Pentax MV/MV-1 cameras

[gone]

Are these basically the equivalent of the Nikon EM's? I want a small, light camera for daily shooting, and these look like they would work. Prices are a lot lower than the Nikon little bitty cameras too.

 

[runswithsizzers]

One source you might want to look at is here:
https://www.pentaxforums.com/camerareviews/pentax-manual-focus-film-slrs-c12.html

There are not a lot of user reviews for those two models, but you can see specs, and how they compare to the other Pentax film cameras.

Sorry, I have used several other Pentax film SLRs, but not either of those, nor any Nikons, so I can't help more.

 

[Oren Grad]

Not only are the MV cameras AE-only except for B and 1/100, but they also have no shutter-speed display in the finder other than a low-speed threshold warning. So it's hard to know what the camera is doing. Even if you don't mind AE-only, an ME or MG would be a better choice IMO.

 

[Deleted member 88956]

For an auto only camera, the MV-1 is a great choice. And lens selection/quality is top class.

 

[Paul Howell]

I have an MV, never had an EM but did have a FG, the MV is more like a point and shoot with interchangeable lens, needs KA lens or AF with aperture ring, as noted no information in the display. The MV can be had for not a lot of money, but a quick look Ebay, the EM seems to cost even less. Nikon FG seem to go for about price as a MV, it were me I would compare the FG with a MV. I used by FG as a second body when I was shooting F3P, had the motor drive with was 3.5 frames per second, had the Flash with TTL flash mode, a feature the F3 did not have have. The EM FG and FG20 were based on the same body, reason I got the FG was that I had ordered a FA, the store I ordered it from sold to another shooter from the London times, the shop sold the FG to me at cost. My intention was to use until I would get a FE or FA, turned out that I liked the FG and used it for many years, my son still has it.

 

[Huss]

The MV was basically a stripped down/cheaper version of the ME. The MV-1 brought back the self timer but still does not have the shutter speed indicators in the VF that the original ME had.
MV/MV-1 just has a simple traffic light system to show exposure. Green means ok.
Get an ME. They are very nice.

 

[gone]

Thanks everyone. I'm interested in the simple MV because the last 2 Nikon FG's were unable to be revived from the grave. When the mirror is locked up, it's nearly always a case of putting in fresh batteries and firing the shutter a few times. Unfortunately, that didn't work on these two, so I don't want to go that route again. They're also a little heavy for their size, and the Pentax MV is 60-70 grams lighter.

A small and light SLR w/ auto exposure is OK, I used to get great shots w/ my EM, but the lack of a shutter speed readout is unfortunate. I'll see it through rose colored glasses......the viewfinder should be uncluttered!

Those old 50 2 and 50 1.7 lenses are very nice picture takers too, and a Helios will mount on the Pentax w/ an adapter. I had narrowed my hunt down to the MV (or ME/ME-Super as suggested) and a Retina IA. The Retina has a better lens, but they're limited cameras, that one lens is all it ever will have. Heavy for their diminutive size too.

 

[Paul Howell]

I had to double check myself, your right you can use M42 and straight K with the MV. A big plus over the EM.

 

[Deleted member 88956]

Going away a bit from MV, ME-super is the actual best bet.

 

[GarageBoy]

ME and ME super don't go for much more than an mv/mv1, unless you can get the latter for super cheap

 

[dynachrome]

I have both of these. They are pleasant enough to use in hood light and when they are working properly. They are not always working properly and are not easy to get repaired. My favorite M cameras are the MX and the ME Super. The MX is the most reliable of the M cameras. The LEDs can be hard to see in bright light. Mechanically, the MX is very reliable. I prefer the older 55/1.8 and 55/2 lenses to the 50/2 and 50/1.7 lenses. I don't really like any version of the 50/2. Where Nikon is concerned, I am not interested in getting an EM. I have an FG which was given to me. I much prefer a Nikkormat, FT2 or FT3, to the plastic EM, FG or FG-20.

 

[gone]

I ended up buying a beater MV w/ a 50 2 lens for $25, shipped. The rewind crank is broken, but I can deal w/ that in the darkroom. If the camera is dead, I still have the lens, and this gives me a chance to see how the viewfinder looks. The 50 2 isn't as sharp wide open as the 1.7, which makes it better for portraits, and by f5.6 I doubt there's any difference between the two lens models.

Years ago I had an ME Super, but the buttons on the top drove me bonkers trying to change shutter speeds, and for a camera w/ AE, they really should have put an AE lock on it. They have a cloth shutter too, and I trust a metal one more.

The OM cameras were also considered, but I have zero experience w/ those, and can probably find a better bgn M42 lens for the MV than w/ the OM. Zuiko glass is sharp, but can be a little edgy in the bokeh department.

You can shoot Nikkor glass on Canon FD mount camera too Paul, it just requires 2 adapters. The Nikons are good for shooting Leica R glass w/ 1 adapter, as are the EOS cameras, but not all the Canon cameras will meter right. All the Nikons will meter right in stop down mode.

 

[gone]

I shot this about 20 years ago w/ a Pentax 50 2 lens on a K1000. It's plenty sharp enough, but was helped by the film, which was that great Kodak C41 B&W stuff. A simple P&S camera is just what I need, and will prevent me from buying all sorts of expensive and heavy lenses for it.

