Pentaxians... Any out there?

[FujiLove]

Pentax 6x7 user checking in. I sold my first one and hugely regretted it within days. A few weeks ago I managed to pick another up together with a WLF, 45mm, 105mm & 165mm lenses. The 105mm Takumar was badly yellowed, but three weeks under a high powered LED lamp and it's as good as new. It's been quite exciting watching it return to it's original clear state...even the missus has been checking in on it now and again!

I absolutely love the 67 system. They're not the lightest cameras in the world, but the photographs they produce make all the lugging worthwhile.

 

[unixrevolution]

Pentax 6x7 user checking in. I sold my first one and hugely regretted it within days. A few weeks ago I managed to pick another up together with a WLF, 45mm, 105mm & 165mm lenses. The 105mm Takumar was badly yellowed, but three weeks under a high powered LED lamp and it's as good as new. It's been quite exciting watching it return to it's original clear state...even the missus has been checking in on it now and again!

I absolutely love the 67 system. They're not the lightest cameras in the world, but the photographs they produce make all the lugging worthwhile.

As a fellow 6x7 user with the same trio of lenses, I completely agree. THey are truly wonderful and produce some amazing images.

I think of mine as a portable, handholdable version of an 8x10. It's wonderful for landscapes. It's also the closest you can come to a medium format camera that handles like a 35mm SLR. I love my Bronica, but it's not the "Giant MX" that the 6x7 is 🙂

 

[johnnyrod]

I've got a Super Program, K2 and MX. In terms of lenses, usual sort of selection but a 50mm f1.2 that is superb. The Super Program and K2 lack AE lock but do have a compensation dial of +/-2 stops; on the K2 it's on a ring just behind the lens, so a nice position IMHO. The Super program has it around the rewind crank. They're all great cameras, and I've shot most of the time on the Super Program in auto mode, and rarely messed up a shot.

 

[_lou_]

Hello all fellow Pentax users,

I am really enjoying my Pentax bodies and lenses. I also sometimes miss the 6x7, being also a Bronica user in that format. My preferred models are MX and SV, although I also have more recent ones. Lenses I prefer are the 1.8/85mm Takumar and 3.5/28mm SMC-M.

 

[kuuan]

hey carsten, nice to hear from you! hope youre well. yes, i remember your *ist experience well. what are you shooting now in pentax? are you happy with it? right now i do not think i can do better/get more leica like results with any other than M gear. the three pentax mount lenses im shooting now are literally among the best lenses ive shot in any format, including medium format. i will put the zeiss hollywood and pentax 77 ltd against anything in their categories except the 75 lux. the 20-40 ltd has such a sweet and lovely rendering that i often hope for bad weather so i can use it! happy holidays to you!
tony

that time the combination of the *istDs ( that I had bought already used than for below 200 usd ) with some Takumars, specially the 1.4/50 ( that had cost me another 20.- ) had given me remarkable results! Often I had been asked how I was able to achieve the beautiful colors, why my photos had something 'special'. Handling and use had made me feel 'one' with my gear. Of all cameras I have experience with only the Konica Minolta A2 might have equalled or even surpassed that feeling.

Small, light and being able to use old, manual lenses had been the main technical reasons for my choice. Once the mirrorless cams started, for the same reasons, I had bought a Sony NEX5n and I must admit that soon I had not been using my Pentax anymore. I am kind of 'on the road' permanentally and decisively smaller size and lighter weight of the mirrorless, also enabeling the use of smaller and ligher lenses and it's aids to manually focus, had won me over.
Never had felt the same feeling of 'being one' with the gear and later bought a used Ricoh GXR M which I enjoy using more.
Long I had been hopping and waiting for Ricoh / Pentax coming up with a new mirrorless system cam with a 'FF' sensor, since that did not happen but for once wanted to use my lenses on a media the size they had been made for I succumbed in the end and also got a used Sony A7. Doesn't give me the feeling of a Pentax and often makes me angry, but it's alright though far from perfect or from my image of my perfect cam.
Still have not given up hope that Pentax / Ricoh eventually will come up with a mirrorless that fits me better. Chance that I shall get another Pentax dSLR, for the size and weight advantage of the mirrorless cams, are slim. But who knows, maybe one day I shall pick up a used K-1, already I own FA35 and FA43, just would have to add a 77 ltd. and possibly a Pentax M 4/20 to complete the set.

and btw. I am Andreas, not Carsten who is a member here too. He was a Canon 5D user then but Pentax friendly. Curiously he, like quite a number of others who then used a 5D for it's 'FF' sensor and had a hard time to consider any other for their APS-C sensors, more recently has become a big fan and user of Fuji mirrorless ( with APS-C sensor )

happy festive season to you too

 

[ChrisPlatt]

While I'm here, is there a Pentax body that has exposure lock? It's the only thing my ME Super lets me down on.

