Pentaxian Guidance: What's your favorite Pentax SLR body?

Les Sarile · Nov 28, 2020

Autonerd said:
To me, the ultimate Pentax would be a metal-boxy camera the size of an M, but with the XR-2's feature set -- match-needle meter, good shutter speed range plus auto controlled by a proper dial, DOF preview and a mirror lock-up. Pentax never made a camera exactly like that, but my KX and ME Super come close enough.

Then you might look into the Ricoh XR7. It is similar in size to the ME Super and has traditional controls and includes AE lock and a multi exposure control..

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Les Sarile · Nov 28, 2020

George Mann said:
My favorite Pentax is the ESII, being that it is the most advanced and reliable electronic screw mount body in their lineup.

If you are looking for a body the size and weight of an SRT, but like the FE, then you should check out Nikons EL series.

If you have M42 lenses and want modern battery, silicon cel meter, 1/2000 shutter speed, multiexposure, AE lock and aperture priority for your lenses -along with full manual, then perhaps a Chinon CE II Memotron is for you.. . . .

George Mann · Nov 28, 2020

Les Sarile said:
If you have M42 lenses and want modern battery, silicon cel meter, 1/2000 shutter speed, multiexposure, AE lock and aperture priority for your lenses -along with full manual, then perhaps a Chinon CE II Memotron is for you.. . . .

Yes, but difficult to find!

Autonerd · Nov 28, 2020

Les Sarile said:
Then you might look into the Ricoh XR7. It is similar in size to the ME Super and has traditional controls and includes AE lock and a multi exposure control..

A souped-up KR-10 Super! I have one (actually a Sears KSX Super) and I never realized how much smaller it was than the KR-10. I like the camera but don't care for the LCD meter display... although as cheap as they are the XR-7 might be worth adding to the collection. Then again... I think I now have nearly as many Ricohs as I do Pentaxes!

Aaron

George Mann · Nov 28, 2020

How reliable are these Ricohs? Do they all use modern batteries, and have Pentax lens mounts?

Les Sarile · Nov 28, 2020

George Mann said:
How reliable are these Ricohs? Do they all use modern batteries, and have Pentax lens mounts?

Ricoh has been around for a long time starting with rangefinders like everyone else and then moving to SLRs after Asahi Pentax solved the mirror black out problem - just like everyone else.

Three generations of Ricohs with three different mounts . . .

Les Sarile · Nov 28, 2020

George Mann said:
Yes, but difficult to find!

I never looked for mine as it was given to me by a friend . . .

George Mann · Nov 28, 2020

Les Sarile said:
Three generations of Ricohs with three different mounts . . .

Yes, I should have mentioned the late '70's, early '80's time frame I was thinking of.

Chan Tran · Nov 28, 2020

George Mann said:
How reliable are these Ricohs? Do they all use modern batteries, and have Pentax lens mounts?

But as you compare the Ricoh to the Pentax and today Pentax is only a mere division of Ricoh.

Les Sarile · Nov 29, 2020

Chan Tran said:
But as you compare the Ricoh to the Pentax and today Pentax is only a mere division of Ricoh.

I used to work for a company that was the largest and top in the industry that was later bought out by a smaller company that we sold off a few years earlier. Funny how things work which have nothing to do with the product . . .

Cholentpot · Nov 29, 2020

Spotmatic II.

It's not just my favorite Pentax camera. It's one of my favorite SLRs in my collection. It's right below the Nikon F3 in terms of cameras I enjoy using.

Huss · Nov 29, 2020

Surprised no-one has mentioned the Auto 110 Super. Full system camera, multiple lens choices, super handy size - much smaller than the MX/ME series.

Autonerd · Nov 29, 2020

George Mann said:
How reliable are these Ricohs? Do they all use modern batteries, and have Pentax lens mounts?

I've bought or acquired... let's see... five Ricohs. The KR-10, a KR-10 Super, a Sears KSX Super (KR-10 Super), a Sears KS Auto (XR-2s), and a KR-10SE for a friend. The KR-10 Super ($5) doesn't work (meter yes, shutter speeds no), but all four of the others worked fine, and I shoot with all of them.

All of these cameras are from the same era (late 1970s-early 1980s), they all use LR44 batteries, and they all take Pentax K-mount lenses. In fact a couple of them came with Pentax rather than Rikenon or Sears glass. I guess that was a way to save money Back In The Day... buy a Ricoh camera and front it with Pentax glass.

BTW I got all but the non-working KR-10 Super with at least one lens, and think the most I paid for any, including shipping, was $37.

Thinking of getting a KR-5... not much use for it but I like the idea of having the most feature-limited camera of its era!

Aaron

Klainmeister · Nov 29, 2020

Oddly I stopped getting email notifications from this thread, but I am glad to see such interesting information come of it.

The K2 is a camera that I had never seen nor heard of...it looks really interesting! Oddly, they seem rather inexpensive compared to the rest (LX are running near $300). That might be the ticket. A lot of my current photography is shoot from the hip travel work, so quick focusing screen really helps out. Granted, I realistically should be talking about a rangefinder, but that's a whole other can of worms my wallet isn't ready to commit to.

Regarding the 1/1000th limit--I've come to the conclusion that in my workflow i can overexpose a negative roughly 4 stops and still have the detail and density to make it work. Maybe I just live with 1/1000 knowing I can still open up the lens a little bit.

