HELP!

Ces1um · Nov 15, 2015

Two years ago I started tinkering with photography as a serious hobby. My father gave me his Pentax K2, along with a flash, 28mm, 55mm and 135mm lenses. That camera's shutter died several months in and could not be repaired. I purchased a used Pentax k1000 as the lenses were all interchangeable and was initially getting some great results. About 10 months of use and I started to notice my exposure was all over the place. Well, turns out my shutter is misbehaving on this camera as well**. I really like this k1000 but it's 20 years old at least and it got me realizing that my replacement options are seriously limited. Sure there are a ton of used film cameras out there, but they are all aging quickly. What am I going to do to replace this camera? I'd prefer a new film camera to a used one at this point as I'd like to buy one and have it as my "go to" camera for at least the next 10 years. I'm not sure an antique camera would hold up to that use. I was looking at the voigtlander bessa r2 series, but there was a lens I was hoping to get and it's for (d)SLR's only, not rangefinders. Short of selling all I own to buy a leica, what are my options for a sturdy, well built new SLR film camera out there? Have I got one? It makes me worry that film photography is done for. The new ones are either outrageously expensive and exotic, or plastic and poor quality. Without new quality film cameras being produced it's only a matter of time before the existing stock of cameras out there have become unusable due to age. maybe I have to drop 6 grand on a leica...

** my k1000 shutter has an interesting problem. If I set the shutter speed and then advance the film, it will fire at what sounds like 1/1000th of a second irregardless of the setting. If I reverse the order and advance the film first, then set the shutter speed it sounds as if it's firing at the correct speed. I say correct speed because quite frankly I can't hear an audible difference between 1/250 all the way up to 1/1000. They could be firing correctly or they could all be going at one speed. I'm taking it into the camera repair centre soon

MattKing · Nov 15, 2015

Buy a better, used Pentax body and have it and your lenses serviced by a knowledgeable Pentax repair person.

I would suggest either a KX or an MX, but there are other good choices out there.

Cameras of that type and vintage were designed to last, if serviced reasonably regularly (every few years).

If you bought a new Leica, you would get the same recommendation from me.

The K1000 was an entry level camera, and there is more than one version, because it was manufactured over a long period of time, at various locations. A good one remains serviceable.

Sirius Glass · Nov 15, 2015

For a lot less money get a CLA [Clean, Lubrication, and Adjustment] by a reputable camera repair place like Dead Link Removed. That way you will be able to use all your lenses and equipment from your father.

Later you can take your time and upgrade the body, if you choose to.

summicron1 · Nov 15, 2015

What Matt said. The K-1000 was a real cheap camera, with lots of compromised/plastic parts, especially towards the end of its life. Get yourself a better grade of Pentax using the same lens mount, have it serviced, you've got a good 20 years of life ahead of you, at least.

Fixcinater · Nov 15, 2015

You could get an estimate from Eric at pentaxs.com. Personally, I'd send off the K2 if you still have it due to the family connection. Chances are he can repair it. Bit of an odd site but send him an email with description and see what he knows.

If the K2 is not repairable, above advise is spot on with regards to other, better models.

Ces1um · Nov 15, 2015

Well it seems the consensus is to either repair or replace with another better version. I'm hoping it can be repaired and I'm off tomorrow to the camera repair centre in halifax to have them look at my camera. Hopefully it can be repaired, but my experience with shutter issues and my previously unrepairable k2 leaves me skeptical. Still, I love my lenses and I'd hate to not be able to use them. I may still look into a new film camera as I suspect I won't be able to get new ones for much longer, but I'll see what I can do about keeping my k1000. Thanks for the help.

Theo Sulphate · Nov 15, 2015

Ces1um said:
... quite frankly I can't hear an audible difference between 1/250 all the way up to 1/1000. They could be firing correctly or they could all be going at one speed. I'm taking it into the camera repair centre soon

Actually, from 1/60th to 1/1000, the shutter should sound the same because the overall curtain travel time is the same and the mirror actuation time is the same: only the slit width (i.e. curtain spacing) is different.

Alan W · Nov 15, 2015

The K1000 started out its production life in Japan,then moved to Hong Kong then to China-This info I got from looking at the several k1000's I've owned(probably some countries in between too,but Japan,Hong Kong and China are what I've seen)The most reliable of all of them,for me,have been the Japanese made ones.If it doesn't say "made in Japan" on the back,then it was made somewhere else of inferior material,in my experience.

Fixcinater · Nov 15, 2015

Do you need a meter in the camera?

rwreich · Nov 15, 2015

You shouldn't be able to hear a difference in 1/250 & 1/1000 on focal plane shutters because the curtains move at essentially the same speed. The only difference is the width of the slit between the two curtains.

Greensboro, NC

rwreich · Nov 15, 2015

Oh, nevermind. Theo beat me to it.

Greensboro, NC

Jeff Bradford · Nov 16, 2015

The Pentax KX and MX have the same cloth shutter as the K1000. The cloth shutter isn't intrinsically bad, but when it wears out, it wears out and isn't worth replacing. The K2 and ME Super have the titanium shutter. The K2 tops out at 1/1000, while the ME Super will do 1/2000.

For a more modern Pentax camera, the SF1 has a titanium shutter with speed up to 1/2000, motorized advance, auto-focus, built-in flash, and does TTL. The SF1n is similar, but with 1/4000 top speed and auto-bracketing. The ME Super and SF1n can be had in the $25 range.

The Ricoh KR and XR series SLRs were some of the best cameras made to use Pentax K-mount lenses.

dynachrome · Nov 18, 2015

I don't agree that a broken mechanical Pentax shouldn't be repaired. Eric Hendrickson has expertly overhauled a number of Pentax cameras for me. Replacing worn shutter curtains on a K1000 or KM or MX is no problem at all for Eric. I would rather have a Pentax overhauled properly than buy one old one after another without really knowing what condition they are in. My overhauled Pentax cameras work beautifully and are reliable for anything I might need then for. With what film and processing cost, why waste money shooting with a camera which isn't working properly?

removed account4 · Nov 18, 2015

just send your cameras to someone for a tune up, both will be fine. I still ipuse a k1000
from 1980, it's great

ColColt · Nov 19, 2015

You might consider the LX as well...great camera...something like this.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Pentax-LX-3...sh=item5b1c24b3d8:g:AQYAAOSwo6lWPR4L#viTabs_0

John Koehrer · Nov 19, 2015

The idea that the K1000* is lower quality than a KM or KX is kind of silly. They were all built on the same casting. Except for minor features the internal bits & pieces are interchangeable.

*** The last series that came from China was an exception. I've never seen a more cheaply mad SLR.

Brett Rogers · Nov 19, 2015

Theo Sulphate said:
Actually, from 1/60th to 1/1000, the shutter should sound the same because the overall curtain travel time is the same and the mirror actuation time is the same: only the slit width (i.e. curtain spacing) is different.

rwreich said:
You shouldn't be able to hear a difference in 1/250 & 1/1000 on focal plane shutters because the curtains move at essentially the same speed. The only difference is the width of the slit between the two curtains.

Greensboro, NC

I disagree with this. Not with the fact that the curtains will traverse the gate at the same velocity, or about the slit width, of course. With very few exceptions, this is correct. But about being able to hear a difference. There should be a difference in the sound of the higher speeds due to the relative timing of the second curtain finishing its run. Granted, 1/500 versus 1/1000 can be very hard (or impossible, depending on the camera) to split. But if you can't hear any difference between 1/60 and 1/1000, then, either you need to get your ears checked, or you're not listening properly, because that second curtain timing will affect the cadence of the clack-click sound (a hackneyed description, but you know what I mean). The mirror descending may mask this difference to some extent (once again, varying according to the camera and how quiet its mirror is) but in most instances you should still be able to pick it. For such focal plane SLRs that have a mirror lock up capability (not a pre-release!) Eg. an SRT, lock the mirror up and run through those high speeds. The difference between even the fastest speeds should then be that much easier to split...

