Guide me to a Spotmatic

B-9

B-9

Devin Bro
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Looking for a Spotmatic to play with.

Thinking the SP1000 as I hate self timer levers.

What are the go to lenses for you Pentax guys?

What are the odds of getting a working meter?

Batteries? Relevant info for a spot newbie?

Plan is to look around garage sales this summer as they seem to be pretty common around here I just have never been interested until now.
 
There is a sub-topic in this forum dedicated to Takumar lenses, you should start there and join in the discussion. I am particularly fond of the early Auto Takumars myself, most will say start with the Super Multicoated Takumar 50/1.4, though. I have never even bothered putting a battery in any of my Spotmatics, either a hand-held or shoe mounted meter or Sunny 16 works well enough for me. The early bodies will need the accessory accessory shoe attachment for a shoe mount.
Also to be considered for their simplicity are the pre-Spotmatic Pentax cameras, I think the S3/H3 bodies top out at 1000.
If in-camera metering is a priority, the Spotmatic F would be the way to go, as it can use a modern button-cell battery, otherwise you will need to use zinc oxide hearing aid batteries for the meter.
 
I've just been building a Spotmatic system -- fun, since the lenses can be very cheap. WRT battery, the word from Googling is that the Spotmatics have a bridge circuit for the meters, which means they can handle 1.5v cells, instead of 1.3v mercury cells. My Spotmatic came with a working 387S. Those cells are 5 for $10 from Amazon. In test shots with T-Max 100 and Ektra 100, the metering has been good. (Just a few frames per roll, as I sometimes run a test roll through 6 or 7 cameras at a time.)

As Greyscale noted above, that Takumar thread is great, and was a motivator, to me. I started out picking up an S-M-C 35mm f3.5 from KEH, for $26 ($18 + 8)... an as-is bargain that did need work. Using web tutorial, I took it apart, cleaned up the aperture, and removed light fungal threads from the second element from the front.

This gave me confidence to buy a Super-Takumar 135mm f3.5 from a thrift shop, for $20. With light fungus evident, I expected to have to go into it. But, it was just the front and rear elements, and, they cleaned up easily (household hydrogen peroxide 1:1 with amonia).

Pentaxforums has been a great reference. Here are a couple of links:

https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums...on/180904-what-battery-spotmatic-meter-2.html

https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums.../179884-pentax-lens-disassembly-database.html

Let me see if I can post a couple... Must be reduced to 500 pixel width, since they're not hosted anywhere. Not great for examination, but, I am pleased with the images.

The BW is with the 35mm, color shot is with 135mm, both at f5.6.
 

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B-9 said:
Looking for a Spotmatic to play with.

Thinking the SP1000 as I hate self timer levers.

What are the go to lenses for you Pentax guys?

What are the odds of getting a working meter?

Batteries? Relevant info for a spot newbie?

Plan is to look around garage sales this summer as they seem to be pretty common around here I just have never been interested until now.
Click to expand...

I believe the meters tend to be reliable still if the camera is well cared for and stored.

On the subject of batteries I believe that all Spotmatics are not sensitive to minor differences in battery voltage due to the design of the circuits (the old mercury batteries being lower voltage than the more modern silver replacement). There are few if any other classic cameras that can claim the same.

If starting out with a Spotmatic why not just do what many original owners did. Back then the most usual three lenses owned were either a 55mm f1.8 or if an enthusiast a 50mm f1.4 plus a 35mm f3.5 and a 135mm f3.5. These three lenses took care of 95% of shooting needs. Due to their abundance they are quite cheap to buy today and can usually be found in excellent condition by hunting around. All of these lenses are excellent performers and if you find you like Takumars you can get addicted like I did ( :) ) and buy more exotic variants later. Pentax tended to upgrade their lenses regularly so I ended up quite often owning multiple variants of essentially the same lens just for the fun of trying them out. They were that cheap it was not a problem and in any event could always be sold for basically what paid if I wanted to cull the herd. One thing to be aware of is that Takumar lenses can be subject to sluggish aperture stop down due to dirt or oil on the aperture blades. It is easily fixed by a technician (or skilled amateur) but should be checked for and taken into account price wise when buying or better yet, bypassed. Other old lenses from other makers of course can have this issue too but I suspect that Takumars seem a little more prone than some due to the specific design of their stop down mechanism.

An alternative to the Spotmatic cameras are what I refer to as "Pre Spotmatics" such as the S1, S1a, Sv etc (also named H1, H1a etc in USA). They are smaller and to my eyes prettier cameras than the Spotmatics and feel a little like a Leica LTM camera in the hand. They do not have a light meter though (although a clip on meter can be found and these may be still working as they use cadmium sulphide not selenium , the latter tending to die with age). In any event the lack of a meter is not a major deficiency as print film is easily exposed adequately using an exposure guide based on the "sunny 16" rule) and they do look prettier without the clip on meter which looks a bit ungainly. Alternatively you can download a light meter app for your smart phone and use that. This kind of makes shooting with these older variants more fun and you can still use basically the same lenses as I mentioned above although be careful as I believe that the mirror in some early Pre Spotmatics can clash with the rear element on some 50mm f1.4 variants. I do not recall details but others will be able to advise if that is of interest to you.

