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Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras
04-01-2024, 12:16 PM
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Mmmm  nice Pentax from the original lineup, Simple1. Looks like new. The lens is the bizarre Auto-Takumar 55mm f/1.8 , with a diaphragm ring turning counter-clockwise (unlike all other Auto and super Takumars). Apart from this quirk, it has truly automatic function, like any Super-Takumar, despite the "Auto" in the name that would classify it among the semi-automatic diaphragm lenses.
Let me try an identification of the camera : is it a Honeywell Pentax H3 ?
Is it a recent buy ?
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Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras
09-11-2023, 11:32 AM
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@ lotech
What is the best M42 camera ?
Honestly I don't think there is only one and unanimous answer to this question. First, it depends on your use. For example, there are a few aperture priority automated cameras for this mount. If you value the speed and convenience of aperture priority more than manual operation, you will be more inclined to choose between the few models that offer this automation. However, if what your search and prioritize is a practical manual operation, with accurate light metering, with good reading, the answers will differ. And there is plenty of other criteria, like better lens compatibility, availability of repairs (and repairmans), reliability, dependance on battery power etc...
Which aspects do you prefer ?
Apart from these considerations, the Fujica ST 801 is a very good camera overall. At last, it is well worth the effort of changing the light seals and mirror bumper.
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Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help
11-24-2022, 01:16 PM
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Hello.
There are some quite capable cameras obtainable in this budget of 100 £ (or maybe a little more) nowadays. I would first ask if your impecunious friend uses manual focus lenses (hence generally cheaper). It would orientate the choice of the camera towards very old high-end models, which have a pentaprism finder, instead of a little pentamirror. If one uses manual focus regularly, the better viewfinder really matters a lot ! If the lenses in his possession are mostly autofocus, there are some nice deals on more recent entry-level cameras (thus with penta-mirror). These smaller wviewfinder cameras are not much a hindrance when used with autofocus.
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Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras
11-11-2022, 02:01 PM
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Hello Ismael. Another sympathic restoration report from you. I'm again amazed by your willingness to tinker with lenses and cameras while not having a repairman formation. I'm doing some old lens repairs myself, but never had the courage to venture into camera disassembly !
The Pentax ME electronic series is a quite interesting breed of cameras from Pentax. Sure, they have their weaknesses, but seem rather reliable considering how old tech' they are.
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Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras
02-17-2021, 12:44 PM
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Hello. As an occasional user of this combination, a 20mm or 35mm Flektogon on a Spotmatic F, I have to share my advice. Using a east German CZJ lens on this Japanese aperture coupled camera raises a real problem, but it has a simple solution.
The problem is not linked to the protruding rear element of the Flektogon with its aluminium housing. By looking through the 24*36 image field, B set, camera back opened, I find it to be pretty distant to the reflex mirror. Being myself confronted to one of my favourite lenses not mounting to my favourite camera, I found the parts that block the association are diaphragm actuation pin, and aperture coupling lever. When one is about to finish the final turn to mount the lens on the camera, the pin catches the raised end of the L-shaped aperture coupling lever. Continuing to screw on the lens moves the mechanism until it reaches its stop. Its return spring then repels the lens, unscrewing it. :confused:
The problem lies in how Pentax has designed their lenses, from the east Germans construction (who have set the M42 standard). And there are minute differences that cause this trouble. On SPF, ES, ES II cameras, Pentax has designed their coupling mechanism with a L shape, in order to have a clearance to let their Takumar diaphragm actuation pin pass just nearby, and let the lens being fitted normally. On a Takumar, I measured with a caliper that the diaphragm release pin is situated about 1.2 mm inside relative to the threads of M42 mount. On an east-German lens, this distance is a tiny bit greater, about 1.45-1.6 mm. The pin being deeper, where the coupling cam lies, it then hits the L shape when the lens is screwed on. On some lens/camera combinations, it passes, on others, it scrapes the coupling lever but still passes, on others it hits and blocks. It is just a matter of a 1/10 mm or so. :mad:
But there is a simple trick you can use. On Carl Zeiss Jena and Pentacon lenses, twiddling the lens into manual diaphragm operation deactivates the return spring of the diaphragm pin. You can then either push it with a finger, or let the gravity recess it, by tilting the lens face to the ground. With the pin now recessed, the lens can be screwed without issue. Then you can twiddle the lens in auto mode to use it normally. You just have to remember the trick each time you grab a lens that you know would not pass onto your camera.
