HELLLLLLLP! Pentax manual SLR bodies: K1000 vs. KM vs. KX

[Pioneer]

I wouldn't exactly call the K2 or K2 DMD a cheapo camera. These were the top of the line Pentax cameras for the time.

 

[DREW WILEY]

Well they might have been well built compared to today's plastic stuff, but things like the K2 certainly weren't what I'd consider top mechanical
quality. I gave a family member one of those too. But like I've already said, I've become a convert to Nikon FM2's and FM3's. I would love to
find an old early Pentax body if the gaskets were still any good. Some of those early thread-on lenses had a less contrasty look than my current
ultra-snappy Nikon lenses, which was nice for certain subjects. I still have a couple of the old lenses.

 

[DREW WILEY]

... but the nice thing about the K cameras is that you can adapt P67 and 645 lenses to them, which often have a much nicer rendering than
35mm lenses. I have the adapter.

 

[Chan Tran]

The K's were Pentax's el-cheapo line. I gave a little MX to my nephew for his extreme-weather climbing expeditions in the arctic, Andes, and
Himalayas. As long as the meter battery was kept warm, it performed superbly, and he got all those cool shots his sponsors (like North Face)
wanted for their ads, plus bagged several feature articles and covers in the climbing magazines. A fancier electronic camera would have failed, as most modern digital gear (he learned that lesson the hard way, as did certain other extreme-weather climbers I knew). I prefer the Nikon F-series myself; but the MX is wonderfully compact. The probably with any old camera is if rubber gasket material needs replacement. My very first personal camera was an early Honeywell Pentax; and it's unbelivable how much hell I put that thing thru in the mtns. When it's shutter speeds finally started losing accuracy, I had moved on to 4x5 anyway.

You may prefer the MX to the KX as it's newer and have features like motor drive and LED. The MX lacks the mirror lock up and it doesn't have the nice match needle system which allows you to see the recommended shutter speed and the actual shutter speed on the same scale. The selling price at introduction is about the same if the KX was not more expensive. The K2 is definitely not El Cheapo as it were sold for more than both the KX and the MX. So call it whatever you want but the K2 and KX were not el cheapo they were the top of the line. One is auto and the other is manual like the Olympus OM-1 and OM-2 pair. How do you call them el cheapo line when they were the only product line from Pentax with the K2 (K2DMD) at the top with aperture priority auto and the KX at the top of the manual exposure line. The KM was the enonomy version of the KX. Only the K1000 was the el cheapo as it was introduced later just before they introduced the M line.

 

[DREW WILEY]

Yeah... you're correct. It was the K1000 that looked cheapo. The MX was a little gem, and they still seem abundant if well used. I don't see
much use for mirror lockup in 35mm unless you're talking about some awfully long lenses. With 6x7 I habitually use lockup.

 

[Pioneer]

Everyone has their own preferences. Drew, obviously you are not a Pentax fan, which is just fine. Someone has to like NIkon.

Many years ago I had a choice between a Nikon F and a Minolta SRT 101. I didn't even have to think about it. I chose the Minolta. Later I moved to Pentax but I have never been tempted by Nikon with the possible exception of the F100.

Contrary to the opinion of most people who have posted here, I find the K1000 to be a great camera and I still shoot regularly with one that I have used since 1984.

 

[DREW WILEY]

That's not quite correct. I already mentioned that the first camera I ever owned was a Pentax, and one of the very first models they ever made, and that I used it till it was literally mechanically worn out. I bought the Nikons decades later for copystand use, where I need things
like right angle finders, but soon adapted to it for casual walks. Normally I only relate to upside-down images behind a darkcloth. Maybe I just
bought the wrong model of that too, and its own image would be rightside-up if I were in the southern hemisphere.

 

[Pioneer]

Nahh, I've been to Australia several times and things are just as upside down there as they are here.

Though to be honest I haven't verified that through a ground glass.

 

[Chan Tran]

I never used the mirror lock up feature either but I have seen so many posts that people wanting that features. Most of my cameras do have such a feature but I never use it. I like Pentax but really I am a Nikon fan.

 

[Xmas]

Also, there's no meter on off switch, the lens cap serves that function. Riiiight!

IMHO it would NOT serve as the basis for a proper photo kit.

There is an off on switch if the light level is lower than the meter range the battery is disconnected
If you keep the camera in a dark gbag eg with a lens hood fitted or ERC it should be ok.

None of the missing features will stop you taking photos.

 

[johnha]

This thread might have moved on from the original question, but FWIW:

For me there's very little difference. The MX feels better engineered but is also smaller and not everybody gets on with the location of the shutter speed dial (it can be difficult to turn when held at the eye). Some people prefer the MX LEDs or the Ks needle for the metering.

The K1000/KX/KM are larger and (for me) handle better because of it. Between the K's there's very little difference and the condition of the individual camera is more important for me. The last of the K1000's are likely to be in better condition than the first, and also any of the KM or KX's (which were only in production for a couple of years). There's less to go wrong with the K1000 than the KM/KX and unless you need the slightly better metering, it's as good a camera IMHO.

From what I've seen, KMs & KXs are much rarer than K1000s (2yrs of production versus 25yrs) and I've not seen them cheaper than K1000s. Ultimately it might just come down to availability & price.

 

[snapguy]

heard

The K1000 seems to be the Pentax K camera everyone has at least heard of so it goes for more money these days than I think is warranted. The main thing is to get a camera body that is in good working condition. Good luck. Sound like yopu're gonna have lots of fun.