Here is a picture and you will note - no self timer lever on these variants.

s1a4.jpg
 
American Spotmatic, $25

in Paasadena Camera show
Pasadena, Los Angeles County

a taipei-metro image

panasonic gf3, panasonic 14mmF2.5
transcend 16gb c10
 
I used a SP kit with 50/1.4 and 135/3.5 that a ollllldddd girlfriend had and it was fun way back then.

I figured the 55/1.8 and 50/1.4 would be the first.

Cheap is basically the motivation. Ive cleaned up enough camera gear. I can grab a cheapie here and there with room to spare.
 
peterm1 said:
An alternative to the Spotmatic cameras are what I refer to as "Pre Spotmatics" such as the S1, S1a, Sv etc (also named H1, H1a etc in USA). They are smaller and to my eyes prettier cameras than the Spotmatics and feel a little like a Leica LTM camera in the hand.
Click to expand...
+1
These pre-Spotmatic cameras are the real gems in the Pentax line IMHO. The shutter release is so smooth and the sound of the shutter is so melodious that all other SLRs feel quite crude in comparison.

Cheers!

Abbazz
 
Find an SV and you can enjoy the benefits of a self timer, without having to endure the presence of a timer lever. I confess I'm a little curious about that. I have an SV myself that I must get around to using at some stage and I do understand why people rate the feel of the older Pentax SLRs highly, it's well made and super smooth.
 
Even the self-timer variants of the pre-Spotmatics have no lever, the timer is set via a dial around the film rewind crank.
 
B-9 said:
Looking for a Spotmatic to play with........Plan is to look around garage sales this summer as they seem to be pretty common around here I just have never been interested until now.
Click to expand...

I found a mint, black Spotmatic with a 50/1.4 lens at a local antiques show a few years back. The meter works and the shutter doesn't cap. Only $35.00. Definitely a keeper.

Jim B.
 
I received a Spotmatic in 1969: brand new. I still have it. It came with the 50mm f1.4 (thorium). Quickly, I purchased a 28 f3.5 (still have it), then stupidly acquired a 200 f4.0 also new; but the 200mm was a bad move because it wasn't a length that I would use much. I had a CLA by Hendrickson (SP) about 8 years ago and he fixed the meter which is why I sent it to him. He also repaired the 28mm (slow leafs). So 50 years of great service, easy repair, easy solid dependable camera.

One of my first shots:

Panama' Door 1971 by John Carter, on Flickr
 
Another vote from me to look at the pre-Spotmatic Pentax's. I find them to be beautifully elegent, both aesthetically and in use. Similar in design ethos to an SLR version of the early mechanical M's (I have an M2).

Personally I think the SV is the pick of the bunch.

peterm1 said:
I believe that the mirror in some early Pre Spotmatics can clash with the rear element on some 50mm f1.4 variants. I do not recall details but others will be able to advise if that is of interest to you.
Click to expand...

The basic rule for pre-Spotmatic Pentax's:
- Green 'R' on the rewind knob - cannot be used with any Takumar 50/f1.4.
- Red 'R' on the rewind knob - can be used with any Takumar 50/f1.4.

Several models, such as the S2 Super and SV, had a green R on early examples and a red R on late example.

Another oddity with the early M42 Pentax's - several had a 'hidden' 1/1000" shutter speed. Budget models like the S1 and S1a had the 1/1000" speed removed from the shutter dial to differentiate them from the more expensive S3 and SV, but the internal mechanics remained the same. If the dial is set to the blank area past 1/500", it will fire at 1/1000" (although this speed wasn't factory calibrated).

https://www.pentaxforums.com/camerareviews/pentax-m42-screwmount-film-slrs-c5.html
 
Peter is right about Spotmatic batteries... These cameras have a "bridge circuit" that makes them relatively insensitive to battery voltage. The silver cell S625PX at 1.55v works as well as the original 1.35v mercury one.

I have a Spotmatic Motor Drive model, an ES, and an ESII...
 
I started out with an SP, but the meter switch was sticky, and they supposedly usually crack when you (un)screw it for repair. So I switched to the meterless SL. A black paint SV would be nice to get because of the Ringo Starr connection, but I haven't pulled the trigger yet.

Go to lenses for me are the 28/3.5 and 135/2.5 Super-Multi-Coated Takumars.
 
I've been given a ton of these. I probably have 12 or 13 now. My favorite is a black Spotmatic F that was my grandpas camera. One of my favorite possessions. Beautiful open aperture metering when couples with the SMC version Takumars
 
As people have already pointed out, batteries are no issue, even alkalines work OK. Most meters work. And your reasoning about self timers is correct IMHO, if I were to buy another spotmatic it would be a 1000 because the self timer lever cuts into my ring finger, otherwise the spotmatic is absolutely perfect ergonomically. I don't have any lenses other than the 50 1.4 which is great. Be aware that there aren't a lot of fast wides, that's the downside of an old lens mount. One that I'd like is the CZJ Flektogon 35 2.4, but I'm still on the fence because I already have a perfect 35 for a different system and it's not my favorite focal length. Another I'd like is a Jupiter 9, none of the focusing issues that the ltms have with western leica standard mount cameras and a lot cheaper than the excellent Pentax 85s, but of course softer and manual stop-down.
 
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