I never owned one back in the day, but always admired their elegant simplicity.
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About four decades passed before I realized the great value of that elegant simplicity.
In the early 1970's I could afford only an SP500 with a 55/2 Super Takumar. I wanted a camera with more information in the viewfinder, a self-timer, and more features (my favorite was the SRT-101). When I finally reached the point of owning all the cameras I'd lusted for, I realized those features distracted me. To this day, my SP500 and 55/2 feel so natural and easy to use. Most of my best photos are with that camera and lens and I continue to use it.
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i first had a spotmatic, but the metering switch was sticky...
Same with my new SP500. In fact, the switch broke off in the first week. What I did was turn the meter on (thus stopping down the lens) and if I did make the photo, the lens would open back up and switch the meter off. No problem. But sometimes I wouldn't make the photo, so I'd have to move the switch down manually. Doing that was always stiff and sticky. Within a week it broke. After getting it repaired under warranty, I learned that a quick way to meter was to switch the lens from Auto to Manual and then the meter switch can be pushed up effortlessly (but doesn't lock in the up position). I did that for a year or so, but by then I had become so good at exposure (B&W neg film) that I just never used the meter any longer.
... The focusing screen with fine microprism seems more precise than any other I've used. And the mirror stop doesn't go out of adjustment like on the more quiet SLRs on which it is dampened with rubber 🙂bang: I might start a thread about that soon...).
I didn't realize just how good the precise snappiness of my SP500's microprism was until I started using other cameras. From Canon, to Leica, to Olympus, to Minolta, to Nikon (including an all-microprism H2 screen), absolutely none are as good for focusing as the microprism on my Pentax.
As for the
bang, nothing beats a K1000 for a harsh sounding slap!
😀
I pretty much agree. Though if I am to be totally honest my absolute favorite was the Asahi Pentax K which had the front dial for slow speeds just like the Leicas...
For some weird reason I also really like the little semi auto aperture lenses issued by Pentax... something to do with... the need to invest some time and effort in making the images.
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Yes, I agree that the front slow speed dial is very elegant. On my H3v, the timer dial around the rewind knob has nice elegant knurling, but I do wonder how Pentax managed to link the delay mechanism all the way over to the other side of the camera body.
As for investing time in setting the aperture, I think such activities increase our involvement in the process, which makes things all the more enjoyable.
The Pentax family in my Camera Room:
