pentax

[Peltigera]

Tomorrow, I am going to a disused church (at Skidbrook, for those whop know where that might be) for a photographic session and I dropped into London Camera Exchange for a roll of 120 film for my Ikoflex. I shall mostly be using my Canon EOS 650D but shall also take my Adox Golf (Ilford XP2), Praktica MTL 5B (Agfa Vista +), Vitomatic II (Kodak Plus X) and Paxette II (I have forgotten entirely what film is in it. I shall run it at ISO 150).

While in the shop waiting patently to be served, I had a rummage through their Bargain Box. The deal is, if there is anything you want, make them a low offer. There was a Pentax ME Super in there which was faulty. Turns out the fault is only gooey foam where the mirror comes up to the focusing screen - I have half a sheet of suitable foam so that was easy to fix. £5.00 well spent. Trouble is - no lens, so I had a look on Ebay for a K mount lens for next to nothing - bids on three at the moment and I hope to win at least one. Unfortunately, there was a Spotmatic there close to finishing with no bids - so I bid the minimum (£2.00). Now I have two Pentax bodies when all I wanted was a roll of film. I can use the Spotmatic as I have several M42 lenses but the ME Super I can do nothing with yet - not even clean it as it is spotless.

Actually, the best bit of all is when I was first interested in photography in the early 1970s I wanted a Spotmatic sooo badly. The best I could afford was a Zenit E (which, actually, was excellent) but now I have that Spotmatic!

[vintageslrs]

Good Luck with the Pentax ME Super......sounds like a great pick up.
I have a Pentax MX (all mechanical) that I enjoy very much!

[Randy]

I have to say that my Spotmatic F is one of my favorite cameras in my collection. One nice feature is the F uses the same battery as my Minolta SRT cameras.

[Stephen]

Do we all club together, then give you a roll of film, and you hand out Pentax's?......I'm after a standard K lens for the cheap Vivitar V3000 as well, I hope we do not cross swords on Ebay!!...actually I am looking a wide angles for standard use, and there are lots of K mount lenses out there.

Stephen.

[Peltigera]

Actually, one of the lenses I have bid on is a 28mm - I am in front at the moment. One of the other lenses I bid on is now more than I dare spend. Bestbeloved is fairly tolerant of my hobby but this is three cameras this week which is two too many (third one is the Adox Golf I mentioned).

I must say I am impressed by the ME Super. Is is small and light - reminiscent of my OM 10 - but I can still get my fingers where I need them.

[Stephen]

Don't worry, I am not biding this week, I have had to buy a film, so very short of money at the moment!!!
Joking aside, most recent cameras purchases have been less than new films, except of the 99p films, and they seem to have sold out in the 99p shops.

Stephen

[lloydy]

I think I have a surplus of PK lenses, I'll make a list tomorrow.

[casualcollector]

Good catch on the Pentax' (Penti?). I have Spotmatic, K-1000 and ME-Super in my collection. The Super has deteriorated foam and a common internal glitch on the mirror mechanism so it has taken no pictures, yet. I have several copies of the Pentax f2 normal, M and A series. Very punchy picture makers.

Randy, Looking at your P&LE shot and wondering how old it is. Units 3 & 4 are ancient U-Boats. U-25B maybe?

[Randy]

Aug 18, 2013 6:29:57 GMT -5 casualcollector said:

Randy, Looking at your P&LE shot and wondering how old it is. Units 3 & 4 are ancient U-Boats. U-25B maybe?

I think it was either 1989 or 1990. Those are U-28Bs. A few of them ended up on the TTI.

[casualcollector]

Thanks. Probably scrapped long ago...

[Stephen]

Has a lens been sourced as yet for the Pentax?

Stephen.

[Peltigera]

I have a lens waiting at the sorting office for me - I shall pick it up tomorrow, along with the Spotmatic. Bestbeloved and I went to Saltaire today to look at the David Hockney exhibitions (Brilliant!) so today was the one day this week with no one at home. How do postmen know?

[Stephen]

You have that problem too? I am in most days,(retired), but go out and parcels to be signed for arrive, I frankly prefer the unsigned stuff, as there are secure double doors with space to leave parcels, which does not explain why one camera was left in the front garden, in a tool box!. Fortunately the Parcel office is a short bus ride away, but they are moving soon to three bus rides away, and of course more comes by private carriers, who seem to turn up in private cars!

Stephen.

[Peltigera]

I prefer the older, intelligent postie who has been doing our street for years. He leaves stuff next door even though, strictly speaking, he shouldn't. Unfortunately, he is not on our round every day.

[Peltigera]

Got the K mount lens and the Spotmatic this morning. Both seem to be in very good condition. No battery for the Spotmatic yet so I don't know about the metering but it seems mechanically fine.

The lens is a Sirius 1:2.8 28mm macro lens. Reviews on the Interweb don't seem to be very good but we shall see. I do have a question about it, though. On the aperture scale - f2.8 to f22 - there is a dot just past f22 which can only be accessed by pressing a chrome button. When I set the aperture to the dot it is locked in that position until I press the button again. Right next to the dot it says (A)P - I don't know if that is related to the dot or not. Can anyone help me on what that last dot is for?

Also, looking at the mount of the lens, I can just see a resistor which suggests some electronic circuitry in the lens. There are no electrical contacts on the camera side of the mount but possibly two contacts on the lens side (it is not clear but there are two minute spring loaded brass buttons. Is this for later K mount cameras? The lens is not big enough to have focusing motors in there, I don't think.