kid and it's broken now; no need to replace since I have the ME Super). Obviously automatic-only is a limitation, but I was amazed at what I could do with what was almost a P&S.

6. P30t -- This is my love-hate camera. Love using it... until I run full-speed into its limitations, like DX-code-only speed setting (I bulk-roll) or the fact that it won't do super-long exposures like the automatic Ms.

7. MX -- Always wanted one, got one (somewhat beat up) and while I keep trying to love it, I can't. Don't like the meter display (am I 1.5 stops off or 6 stops off? Can't tell!), don't like the stiff shutter dial. With an analog match-needle display, it might rank higher.

I consider my Sears KS Auto (Ricoh XR-2s) an honorary Pentax, and if I had to slip it into this ratings chart, it'd be pretty high up there. Not as refined as the Pentax cameras, and that's its biggest drawback; but it's also my go-to knockabout camera, because it's so cheap that I don't mind taking some risks. Has all the features I could want, great meter display, works great in both manual and automatic modes, even has a Judas window, and the chief advantage over the K2 is that it's quite a bit lighter. How I wish Pentax made an M-series camera with this feature set!

And its worth noting that if I considered the other cameras I own, most of the Pentaxes (with the possible exception of the MX) would be way up high. I definitely prefer the P30t (and Sears KS Auto) to the Nikon FE, and I'll take the ME Super over my otherwise-much-loved (or at least much-liked) XG-E.

Aaron

Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras 10-23-2022, 09:15 AM

K1000 - What's the Appeal?
Posted By Autonerd

Replies: 67
Views: 3,493

Nostalgia -- the K1000 is what so many folks shot with back in the 1970s and 80s and 90s. (I was lucky enough to inherit a KX.) I've been beating this drum for ages -- the KM is a much better camera (and just as simple), and the KX better still (and still mechanical), and even a Spotmatic F is a good choice for simplicity -- but K1000s continue to sell for more.

Let's not forget that, according to the Ilford surveys at least, the majority of film shooters are not the fictional bearded hipster that digitographers like to make fun of, but rather older folks who either never stopped shooting film or (like me) went back to it.

Well, I know that I got back to film because I wanted to get back to my roots; luckily I still had that old KX. I can't blame people for wanting that same old camera back in their hands...

Aaron

Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras 12-02-2022, 11:01 PM

Pentax *ist: The LAST film SLR from Pentax
Posted By Autonerd

Replies: 13
Views: 2,271

Thanks for a cool review and damn you for making me want an *ist. PS, I'm a car guy too and the G6 Coupe was a cool car. Nice to see one that is still loved! I've made a few trips to Puerto Rico and it's a really enjoyable place to drive.

Aaron

Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras 12-02-2022, 10:51 PM

What started you on the path of GAS?
Posted By Autonerd

Replies: 43
Views: 2,435

Because I am a sick, sick man.

When I got back into film in 2019 (with my KX), friends started giving me their old cameras -- and I realized how many nifty cameras that I couldn't afford back then were affordable now. Finding great cameras for $50 or less has kind of become a thing.

Yes. No. I mean, YES. no YES, absolutely, I have too many cameras. SHUT UP NO NO NO NO NO

Seriously, I have calmed down a bit, as I now have all the cameras I can shoot, I've ID'd favorites and settled on mostly K-mount (Pentax and Ricoh/Sears) cameras. I've avoided the temptation to get into new systems and slow-rolled my search for a Signet 35...

Absolutely -- Explore this wonderful world! Buying and using new cameras has really helped me understand what I love about film photography. And as my eyes get worse, I have plenty of autofocus cameras waiting for me!

Aaron

Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras 12-02-2022, 10:45 PM

where is my k1000 produce
Posted By Autonerd

Replies: 8
Views: 1,221

You can, but it's a pain the tush -- you need an adaptor (which fits into the camera's K-mount ring) and then you have to stop down the lens to get a meter reading. Also, I've had adapters get stuck on lenses. No fun!

I'd suggest looking at K-mount lenses. The SMC Pentax-M 50mm f/1.7 is a great lens, and you should be able to find one for $40 or less -- they're cheap because Pentax made a billion of them.

Aaron

Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras 11-01-2022, 11:05 AM

K1000 - What's the Appeal?
Posted By Autonerd

Replies: 67
Views: 3,493

I'm not totally sold on the mechanical-is-better argument. Having bought several old cameras, my experience is that if the shutter works, it works properly, whereas clockwork shutters are more subject to gooped-up lube and will most likely need a CLA. I've received/bought a few electronic-shutter cameras that were DOA (including an ME Super and a P30t), but so far the ones that worked when I got them seemed to have kept right on working -- the exception being a Nikon FE, and I hear those aren't the most reliable cameras. Among Pentaxes, I have a pair of K2s, an ME Super, and a P30t all working perfectly, as well as a handful of Ricoh/Sears SLRs that are my go-to knockabout cameras.

