Pentax K1000- An unlikely , but deserving, classic.
Written: Nov 02 '05
Product Rating:
Ease of Use:
Durability:
Battery Life:
Photo Quality:
Pros: Does perfectly what an SLR camera should do.
Cons: Out of production.
The Bottom Line: Originally produced as a market alternative to the discontinued Spotmatic this camera has against all expectations become a classic in it's own right.
Want a great tool? Buy one.
drernesto's Full Review: Pentax K1000 35mm Film Camera
The Specs:
The K1000 is a through-the-lens, all manual, spot metering 35mm SLR.
Speeds: B - 1000th sec.
Lens: My particular camera uses the Pentax M series bayonet mount lenses and was sold stock with an Asahsi SMC Pentax 1:2 55mm "normal" lens.
Aperture range with above lens: f2 - f22
Metering: Center weighted +/- match needle.
Focus: Split fresnel
Batteries: Requires one flat watch type battery to power the meter.
Camera body and lens were made in Japan by Asahi Pentax.
The Pentax K1000 was in production for 21 years beginning in 1976.
Cameras made in the last production years were made in China and extensive use of plastic instead of metal was made. These cameras can be identified by the lack of the word Asahi on the prism cover.
The Background:
I've had my K1000 since 1976 when I bought one to replace a K.I.A. Spotmatic. The K1000 seemed to be the logical replacement for the Spotmatic as it was functionally identical; lacking only the mirror lock up feature and the depth of field preview capability of the earlier camera.
I bought mine at Martys Camera in NYC and, if i'm remembering correctly, it was around $250 for the body, lens and case at the time. I'd learned photography in the middle 1960's using extremely inexpensive 35mm East German Pentaflex's and the like. These cameras were fully manual and required a handheld meter. The degree of control over exposure and the ability to custom expose became then, and still are now, to me indispensible.
Recently my daughter took photography courses at school and the requirement was for a 35mm SLR that was totally manual. The K1000 was particularly mentioned. I loaned my daughter mine.
The K1000 camera is frequently refered to these days as a great "student camera" precisely because it requires the photographer to fully understand the relationships between aperture and speed, aperture and depth of field, depth of focus and all of the other "technology" of photography that modern cameras have, mostly succesfully, in an averaged sort of way engineered out. The K1000 is a "student camera" for the same reason that US Naval Officer Cadets at Annapolis are first trained on a type of ship the US Navy doesn't use at all other than for training: sailing ships.
They need to learn and internalise the first principles of their medium: wind and sea. Likewise the K1000 is nothing if not first principles of photography built in metal and glass.
The Opinion:
This camera has been used by me for almost 30 years and has run through 100's of rolls of film. It has been mildly mistreated on occasion (and once fell, in the case, down a flight of wooden stairs) and it still works as well as it did the day I bought it. The M series Bayonet mount lenses are sharp and accurate in both focus and aperture and are extremely fast to change. The body is constructed of metal and feels substantial and well balanced in the hand, though by todays standards - even for film cameras- it would be considered a bit heavy. I've never found it to be so but the reality is that most folks today have tiny digital cameras that weigh a few ounces at most and would be shocked at the weight of a 35mm SLR from any time period.
Controls are laid out logically and simply and the camera can be instantly understood by anyone who's had any experience with an SLR before. Film advance and shutter motion are smooth and liquid and do not disturb the rhythm of shooting. Like all other through the lens cameras of the period, the mirror must lift out of the way as each shot is taken. Mirror noise is about average for the technology of the day (and a most comforting sound to those of us who grew up using these things!). The shape of the camera is typical 35mm Slab. Edges are rounded but basically there is no attempt to "fit" the camera to the human hand. This, too, is standard design practice for SLR's of this period. The split fresnel and ground glass focusing system work perfectly and the +/- needle metering is too simple to screw up. The meter runs off a watch type battery and i've found that they last, on average 5-7 years. All other camera functions are manual and don't require any power. This means that the camera will continue to function, sans meter, if the battery dies.
This camera is perfect for what it is meant to do. Namely, to take shots that are composed, focused and exposed by the human holding the camera. The K1000 will not do one lick of the work for you, other than metering based on your settings. And that's the beauty of it. This is a camera for purist photographers who want to make the decisions for themselves and not be bound by a mathematical logarithm written by an engineer that is designed to produce generically well exposed and focused shots.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 250 in 1976 This Camera is a Good Choice if You Want Something... Solid Enough for a Professional
CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS LCD TTL FLASH FOR PENTAX CAMERA K1000 KM K110D K10D K20 BRAND NEW FACTORY SEALED WILL WORK FROM HOTSHOE ON ALL PENTAX SAMSUNG D...More at eBay
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.