Theo Sulphate · Nov 20, 2015

Brett Rogers said:
... But if you can't hear any difference between 1/60 and 1/1000, then, either you need to get your ears checked, or you're not listening properly, because that second curtain timing will affect the cadence of the clack-click sound (a hackneyed description, but you know what I mean). The mirror descending may mask this difference to some extent (once again, varying according to the camera and how quiet its mirror is) but in most instances you should still be able to pick it....

Heh. Well, that makes sense.

So, I just checked at 1/1000 and 1/125 with a Leicaflex SL (best shutter sound ever), a Nikon F2 Photomic, a Nikon FM, and (more appropriate to the original post) a Pentax SP500. To me, there was no difference whatsoever between the sounds from the two speeds with any of the cameras. I thought I heard a faint difference between 1/500 and 1/125 on the Pentax, but it was too subtle if it were real.

I do have tinnitus and I know my high frequency hearing is gone, so maybe that's the reason I can't hear any difference.

rwreich · Nov 20, 2015

Yeah, well, you know, that’s just, like, your opinion, man.

Brett Rogers said:
I disagree with this. Not with the fact that the curtains will traverse the gate at the same velocity, or about the slit width, of course. With very few exceptions, this is correct. But about being able to hear a difference. There should be a difference in the sound of the higher speeds due to the relative timing of the second curtain finishing its run. Granted, 1/500 versus 1/1000 can be very hard (or impossible, depending on the camera) to split. But if you can't hear any difference between 1/60 and 1/1000, then, either you need to get your ears checked, or you're not listening properly, because that second curtain timing will affect the cadence of the clack-click sound (a hackneyed description, but you know what I mean). The mirror descending may mask this difference to some extent (once again, varying according to the camera and how quiet its mirror is) but in most instances you should still be able to pick it. For such focal plane SLRs that have a mirror lock up capability (not a pre-release!) Eg. an SRT, lock the mirror up and run through those high speeds. The difference between even the fastest speeds should then be that much easier to split...

(Meant to be funny)

Greensboro, NC

Brett Rogers · Nov 20, 2015

rwreich said:
Yeah, well, you know, thats just, like, your opinion, man.

(Meant to be funny)

Greensboro, NC

God, my ignore list at this site just gets longer every single day lately.

rwreich · Nov 20, 2015

Brett Rogers said:
God, my ignore list at this site just gets longer every single day lately.

That doesn't bother me in the least. I don't take myself too seriously and I try to speak to people in forums as if they were in the same room. If someone tells a joke that falls flat in a face-to-face conversation, are you spectacularly rude, insulting that person as you see yourself out? Humor is delightful. Cranky people, less so. I'm sorry (not sorry) you were offended by my movie quote.

I don't want to bicker. It's a community, not a proving-ground.

Greensboro, NC

pbromaghin · Nov 20, 2015

Ces1um, there's a CLA'd K1000 for sale right here for not much more than the cost of a CLA:

(there was a url link here which no longer exists)

vsyrek1945 · Nov 20, 2015

Sirius Glass said:
For a lot less money get a CLA [Clean, Lubrication, and Adjustment] by a reputable camera repair place like Dead Link Removed. That way you will be able to use all your lenses and equipment from your father.

Later you can take your time and upgrade the body, if you choose to.

+1 )n the KEH repair option. By coincidence, I had my K2 serviced by KEH in the late 1990s, and while it hasn't seen heavy use, it still works perfectly, which is more than I can say for the dead ME Super, ME-F, and Super Program bodies sitting on a shelf.

The K2 is Second to the LX, which I've never had the opportunity to use, but based on opinions expressed here on APUG,.in the Pentax K-mont line-up.

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