That said... my first camera, Grandpa's KX, is still going strong and working fine after 45 years with no CLA.

Aaron

Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras 10-23-2022, 07:15 PM

K1000 - What's the Appeal?
Posted By Autonerd

Replies: 67
Views: 3,493

Yeah, but couldn't all of the same things be said about the KM, KX, MX, Spottie F (just to name Pentax cameras)?

For me, it's the match-needle vs center-the-needle meter display that makes the KX the winner in this group. No need to count clicks and no excuse that I didn't know what the shutter speed was. :)

Aaron

Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras 10-07-2022, 07:29 PM

May buy an LX soon - what should I look out for?
Posted By Autonerd

Replies: 31
Views: 2,641

Not correct. If the ISO is the same and scene luminance (lighting) is the same, the exposure will be the same. In other words, if it's 1/60 sec @ f/16 @ 100 ISO/ASA on one camera, it'll be the same for any camera. External light meters don't know what size sensor/film you are using...

Aaron

Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras 08-31-2022, 06:11 PM

Would you still recommend Eric Hendrickson for a CLA?
Posted By Autonerd

Replies: 85
Views: 13,139

I just got a camera back from Eric -- also a KX. Haven't shot with it yet, but it looks and sounds and feels great and the viewfinder is crystal clear. I offered to mail a check to save him the PayPal fees, so that might have delayed things a bit, but it was somewhere between 2 and 3 weeks between sending the camera and getting it back.

Assuming the film test goes well -- and I can't see why it wouldn't -- I'll definitely use him again for a Pentax that needs rebuilding. In fact I'm considering sending him an MX I had repaired elsewhere that's never been quite right.

Aaron

Forum: Vintage Cameras and Equipment 09-07-2022, 11:17 AM

Mamiya 35mm repair shop in US?
Posted By Autonerd

Replies: 5
Views: 604

Hey, thanks all -- I emailed Garry and he doesn't work on the 1000 DTL. I also did reach Bill at Mamiya Repair. Super nice guy, and his advice was that the 1000 DTL is really not worth repairing. He has the parts, but his opinion is the Mamiya 35s weren't made with reparability in mind. "I'd do it if you put a gun to my head," he said, but he didn't think it would be economically sensible. I told him I was between repairing this and buying a Spotmatic, and he thought I'd be better off with a Pentax -- and I know where to get those repaired.

Thanks for the recommendations -- I noticed that the lens is a little wonky, too, so rather than repair the Mamiya, I think I'll resume my search for a Spotmatic.

Aaron

Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras 08-03-2022, 08:31 PM

Disappointments - Failures - Wasted Time & Film
Posted By Autonerd

Replies: 22
Views: 2,631

For me, shooting is a big part of the fun of film photography. Sometimes I'm disappointed with the pictures, but I rarely regard a roll of film as wasted -- there's usually something I can learn from a roll that didn't go well.

Aaron

Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras 08-11-2022, 05:12 PM

Help! Talk me into a CLA.
Posted By Autonerd

Replies: 12
Views: 803

It's the camera I keep coming back to!

Thanks everyone for the advice. I'll ship the "new" KX off to Eric next week!

Aaron

---------- Post added 08-11-22 at 05:13 PM ----------

Thanks for that! I wrote that a while back, and it has proven true: The KX really is my favorite camera. It ain't perfect, but it's my fave.

Aaron

---------- Post added 08-11-22 at 05:13 PM ----------

Thanks for that! I wrote that a while back, and it has proven true: The KX really is my favorite camera. It ain't perfect, but it's my fave.

Aaron

Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras 10-16-2021, 10:44 PM

Mamiya-Sekor 1000DTL and Pentax lenses
Posted By Autonerd

Replies: 7
Views: 1,770

Hey all -- Hope this isn't considered off-topic...

My uncle just sent me a care package with a bunch of my grandfather's old Pentax gear along with my uncle's old Mamiya-Sekor 1000 DTL. There's only one lens for the Mamiya, and I've read that there are compatibility issues with some Pentax Takumar M42s -- a pin that can get stuck. Not clear if this is all Pentax lenses or only some. Can someone set me straight, please?

Thanks
Aaron

Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras 08-04-2020, 08:05 PM

Just Got an MX
Posted By Autonerd

Replies: 25
Views: 2,746

Congrats on a great camera!

