Should I Buy an Old Minolta or Old Pentax Kit?

PeterM didn't mention the 85/1.8 SMCT which is an absolutely phenomenal lens -- unfortunately good copies go for $300 and up.

Yes I have amended my response to include mention of this one. I have this lens and can attest to its quality. You do not often often see them for sale but when they do come up, as Joe Brugger says, it is not unusual to see them going for over $300 and up to $400 or thereabouts on eBay. Probably a higher price than the Nikon 85mm f 1.8 of the era which is also regarded as being a beauty. I can say it is a nice lens of comparable build quality to the other Taks. It is sharp and has lovely bokeh when shot wide open.

I can rave about these (Takumar) lenses till the cows come home for milking. For many years they have been sleepers. With the exception perhaps of the 85mm they were so common that no one wanted them. I am a bit like ChrisN - part of me would prefer they stay unknown, but I am lucky. I have pretty well all of the Takumar lenses I could ever want and am turning my attention to Nikon and Canon of the era.
 
I would recommend nikkormat FT2 and non-AI lenses, like 28/F2.0, 50/F2.0, and 85/F2.0 or 105/F2.5. They are cheap, very good quality and easy to find.
 
I don't think you can wrong w/ either Pentax or Minolta. If I were in your shoes, I would base my choice on price and the particular focal length(s) I wanted for the SLR kit. Minolta and Pentax both made brilliant 50mm lenses, but you may find one manufacturer stronger in other focal lengths of interest to you.

Hard to beat those spotmatics from the late 60s/early 70s -- simplicity and ruggedness. That said, I've been very happy w/ my X700, and would recommend it to anyone.
 
I used to use Pentax lenses, stopped using them for about ten years,and then I realized what I was missing.

I have the 85mm/1.8 SMC and I use it often. I have even used it on a Pen FT and Canon T90. The beauty of Pentax screw mount lenses is the ability to use themon almost any SLR manual focus system.

I recently bought a Pentax 28mm/3.5 for $6 from KEH. It looks like new. This is other nice thing about older Pentax lenses; you sometimes get great bargains.

I paid $100 recently ot get my Spotmatic F an overhaul. It is one of few SLR cameras that I donot hesitate spending money on. It has class.
 
My primary camera is (still) a Pentax K1000. It's old enough to vote! (Actually it's now old enough to drink.)

I traded up from the Spotmatic in the 1980s, with the primary reason that it's incredibly clumsy to change lenses on the Spotmatic.

If you look at the K1000, there are apparently three versions of it. I have the first one, the Japanese one, and apparently the newer ones are made elsewhere. You can google this information on the net which tells you what to look for.

The K1000 has been incredibly reliable for over 20 years now!
 
I think the only film SLRs that we're going to keep are the OM-1 and a pair of Pentax LX. I find either a joy to use, and glass is cheap compared to rangefinders in general. I just got a handful of adapters so glass from the spotmatic, LX, and OMs will get put to use on whatever digital EOS we have as well.

So yeah, one of the better Pentax bodies or an OM would be my pick for an analog SLR outfit. Though the spotmatics are built like tanks, they are kind of big. I'd vote for a later K mount body.
 
Surveying the responses...

It seems a significant factor is about the validity of the mechanical cameras, as in reliabilty, battery availability and repairability. While both Pentax and Minolta made mechanical cameras (Spotmatic and K-mount equivalences, and the SR/SRT series respectively), I can see a main issue being battery availability. Later Pentax models use batteries which are still widely - and cheaply available but the SRT models still insists on using the mercury 625. Of course it is possible to improvise or recalibrate the SRT but it would be extra expense, but then, you need to make allowance for the camera to be given a once-over by a technician so that adjustment can be part of the overhaul anyway. Apart from that which might reduce the difference between the marques, Minolta lenses are of great quality and the prices remain low: the value of Pentax K-mount lenses are on the increase these days and the low prices they went for only a few years ago are less likely to be seen again.