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Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras
10-09-2020, 02:12 PM
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Contrarily to the preceding models, the Spotmatic F does not have a automatic return to OFF , for the lever on the left.
On the F the lever does not cut the circuit, but toogles between open aperture and real aperture measure modes.
It is a photoswitch that performs the circuit cut-off on Spotmatic F, as well as on the Pentax KM and K1000.
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Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras
09-26-2020, 03:39 PM
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Yes, Pentax was the name of the M42 camera from Asahi Optical Company, after the M37 Asahiflex models.
Then to distinguish the newer variants from the original Pentax, they added a touch of letters / a number on top of the camera, hence the S3, SV etc... But they were still marketed as ASAHI PENTAX cameras, engraved in big letters on the front.
Came in 1964, the Spotmatic was a new line, it was special : advanced camera given a fully fledged name on the right front, in addition of being also marked traditionally "ASAHI PENTAX".
But people call them by their specific designation. I guess this was seen as diverting people minds from what should be the real trademark, so they dropped the spotmatic appellation.
The updated Electro-Spotmatic was renamed ES, lower spec's cameras were given short alphanumerical names also (SP500).
Then in 1980's the Asahi naming vanished to just keep PENTAX.
Finally the company changed its name after the products they sold, to be named Pentax Corporation instead of Asahi Opt. Co.
In this period there were seldom cameras given a long name, for example Pentax Program A, but in general the company stuck to giving their cameras short letter names or short alphanumerical names, to this day (KM, ME, LX, Z1, MZ-S, K10, K7 etc...)
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Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras
09-25-2020, 10:37 AM
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Hello. Which M42 Asahi is it ? The answer to to the first post question is simple. It's an ASAHI PENTAX !!
It's obviously written right there on the front, right ? :p
Ahemm... Seriously, as the camera has no additional designation engraving besides its (low) serial # , it is the "AP", the original, the very first Pentax.
It is not the rarest camera of the original Pentax line going from this one to the SV. But it is really rare nonetheless, especially in this condition.
It is not the first M42 reflex camera either, as the firsts were german.
Is it still working somewhat correctly on top of that ?
As for the lens, the 58 f/2 is an even more amazing find, a modified Sonnar design, the only Sonnar standard lens existing for a reflex. A special design.
Don't hesitate to try it out on a more recent camera or a DSLR.
Enjoy !
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Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras
09-17-2020, 11:36 AM
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Looks in shiny condition, from the little we can see. Can you show more ? :D
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Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
09-04-2020, 08:51 AM
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So, I have seen the part 3 of the stories, about why they did not equip the K-new a tilt / orientable screen.
This makes sense. The new viewfinder is more compact, the overall layout is more compact, so the screen has to be kept compact as well.
The K-new will have 61.8 mm depth, which is not a lot, if you think about how little it is, above focal flange distance : 61.8-44.5 = 17.3mm.
Just above 17mm to fit all of these : sensor circuit, image stabilizer plate, image stabilizer chassis, mainboard, screen circuitry, screen glass.
People, this is impressive engineering.
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Forum: Canon, Nikon, Sony, and Other Camera Brands
09-04-2020, 08:16 AM
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Hello.
There is certainly some market value, and not the least in Canon FD lenses.
Recent rise in mirrorless cameras has made them adaptable to many mounts.
Whereas they were not adaptable to digital reflexes before.
Moreover, guess which reflex is one of the top most demanded, on the film camera scene ? :p
A probably over-rated and over-priced camera, but still full of charm.
Yes, the Canon AE-1 and AE-1 program.
This means you will probably not have any difficulty selling glass for the FD mount system, at a good price. :cool:
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Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras
08-29-2020, 03:29 AM
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I'm not a Nikon connoisseur either, but the F2 uses the fork as aperture coupling, so it does not need the lens to be an Ai.
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
08-25-2020, 07:14 AM
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
08-21-2020, 09:39 AM
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Hello. The lens you are referring to is the Macro-Prakticar 55mm f/2.8, that was produced in quite reduced numbers, by Carl Zeiss in Jena, only in Praktica-B mount, from 1981 to 1989.
Sadly, it was never available in M42 mount. CZJ only considered to produce a specialized macro lens very lately, as the east-german ordinary lenses in M42 (Pentacon 50 f/1.8 and Pancolar 50 f/1.8, as well as the Flektogon 35 f/2.4) have very short focussing distances, and various extension tubes were also available.
