I'm gonna miss my pentax.

[Markok765]

Why is my camera important to me?

It was:
My first SLR
I shot my first roll of tri-x in it, which was also the first roll I developed & printed [so many scratches]
My first camera that shot a paid photo with
First roll of Kodachrome/velvia shot with this camera
First camera i dropped
I learned so much on this, and to this day have shot almost 200 rolls with it.

And now I'm replacing it with

It's going to be sitting just in my bag, not doing anything.
What will I do with it when I get my F5? I want to still occasionally use it. I will probably use it for tripod work, as I will also use my spotmeter then.

With the Nikon F5, do i need to use a spotmeter?

And no, I'm not getting rid of the Pentax.

 

[RoBBo]

And no, I'm not getting rid of the Pentax.

You'll have an F5, all I can say is...
Why not?

 

[Markok765]

Because it was my first camera/sentimental value

 

[RoBBo]

Because it was my first camera/sentimental value

Find someone else and make it their first camera.
Don't let it sit in limbo, it's a waste.
You'll always have the images you've made with it.
Really, it's a tool, and a great one at that, it should be put to use, and not as a decoration or a paper weight.

 

[Markok765]

I don't know if I can part with it.

 

[Pinholemaster]

Yes, you'll use the spotmeter in the F5. Grin.

Keep the Pentax.

 

[Markok765]

Yes, you'll use the spotmeter in the F5. Grin.

Keep the Pentax.

Is the spotmeter 1 degree?

How is the matrix meter vs a handheld spot?

 

[Marc Akemann]

I got my first camera in 1974. It was a brand new Minolta SRT-102 from my parents as a high school graduation gift. Today, 34 years later, even though I now use larger or more modern cameras, I'm glad I still have my Minolta and I even use it once in a while.

I haven't kept every camera I've ever owned but the first one is a special.

Marc

 

[Markok765]

Marc, so keep the Pentax?

 

[Paul Goutiere]

Yeah, keep the Pentax.

I bought mine in Kitchener Ontario in 1966( I think), brand spanking new. I still have it. My first SLR and my first "real" camera.
Small, reliable, nice lenses, very adequate and very, very analog. A 42 year old camera and it still works perfectly!

 

[Paul Goutiere]

Does anyone know how to lock up the mirror on a Spotmatic?? It can be done.

 

[Marc Akemann]

Is the spotmeter 1 degree?

How is the matrix meter vs a handheld spot?

I don't know how many degrees the F5 spotmeter covers, but, each AF sensor you see in the viewfinder (5 of them) are your spotmeter areas with each spot being 4mm in diameter.

With center weighted metering you can change the size of the circular metering area from 8mm to 12mm to 15mm and up to 20mm. I've never used this feature on my F5.

Overall, it's a great 35mm camera.

Regarding "matrix meter vs a handheld spot", it just depends on what you're metering. Try not to depend on the 3D matrix metering for everything. Like any other meter, it can be fooled. When you're shooting a landscape, for instance, where there is a bright sky in the top portion and a darker area of land at the bottom, the camera will meter for the sky, underexposing the ground area. As with any camera meter, just be careful with very bright areas within a scene. Play around with the F5 metering characteristics before you put film in the camera. Aim it at tricky lighting situations and compare spot to matrix readings. It doesn't take long to figure it out. A good solid hour of doing this will go a long way.

Marc

 

[Marc Akemann]

Marc, so keep the Pentax?

It sounds like you have memories with your Pentax, so I would keep it, yes.

Marc

 

[Tamas]

why don't you keep it then... after all is your sentimental value as well... I regret I sold my first camera, If I could I would buy it back in a heartbeat however, this sell was a long time ago....

 

[ricksplace]

Does anyone know how to lock up the mirror on a Spotmatic?? It can be done.

Drop it. Ask me how I know this.

 

[Steve Smith]

Is the spotmeter 1 degree?

The angle of the spotmeter depends on the lens fitted.

By my calculations (and quick CAD drawing) it is 1 degree with a focal length of about 230mm.

With a 50mm lens it will be about 4.7 degrees.

The longer the lens, the narrower the spot.

(This is assuming that a 4mm spot size is correct).





Steve.

 

[Markok765]

Does anyone know how to lock up the mirror on a Spotmatic?? It can be done.

I pushed the shutter button sideways a bit for that.

 

[elekm]

The Pentax will be a great camera when you want to return to the basics. No autofocus. No multimode metering. No cluttered viewfinder. No dependence on electronics.

You should force yourself to use it every 10 rolls or so after using the Nikon, just to remind yourself that the simple things in life (and photography) often bring the most pleasure.

 

[arigram]

The Nikon is heavier and bulkier.
You will find a use for the lighter and more compact Pentax, I am sure.

 

[Marc Akemann]

Does anyone know how to lock up the mirror on a Spotmatic?? It can be done.

I pushed the shutter button sideways a bit for that.

Huh. I never knew that. Pretty cool! -Marc

 

[Philippe-Georges]

Sell that Nikon!

 

[waynecrider]

Sell that Nikon!

You'll probably wind up doing that before you off the Pentax. Btw, you won't hardly get anything for the Pentax anyways so you may as well keep it. Maybe get it gold plated and put it in the curio cabinet. I wonder tho if they make waterproof housings for them?

 

[Paul Goutiere]

I pushed the shutter button sideways a bit for that.

I found the mirror would go up without the shutter tripping by tapping, very quickly, the shutter release. Then pressing the shutter release again would trip the shutter. Just a little practice.

 

[el wacho]

its true! tap it!

 

[Paul Howell]

My first 35mm SLR was a Spot, 1966, with 3 lens. I then moved on to Nikons F, F2, F3, all come and gone. I still have the Spot, well by now 3 Spots, a couple of Chinons and about a dozen 42mm lens. My reasoning for keeping my Spot after I bought my F was there would be times when I did not want to risk my F, turned out to be true. But the spot is a real workhorse. Keep it as a back up, even if it is a back up to your backup.