Looking for a black Spotmatic F

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squirrel$$$bandit

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I'm thinking I'll pick up a Spotmatic F in the next couple of days, either on eBay or from KEH. KEH has an EX black one, but it costs $225, body only! If any of you has one you wouldn't mind parting with, let me know.

SP2 would be good, too.

Thanks
John
 
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Bill58 said:
How about my dog "Spot"?
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Does he come with the hood?

conehead.jpg


Nobody has one, eh?!?

I'd also take an ESII. Or a Chinon CE-3.
 
OK, I went ahead and bought a chrome one with the 55/1.8, and will keep my eyes peeled for a Chinon CE-3, so I can get myself some of that AE action. Thanks for, um...reading this.
 
I recently got a lovely black H3v from e bay. A little hard to find but, do you really trust a 40 year old meter? I also think the H3v has one of the all time best finder screens, at least for my old eyes. Joe
 
Livesteamer said:
I recently got a lovely black H3v from e bay. A little hard to find but, do you really trust a 40 year old meter? I also think the H3v has one of the all time best finder screens, at least for my old eyes. Joe
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Well, I'll know after one roll! And if the meter's not any good, I have a Twinmate.

I just love the way the SP/SP2/F look, and I have heard they feel great, too.
 
Mabelsound is right. The early Pentax slr's have great ergonomics and are a pleasure to use. Further, the Super Takumar lenses are excellent and a great bargain. Enjoy. Joe
 
There has been a lot of discussion ref. black v. chrome but with older cameras it is more of condition that matters & is the extra money for a black camera truly worth the money? How many of us are going to use the camera in combat where the glint of the chrome will get you killed? As for meters: from the late Sixties onward many of the meters are repairable particularly with cameras that were mass produced. It is the earlier cameras that are not worth the repair & some inexpensive later models, too. Tom A. advised & it is worth repeating: When buying an older model camera be prepared to have a CLA done on it to bring it up your expectations.
 
Spot F is a nice, well-made camera and it sounds like you rounded up good lenses. The 85/1.8 is a marvel. I used a pair of Spot F bodies for 10 years. The shutter tends to slow down if not used and the meter settings can drift as well, so you might want to shoot a test roll of slides and see where you are.

If you must have something in black, there are always the ES and ESII at bargain rates.
 
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I use my chrome Spotmatic F with the SMC lenses.My favorites: 50mm/1.4 and 85mm/1.8. Two superb lenses.
 
I love my spot F, I have a 28mm and a 55 for it, nice little camera. ergonomics aren't quite as nice as my Nikon FM2n, but it's still a great camera to shoot with. Lenses are less expensive as well. Mine was fine with no work at all, the meter was spot on, pun somewhat intended.
 
Thanks for the tip! As it happened, the one I got on eBay was not in perfect working order, as I'd been told...it was capping at 1/500 and the shutter didn't even open at 1/1000. But the 55/1.8 was mint, so I got half my money back from the seller, kept the camera, and got the EX+ black F from KEH. I'll either sell the chrome (with a CORRECT description) or try to learn to service it.

Yeah, I paid more money merely for a color. But I like the way it looks, and we are not talking about huge loads of dough here. If I'm going to use the camera for years, I want to really enjoy the sensation of taking out of the drawer.

In any event, my testing with the chrome one convinced me the F is a wonderful camera. It feels fantastic, and I can use all the lenses on my 40D. Looking forward to doing some shooting.
 
Glad you got what you wanted. i hope it works well. I had a battered and brassed black F a while ago - I like to think it had seen a few wars, and looked cool with a 50/1.4 on it, compared to the usual DSLR crowd. The camera worked really well and the colours and bokeh from the 50/1.4 are very nice.
 
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