Pentax K1000

[zackesch]

Whoo Whoo! My Pentax came in today! Very excited to put it through its paces.

I do have a few questions. First off, When it comes for light tightness, what should I look for? This is my first time using a camera of the sort. The center of the view finder is new to me. This is a non SE model. I was wondering if the center dot has the split prism. I assume its to help for fine focusing. Is there anything else I should look for while putting it through its paces. Oh, I threw in a new light meter battery.

I'd like to add that there is a sticker where the film goes stating that it was last serviced in 05 of '93.

Thanks,

Zack

 

[Someonenameddavid]

The Pentax K1000SE was sold through specialty stores that could not compete with mass merchandisers cut throat pricing. Same camera give or take cosmetics.

David

 

[BrianShaw]

... last serviced in 05 of '93.

Wow... or in ebay speak, "recently CLA'd".

 

[Jon Shiu]

Examine the foam light seals where the back closes. Also look at the mirror foam bumper where the mirror swings up.

Jon

 

[zackesch]

David, Thats interesting to hear. So the center is a split prism then?

 

[mweintraub]

Wow... or in ebay speak, "recently CLA'd".

My other eBay / CL favorite: "It worked the last time I used it [15 years ago]."

 

[omaha]

Awesome camera! I still have mine that I bought new in 1981. Still works perfectly.

 

[Pioneer]

I bought mine used in a Pawnshop while visiting Reno in 1984 and I still use it. It came with the 50/2 lens and I think that is still my favorite lens. Nice and sharp right from f2 on. I absolutely love mine. It lived on a diet of Kodak Gold 400 for years and years but now it sees a lot more black and white, still Kodak though.

 

[maderik]

Inspect the foam seals in the channels where the door fits on the back and near the door hinge. While replacing the foam is easy, you can often make do just by using the lower half of the case and/or some black tape.

You can read about K1000 variations here.

 

[Jeff Kubach]

K1000 is a great camera, you gonna love it!

Jeff

 

[GRHazelton]

For whatever reason the meter has no on/off switch, the user is expected to put a lens cap on to "turn off" the meter. Mike Butkus has the manual here: http://www.butkus.org/chinon/pentax/pentax_k1000/pentax_k1000.htm It is a good introduction to the Pentax system and is about as reliable as a hammer. I never understood why a DOF preview was omitted, I'd think that would be a simple thing to engineer. Jon Goodman who posts to APUG has foam kits available jgood21967@aol.com for a large number of cameras with instructions, etc. Truly a "Goodman."

 

[zackesch]

Regarding the foam seals, the upper seal looks fine, but the lower is a little sticky. Some of the foam is stuck to the door, not a large amount. The felt by the hinge is ok.

I would also like to add that the foam by the mirror is in very good condition.

 

[John Koehrer]

Replace all the foam when you replace one strip.
Good foam will spring back to it's original height immediately after being compressed. In a camera this old the mirror foam may not have much life left and when it deteriorates and gets sticky it's a PITA to get residue off the (front surface) mirror.

If your screen is split image, it will have either a very fine horizontal or diagonal line in the center. If you focus on a vertical line and have two images in the center, that's split. Microprism is also very common, this one the center breaks up into small prism like areas. To focus just adjust 'til it's smooth. Frequently you can find a comera that has a split center surrounded by a microprism collar.

 

[zackesch]

Thanks John, I have a microprism which is a real treat to use compared to what I'm use to with my Canon EF lenses.

 

[Pioneer]

I went for a long, long, long, long, long time before I had the light seals replaced and never had any trouble with light leaks. YMMV. But I immediately changed the mirror bumper when it began to deteriorate. This was for several reasons. First, a deteriorating mirror bumper will change your focus point. Not much but it can be enough when shooting wide open to cause some problems. Second, the mirror will stick up sometimes which is a pain. But most important, if the mirror bumper starts to fall apart and the small, sticky pieces get caught in your shutter...I don't think I have to go on as I am sure you get the picture. The result is not pretty.

Beyond that the K1000 is about as bullet proof as they come. It is so simple that there really is not much that can go wrong. Even the battery is optional. I shot mine for years with no battery at all using just the Sunny 16 rules. Where I lived at the time there were not many stores handy, the Grocery Store was over 80 miles away. When I did make it to a store I didn't remember that I needed a battery, and when I picked up the camera and remembered the battery, I was nowhere near the store. No internet then and mail ordering a single battery just didn't make sense.

The split image is nice, but now that I am older and my eyes are not all they used to be, I find the simple microprism circle seems to work better for me.

 

[Alan Gales]

Replace the seals right away since some are sticky. My old Contax 139 got like that before I knew it and some of the sticky seal material crumbled and got on my focussing screen and made a mess.

Congratulations on the camera. K1000's are great. A good friend of mine bought one in the early 1980's and it still works fine. Back then they were the most highly recommended 35mm cameras by college photography teachers. They were great reliable cameras with quality lenses for a relatively inexpensive price.

 

[JohnRichard]

I have THREE. I have never had an issue out of any of them. One I dropped, lens first onto pavement. . . works fine - that aperture ring is a bit hard to turn, and you can't thread filters on it anymore, AND something rattles a speeds slower than 1/60 BUT, it still works. Love it.

 

[Xmas]

the meter should be good with any battery type I use the cheap Ch alkaline cells when I fit a battery

there is a battery off switch but it is electronic if the camera is in the dark a semi conductor isolates the battery but light leaking into the eyepiece will leave the meter operational the scheme assumed use of an ERC or gbag.

if you put the camera away remove the battery anyway.

the brick shop price seems to be inflating...

 

[bsinmich]

The SE model had the split prism image while the standard version just has the magnifying center spot. I have a magnifier that clips on the viewfinder for close focus. I use that if I am using the bellows on it. I also have 3 ME Supers, MV, which set shutter automatically and warns if you get under 1/60m sec., PZ10, PZ20, and 110 with all the goodies. I kind oflike Pentax. There are also 14 lenses from fisheye to 400MM.

 

[frank]

K1000 is a quintessential simple, classic 35mm SLR. Is the Leica M2 RF of SLR's. it even doesn't have a DOF preview, like the M2. It's all that one needs for most types of photography.

 

[Chan Tran]

Uhm I don't know if any rangefinder has the DOF preview feature.

 

[frank]

Uhm I don't know if any rangefinder has the DOF preview feature.

You realized my joke.

(There actually is a DOF indication for f5.6 and f16 on the RF patch of M2's.)

 

[Les Sarile]

K1000 is a quintessential simple, classic 35mm SLR. Is the Leica M2 RF of SLR's. it even doesn't have a DOF preview, like the M2. It's all that one needs for most types of photography.

Actually all Pentax K mount bodies have built-in DOF preview. You simply stop the lens down and release the lens without removing it and the blades will close down.

It also has built-in multiexposure. You simply make the first exposure, rewind until tight, press the film rewind button, advance the rapid wind lever then press the shutter for the second exposure of the same frame.

 

[JohnRichard]

Is there a better lens than the 50/f2 ?

 

[SamSpade1941]

The K1000 is the VW Beetle of 35mm SLR cameras. No frills but it works and works well. They have given years and years of yeoman's service to their owners and take wonderful photographs.