What is the best Pentax 35mm film SLR?

At the risk of causing a strong debate with this question....

I'm going to have a bit more spare cash in a few months (still recovering from my K20D and lenses spree!), and I'm seriously considering buying a 35mm body to play with.

I've never really played with film (other than as a kid/teenager having a small compact and disposables - just for fun without any serious thoughts about photograpghy).

My love of photography began with my first digital camera 8 years ago and not having to worry about developing film and having freedom to shoot anything.

Now my knowledge of photography has completely exploded and that i'm quite happy with using a DSLR manually - I think the time is ripe to consider 35mm film - and to boost my lens collection a bit at the same time, with some great second hand 35mm lenses.

Of course this is a field I know NOTHING about, just after some thoughts really - firstly of course what body do you guys recommend? And I suppose I need to have a bit of an idea about film too....

Hope you dont mind the vaugueness of this!

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Bob

Flickr Photostream: link

Digital: K20D + 1.15x Eyecup + D-BG2 grip; K-x (Navy Blue), Film: MZ-60 + Battery Grip FG, MV, Lenses: The Bigma (Sigma 50-500mm), 18-55 WR, FA 35-80mm, Centon 50mm 1.7, Tamron 70-300, macro tubes, AF-360FGZ.

Hmmmm...
Well, I've used ME-Super, ME-F, MZ5, and Z1.
Out of that set, the Z1 was great! Loads of customisation, a good feel, and quite a weight. I particularly liked the offset flash-shoe positioning. It also has the benefit of the two-wheel design & Hyper-Program that the K20D has. As a result the Z1 and Z1p should work with the newer lenses that don't have an aperture ring (because you can dial in the aperture the same as you do for the K20D)

However, the MZ5 (and the newer MZ5n) were very compact and lightweight. But not really the toughest camera. My MZ5 went wrong a couple of times

ME-Super/ME-F were both quite nice bodies. Very usable.

Then there's the LX... (Probably just as well I never tried one, as I would certainly have wanted one!!!)

This site: http://www.bdimitrov.de/kmp/ is the reference for all things Pentax K-mount


Just watch out for - aging light seals etc, and compatibility with the lenses you have.

Good places to check out: www.mxv.co.uk , www.ffordes.co.uk , www.lcegroup.co.uk , plus other online second hand places

HTH!
Matt

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http://www.mattmatic.co.uk
(For gallery, tips and links)

Pentax LX. Interchangeable viewfinders and focusing screens, power winder or motorwinder, off the film metering, mirror lock-up etc etc. One problem... still a bit pricey.

In second place, the MX. Manual only, small, built beautifully, range of interchangeable focus screens. Cheaper than the LX, still get reasonable price though.

3rd place: ME Super. 1000s out there as it was the camera to have in the early eighties and can be as cheap as chips to buy.

Honourable mentions: the Super or Program A. More expensive than the ME Super but more automation (still manual focus).

Film. For colour try Fuji Velvia. Note, however, that slide film is very intolerant of bad exposure so you'll have to get it spot on.

Things to remember... don't look at the back of the camera after every shot, there is no "auto white balance", wind on before the next photo.

I'm sure there'll be disagreement over this

Cheers, Kris.

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Kris Lockyear
Ask a question and be a fool for five minutes. Keep quiet, and be a fool forever. Chinese proverb.
Lots of film bodies, a couple of digital ones, too many lenses (mainly older glass) and a Horseman LE 5x4.

Fab; thanks Matt (and Kris!)- it gives me somwhere to start to look; really appreciate those links and your opinions on the bodies.

I'll have a good look around and let you know where i'm headed!

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Bob

Flickr Photostream: link

Digital: K20D + 1.15x Eyecup + D-BG2 grip; K-x (Navy Blue), Film: MZ-60 + Battery Grip FG, MV, Lenses: The Bigma (Sigma 50-500mm), 18-55 WR, FA 35-80mm, Centon 50mm 1.7, Tamron 70-300, macro tubes, AF-360FGZ.

MX gets my vote, together with a M 50mm 1.7 Then you are really in control. Manual focus;manual shutter speed;manual aperture;manual ISO; manual film advance.

There is a light meter so you are not entirely on your own.

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Peter



My Flickr page
Pentax Photo Gallery

I think the best place to start would be with an ME Super. Not complicated to learn, good for basic technique - you don't get a Depth of Field button/lever, so you have to work it out using the markings on the lens and as Womble says, plentiful and won't hurt the cash flow much. M or K series lens are also not expensive and a good range of options are readily available.

If you are happy with film, then good copies of LXs amd MXs can still be found. I have a particular fondness for my Super A's which sadly don't get much use these days as I tend to use an MZ-S with my K20/K10 set.

If you use slide, Velvia is best kept in a fridge. It extends its life considerably - I'm still using Best Before July 05 Velvia 100F as it's been refrigerated most of its life.


