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Post by unclebill on May 11, 2006 5:57:34 GMT -5
I have been looking at Pentax MX's, I am pretty deep with Pentax screwmount gear and now I am toying with a later 1970's body. I am rationalising a M-42/K mount adapter will make this body more than usable with my fleet of screwmount Takumar lenses. Any experiences with the Asahi Pentax MX? Tell me why I don't need one, please.
Bill
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Post by Randy on May 11, 2006 6:32:33 GMT -5
Wouldn't you really rather have another Spotmatic?  |
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cmc850
Contributing Member
Charles Cihon
Posts: 33
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Post by cmc850 on May 11, 2006 8:03:40 GMT -5
The MX is a great LITTLE camera.....seems very solid, too. It can be hard to find a clean one as many have seen pro use and are thrashed. K-mount lenses are nearly as plentiful as M-42, and the screw mounts with adapter work well. I don't currently own an MX, but I have several very pretty ME bodies in black. Not as desirable because there is no true manual mode, AEP only. As a side note, I believe the MX and ME were the last Pentax bodies to bear the name "Asahi" on the prism. My recommendation? Buy an MX...or email me if you want an ME! I do have extra K-mount lenses.....50 1.4 SMC-M, 135 3.5 SMC-M, 28 2.8 SMC-M - these are the lenses that came out with the M series and are very compact, well made. Also have a winder for M-series on the block. One tricky thing about the m42/K adapters.....no surprise the flange to film distance is identicle for these two mounts, so adapters sit flush with the K-mount flange, not on top of it. the Asahi ones can be tough to remove sometimes. Some aftermarket ones have a spanner-key deal for removal.
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Post by unclebill on May 11, 2006 14:31:37 GMT -5
Wouldn't you really rather have another Spotmatic? Logic would dictate that I get another Spotmatic or M-42 Asahi Pentax body. I read up on the MX and I am intrigued. What I really should be looking for is the 105 Super takumar and the 85 1.8 Super Takumar which is going up faster than real estate prices in my part of the world. At the moment I am researching, I think though if I come across a nice black Spotmatic 1000 or II I would not complain, I am however in no rush either. Bill |
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Post by unclebill on May 12, 2006 7:26:36 GMT -5
To further update, I went to one of my local camera store haunts before my night class yesterday at Ryerson University. Randy will be happy that I scored a 55 f2 Super Takumar lens in really good shape for $18 Cdn. Well my contact at the store had a Pentax SV that I will most likely spring for once my unemployment benefits kick in. Its in chrome so it would go well with my black SV and I have a 50 f1.4 getting its UV bath. If that fails it has a built in yellow filter for B&W.
Bill
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Post by kiev4a on May 12, 2006 8:35:09 GMT -5
The SV is a great little camera. I have one that looks good on the outside but the mirror is badly scratched and the shutter wrinkled. I do have an H1a, however, that is in great shooting shape. Main differece between the models is the SV has a 1/1000 sec shutter speed, the H1a, 1/500.
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cmc850
Contributing Member
Charles Cihon
Posts: 33
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Post by cmc850 on May 12, 2006 14:19:21 GMT -5
Hey Wayne - I too have an H1a....I was reading an Ebay listing on one the other day that indicated it did in fact have a 1/1000 top speed...but to use that speed one needs to turn the shutter speed dial to an unmarked click past 1/500 - I thought this sounded bogus, but in fact my shutter speed dial does turn to an unmarked click stop beyobd the 1/500 - though I can't yet confirm this is in fact 1/1000 - any info?
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Post by kiev4a on May 12, 2006 22:19:57 GMT -5
I just checked mine out. Indeed there is a stop there. It's like the Sovied Mir--supposedly a poor man's Zorki 4 with omly a 1/500 top speed. But the 1/1000 notch is there on the Mir, too. Of course whose to say what the notch really equal as even on the old cameras with marked speeds 1/1000 might really equal 1/175 or 1/800 sec.
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Post by unclebill on May 14, 2006 14:22:54 GMT -5
I also have the Asahi version of the H1a which is the S1a which I scored off ebay for about $40 Cdn. The Chrome SV is still calling me, I might still get it.
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Post by unclebill on May 15, 2006 21:04:10 GMT -5
Oh dear after some thought (which can be a dangerous thing) I have decided against the MX or another screwmount body. I am going to look for a 105 Super Takumar. I have the older semi auto model.
Now, I am still jonesing for a new camera body, now I am starting to look at the Nikon FM(2) preferably black. As much as I admire my brother's F3 , prefer a manual shutter over an electronic one. I might get the lenses first then the body. There is no timetable on the aquisition at the moment. I am just musing.
Bill
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Post by doubs43 on May 28, 2006 0:08:16 GMT -5
I just checked mine out. Indeed there is a stop there. It's like the Sovied Mir--supposedly a poor man's Zorki 4 with omly a 1/500 top speed. But the 1/1000 notch is there on the Mir, too. Of course whose to say what the notch really equal as even on the old cameras with marked speeds 1/1000 might really equal 1/175 or 1/800 sec. Wayne, the difference between the Pentax cameras with a marked 1/1000 and an unmarked 1/1000 is that the accuracy of the unmarked 1/1000 may be off by quite a bit..... or right on, if you're lucky! It seems that those cameras with the marked 1/1000 were calibrated for accuracy while the unmarked ones were only verified up to 1/500th and the 1/1000 position wasn't adjusted to specs. If it's accurate, OK and if not that's OK too as long as the marked speeds are within tolerance. That is the common wisdom on the Spotmatic Group and I have no reason to doubt that it's correct. |
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Post by Randy on May 28, 2006 7:39:40 GMT -5
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Post by pshinkaw on Jul 21, 2006 11:08:22 GMT -5
Bill:
I acquired an MX several years after I started using an ME Super. It is a great little camera. Bright viewfinder, easy focusing screen, easy to use. The controls seem to fall right under your fingers (I have small hands). The depth of field preview is also something you don't miss until its not there anymore. The MX has it, the ME bodies do not. Pu the 40mm/2.8 on it and you can carry it almost anywhere without a telltale bulge.
The best thing about having a representative body for each SLR lens system is that you don't have to worry about bidding on lenses where the Seller can't tell you which camera they go to. Just buy it. It will fit on one of your bodies.
-Paul
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Post by kiev4a on Jul 21, 2006 11:22:09 GMT -5
Hey, Paul. Off topic a little but are you still doing any shooting with the Moskva?
Wayne
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Post by pshinkaw on Jul 25, 2006 15:17:27 GMT -5
Wayne:
I haven't used the Moskva in nearly a year. I've been working with other cameras. I expect to start again real soon since I have some new film to try out. I will post in the Folder section when I start up again.
-Paul
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