Pentaxians... Any out there?

My Pentax MX came in. Surprisingly it doesn't feel that great in the hand, unlike the ME Super. Might need a case or a grip of some sort. Simpler design and a more traditional shutter speed control are nice though.

I'm thinking of picking up the pancake 40mm f/2.8. How does it fare compared to the 50mm 1.7?
 
CliveC said:
My Pentax MX came in. Surprisingly it doesn't feel that great in the hand, unlike the ME Super. Might need a case or a grip of some sort. Simpler design and a more traditional shutter speed control are nice though.

I'm thinking of picking up the pancake 40mm f/2.8. How does it fare compared to the 50mm 1.7?
Click to expand...

How does it compare to the Spotmatic ?
I'm still not entire sure if I should go K mount or invest more in the old m42 glass !
 
littleearth said:
How does it compare to the Spotmatic ?
I'm still no entire sure if I should go K mount or invest more in the old m42 glass !
Click to expand...

Unfortunately I don't own a Spotmatic (though it should be on my list). From what I remember from handling one at a camera show once, the MX is far smaller. The MX isn't as light as I thought it'd be, but still acceptable.
 
loving my new (to me) M645, and P30n. Nice cameras and my SP500 was no slouch either. Had the lovely 55 f2 for that one. Yummy.
 
VF101 said:
Here's another old Pentax user. 1990 I bought a Pentax P30n. That's a picture I shot then in Arles.

Click to expand...

Great, my P3n, which I think is the same as yours, is my favorite 35mm body. Only one complaint about it: no ISO control. So, I scratch and cellotape.
 
http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=142992

http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=142992

CliveC said:
My Pentax MX came in. Surprisingly it doesn't feel that great in the hand, unlike the ME Super. Might need a case or a grip of some sort. Simpler design and a more traditional shutter speed control are nice though.

I'm thinking of picking up the pancake 40mm f/2.8. How does it fare compared to the 50mm 1.7?
Click to expand...
I have used Pentax since 1963,
Unless I wiped out a body or lens,or stolen, i still have most of it.
The 40mm is a great lens, quite sharp, but can flare.
Makes the unit coat pockeatable.

The MX needed the winder to hold better, being so small.
I never fitted batteries to winder!
The shutter dial on MX one of the stiffest to move!

I own a whole heap of Pentax screw and K mount.
The K-1000 my main pro tool in Southern California.
Yes! In an eveready case!
icon10.gif

I never sold equipment, as I added the Nikon-F stuff.
The reason for going to Nikon was my eyesight.
The Nikon was easier to use for long periods..
without a headache.
 
I have an early K1000, an MX, an SMC Pentax 50mm/f1.4, an SMC Pentax-M 28mm/f2.8, an SMC Pentax-M 85mm/f2 and at least three SMC Pentax or Pentax-M 50mm/f1.7 lenses (which seem to appear from everywhere, if you don't watch things closely). I also have a Pentax K200D which I bought cheaply to use MF lenses on a digital body. I have to say I think the way Pentax implemented support for manual focus and stopped-down metering for "legacy" lenses is the nicest I've ever experienced. I hope they continued that on subsequent cameras.

K1000:


K200D:


I perhaps don't use them as much as I should, as I quite like the Pentax stuff...

...Mike
 
CliveC said:
My Pentax MX came in. Surprisingly it doesn't feel that great in the hand, unlike the ME Super. Might need a case or a grip of some sort. Simpler design and a more traditional shutter speed control are nice though.

I'm thinking of picking up the pancake 40mm f/2.8. How does it fare compared to the 50mm 1.7?
Click to expand...

If you keep an eye out on eBay you might come across a grip like this:

MX with added grip by ruby.monkey, on Flickr
- in which case you should grab it immediately. It's lighter and smaller than the winder and allows a very secure hold on the camera.

As for the 40mm /2.8, it can get a bit fiddly if your fingertips get sweaty (check out the focussing ring above) and it's not the fastest lens on the market; but it renders pleasantly and it makes the MX a very compact package.
 
charjohncarter said:
Great, my P3n, which I think is the same as yours, is my favorite 35mm body. Only one complaint about it: no ISO control. So, I scratch and cellotape.
Click to expand...

Yes, P30n and P3n should be the same. And I have to admit, I just recently learned what a great body it is. I really have to use it more often.
 
GarageBoy said:
How big is the MX/40 combo compared to a Leica M
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Using a bendy plastic ruler (!), and with zero mechanical/scientific skill, I calculate that the filter rim of my 40mm sits about 21mm or 22mm proud of the MX. From the tip of that rim to the furthest point of the back of the MX is about 170mm.

The MX's body is 160mm high, or 180mm if you want to add in the miror housing, and 135mm wide, using the same imprecise methods.

I've no idea about a Leica M!

When I was a teenager in the seventies, I wanted a Pentax more than anything else. I think their smallness and overall aesthetics were the reasons; I certainly knew nothing about cameras or photography in general. My first one came in the eighties: a Pentax SFX. I don't know whether it was the first autofocus camera, but it was certainly a very early one. Just a few years later I bought an "old-fashioned" Pentax MG. With the invention of the internet and online trading sites came my MX and ME Super.
 
I just developed two rolls of Legacy Pro 400 film that I shot with my new, but used, Pentax Super Program. It is the first time in a long time that I have look at a developed roll and said to myself "well-exposed, beautiful bokeh and great sharpness." I hope to share some photos over the next couple of does.
 
If this thread had not started then the thought would never have crossed my mind. I have just bought a 70's KM with a 50 K 1.4.
I'll probably run a few rolls through and then sell it.
I already have too many film cameras.
2 M2's
2 Leicaflex SL's
2 F2's
An F3 and
An F5 so why I need this?

THANKS Chap's!!!!
 
The Pentax KM is a direct descendent of the venerable Spotmatic.
Pentax took the KM, deleted the self-timer and DOF preview and
made the K1000, a camera that launched a million photographers.

Chris
 
I discovered that I need to over-expose by 1/2 stop to get the exposure I like with Pentax cameras. I compensated the ISO down a 1/2 stop to get the exposures I like. I do not know why, my camera is spot on, but the results look a little under-exposed after my first roll, hence the adjustment. Anyone else find that too?

I do love the rendering of the lenses!

135mm f2.8 SMC-A
U28767I1403435424.SEQ.0.jpg


135mm f2.8 SMC-A
U28767I1403435425.SEQ.1.jpg


28mm f2.8 SMC-M
U28767I1403435425.SEQ.2.jpg



50mm f2.8 SMC-A
U28767I1403435425.SEQ.3.jpg



50mm f2.8 SMC-A
U28767I1403435426.SEQ.4.jpg
 
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