Pentax SFX/SF-1?

[mcgrattan]

I just bought one of these. It arrived this morning.

http://www.bdimitrov.de/kmp/bodies/SF/SF.html

I bought it (and some 3rd party KA/KAF2 mount zooms) as an autofocus body to go with my existing P50 and the couple of Pentax K-mount lenses I already own.

I was pretty shocked by how huge it is in comparison to the P50 -- it's a monster. On paper it doesn't look to measure that much larger than the P50 but in the flesh, it's much bigger.

Anyway, anyone used one of these?

 

[Bryce Parker]

My older brother bought one when they were new, and still has it. That is about all I know, though. I think I used it a couple of times but was a little stubborn- I just remember not being able to wait to get my K1000 back... I still use Pentax gear for 35mm, but it is all older than this.

 

[mcgrattan]

Yeah, I posted because I was a little surprised at the relative bulk of the camera. It's noisy too -- the motor-wind is quite a bit louder that the similar vintage EOS body (650) I have.

Saying that, it's quite full-featured and seems easy enough to use.

 

[Derek Lofgreen]

I have a PZ-10 that uses the same body style etc. I like it because it's a bit bigger my hands have a hard time with small cameras. The motor is pretty noisy like you said but I have taken many great shots with it. I mostly shoot with the *ist 35mm now, it's super quiet for an SLR.

D.

 

[Jojje]

I bought an used SFX1n cheaply a couple of years ago, it even had the optional AA battery grip. It is very good to hold IMO. Exposures spot-on. It has served me well until recently, a couple of times it has started to rewind the film in mid-roll. I suspect sloppiness by myself while putting the film in: don't push the leader too far.
I don't think it's big concerning its properties and weight only adds stability.
Negative? It looks too modern to me.

 

[mcgrattan]

I got the first roll back from it at the weekend. The results seem good -- exposures generally OK.

I quite enjoyed shooting with it too and it does seem to fit OK in my hands although I do wish the motor drive was a bit quieter. In the context of a quiet walk in the country, it was a little loud.

 

[Brac]

This was an early autofocus Pentax. The later ones (ZP & MZ) are thought to have a bit faster autofocus and the MZ series is a lot smaller.