Should I Buy an Old Minolta or Old Pentax Kit?

[Bryce]

Here's the web's best(?) resource for the Pentax system:

http://www.bdimitrov.de/kmp/index.html

I have both the K1000 and KX. The KX is the same body but with more bells and whistles- like MLU, DOF preview, and maybe the best part, its meter and viewfinder. Unlike the K1000, it has a true match needle meter and the shutter speed clearly visible in the finder. Just line up the two needles and you're at the recommended exposure. Also (barely) visible is the aperture.
I have two complaints about the KX- it is bulky and a little louder than some cameras. Otherwise, it is built like a tank, simple, and very nicely engineered.

 

[rover]

I'm impressed by the detail and thoughtfulness of these responses. Much appreciated.

Does anyone know anything about this bay seller:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Minolta-XD-11-X...ryZ43486QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

She's offering a 30-day return, and says the camera has been cleaned, new light seals and a new mirror bumper installed.

No, have not had experience with that seller, but.....

Pentax, Canon, Minolta, Oly......Nikon............

Mid to Late 70s all offered very good cameras, very comparable cameras, you may find another as good as this XD-11, but any which are better are only because of personal preference.

My experience is that the quality of all is very close. All made excellent lenses, and they offered very good bodies with features to cater to each user group, all closely competing with each other. All are relatively inexpensive today, I think Minolta is the least expensive having looked at prices for bodies and lenses for all.

 

[oscroft]

I have and love the MX and ME Super.

Yes, they're both excellent - I've used an ME Super (in addition to my MX) and liked it a lot. When I was deciding a few years ago what SLR system to buy cheaply on eBay, I seriously considered an MX/ME Super combination as an alternative to an OM1 & OM2. The thing that swung it was the superior availability at the time of Zuiko lenses - there seemed to be a much better variety available than Pentax lenses.

PS: When I tried an ME Super, the thing I really didn't think I'd like is the shutter speed control in manual mode - those two buttons. But I actually really like it - I find, due to the small size of the camera, the shutter speed dial on the MX can be a bit fiddly to change.

 

[wgerrard]

TBH, Canon FD glass is hard to adapt to other systems, and available very cheaply as a result. One of the best options might be a Canon (e.g. FTb QL) with some of that FD glass.

I actually came home from a recent pre-holiday family visit with what had been my father's FTb QL. I was surprised that it still existed almost 40 years on. It's got an FD 50/1.8 and a Vivitar 135. Sadly, it seems to be more than a bit wobbly. The shutter sounds like someone banging on a kitchen pot with a big metal spoon.😉

However, the camera seems a good fit to my hands and, while big by some standards, is easy enough to carry. (The problem is lugging about the body and 3 lenses in a bag.) So, I'll check out the FD line.

 

[shadowfox]

Oh dear......no mention of my fav. seventies slr,-the superb Nikkormat FT2! 🙁 I've had one since then, it's never let me down, and never been opened up! 🙂
-and oh, ....those lovely lenses!!!

Dave.

I picked up a Nikkormat FT2 lying on the table at an Estate sale, with the Nikkor micro lens on it!

Paid half what the tag says (already a bargain) because it was the last hours of the Estate sale 🙂

What I like about it is that the camera just oozes with class and quality (it's a handsome camera to boot). And the shutter speed is on the lens mount, just like the OMs 😀 it even has a tab that is easy to use to rotate the ring.

 

[Charlie]

The NIxon FM 3a is a great SLR that's new enough so it shouldn't require any service for years to come. And as someone already mentioned, there are tons of cheap manual focus lenses available.

 

[Steve Bellayr]

On any of the older cameras the battery is not the problem. There are numerous solutions and they can be operated without one also. The main problem I have found is the availability of the hoods for the lenses. Though not exorbitant they to tend to be hard to find and a bit on the pricey side. Therefore, I'd consider lens & hood availability.

 

[kuzano]

Well, I'll throw in the Canon A-1 candidate

Well, I'll throw in the Canon A-1 candidate

Since a lot of the suggestions you are getting are not very simple cameras, and some are battery dependant for full operation, I am going to throw two into the mix. I love the Canons, although I have used most of the others. The Canon AE-1 is almost as venerable a student camera as the Pentax K1000, which is the closest camera to your requirements. By "student" I don't mean lesser in any way. I mean a camera that has done long and reliable duty as a teaching instrument for metering and full mechanical operation, where the battery only runs the meter.