 

[flavio81]

Are these basically the equivalent of the Nikon EM's? I want a small, light camera for daily shooting, and these look like they would work. Prices are a lot lower than the Nikon little bitty cameras too.

They're better built and more reliable than the EM.

 

[gone]

I agree, the EMs are more like toys, but they're dead reliable and have good meters. You need a sense of whimsy w/ them because winding the film on is unlike any other camera. It's built like a cheesy, plastic camel's leg.

I was mistaken about the K mount lenses Paul. You can go from a M42 mount camera to a K lens, but when going the other way it only works as a macro.

However, this guy (who I have no affiliation with, but have been a very happy customer of) has adapters to let you put a Leica, Zeiss, Contax, Nikon (now that's an interesting one), and Oly OM lens on your Pentax SLR camera. One of his Leica R to Nikon adapters is holding the R 90 lens to my N8008s. A Pentax camera could give you a huge amount of lens choices.

http://leitax.com/OlympusOM-lens-for-Pentax-cameras.html

 

[Autonerd]

They have a cloth shutter too, and I trust a metal one more.

I don't think that's correct -- AFAIK all of the K-mount Pentax cameras with automatic shutter timing had a metal-leaf shutter. I had to free a stuck shutter on the first ME Super I was given, and I definitely remember playing with it.

Congrats on a good MV find. I had an MG when I was a young'un which I used as the backup body for my KX. It was great for long exposures, reliably shooting up to 30 sec as I remember. Lovely camera.

Aaron

 

[Autonerd]

Oh, forgot to mention -- if you need a little more speed, you should have no problem finding a Pentax-M 50/1.7 for $30 or less.

Aaron

 

[Pioneer]

I shot this about 20 years ago w/ a Pentax 50 2 lens on a K1000. It's plenty sharp enough, but was helped by the film, which was that great Kodak C41 B&W stuff. A simple P&S camera is just what I need, and will prevent me from buying all sorts of expensive and heavy lenses for it.

The Pentax 50/2 is a terrific lens that gets very little love. That's ok though since it keeps them very inexpensive for those of us who enjoy them. I use an A50/2 on a nice little P3n and really enjoy the results. It is an amazingly light combo that can really deliver amazing photos. F2 is a bit soft in the corners but is really nice for portraits. From F4 on it is good for anything I want to shoot.

 

[dynachrome]

You do not need two adapters to mount a nikon lens on a Canon FD camera. Canon made its own N adapter and there are third party adapters available. The original Canon N adapter can be expensive. Both work.

 

[Huss]

I don't think that's correct -- AFAIK all of the K-mount Pentax cameras with automatic shutter timing had a metal-leaf shutter. I had to free a stuck shutter on the first ME Super I was given, and I definitely remember playing with it.

Congrats on a good MV find. I had an MG when I was a young'un which I used as the backup body for my KX. It was great for long exposures, reliably shooting up to 30 sec as I remember. Lovely camera.

Aaron

I forget if my K2 (auto exposure) had a cloth shutter or metal? Lovely camera.

A black Pentax ME is gorgeous though. Same for the MV-1.

 

[Pioneer]

I forget if my K2 (auto exposure) had a cloth shutter or metal? Lovely camera.

A black Pentax ME is gorgeous though. Same for the MV-1.

Don't know about yours but mine has a metal shutter.

 

[flavio81]

You do not need two adapters to mount a nikon lens on a Canon FD camera. Canon made its own N adapter and there are third party adapters available. The original Canon N adapter can be expensive. Both work.

Sorry for the off topic but, where can I get a third party adapter? I can't find them on eBay.

 

[Huss]

Don't know about yours but mine has a metal shutter.

Question answered! The K2 is a very underrated camera.

 

[gone]

I must be thinking of the K1000 w/ a cloth curtain, but I could swear that Pentax made a smaller camera w/ one. Sorry about that, I'm just feeling around in the dark w/ Pentax because I know almost nothing about them.

I tried one of the Chinese single adapters like this https://www.ebay.com/itm/184601367014, but it got stuck and I almost never got the thing off the lens. Trust me, 2 adapters are better unless there's a better made single adapter.

So if this is what you're looking for flavio81, I'd recommend getting a (hopefully) better made one.

 

[reddesert]

I was mistaken about the K mount lenses Paul. You can go from a M42 mount camera to a K lens, but when going the other way it only works as a macro.

No, it's the other way (you were right the first time). You can get a simple mechanical adapter that lets you put an M42 lens on a K mount camera body and keep infinity focus. You can also get a very similar adapter to put an M42 lens on a Contax/Yashica body. These 3 systems have almost identical flange-focal distances, and the reason it works this way is that the M42 lens mount has a smaller diameter than the K or Yashica mount throat, so the adapter fits inside and is essentially flush with the body mount flange. This also means one has to be careful mounting and removing the adapter from the camera. You can get these adapters for ~ US$15 from Fotodiox or possibly <$10 on ebay. Pentax made an adapter themselves when they introduced the K mount so that people would be tempted to buy a K body and still use their M42 lenses.

M42 lenses can go on some other brand bodies with a mechanical adapter ring. But not Nikon or Olympus (or heaven forbid it, Leica R), because those bodies have longer film to flange distances.