Could be, but IMHO you'd be defeating one of the great advantages of the MX, its small size and light weight.

Aaron

Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras 01-17-2020, 12:09 AM

"Why We Shoot Film" - cool mini doco about film photography resurgence
Posted By Autonerd

Replies: 29
Views: 2,116

I gotta disagree with you, my friend, at least when it comes to equipment. I found an old issue of Pop Photography from '82 and used one of those handy-dandy inflation calculators. Back then you could mail-order a Pentax MX body for $140 -- equivalent of $370 now. Today you can buy one and get it CLA'd for less than $200. Nikon FE -- $235 then, equivalent of $620, today they're <$100 on eBay. A Pentax LX was $440, $1200 to us. Today you can get one for $250.

OK, film is more expensive - Tri-X was the equivalent of $5 a roll and 100' of Ilford HP-5 was the equivalent of $40. Granted those are mail-order prices. They're a couple-few bucks more today. Slide processing, adjusted for inflation, $8 for a roll, today my local wants $11. More, but not a whole lot more.

I kind of feel like we're living in the golden age. Today I can afford cameras and lenses I could only dream of back then, and the consumables costs are only a little higher. Best yet, with a $200 scanner I can easily view and crop my photos without spending big bucks on photo paper and darkroom rental.

Compare it to digital... Sony a6000 with a lens costs about a grand. For that you can buy a good, advanced-amateur-to-pro-level 35mm SLR, get it serviced, and have enough $$ left over to shoot and process a roll of film a week for a year or more. And in five years, when the Sony is obsolete and possibly broken and in need of another $1000 replacement, your film camera will still be in perfect working order.

Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras 01-24-2020, 12:02 PM

Help with purchasing a film camera.
Posted By Autonerd

Replies: 74
Views: 6,234

Hah!!! No, that's my M.O.

Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras 01-23-2020, 10:51 PM

Help with purchasing a film camera.
Posted By Autonerd

Replies: 74
Views: 6,234

@Craveone congratulations. Looking forward to hearing about your experiences with your new camera.

Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras 01-23-2020, 03:17 PM

Help with purchasing a film camera.
Posted By Autonerd

Replies: 74
Views: 6,234

Well, he says it functions properly, that gives you some protection (I think) if it doesn't work.

But if this camera doesn't feel right, then don't get it. There will be others. eBay is all about patience.

-- And this coming from the guy who just bought a Ricoh KR-10 Super body for less than ten bucks. Untested, but for ten bucks, who cares? :)

Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras 01-23-2020, 03:18 PM

Me & my MX: It isn't going well. Yet.
Posted By Autonerd

Replies: 19
Views: 3,032

...and get a K2 with the change left over.

Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras 01-22-2020, 08:02 PM

Me & my MX: It isn't going well. Yet.
Posted By Autonerd

Replies: 19
Views: 3,032

I have decided that the best shutter-speed dial on a camera I own is the Minolta XG-E. It's big and knurled and you can easily turn it with your thumb without taking the camera from your eye.

Ironically, this camera is intended to be used in automatic AP mode, and the meter goes dark (by design) in manual mode. So there is literally zero reason to turn the shutter dial without taking the camera from your eye.

Damned if I do, damned if I don't.

PS It's been a couple of days and a few more exposures and so far I have managed NOT to drop the MX again.

Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras 01-19-2020, 09:25 PM

Me & my MX: It isn't going well. Yet.
Posted By Autonerd

Replies: 19
Views: 3,032

Soooo, a few weeks back a friend gave me an MX, a camera I've always wanted. (I shoot with a KX and used to shoot with an MG that I now can't find.) This one had a few dents and dings in the vein of a NYC taxicab, and the second shutter curtain wasn't closing all the way. I took it in for repair (Camera Max). Diagnosis: New shutter box, cleaning lubing and adjusting. Estimate: $103. Done deal. Great deal to renew a camera I've always wanted.

Got it back on Friday and took it out for a test-run this morning. Spooled up a "shortie" roll of HP5, took it outside along with the Nikon FE I'd also had repaired, and... promptly dropped it.

FFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU

Total stupidity on my part. No strap on the camera (it's missing the rings, which arrive tomorrow), and rather than grab them from another cam, I put the MX my sweatshirt pocket, thinking it was deep enough to hold it securely.

It wasn't.

Luckily damage is minimal (I'm short, so my pocket is close to the ground) -- fresh scar on the front of the lens and possibly one on the corner of the camera, but I think all the dents on the body were there before I got it. But the back popped open, and there went most of my shots. There were only two pics left on the roll.

