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Post by vintageslrs on Oct 19, 2005 10:04:26 GMT -5
Kevin
Great that you have received it. Now as far as the O-ring....Home Depot, Lowes or probably your local hardware store should have it. or you can just order the battery which does not need an O-ring from the site Randy had mentioned earlier. Enjoy Bob
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Post by raguleader on Oct 29, 2005 9:10:18 GMT -5
When I needed to find a battery for my Spotty, I ended up getting it at the Radio Shack in town. They didn't have it in stock, but they were able to special order one for me and have it delivered to my house with no shipping charge
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Post by unclebill on Nov 4, 2005 21:20:10 GMT -5
Congratulations on your purchase! You are in good company with the Spotmatic. I have a SP1000 and an SPII on the way plus some pre spottie Pentax SLR's which are sweet in their own right. I prefer to use 100 asa film with this camera as I find I get amazing results that are in league with my Leica M3.
Bill
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Post by kamera on Nov 11, 2005 17:50:52 GMT -5
Nice going, friends! Just because of all the acclaims about a Spotty, ya 'made' me go and get one. I had at first obtained a SP1000 but was unhappy with it when it arrived. The bottom plate around the battery compartment cover looked like someone had taken a hammer to it. There was a dent in the top plate that was not mentioned by the seller. And the word 'Spotmatic' was not even on the front side of the top plate. So, back to the seller it went. I did, however, keep the Super Takumar 55/1.8 that came with it and which is in fantastic shape cosmetically and glass-wise. Received yesterday a SPII which is in great shape. No dings or dents or brassing; just a couple small marks where the 'passed sticker' used to be and on the base plate from using a tripod. It is perfectly clean inside film section and viewfinder and mirror and battery compartment. Sponge for mirror cushion and back seals are brand new. All controls are moving flawlessly. I shot off a roll of test pics today and they turned out very satisfactory. Had no battery, so I used my old Gossen Scout handheld meter. Walmart has the #392 battery Bob spoke of, but I want to check on a #6 O-ring spacer before buying the battery. I also want to check our rather complete local camera store for the S400PX. But, oh...the Takumar M42 lenses do not seem to come cheap on Ebay. I already have the 55/1.8, of course, a 50/1.4 that was on my Pentax H3 and a 135/3.5 that I have bought a couple years ago. Was bidding on Ebay for a Takumar 28/3.5 and quit right before it sold for $83. Probably it would have gotten quite minimal use anyway. What I did though with that money saved was buy Wifey a kitchen cart she had seen at Walmart. And ya know what...seeing the sparkle in her eye was worth loosing the 28mm lens! But, you guys...I hope you all feel quite smug about yourselves for...contributing to the further delinquency of an addict!!! Ron Head Kalamazoo, MI
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Post by vintageslrs on Nov 11, 2005 17:59:18 GMT -5
Alright!! We got another to plunge further into the dark side!! yep..........we feeling pretty smug Enjoy it...........know you will! Bob
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Post by Randy on Nov 11, 2005 18:45:59 GMT -5
Ya just can't improve upon perfection Bob. ;D
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Post by kiev4a on Nov 13, 2005 10:19:30 GMT -5
Picked up what appears to be a really nice H1A with 1.8 Takumar on an auction last night for less than $30. The seller even had a sample shot from it. I'm excited to get my hands on it. The SV I have looks good on the outside but the mirror looks like someone tried to clean it with steel wool!
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Post by kamera on Nov 16, 2005 16:52:38 GMT -5
Just an update on my new Spotmatic SP II. Shot off a roll once using my handheld meter and the pics came out fine. Yesterday my original instructional manual came and looks like it was never ever opened before. I also bought, at Bob's advice, a #392 SO battery and an "O" ring. Fits in the battery compartment nicely. Inspite of the gosh darn cold here today...it was in the high 30's, rainy and windy...I went out and shot another test roll using the in-camera meter of course. Again...great results with the pics.
Now...another usable camera to add to my list...I am going to have to set up a schedule of some kind so as to rotate the use of these cameras.
Ron Head Kalamazoo, MI
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Post by vintageslrs on Nov 16, 2005 17:24:52 GMT -5
Ron
Glad to hear it!! Enjoy that Spotmatic........they are a pleasure to use and are fun to use! And the results are usually super! ;D
Bob
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orwopan
Contributing Member
Posts: 35
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Post by orwopan on Aug 29, 2006 11:18:53 GMT -5
Dear group,
yes, I did it. At a flea market I got my very own spotmatic.I didn´t need it-it doesn´t really fit into my collections profile-but you know how things work when THE virus strikes again. I confess, I simply bought it to sell it, raising funds for a speed graphic. But now, the japanese beauty sits right beside my bunch of Prakticas and other GDR gear, and thoroughly betrayed by her twinkling chrome trim and the yellowish gloom of the legendary 1.4/50 Takumar, I surrender. Miss Spotty stays here, will be taken out on a short trip to the baltic sea next weekend (accompanied by tovarish Fotosnaiper) and tell a tale of her life.... fully working, came with original Asahi skylight filter, never-ready case and lenscap, no dings, no dents, no brassing. 10 EUR, that is about some 12 to 13 USD. Not bad. In the meantime, I even found the missing link to my collection. Now I own two first-timers: first SLR with stopped down TTL-metering (Spotty) and first SLR with open-diaphragm-TTL-metering, the Praktica LLC (swapped for two bottles of Guinness last year).
Will post pics of my recent finds as soon as I get back my digital picture-taking thingy.
see ya,
Philipp
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Post by vintageslrs on Aug 29, 2006 13:12:07 GMT -5
Philipp Best of luck with your Spotmatic. I know you will enjoy it!! Check out that lens carefully....most of the Takumar F1.4 lenses by now have yellowed due to the "rare earth elements" used in them. Not a problem for B&W but can be a problem for color. There are several suggested ways of eliminating the yellowing but that will inspire a completely different discussion. They are super......so.... Enjoy Bob
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orwopan
Contributing Member
Posts: 35
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Post by orwopan on Aug 29, 2006 14:17:25 GMT -5
I do mainly B/W work on Ilford FP4+ for being independant from the minilabs, so this won´t bother me... but now you got me curious...will shoot a 135/12 roll of fuji, just to check the color rendition of the lens...
see ya,
Philipp
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mickeyobe
Lifetime Member
Resident President
Posts: 7,280
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Post by mickeyobe on Aug 29, 2006 15:43:29 GMT -5
The mailman just delivered an Asahi Pentax Spotmatic SP with a Super Takumar 50 mm f1.4 lens. It came with an Asahi accessory shoe and Asahi lens hood with cases. Also included is an adapter ring, a haze filter and 80 & 80B blue filters. The camera is not pristine but in very good condition. The lens is distinctly yellow, almost orange. The meter appears to be right on. Strangely, the operating manual is for a Honeywell Pentax Spotmatic which seems to be almost but not quite identical. At $49.49 US plus $15.35 CAN. for Her Majesty's tax collector, I am quite pleased
Mickey
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Post by GeneW on Aug 29, 2006 16:15:29 GMT -5
That's exciting, Mickey! Great price too. Now let that lens do some sunbathing and all will come clear! (i hope)
Gene
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Post by kiev4a on Aug 29, 2006 17:02:33 GMT -5
Wrap some tinfoil around the base of the lens and put it in a window (w/o lens cap) exposed to the sun for a week or so. I'm told that will reduce the yellow cast. Tinfoil necessary to prevent a house fire.
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