The P3N and P30T are 35mm manual focus SLR bodies with AE lock.

They offer manual and aperture-priority AE (Av) modes with any K-mount lens.
In addition Program AE mode is available with KA lenses, e.g. SMC Pentax-A etc.

Controls are simple, i.e. classic SLR shutter speed dial and lens aperture ring.
These are among the last Pentax manual focus models and are very affordable.

Chris

 

[FujiLove]

As a fellow 6x7 user with the same trio of lenses, I completely agree. THey are truly wonderful and produce some amazing images.

I think of mine as a portable, handholdable version of an 8x10. It's wonderful for landscapes. It's also the closest you can come to a medium format camera that handles like a 35mm SLR. I love my Bronica, but it's not the "Giant MX" that the 6x7 is 🙂

I had the 90mm and 55mm with my old camera and they were great lenses, but I feel the 90mm doesn't have quite the 'wow factor' of the 105, although it is still a fantastic lens. The 55mm was excellent too, but again it doesn't quite have the wide angle exaggeration of the 45mm (which I know is too much for many people). I love the 45mm because it's very wide so it works great indoors and the light weight makes it surprisingly portable. To my eyes there's little difference between the Pentax's 45mm and the Mamiya 7's 'legendary' 43mm...apart from the price and the Mamiya's awkward external finder. I've yet to make big prints to compare both side by side, but I bet nobody will be able to pick out the expensive lens.

I totally agree about the 67 feeling like a portable, hand-holdable large format camera...when I measured the negative size it's almost exactly a 4:5 ratio!

 

[rbelyell]

sorry andreas! if you do decide to pick up a pentaxdslr, do try out the ks2, it is about the same height/legnth of A7, just 25% thicker and heavier. but its weather sealed, and about the best one can do size wise, plus its inexpensive. heres an interesting fact: the ks2 is about the same size and weight as the new m4/3 oly em1mkii!!! also, the left side of the cam is kinda 'shaved off', so the evf sits way left like a rf! the grip is great. you already know the beauty of the fa ltds, and yes! pick up th 77--it is truly in a class by itself, esp given the fast speed and incredibly small size. i like it better than the zeiss 85 planar. it reminds me of the old exakta mount zeiss biotar in terms of character and lovely creamy bokeh.

 

[ColSebastianMoran]

Pentatians -- Continuation of holiday Give-away:

This Pentax Super-Program w/70-200, 28 f/2.8, and 50 f/1.7 free for postage. US only. USPO will be probably $14 or you can choose the shipping method. PM me here.

Condition:
- Camera tested with batteries, seems to be working fine.
- Lenses clean, clear, fully operating with one exception: the 50 aperture goes from 1.7 to 8, won't turn past f/11, mounted or unmounted. Works fine up thru f/8. Everything else seems OK. Caps on both ends. Some paint nicks on the outside of the zoom.

p.s. can ship today or else from 12/27 on.

 

[kuuan]

oh my oh my, COLONEL, what a gift!
the camera and these lenses are very, very good! Difficult to find any 28mm and 50mm that are better than these Pentax A lenses!!
Pentaxians will know but to mention that these Pentax A lenses have electrical contacts, one can set aperture on camera and all exposure modes on camera will work correctly, also on digital Pentax SLRs!
( I would love to get them, but I own many, and I am not living in the US which I suppose you do, and that you rather would send inside the US )

 

[ColSebastianMoran]

oh my oh my, COLONEL, what a gift!
the camera and these lenses are very, very good! Difficult to find any 28mm and 50mm that are better than these Pentax A lenses!!

Thanks, Kuuan.

My request: Don't ask for these if you already have a ton of cameras on the shelf and just want to look at them. Ask for these if you want to shoot them. Honor system; I won't quiz you.

Best regards to all! Update: Pentax Super-Program CLAIMED

 

[ForestCap]

Just bought an MX this week and waiting for the package to arrive.

I'm quite excited since it will be my first Pentax camera and I really like the compact size of the camera.

Do you find the shutter/mirror noise quieter than Olympus OM-1👎 (which I like a lot)?

 

[kuuan]

Thanks, Kuuan. My request: Don't ask for these if you already have a ton of cameras on the shelf and just want to look at them. Ask for these if you want to shoot them. Honor system; I won't quiz you.

