Is the Pentax K1000 Really the Best Student Camera?
Pentax K1000 overview
The Pentax K1000 was introduced in 1976 and remained in generation right until 1997. An estimated 3 million (in addition) models have been sold. Generation moved from Japan to Hong Kong in 1978, and then to China in 1990. To keep labour expenses small, the Chinese cameras ended up produced employing a quantity of less expensive parts. Chinese K1000s can be recognised by the absence of the “Asahi” title and brand on the pentaprism protect. The non-Asahi cameras are ideal prevented.
What you get with a K1000 is a wholly handbook digital camera with a micro-prism spot concentrating help. Publicity handle is decided through a battery-driven integral light-weight meter that employs an open up aperture, centre-the-needle method. Shutter speeds range from 1 to 1/1000th seconds, along with Bulb and a flash X-sync at 1/60th 2nd.
The K1000 accepts all guide emphasis lenses with the Pentax K bayonet mount (launched in 1975), and K-A mount (introduced in 1983), and essential any subsequent K lenses with a different aperture ring. In addition, there are a huge quantity of independently created Pentax-suitable lenses readily available.
The pursuing is a listing of other manufacturers’ guide 35mm SLR cameras with equal requirements, which are usually accessible, and typically considerably less high priced. In other text, these cameras are wholly handbook, with open aperture metering, and a shutter speed range from 1 to 1/000th seconds. In lots of situations, the different cameras have supplemental features, and a better specification. This record is not exhaustive.
Canon
The FTb has practically similar features but for partial metering (an space corresponding to 12{d05b6ca9951313264c632bcb68131631451f66c74dcd4ae76ad565d330844036} of the centre of the viewfinder). In addition is has a self-timer, and mirror lock-up. The FTb-N camera additional a viewfinder shutter pace indicator. The lens mount is Canon’s FD bayonet fitting.
Fujica
The ST705 and ST705w exceeded the specs of the K1000, and profit from a more rapidly, additional sensitive silicone photo-cell metering procedure, a brighter viewfinder with the addition of a slit-graphic rangefinder, a leading pace of 1/1500th sec, self-timer and depth-of-field preview. It is also lesser and lighter.
The ST801 resembles the ST705/w but in addition attributes a major velocity of 1/2000th sec, and viewfinder match LED variety light metering facts, instead than a needle pointer.
The lens mount is Fujica’s variant on the M42 screw fitting, and needs auto-Fujinon lenses for open aperture metering.
Minolta
The SR-T101 (and it is SR successors) is similarly specified to the K1000, but has the supplemental advantage of matrix metering, which is briefly a system making use of two independent metering cells, situated at diverse pieces of the pentaprism, and which steps the light-weight falling on various sections of the viewfinder screen to deliver a reading that normally takes into account the contrast in a scene. It also characteristics a viewfinder exhibited shutter pace, mirror lock-up, depth of subject preview, and self-timer. The Lens mount is a Minolta “MC” (meter coupled) bayonet.
Pentax
The KM is the exact as K1000 in all respects, except that it advantages from the supplemental options of a self-timer and depth-of-subject preview.
The Spotmatic F was the predecessor to the KM, and is comparable in all respects except the lens mount is an M42 screw fitting, demanding SMC Takumar lenses or other manufacturers’ equivalents.
Praktica
Praktica generated a bewildering amount of cameras with a little different technical specs, but I imagine the closest counterpart to the K1000 was the LLC. Lenses use the M42 screw mount.
Yashica
The Fx-2, Forex-3/Fx-7, and Fx-3/Forex-7 super all match the K1000 profile, with the later products utilizing LED viewfinder displays in put of a match-needle. Like Fujicas, metering is by using a a lot quicker and more delicate silicone photograph-cell. These cameras have a reputation for trustworthiness. Their long lasting metal chassis with plastic outer shell helps make them lighter and more compact than the K1000. The lens mount is a Contax/Yashica bayonet.
Other Yashica alternatives include things like the Contax cloned FR and Fx-1, with their electronically managed shutters, and viewfinder aperture and shutter pace displays but these designs are not really frequent.
Conclusions
The critical appeal of the K1000 lays not so a lot in the digicam entire body, but its lens mount procedure and consequent quick lens availability. That is not to say that the expense/availability of other lens programs is problematic they can just from time to time just take a little a lot more energy to find.
The open up aperture metering used by the K1000 is not an essential function: it truly is just a nice to use. Cease-down metering cameras (I..e. the lens aperture demands to be closed although a light examining is manufactured) are equally acceptable for college students, or any other users. In fact, most of the alternative cameras shown higher than are also capable of quit-down metering.
When end-down metering digital camera bodies are also considered as alternatives to the K1000, the checklist of suitable candidates gets to be even greater. Far more than that, lots of quit-down metering cameras day to an earlier time when the use of common M42 screw mount lens fitting was widespread.
In terms of lens design and style, older lenses have a tendency to heavier and fewer compact. The flip facet is that newer lenses can be significantly fewer strong, because of to their reliance on plastic parts.
In conclusion, I am not a massive lover of the K1000 for the reason that it is so standard, and if I had been searching for a camera that met the specifications of a research course, the K1000 would be very reduced down my list of choices. When relative costs are taken into account, I find it preposterous that the K1000 can offer for 2 times the selling prices of its excellent stable-mate, the KM.