This being said: if you do not mind later electronic cameras, the X-series Minoltas such as X-700 and X370 and its variants are viable cameras and cheap as chips, plentyful, and likely to remain so. The latter takes all Minolta manual-focus lenses and as long as they are meter-coupled then it functions correctly, and if it goes wrong it would be very inexpensive to get another one... or three.
 
I'd vote for the Pentax ME. A sweet fitting camera that feels good and shoot well. With a 50mm smc it will give you satisfaction and good pictures.
 
Of those two, Pentax without a doubt. That said, have you considered Canon FD mount cameras? Also quite inexpensive and giving extremely high "bang for buck". Plus no DSLR users running up the price on desirable lenses. A T90 with 28/2.8, 35/2, 50/1.4 & 100/2.8 is a wonderful kit. The F1 or A1 would be excellent choices as well...

Manual focus SLRs are an embarrassment of cheap riches these days. :D No matter which you choose you'll do well.

William
 
K mount 24 f2.8 & 100 f2.8 for cheap

K mount 24 f2.8 & 100 f2.8 for cheap

ChrisN said:
Go for the Minolta or something else; anything but Pentax. The last thing I need is more people competing for the lenses I want to buy. :)
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Vertualy never used/
 
MX is best

MX is best

Mechanical operation, battery only powers meter. Easily repaired.... I have had one for years. Purchased only to use my favorite lens 17mm f4 full frame fisheye with built in filters. VERY SWEET. If you get a Pentax let me know. I have K mount 24mm & 100mm almost new I never use
 
Ducky said:
I'd vote for the Pentax ME. A sweet fitting camera that feels good and shoot well. With a 50mm smc it will give you satisfaction and good pictures.
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ME won't work with dead battery
 
Sam R said:
ME won't work with dead battery
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Which is one of my biggest reasons for loving the Canon T90. Yes, it really is battery dependant. But those batteries are AA that can be found at literally any store or gas station in this nation. Best of all worlds... ;)

William
 
Just a few thoughts...

I can't say anything about Minolta, because I haven't used one.

My first SLR (back in 1969) was a Pentax Spotmatic, and they're great cameras (and the old Takumar lenses were often excellent). But I don't think I'd recommend one now, because they're a bit long in the tooth and many are now unreliable (the shutter eventually jammed in mine, and it wasn't economical to repair). They also used an old mercury battery that is no longer available.

Pentax K mount cameras are definitely worth buying and using now - I mainly use Olympus OM SLRs, but I also have an MX with a 40mm pancake permanently attached. The MX uses LEDs in the viewfinder though - I prefer a match needle myself. (I think the K1000 has a match needle? But the K1000, with its reputation as an ideal student camera, can be a bit expensive sometimes).

My personal favourite SLRs are my Olympus OM1 and OM2, but there's little to choose between the OM1 and the Pentax MX. The OM1 does have a match needle, but it also uses a mercury battery (I had mine modified to use SR44/LR44 batteries - the OM2 uses SR44/LR44 as standard).

I've used very few Pentax K mount lenses, so I can't really offer much. I love the 40 pancake, for its angle of view and its small size. I've briefly used a 50/1.7 and I found it to be very sharp. The older 28/3.5 is a cracker - possibly one of their best ever lenses (I had an earlier screw-thread Takumar 28/3.5 with my Spotmatic, and I think it is optically the same lens - it was a big favourite). The 28/2.8 is well regarded, but I think the 3.5 has the edge. In fact, if I saw a 28/3.5 going at a reasonable price I'd be tempted - just to carry round in my pocket when I'm out with the MX/40.

I know far more about Olympus Zuiko lenses - I have a good selection and have used more. And I think they're amongst the best in the business.
 
Sam R said:
ME won't work with dead battery
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Dunno about ME, but ME Super certainly will work with a dead battery, albeit only at 1/125.

I have and love the MX and ME Super. The problem with the MX, from the OP's point of view, is that the MX uses little lights to meter, and not a match needle. For that reason, I'd probably say K1000 is the best Pentax for the OP.

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.
 
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.
 
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