The Pentax was a blessing to me, though not obvious at the time.
For my very first 35mm SLR what I really wanted in 1971 was the sexy Minolta SRT-101 with that 58/1.2 always shown in the full page ads. There was no way I could come close to affording that. I could’ve bought the less impressive SRT-100, but having the plain sister would always remind me of the hottie I didn’t have. So I bought something else I could afford that had a good reputation. The SP500 version of the Spotmatic lacked just the self timer, but had an unmarked speed past 1/500.
I used this one camera and its Super Takumar 55/2 lens exclusively for 15 years, shooting just B&W that I developed and printed myself.
Although I’ve added other cameras and lenses to my stable, I still use my SP500 a fair bit. It’s microprism grid focuses faster for me than that of any other SLR. Although its viewfinder is plain, I’ve realized over the decades that viewfinders with lots of information put me into geek mode and I lose all sense of composition and awareness of my subject. My best photos ever are still those made with this Pentax. I’ve taken it across country and around the world.
As for that little plastic meter switch… that broke in the first week of ownership. I would switch the meter on, then manually lower the switch to open the aperture back up. That lowering operation was stiff and the switch broke off. Although I had it repaired under warranty, to prevent it from happening again I got in the habit of first stopping down the lens via the lens switch, then the meter switch can be raised, held, and released without it catching. Then I could open the lens up again before making the photo. It’s sounds slow and cumbersome, but I could do it quickly. I usually had the camera set at or close to the right exposure anyway. Later, after about a year, I use stopped using the meter altogether - I knew what the exposure needed to be in almost any situation (I always used B&W ASA 125 film).
As for the lenses, both the optical quality and build quality of the M42 Super Takumars is the best of the best. I love the metal knurled focusing and aperture rings. The 55/2 is said to be identical to the 55/1.8, just masked off, but I don’t care. Compared to my 8-element 50/1.4 Super Takumar, the 55/2 is noticeably better - it just is.
Eventually, I did get that SRT-101 and 58/1.2 though.
