Pentax LX

[squirrel$$$bandit]

So as a recently converted Pentaxian, I have been waiting months for a decently priced LX to appear. Finally found on on the Pentax forums: a user LX, FA-1 finder, three focusing screens, and contoured grip--all with the original boxes, for $275 shipped! I replaced the sticky mirror bumper foam with felt and spent the other day shooting with the 43mm FA Limited, which previous I had only used as an autofocus lens.

Haven't developed yet, but WOW WOW WOW, this camera is incredible. It is flawlessly weighted; the finder is the hugest, clearest, brightest I have ever seen, and the shutter speed display is sharp and easy to read. Film advance is heavy and smooth, almost as nice as my M2, and the lever is beautifully sculpted and feels great on your thumb. The film rewind is fantastic--you feel almost no resistance. Shutter release is perfectly placed, with a lovely little shutter lock collar that snicks shut with just the right amount of pressure. Indeed, everything is just right on this camera. The covering is peeling on mine; I'll probably recover it soon.

Honestly, this is the only SLR I've ever used that gives the same impression of being as fully thought through as a Leica. It's going to make a great companion to my RF gear, and because it's so small (and because my Pentax lenses are so small), they'll be quite comfortable together in the bag. I recommend it to all Pentaxians...

 

[benlees]

Whoa! You got a good deal! As a fellow Pentax fan I follow LX prices which always seem quite high for a manual focus camera- around $4-500 usually. It is a bit of cult camera, isn't it?

 

[squirrel$$$bandit]

Yeah, I think every Pentax camera is a cult camera...but prices definitely are high for the LX...I saw one go here for $600 recently without the grip or screens, and the ad was up for less than a day.

 

[Keith]

I remember those ads in the classifieds ... that was some of the most blatent camera porn I've ever seen! 😛

 

[Don Parsons]

Not to spoil the party, but I had two LX's and hated them. The plastic "leatherette" came off the back of one the first year I had it. The rear film door on my other one warped. I hated the strap attachment lugs as well. I had the motordrive and the camera always felt unbalanced with it. I went back to using my MX and soon thereafter switched to a Nikon FM/FE which I really liked to use. Missed the size/weight of those Pentaxes though.

 

[sepiareverb]

Great tripod camera too.

 

[Quinn Porter]

Yeah, I think every Pentax camera is a cult camera...but prices definitely are high for the LX...I saw one go here for $600 recently without the grip or screens, and the ad was up for less than a day.

I remember those ads in the classifieds ... that was some of the most blatent camera porn I've ever seen! 😛

I remember that ad! I got sucked in and bought the thing!

The photos were absolute camera porn, but the camera lives up to the images. It's beautiful and it feels great in the hand. It was actually a pretty good deal as it included a nearly mint body, a power winder, a grip, and an excellent condition 50mm f/1.4 all for $600.

 

[dap]

The LX is a great camera...compact, solid, awesome meter. The only down side is the reliability. I had two of them at one time and both ended up needing expensive CLAs (very few repair shops are willing to dig into one of these). I'm always tempted to buy another LX, but I'm scared that once Pentax stops supporting it (last one was made around 2000 - and in general, Pentax only supports cameras 10yrs after production has ceased) LX owners are going to be SOL.

 

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

If you like small and light with an awesome viewfinder, nothing beats an Olympus OM-4T. It is the Leica of SLRs!

 

[FA Limited]

i recently got a ME Super and used the FA31 exclusively on it for a while. the results come out great as expected. and the viewfinder is fantastic, are there any other SLR's with 90%+ magnification and coverage?

but the more i've used it, the more i realize the short focus throw of the FA Limiteds are meant for AF, as nice as they are to MF. and after getting an MZ-S, to me it's nice to have auto everything to focus on the composition, yes blasphemous to say this on RFF

 

[dcsang]

mmmmm.. one of the most beautiful and compact SLRs ever - I've owned one and, with the 50mm Pentax-M (or A) f1.4 lens on it, nothing could top it - the metering off the film plane was pure magic.

Cheers,
Dave

 

[daveywaugh]

About 5 years ago I had the opportunity to 'start again' after a crook robbed me of my FE2 and Nikkors... there was a great shop in Tasmania where I lived, that stocked a huge range of second hand film stuff. After much deliberation I narrowed the choice down to another FE2 'system' or the Pentax LX. In the end I was advised to stick to the FE2 because of the LX's 'reliability issues' - I took the advice.

I love the FE2 VERY much and always will... BUT I still kind of regret that decision. I have never enjoyed handling a camera as much as those moments with the LX. I loved the ergonomics, the VF, the feeling of the winder... Oh geez, I have GAS again! 🙂 Have always kept my eye out here in Australia but the prices seems really high. Of course, they are no doubt worth it, but the huge amount of FE2's, F3s, FM2's etc make it hardly attractive value-wise. That said... one day 🙂

 

[benlees]

If you like small and light with an awesome viewfinder, nothing beats an Olympus OM-4T. It is the Leica of SLRs!

In price (from a very quick scan of ebay) as well as quality!

You could get 2 LX's for the price of an OM-4T(i).

I think I will stick to my flawed $50 MX!!

 

[fbf]

In price (from a very quick scan of ebay) as well as quality!

You could get 2 LX's for the price of an OM-4T(i).

I think I will stick to my flawed $50 MX!!

Are you sure? I just sold an ex condition om4t for $200😀. I loved it but I prefer the om2n more

 

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

Are you sure? I just sold an ex condition om4t for $200😀. I loved it but I prefer the om2n more

OM-4T bodies in good shape usually sell for about $400 which is less than LX bodies usually go for. I don't know what he was talking about.

 

[loneranger]

The LX is definitely unique, compared with the om4t, I cannot really pick one or the other. Both are small, great handling. The LX's shutter sound is really loud and can be bothersome. The OM4t has a much nicer shutter, very quiet, almost leica like. Having said that, the LX's film adance is awesome.

 

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

The LX is definitely unique, compared with the om4t, I cannot really pick one or the other. Both are small, great handling. The LX's shutter sound is really loud and can be bothersome. The OM4t has a much nicer shutter, very quiet, almost leica like. Having said that, the LX's film adance is awesome.

I think the loud LX shutter is because it has a titanium shutter like the Canon F1 and the Nikon F, F2, and F3. The OM-4/4T cameras have a cloth shutter like a Leica.

 

[Benjamin Marks]

I owned this camera twice and loved it both times. Sold the first one for Nikon F4 in 1991, which I still have. The rewind crank had fallen off and there were no parts in the country where I was working. Second one was purchased in the last ten years and then resold a couple of years later. The camera's size and heft was great. I never used a motor on mine and found that when used with a 28/2.8 that if I locked the mirror up the shutter was pretty unobtrusive for street stuff. Paradoxically, I also had a waist-level finder that I loved with that thing. Second the above: a VERY well thought out piece of machinery.

Ben Marks

 

[carlb]

I have an LX and it is a stunning piece of work - everything about it feels just right. If I had to make a choice between the LX and my OM 1 then it would be too close to call

But I do wish the shutter was quieter!!!

 

[ChrisN]

I'm still loving mine, and agree with just about all the comments above - the shutter is a bit louder than I'd like, but the viewfinder is awesome (and moreso with the 50/1.2 shovelling light into the finder), the film transport is so smooth, the cocking lever sit out at just the right angle, and the lenses are (mostly) excellent. Mabelsound - you got an absolute bargain.