Question for you K-1000 owners....

[terri]

Hi, everyone.

I've shot virtually all my Kodak HIE through my Pentax ME. Love that little camera for that job, with the exception of having to live with the occasional problem I get from the pattern that shows up from the dimpled pressure plate. Usually this dimpled pattern does not show up unless I have a blank area of certain tonality on the image (think: sky!). I can usually overcome it when I am printing, but there have been a couple of prints where, for me, I feel the pattern just shows up too much and it ruins the print for me. This is only a problem on HIE, I am guessing because of that film's lack of antihalation backing?

So I am thinking about casting about for another manual/semi-manual camera with a smooth platen to just make my printing sessions easier with HIE. Does the K-1000 have the same patterned, or dimpled, platen? I feel the need to investigate other old manual cams and wanted to start with the Pentax family, since I also shoot an MZ-S and share the lenses with the ME.

Thanks in advance.

 

[John Koehrer]

Terri
I suspect you're correct thinking the lack of anti-haation backing is the culprit.
I just checked my K1000/KX & MX all of which have the dimpled pattern on the pressure plate.
If you could live with a camera that doesn't have interchangable lenses the Canonet Glll 1.7 does have a smooth pressure plate. Just a thought.

 

[reellis67]

Both of my K-1000s have dimpled pressure plates...

- Randy

 

[terri]

I suspected as much...thanks for the replies!

Another hope crushed. lol

Thanks for the suggestion, John. I am officially sort of on a strange kind of SLR hunt now....."yeah, yeah, so the body's built to last and the glass is clean....let's talk pressure plates!"

 

[Paul Sorensen]

Just wondering here, but maybe you could put some sort of fabric to block the pattern from the film. It would have to be something fine like silk so it doesn't show a pattern, and so that it isn't too think. Seems worth trying.

Paul.

 

[terri]

Just wondering here, but maybe you could put some sort of fabric to block the pattern from the film. It would have to be something fine like silk so it doesn't show a pattern, and so that it isn't too think. Seems worth trying.

Paul.

I have had that suggested to me, but with so many attached warnings about upsetting the platen I've been too afraid to try it. It does seem the obvious makeshift "go-around", though, doesn't it?

 

[Paul Sorensen]

I am not the expert here, but I suspect that the amount of platen upsetting here would be extremely negligible and worth the benefit of getting the pattern out of your photos. I say go for it. If your platen is upset, you can just remove the fabric.

Paul.

 

[terri]

I'm almost convinced. hmmm.....

 

[srs5694]

I just did a quick survey of all my cameras that have no film loaded in them.

Smooth pressure plates:

• FED 2
• FED 5
• Kristall
• Kiev 15
• Canonet QL 17

Dimpled pressure plates:

• Zenit 122K
• Zenit AM
• Zenit APk
• Zenit KM
• Vivitar V3800N
• Chinon CE-4s
• Fujica ST-801

I've also got some cameras with film loaded that I couldn't check, including a couple more K-mount cameras (a Ricoh XR-X 3PF and a Pentax P30t). I'm not positive, but I think they both have dimpled pressure plates.

If you don't want to spend a fortune, a FED or Canonet would be a good choice. (FEDs often have lenses with small-diameter filter threads, which could conceivably lower the cost of filters for use with infrared film -- but check on the details to be sure.) FEDs either use meters that are located outside of the filter path or use separate handheld meters; the Canonet's meter is located above the lens but within the lens filter diameter, so the meter is affected by the filter.

If you really want an SLR for this purpose, I might start looking at older Zenits. (The Kristall is essentially an early Zenit by another name and with art deco styling.) Something like a Zenit E might have a Kristall-style pressure plate. I don't know when KMZ (the factory that made my Kristall and all my Zenits) switched from the flat to the dimpled pressure plate; it could have been any time from 1962 to 1993, based on my cameras' serial numbers. Of course, there may well be Japanese SLRs with flat pressure plates, too. The fact that the Canonet has one suggests that checking early Canon SLRs might be worthwhile.

Here's another thought: Perhaps it'd be possible to transfer a flat pressure plate from a camera that has one to a camera with a dimpled pressure plate. I wouldn't want to risk this with a camera that's important to me, but you might try it with a couple of semi-disposable cameras bought off of eBay. At best, you'd have to unscrew and transfer the back plate. At worst, you might need to secure it in some jury-rigged way, such as with epoxy.

 

[terri]

You're awesome!! Thanks so much for this additional info. How nice of you to go to the trouble.

I don't know that I'd be brave enough to make that platen transfer, though it's probably another possible solution. In the meantime, I am going to be doing some *informal* surfing about for info on these cameras you've mentioned. After all, looking is still free, right?

 

[bohica]

Just checked a couple of my slrs w/o film in them

Nikon Fm and FE---smooth ecept for 2 recessed screw heads

Pentax Program Plus and Ricoh XRP---dimpled

 

[winger]

I have a Pentax ZX5 and a PZ1P - I'm fairly sure they both have dimpled platens, too. Both are loaded at the moment or I'd check, too. I've used HIE in both, though and haven't seen the kind of pattern you describe. I have, however, seen something different with the PZ1p - a lengthened triangle. It's only shown up with HIE (in a light sky) and on slide film that was over-X-rayed. When it's empty, I'll check it out.

 

[Jerry Thirsty]

Some more info to add to the list so far...

Dimpled plate:

MZ-S (probably not good for IR anyway because of the data imprint)
Spotmatic SP500 (and presumably SP1000)
Super Program
Program Plus
MZ-5n (ZX-5n)
K2
Konica Auto S2
Nikon FM2n

Smooth plate:
Nikon F3 (has 2 screw heads like bohica mentioned, but these are outside of the image area)