Ryan Oliveira · Nov 29, 2020

I have the Pentax Spotmatic SP II.
It's the only 35mm SLR that I have, and my only camera that I use, and I've been enjoying it ever since I got it.
I got it with a Super Multi Coated Takumar 55mm f/1.8 lens, my only lens, and I love it for being able to focus very close (just a couple of inches away).
I have shot two rolls of film through it and it seems fine. I had a problem with the mirror getting stuck many times, but I've already fixed it.
And because of their age, almost 50 years old, they most likely need to be serviced or CLA'd to get everything working propertly.
But nonetheless, it's a really nice camera and the lenses are really sharp too.

Klainmeister · Nov 29, 2020

The lenses is really whats keeping me in this system; the 50mm 1.7 is just a dream. Love everything about it. Hoping the 135mm continues that thread.

Huss · Nov 29, 2020

Klainmeister said:
The lenses is really whats keeping me in this system; the 50mm 1.7 is just a dream. Love everything about it. Hoping the 135mm continues that thread.

I have the 50 f2, 1.7 and 1.4.

The 1.4 came with my LX, and now that I've used it, well, wow. The others are very nice, but this one..

Huss · Nov 29, 2020

Klainmeister said:
Regarding the 1/1000th limit--I've come to the conclusion that in my workflow i can overexpose a negative roughly 4 stops and still have the detail and density to make it work. Maybe I just live with 1/1000 knowing I can still open up the lens a little bit.

The K2 is excellent. And the LX, SuperA etc 'only' best it by one stop at 1/2000. Multi thousand dollar Leica Ms still are at 1/1000 so I don't feel the K2 is hamstrung.
Be glad you're not using the vaunted Konica Hexar AF. It only has a top shutter speed of 1/250!

Paul Howell · Nov 29, 2020

Although I think my Spotmatic is very smooth, functions are straight forward, my Chinons in both M42 and K are more functional in terms of features. I had a Rioch 401 it was solid reliable camera, still for me the Spotmatic has a feel and draw that I find lacking in my Chinons. Saying that, if I'm shooting M42 glass I will usually go with a Chinon CE 2, shutter speed auto exposure, takes a standard battery, has a motor winder. the meter is very good.

narsuitus · Nov 29, 2020

Klainmeister said:
The lenses is really whats keeping me in this system; the 50mm 1.7 is just a dream.

I completely understand.

The eight-element 50mm f/1.4 Super-Takumar is what kept me in the M42 Pentax system. In fact, this eight-element lens spoiled me so much that it was a decade before I bought a 50mm for my Nikon system.

Colin Corneau · Nov 29, 2020

I absolutely love my Spotmatic SP1000 black body, and the Super Takumar lenses for it.

If I could start from scratch and build a dream system for Pentax, though, I'd definitely return to the LX -- an absolutely marvellous and elegant SLR, and pair it with a 50 (1.2, I think Pentax made one?), 28 and short tele.

Cholentpot · Nov 29, 2020

Huss said:
Surprised no-one has mentioned the Auto 110 Super. Full system camera, multiple lens choices, super handy size - much smaller than the MX/ME series.

I forgot about that! I ran a half dozen roll through mine this summer. It's a really nice system.

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Paul Howell · Nov 29, 2020

Another odd duck KA camera is the Chinon CP 7m, built in autowinder and auto reverse, exposure lock, interval timer, multiple exposure, shutter speed priority that Chinon calls Action, aperture priority called creative, program and manual exposure. Works with K and M42 with adaptor in manual mode. No dials, all controlled with an odd large multi mode button that sets the exposure mode and a couple of slide buttons. Uses either lithium or AA batteries. Just took mine out and will shoot with it next week. Chinon list a nice list of lens, odd no 35 or 105 and one AF lens.

· Standard Lenses 50 mm t/1.4 multicoated 50 mm f/1.7 multicoated 50 mm f/1.9 · Wide angle Lenses 17 mm t/3.5 multicoated 28 mm f/2.8 multicoated · Telephoto Lenses 135 mm f/2.8 multicoated 300 mm f/5.6 multicoated 500 mm f/8 reflex type · Zoom Lenses 28-70 mm f/2.8-4.2 multicoated MACRO 35-80 mm f/3.5-4.8 multicoated MACRO 35-105 mm f/3.5-4.5 multicoated MACRO 35-200 mm f/4-5.6 multicoated 70-210 mm f/4-5.6 multicoated MACRO 75-200 mm f/4-4.8 multicoated MACRO 75-300 mm f/5.6 multicoated MACRO · Auto Focus Lens 35-70 mm f/3.5-4.5 multicoated

CMoore · Nov 29, 2020

By the time i started to get knowledgeable about Pentax, i had WAY Too Many 35mm SLR.

If i had it to do all over again, i would have skipped "something" and bought the Pentax KX...or maybe the LX.

C'est La Vie

flavio81 · Nov 29, 2020

I've owned the Spotmatic, Spotmatic IIa, Spotmaitc F, K1000, MX, ME, MG, and P30 (P3).

They're all nice cameras but the MX I really really like. I ended up owning four cameras. Now I'm down to two MX, one is by my side right now. Fantastic camera. I also kept the Spotmatic F because it really doesn't have any major flaw and in combination with the Takumars (or the Carl Zeiss Jena lenses) gives stunning results.

CMoore said:
By the time i started to get knowledgeable about Pentax, i had WAY Too Many 35mm SLR.

If i had it to do all over again, i would have skipped "something" and bought the Pentax KX...or maybe the LX.

C'est La Vie

I think I'd say the same. Had I "discovered" Pentax earlier, I wouldn't have so many Canon and Nikon bodies/lenses.

Pentaxian Guidance: What's your favorite Pentax SLR body?

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