Second Canon, the A-1, semi professional and reliable with more automated features. I picked up a mint example w/1.4 lens, extender, and manual recently off Craigslist for $65.

The reason I champion Canon is the huge volume of lens inventory and choices available in the market for very reasonable prices. Top quality most of them.

I do like the Minolta XD, XD7, XD11 and XD5. The first three are identical, while the last one has a couple less features. The XD5 is a real sleeper, usually selling somewhat less than the other 3, but operationally more feature rich than any K1000 Pentax, or Canon AE-1. If you buy a Minolta XD, plan on recovering it. Almost all I have seen have curling edges on the poor quality synthetic covering. This is the only detraction from a truly great camera. But it is a complex camera also.

Frankly, don't spend too much time on this selection. Basic research should show that all the manufacturers in the 70's were advancing their cameras at almost identical clips and with high quality optics. Competition was intense. I don't think you will find many cameras/lenses from Minolta, Olympus, Pentax, Nikon, Canon, Nikkormat, etc that will dissapoint you. Occasionally there were cameras with a chronic issue, but most of these are out of the market now. Very clean, CLA'd models bring consistently similar prices. Interestingly, K1000's and AE-1's bring almost identical and consistent dollars and use the same lenses used on the Pro models.

If you really want the simplest, get the K1000 from Pentax, the AE-1 from Canon, or the Minolta X-370/570. That last one was also a long term student level camera. The essential requirement of student level cameras is full manual operation without the battery dependency. The battery only runs the meter.

 

[Mudman]

I had the mnolta x-370 and I traded it for a Pentax Spotmatic F and never looked back. It was a plastic POS that broke on me twice during a 2 week shoot in Yellowstone, and it took jury rigging to make it work right for the whole thing. I did love the photos it took though, and I tended to use it in aperature priority mode.

 

[raid]

Put a spare battery in your camera bag or pocket, and then don't worry about loss of operations with battery dependent cameras. Enjoy the "technology".

I used to get manual cameras, like the Canon F1n, based on the horror stories about battery death in some cameras. What the heck ... get a Pentax MX or ME super or whatever battery dependent camera and stop worrying.

 

[wgerrard]

Raid, I'm not worried about batteries. I'd just rather avoid something that was built for mercury batteries.

It's still Minolta vs. Pentax, with Minolta in the lead. The rest are too costly for the purposes of this exercise.

 

[Kim Coxon]

My vote would be for the Pentax but then as probably everyone knows, I am strongly biased. 😀

Minolta's are not difficult to find but Pentax's are easier. The K mount is much more universal and if you really wanted to, it would give you access to the new Zeiss ZK and CV lenses. Also, if you wanted to add a dSLR body, you would retain the use of the lenses.

Of the various series, my favourites are the KX (A K1000 onsteroids with a much better finder), the MX or if you want some automation including TTL flash, the Super A/Super Program. The LX is a superb system camera but the P series are a retrograde plasticky step.

If you can't find a good one, drop me a line.

Kim

 

[Stu W]

If you ever saw a Minolta and a Pentax disassembled the Pentax would be the obvious choice, in my opinion of course. The K bodies, the MX and of course the LX are pretty much bulletproof. They will last forever. The LX set in the automatic mode has the most incredibly accurate exposures. I will never sell my LX outfit. Stu

 

[Kim Coxon]

Especially for night photog. The LX meter is accurate to EV minus 6.5 😉

Kim

The LX set in the automatic mode has the most incredibly accurate exposures. I will never sell my LX outfit. Stu

 

[Mudman]

It beats it by a couple of evs I think I just read the other day.

 

[rover]

I just got over my lust for an LX, let's not start this again. Of course if I could find a black one, maybe with some distinguished brassing....

 

[Kim Coxon]

I don't know about the OM4 but the specs in the back of the manual for the OM4Ti says EV5 to EV19 in average mode and EV0 to EV19 in spot mode.

Kim

 

[Kim Coxon]

According to the Luna Pro manual specs:

Sensitivity EV-3 to 15 at ISO25

However it shows values outside of this. 😉

Kim

I just checked on my luna pro and thats over one hour @f8 with 400iso !!!😱

(And thats not counting reciprocity failure)

 

[tripod]

Look out for an XK (XM, X-1), Minolta's swing at a pro 35mm SLR.

 

[Kim Coxon]

Well you know who to talk to. 😉
You could share the lenses with the K10.😀

Kim

I just got over my lust for an LX, let's not start this again. Of course if I could find a black one, maybe with some distinguished brassing....