Steve

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In the Pack:K7,K20&K10+BGs,MZSx2+BGs,DA10-17,DA12-24,DA14,DA*16-50,50-135 & 60-250;FA31mm/43mm/77mm Ltds;Sigma 150-500
Half Backs: istDx2,DA16-45,DA18-50,DA50-200,Sigma 135-400
Backs: LXs,Super As and lots of M & K lenses
Impact Subs: 28mm Shift, K 135-600, 400-600 Reflex

Of the bayonet mount ones I reckon the MX and LX but were there really any duds?

Of the screw mount ones then the Spotmatic F

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Ken

"... I did what I always do. I tend to like my camera set to 1/125th of a second at f2.8, which is rather a slow shutter speed, and a shallow depth of field. I circled the chair running off about three rolls."

Jane Bown on photographing the Queen on her 80th birthday.

Just a word of caution about the ME-Super/ME-F - the ISO wheel was a simple potentiometer that suffered badly from contact dirt. I ended up working out how to service my own ME-F & ME-Supers after getting a few films very badly underexposed! (In the end I got fairly proficient at predicting the aperture/shutter speed at ISO100 with my eyes - as a double check!)

Often by moving the ISO/Ev compensation dial a few times things would start working. However, fixing them was fairly time consuming (but not that difficult).

Just something to watch out for
Matt

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http://www.mattmatic.co.uk
(For gallery, tips and links)

Cheers Matt and co!

At the risk of sounding a complete idiot - I had no idea that ISO control could take place in 35mm cameras as well as digital. I assumed that sesitivity to light on a 35mm camera depended purely on what film you used - I imagined that you could pay a great deal more for film with a greater sensitivity to light and thus allow you more flexibility in low light situations.

So...I have to admit i'm curious now - how does ISO manipulation on a 35mm camera actually work?

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Bob

Flickr Photostream: link

Digital: K20D + 1.15x Eyecup + D-BG2 grip; K-x (Navy Blue), Film: MZ-60 + Battery Grip FG, MV, Lenses: The Bigma (Sigma 50-500mm), 18-55 WR, FA 35-80mm, Centon 50mm 1.7, Tamron 70-300, macro tubes, AF-360FGZ.

It is just a calibration for the light meter. If you load ISO 100 film set the camera's ISO dial to 100 so that you get the correct light reading.

Cheers, Kris.

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Kris Lockyear
Ask a question and be a fool for five minutes. Keep quiet, and be a fool forever. Chinese proverb.
Lots of film bodies, a couple of digital ones, too many lenses (mainly older glass) and a Horseman LE 5x4.

AH!!! That makes perfect sense now - I was almost right.

A camera is'nt going to automatically know what film you put in. Again; forgive me for being a newb here.

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Bob

Flickr Photostream: link

Digital: K20D + 1.15x Eyecup + D-BG2 grip; K-x (Navy Blue), Film: MZ-60 + Battery Grip FG, MV, Lenses: The Bigma (Sigma 50-500mm), 18-55 WR, FA 35-80mm, Centon 50mm 1.7, Tamron 70-300, macro tubes, AF-360FGZ.

They are lovely. If I had to have just one film body that would be it.


Some of the post-A series were a bit pug ugly!

Cheers, Kris.

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Kris Lockyear
Ask a question and be a fool for five minutes. Keep quiet, and be a fool forever. Chinese proverb.
Lots of film bodies, a couple of digital ones, too many lenses (mainly older glass) and a Horseman LE 5x4.

Well actually the later models (like my Z1)did. The film would have a code on the side of the canister, and the camera had some connectors that would read it. You could manually override if you wanted to push/pull the film.

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Peter



My Flickr page
Pentax Photo Gallery

I've been looking up the LX actually - how about the LX2000 Limited! with it's limited 50mm f1.2.

I noticed on a pentaxforums.com that one was for sale for $5125 USD!!!

link

Seriously though the LX seems like a fine piece of kit, it really does...but I can't justify spending as much as I would have to on a standard model. I'm leaning towards the ME Super I have to admit....

Peter - that's an interesting snippet; I revise my statement there!

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Bob

Flickr Photostream: link

Digital: K20D + 1.15x Eyecup + D-BG2 grip; K-x (Navy Blue), Film: MZ-60 + Battery Grip FG, MV, Lenses: The Bigma (Sigma 50-500mm), 18-55 WR, FA 35-80mm, Centon 50mm 1.7, Tamron 70-300, macro tubes, AF-360FGZ.

I would the say the LX even though I never had one due to lack of funds

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Hyram

Bodies: K20D (2), K10D, Super A, ME Super, Auto 110 SLR, X70, Optio P70
Pentax Glass: DA* 300, DA* 60-250, DA* 50-135, DA* 16-50, DA 70 Ltd, FA 31 Ltd, DA 35 Ltd, DA 18-55 (2), DA 12-24, DA 10-17, M 200, A 35-70, M 40, M 28, Converter-A 2X-S, 1.4X-S, AF 1.7, Pentax-110 50, Pentax-110 24
Other Glass: Sigma 105 macro, Sigma-A APO 75-300
Flash: Metz 58 AF-1 P, Pentax AF160FC ringflash, Pentax AF280T