 

[Nuff]

Yes, the speed dial on MX can be difficult. It was for me at first, but now I got used to it. Some people don't.

Personally I like light cameras, especially 35mm, since I like to take them along with my 35mm gear and then every gram counts. Especially when getting a flight and checking in. The grams can add up quickly...

 

[markaudacity]

The MX viewfinder is so much better than the K1000/KX/KM/K2's that unless price is a factor, there's no contest. It is HUGE, and it's 100% magnification so you can shoot with both eyes open.

 

[snegron]

This thread brings back old memories! Back in 1979 I purchased a K1000 brand new. While I liked using it, I always had my eye on other models (especially the "older" K2) because of the ability to add a motor drive. I also remember wanting an MX (one of the three remaining old film cameras on my wish list). As others have mentioned, you can't go wrong with any of these old Pentax bodies. The only old Pentax body I have had a somewhat negative issue with has been with a Super Program body I purchased from Goodwill. The frame counter does not work.

You might want to consider though that the K1000 has a cloth shutter curtain. My personal preference when buying older cameras is toward metal curtain bodies.

 

[Xmas]

Well I only ever see K1000s the others are nice if you can get one.
The metal shutters are not for clumsy people.
The photog students who use K1000s are on a budget.
Mine was cheap. It lives in a g bag with lens uV filter and hood
and a bubble pack of cheap batteries rare I need to replace a battery.

 

[Dennis S]

Just discovered my K1000 does have the MLU flaw. Not that I need it but it is good option to know. Thanks.

 

[johnha]

You might want to consider though that the K1000 has a cloth shutter curtain. My personal preference when buying older cameras is toward metal curtain bodies.

All of the cameras mentioned in the title have cloth shutters, of the K series, only the K2 had a metal shutter IIRC (and my K2 only shoots at 1/125th due to a fault with the electronic shutter). The MX finder is indeed bigger than the K series, but as I wear glasses and can't see it all, I prefer the K series finder magnification.

 

[Pioneer]

All of the cameras mentioned in the title have cloth shutters, of the K series, only the K2 had a metal shutter IIRC (and my K2 only shoots at 1/125th due to a fault with the electronic shutter). The MX finder is indeed bigger than the K series, but as I wear glasses and can't see it all, I prefer the K series finder magnification.

You know, I really like a nice viewfinder. Rangefinders are great for that, SLRs not so much.

The MX is certainly nice but the K viewfinders are most definitely serviceable as well. The very best 35mm SLR viewfinders I have ever used are the ones on the LX or the Contarex.

But once you have used a medium format camera, or looked into the 6x6 (or whatever) viewfinder image projected by a nice TLR, it all becomes a bit relative.

I think you learn to use what you have. There is always something a little bit better out there.

 

[DREW WILEY]

... yeah, a lot better... like a nice big 8x10 groundglass!

 

[Pioneer]

I wonder what 16x20 looks like? One of these days I may have to build one and find out.

 

[haziz]

I have settled on MX, small and light body, biggest viewfinder of any pentax SLR. It shows aperture and shutter speeds in viewfinder. DOF preview. But no mirror lockup (which I do not use).

+1 - Another vote for the Pentax MX. Alternatively, consider also an Olympus OM1, or OM1N, or the OM2N. All of them feel like a fine jewel, and are very compact. The Olympus rely on a moving meter needle, which I prefer. The MX does use LEDs but has the advantage of displaying the aperture and shutter speed in the viewfinder. I prefer the shutter speed dial where Olympus has it at the base of the lens.

 

[Kino]

Be careful buying a K 1000 and examine the viewfinder carefully for the dreaded "pentaprism rot" that was pretty common for the latter years of production. If there is ANY sign of black spots in the viewfinder that can't positively be identified as dust/dirt trapped inside the viewfinder, avoid the camera!

I have a thrift store-found K 1000 that appears pristine, until you bring it up to your eye to shoot and it appears a cat has hocked-up a big fur ball in the center of the viewfinder. The silver has started peeling off the back of the pentaprism and it makes the camera very annoying to use.

You can always check the Pentax K 1000 serial number database to determine if the camera is a newer or older version. Unfortunately, I purchased mine prior to having a smart phone to do searches online, and the problem continues to grow.

https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums...ssion/51190-k1000-serial-number-database.html

I have intended to find a trashed donor body with a good prism and replace it in my otherwise great condition K 1000, but I procrastinate...

 

[dmr]

The one thing I learned is that not all K1000s are created equal! I'm lucky to have one from Way Back When which is the original Japanese model badged "Asahi Pentax" with the AoCo logo.

Over the years I've compared it to other K1000s and several are obviously cheaper in construction, lighter in weight, with some obvious plastic parts.

 

[flavio81]

The K1000 cult has gotten out of hand. People seem to have forgotten that it was the budget model at the bottom of the full-size K-mount line, which went K1000 - KM - KX - K2 - K2DMD. Later K1000's in its very long production run were more cheaply constructed, too. I'd prefer a KX any day - it has a number of useful additional features, it's not "virtually identical". Assuming comparable mechanical and cosmetic condition, to pay more for a K1000 than for a KM or KX is nuts.

+1

Let's leave the K1000s to the hipsters and to the uninformed. The prices are higher than KX and KM which is absurd!
The KM and KX are superior cameras, as are the K2 (although the K2 is an electronic camera).