Gone all Pentax

[charjohncarter]

I started with Canon SLRs then used Nikons for nearly 20 years.
I switched to Pentax about ten years ago. I am finally "home".

There are many good reasons to choose Pentax, including the fact
that one of the best repairmen in the business specializes in Pentax.
His name is Eric Hendrickson.
For anyone interested here is his website: http://www.pentaxs.com

Chris

Eric has helped me a few times, one time I thought it was a lost cause: highly recommended by me.

 

[Al Patterson]

I was never a Pentax fan in the film days, as everyone I knew owened canon, so I went A-1 for film.

BUT, a few years ago a member of this forum pointed to a cheap Samsung DSLR Pentax clone on sale at Amazon, so I've gone Pentax for digital. I might pick up an old Pentax film camera at some point, if the film I use is still made at that point.

Enjoy!

 

[shadowfox]

One nice thing about Pentax K-mount is the abundance of off-brand bodies and lenses. Some of these are *very* good quality.

I sold a black MX long time ago for quite a bit more than what I paid for, then picked up a Chinon CE-4s as my K-mount body (I like it better than the MX).

Now as Al pointed out, used DSLR is within reasonable price. If I don't already have a Fuji S3 (Nikon F-mount), I'd go for either K10D or its Samsung clone.

 

[Ranchu]

The microprism focusing aid is different from (and in my experience, nothing like as good as) the SV. Go for an SV if you possibly can.

Cheers,

R.

Thank you, Roger. That helps!

 

[alistair.o]

I'm curious about people's opinions of the S1a/H1a? I'm considerind it as my first Pentax but I have never handled one?

Very much appreciated!!
🙂

I love mine and use it all the time with a SMC Tak 35mm F3.5. Roger mentions the SV (and I have read that the viewfinder is much better on the SV) try one of those maybe?

I sent my S1a to Eric and it came back in wonderful working condition. The camera is a work of engineering art - it is just a picture taking machine i.e. no meter, 500 max and light.

What I can tell you is this, I take it around as a go everywhere camera i.e. lens in one pocket and camera in the other (with body cap on).

Al

 

[titrisol]

The Spottie is hard to not love!
even though a split screen would be lovely as years go by on my eyes,
A few years ago got a MESuper from a collega, and the viewfinder is second to none!
All the takumars and followers are wonderful pieces of glass and metal, even now the not-so-well regarder 28/2.8 K is much better than many others.

 

[Fawley]

Plenty of love for Pentax going on here, and considering my own experiences with Spotmatic F's, its easy to see why. My main SLR system is, and will always be Minolta, but when I am looking for an SLR to pair up with a rangefinder on walk abouts, I alway reach for the Spotmatic. It a tad lighter than the Minoltas and the shutter is just that little bit softer. They also have that wonderful Spotmatic feel. I think anyone who has every handled a Spotmatic will know what I mean.

 

[Roger Hicks]

A small word of warning. The shutter speeds on both my SVs are around a stop slow for all the high speeds (40+ years on!) I would imagine that a strip, clean and overhaul would solve the problem but it's worth knowing about.

Cheers,

R.

 

[PentHassyKon]

As my user name implies - I'm a Pentax fan also. I've had a Pentax LX for some time now for film but am now using mostly my K200d for digital. With LBA, I've acquired a few lenses, for film, the ones I'm most proud of are the Pentax-A 50mm f1.2 as well as a Vivitar 28mm f2.0 and the Pentax-M 40mm f2.8 for it's compactness.

 

[ISO50]

[FONT=&quot]Another Pentax user here, I have the K10D, Spotmatic and ME Super. The last Takumar lens I got was the 17mm fisheye. Beautifully built and it is fun to shoot with.
[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]David
[/FONT]

 

[Ranchu]

I love mine and use it all the time with a SMC Tak 35mm F3.5. Roger mentions the SV (and I have read that the viewfinder is much better on the SV) try one of those maybe?

I sent my S1a to Eric and it came back in wonderful working condition. The camera is a work of engineering art - it is just a picture taking machine i.e. no meter, 500 max and light.

What I can tell you is this, I take it around as a go everywhere camera i.e. lens in one pocket and camera in the other (with body cap on).

Al

Many thanks, Blue! That is exactly what I like in a camera!

 

[KEH]

Nice thread. My first 'serious' camera was a Pentax ME with 50/1.7. But I shoulda gone for the MX, I now realize.

I used the infelicitously named Pentax *istDS2 for a while, and only realized after I sold it how good it was. Here is an example from Old Montreal (Our Lady of the Harbour):

I am currently exploring a K5 and thoroughly loving it...

Kirk

 

[TKH]

The small size of the Pentax DSLRs plus for example the little pancake lenses allows you to have it everytime by your side. 🙂
Yesterday right sitting in my car waiting for traffing going on I spotted the afternoon winter sun:
K7 + DA21mm


Original

 

[Roger Hicks]

Pentaxes (?Pentaces) are the classic example of a camera that's better than most photographers.

Will a 'better' camera give you 'better' pictures? Possibly, but only if you think they will. though I have to say that my f/1.4 delivers better (sharper, contrastier) pics than my f/1.8. Almost certainly sample variation after a few decades.

Cheers.

R.

 

[titrisol]

Words that must be written in bronze!

Pentaxes (?Pentaces) are the classic example of a camera that's better than most photographers.


R.

 

[unixrevolution]

A small word of warning. The shutter speeds on both my SVs are around a stop slow for all the high speeds (40+ years on!) I would imagine that a strip, clean and overhaul would solve the problem but it's worth knowing about.

Cheers,

R.

My SV was acting up so I sent it in for a CLA and its speeds are dead-nuts now.

 

[Steve M.]

I love the build quality and shutter sound on the Spotmatic bodies, and the old Takumar lenses have a very high quality feel to them. Unfortunately the Spotmatics don't work well w/ my glasses, so I later bought a ME Super SE. The MX would have been better, but the little ME was a great camera. I still sometimes think of buying an MX, replacing the focus screen w/ a plain matte one, and using Leica R lenses on it w/ an adapter.