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Forum: Vintage Cameras and Equipment
08-21-2020, 02:11 AM
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Nice find. These Praktica's will take any M42 lenses (except some really old series).Your Praktica was probably stripped from its Pentacon (or similar) 50mm lens by someone willing to play with it on digital.
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Forum: Pentax Camera and Field Accessories
08-20-2020, 11:52 AM
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Hello.
I'm using the Nikon rectangular eyepiece correction lens DK-20C on my Spotmatic F. It has the right overall size. Notice that at first, it was very hard to push into the viewfinder's guiding rails. But after a fine filing work on the grooves of its plastic housing, the correction lens will fit right in. :cool:
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Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
08-16-2020, 09:51 AM
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I think calling it K-2 would be a mistake, as it would use a naming that could be useful for an entry-level full-frame camera, if maybe, by some sort of miracle, Ricoh manages to offer two full frame cameras.
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
08-16-2020, 09:46 AM
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May I suggest to use the tips of a caliper to realize the alignment of the doublet ?
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
08-16-2020, 08:36 AM
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Very interesting tentative !
Are the two elements the same size ? This would make the realignment possible without optical bench.
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Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help
08-16-2020, 07:48 AM
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It is fully closed.
On a K mount, with the lens set to "A" or a fully automatic lens like the 18-55mm kit lens, the resting position of the aperture lever is fully closed.
It is the case when the lens in not mounted on the camera. It is spring loaded.
When you mount the lens on a camera, the aperture control lever of the camera engages and moves the lens aperture lever : the lens aperture is now fully opened.
What should happen (on a good working camera) when you take a photo, is an aperture control lever that moves the exact displacement in millimetres to make your lens close at, say f/5.6.
It is a displacement proportional to the desired aperture value.
On a K-30 / K-50 etc... that has an aperture block failure (solenoid problem), the control lever does not stop to the right position, it goes full travel, letting the spring inside the lens fully close the aperture (f/22 or f/32 depending on the lens).
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Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help
08-16-2020, 07:14 AM
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Hello.
Well, this is an aperture block failure case, again...
You have a Pentax-A 50mm f/1.7 ? So you will still be able to take photos on manual mode, by one at a time light metering, using the green button. You will have to rely on your aperture ring on the lens. This is your best option before having the K50 repaired.
What currently happens, when you have the dreaded K-30 / K-50 aperture block failure, is an uncontrollable aperture condition : the camera always releases the aperture lever of the lens fully. This causes the aperture to be closed at his maximum, no matter what value you set **on the camera**. The way to avoid the problem is to have a lens with aperture ring at hand. In this case, the closing aperture value is set directly by the lens ring, and it does not matter that the camera releases the lever fully. If your lens is set to f/5.6 you will get that value, and not f/22 - f/32 unlike on a fully automatic lens.
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Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
08-13-2020, 03:48 PM
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Will it incorporate a mechanical clockwork knob for self-timer functions, like the SV ?
I would be retro-hyped as crazy ! :p
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
08-13-2020, 10:58 AM
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I just grabbed a Pentax-K lens, removed a screw, and my caliper lines up at 1.95 mm for the threaded part.
On maybe the 2 in M2 is about internal diameter, without the helicoid ?? :confused:
Edit : after a short research, the number in metric standard screw is indeed the external diameter of the thread. The real measurement can be a little less, because the carving of the original rod from which the screw is produced removes a bit more material than intended. Hence the 1.95 mm I measured. The second number indicates the thread length, sometimes excluding the head, sometimes not (countersunk type).
So I will order M2*3 mm DIN-7985 screws, and sand the head to approximate the dimensions of K-mount ones. Unless someone has a better reference.
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
08-13-2020, 10:49 AM
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If you can cope with manual metering on the field, by using the green button, it is a viable option. I've done so for a decade ! :lol:
There are plenty of Pentax (or compatible) lenses that still have an aperture ring.
It is a bit slower method of taking photos. You have to remember clicking the green button when lighting conditions or aperture change.
Apart from that, after a bit of practice, it is absolutely feasible and enjoyable.
The only thing you will miss is flash automation. So if your practice involves flash, you are out of luck and should have our K-S1 repaired.
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Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
08-13-2020, 09:15 AM
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About a dozen years would be sufficient while being all DSLR's ?? You can't be serious.
There are plenty of letters in the alphabet and digits still unused to avoid reusing a previous DSLR name.
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