Back inside to lick my wounds (not the camera's). Put together another roll of HP5, loaded it up, ATTACHED A NECK STRAP and went outside to shoot again. Everything felt fine mechanically, but the focusing was reeeeally funky. Strange lines in the focusing grid, and when I'd pop off a shot there'd be a strange wave in the viewfinder as the mirror dropped back down. (Can any experienced MX owners guess what went wrong?)

I filled up the roll (8 shots), removed it, then took the lens off to see what's up with the mirror. What's that line -- did I break the mirror? There's a piece of glass hanging...did it separate from the back somehow? OH YEAH, that's right, the MX has a removable focusing screen! I guess I just found a less-than-optimal way to remove it!

The back edge of the screen was in place but the front was loose and hanging down, pushed up by the mirror when I took a shot -- that's the wiggle I saw in the viewfinder. I popped the screen back into place and now it seems to be behaving.

But, of course, all the photos on my test roll are out of focus! The exposure is good, though, so that's promising. Makes sense that if I focused on a screen that wasn't in place, I'd get fuzzy pics. The lenses are fine (at least the one was before I dropped it! It was a 50/1.7 and I think it's OK aside from scars, but luckily I have another.)

So it's not been a smooth start. I'm not loving the LEDs, they are harder for my untrained eye to see than the needles in my KX. Shutter speed dial is hard to turn, crammed in against the winder. (Remember, my only other M camera didn't really have a shutter speed dial.) Of course, these are all things that are new and different, with annoyance magnified by frustration with my dumb decision to put a camera in my pocket instead of around my neck.

Did I mention that the MX is a camera I've always wanted?

I have always found the relationship between photographer and camera to be a complicated and intimate thing. Yes, cameras are inanimate, but they have personalities. The camera is our partner. It captures the image that we want. It has it idiosyncrasies, we have ours. We learn them and work together. And when I can shoot with a camera that is special -- my grandfather's MX, the Nikomat FT2 that was a gift from his father to him, and from him to me -- well, that's really cool.

It feels like the MX and I got off on the wrong foot. Then again, if I'd been abused as badly as this camera apparently was by its previous owner, I'd probably be wary of humans, too.

So I'm going to load it up with more HP5 and take it with me tomorrow. I'm determined to start anew and make friends with this camera. I'll start by not dropping it. (Of course, given the other dents and dings, I think it's reasonable to wonder if it actually jumped out of my pocket.)

And if it doesn't work out... I guess we'll see if anyone wants to buy a badly-treated MX with a new shutter box and a fresh CLA and has only been dropped once*.

* this week

Aaron

Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras 01-17-2020, 07:25 PM

Help with purchasing a film camera.
Posted By Autonerd

Replies: 74
Views: 6,234

Well, that's only part of what I said, @Craveone -- the other part was that if the LX is really what you want, you should get it. I'm very happy for you and not a little jealous. The LX is a very cool camera. The great news here is that you're not choosing between a great camera and a crap camera, you're choosing between two great cameras. And you're smart to leverage your existing equipment by buying a camera compatible with the high-quality lenses you already own.

Looking forward to seeing the images and hearing about your experiences with the LX.

A KX down the road makes sense, but the K1000 will make a good second cam. Consider buying a body cap and throwing it into your bag when you take out the LX. Always good to have a second camera with an alternative choice of film.

BTW, I picked up the MX from the shop today, all fixed up and cleaned up. You do have to hold the button halfway down to get the meter on, like my Ricoh, as opposed to clicking it on like the KX. So it might have annoyed you after all.

I used to shoot with an MG but after these past few happy months with the KX and the FT2 and the KR-10, the MX feels funny in my hands. Let's hope it's not a disappointment! I'll put a test roll through it this weekend...

---------- Post added 01-17-20 at 07:34 PM ----------

I know exactly where you are coming from... I don't have OCD but I do have some obsessive tendencies, and a choice like this can be maddening for me. I even over-think which camera I should load film into next. But at the end of the day the choices aren't that consequential... if the LX turns out not to be the camera for you, you can always sell it for the price you bought it and get something else. Used cameras always seemed to hold their value... they've dropped due to DSLRs, but they seem to be holding ground now, and I imagine that as the supply thins they'll appreciate a bit.

The best part is now that you're done obsessing over which camera to buy you can begin obsessing over which film to use. :)

Oh, I forgot to answer one of your questions -- the shutter speed range on the KX is 1 sec to 1/1000, same as the MX and (I believe) K1000. I don't own a manual-focus camera that goes faster than that and never thought I'd need it... but given my love for HP-5 and the fact that I now live in sunny California, a 1/4000 camera is appealing... those extra two stops would come in handy. Might be time to start shopping for an FE2...

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