Best regards to all!

right Sebastian! Though I would not only look at them and I am confident that I might be able to repair the issue with the 50. But certainly someone with more needs should get it. Sorry, viewing this amazing set, it's a complete set, nothing more required, I got carried away 😉

 

[kuuan]

sorry andreas! if you do decide to pick up a pentaxdslr, do try out the ks2, it is about the same height/legnth of A7, just 25% thicker and heavier. but its weather sealed, and about the best one can do size wise, plus its inexpensive. heres an interesting fact: the ks2 is about the same size and weight as the new m4/3 oly em1mkii!!! also, the left side of the cam is kinda 'shaved off', so the evf sits way left like a rf! the grip is great. you already know the beauty of the fa ltds, and yes! pick up th 77--it is truly in a class by itself, esp given the fast speed and incredibly small size. i like it better than the zeiss 85 planar. it reminds me of the old exakta mount zeiss biotar in terms of character and lovely creamy bokeh.

right Tony, I will, next time I have the chance to.
I believe that I can imagine very well how the K-S2 feels in the hand, and that it feels great. This because it's size and shape are very, very similar to those of the K-x, the cam that I had used after the *istDS, see: http://j.mp/2i0OEdd ( and size and shape of the *istDs had been very similar to those of the K-x again, all clearly have the same "DNA", it's just that the *istDs isn't featured in that comparison site. to view it look here: https://www.dpreview.com/reviews/pentaxistds there was a change, the *istDs had a top LCD, that got scrapped with the K-x and also the K-S2 have the PASM dail moved there instead )
you will understand even better now why I like these cams. actually the K-S2 is just a tad higher and also heavier.

my *istDs with a CZ Ultron f1.8/50mm ( taken with the combo seen below 😉 )

Pentax *istDs with CZ Ultron f1.8/50mm by andreas, on Flickr

and my K-x with the S-M-C Takumar f1.4/50mm: ( taken with the combo seen above 😉 )

Pentax K-x with S-M-C Takumar f1.4/50mm by andreas, on Flickr

the 77 sure must be special, must try to get hold of one, at least to try out, and the 20-40 looks very sweet too

 

[ColSebastianMoran]

Pentax Super Program is CLAIMED.

 

[cassel]

New Pentax fan here-

After shooting the Womxn's March in Seattle a couple of weeks ago, I found myself wanting something affordable, compact, black, and competent for shooting with a 50mm. The rangefinders I used were OK but a little tough for a moving story.

Here's what I've gathered so far-

Here's some images from the first TEST roll - pretty decent quality! - easy to use - meter works and focus is not too hard.

 

[dmr]

/me raises hand. 🙂

I've been shooting a K1000 for decades, although I'm using it less due to some occasional and erratic disappointments having photos come out surprisingly "soft" in focus. This first happened on my 28-135 zoom so I picked up a used Takumar zoom at a camera show and it appeared to be much better (although some barrel distortion at wider angles) but it's now starting to show the same thing.

 

[daveleo]

Well, I am not a true Pentaxian, but ....

I use a SMC Takumar 55/1.8 on my Fuji X-E1, and like it quite a lot.
In fact, on it's way to me (so the seller says) is a 50/1.4 that I am excited to get.
.

.
Here is a quickie with this setup....
.

 

[cassel]

Picked up another black Spotmatic SP (my third) and a 55 f1.8

It has lots of brassing and one or two small dings.

I had it over-hauled and cleaned it carefully. I had it out shooting today and it was fun! The camera was $9, the lens was $30, and the CLA was more...🙄 But still it is cheap fun!

 

[p.giannakis]

I went through a Pentax period in my photographic life. I had a MX, a Spotmatic, two ME, two K1000, a P30 and one Z-1 during different periods.

I quite liked the MX but i sold it after i got an OM-1n - I liked the size and the ergonomics of the Olympus better. The Z-1 was a beautiful camera but rather over-complicated. A short while after I bought it, it developed a fault with the secondary mirror (it would not lift) so i had to let it go.

I was not impressed with the ME or the P30, not bad but nothing great either. Same goes for the K1000 - very reliable but left me rather cold.

I very much enjoyed the Spotmatic. I got it for peanuts with the 50f/1.4 and it was in perfect cosmetic condition. I like the looks and the smoothness of this camera, fit and finish was beautiful - a real child of the 60's. Eventually I ended up selling it - i was offered a significant amount of money for it, money that i re-invested in lenses/films and more cameras.
If you browse through my blog, i have reviews for all those cameras.

http://pansfilmcameras.blogspot.co.uk/