The Pentax LX. "Cult" Camera or Relic?

As a box to keep the film in the dark and keep the glass from falling off, the LX is really nice to use. :-P And

it need not be a matter of "or"... if you like the MX get a couple of those too. I did, and they're nice, but I

like the LX better. We originally got a pair of LX for the wife's projects, and I admired them enough that I

later found a clean used one with a 1.2/50mm on it... here's a pic with that rig at f/1.2<div></div>

Another user here. I got mine in average condition at a good price, with sticky mirror. Ben Vang at Camera Checkpoint in Dubbo fixed it up nicely for me. It's now my favourite 35mm film SLR - not as quiet as my Oly OM2, but smoother and has a better viewfinder. And I can use it with my 31 and 77 LTD lenses - bonus points!

I like to use my LX and the pictures I get from it, but I like the pictures (Astia slides) from my 2 Pentax 645 much more. :)

I don't know, whether the designation "cult camera" is appropriate. But I have been using a LX since it came out. It was serviced two or three times at Pentax, which was expensive but a good investment, considering the hundreds of rolls I put throught the camera. I also hve two MXs to go with the LX and like them. But the LX is certainly a class on its own. The only really annoying thing is the Motor Drive - not only, as Alan pointed out, because the shutter release button is extremely sensitive, with the MD attached, but also, because the MD tends to jam from time to time. I had the camera body + MD at Pentax several times to adjust the system and they certainly improved it, but it was never completely gone. Remineds a bit of the first Spotmatics with MD which had to be adjusted to work together at all. The MX is more reliable in that singular respect, but has some mechanical quirks (broken expsoure counter or ASA setting circuit). Also the LEDs in the viewfinder are very hard to see when shooting in bright, sunny conditions...

 

The good sides of the LX are numerous: the extremely high craftmanship, which really translates into a unique handling experience. An extremely good metering system and TTL flash control, very bright viewfinder with an excellent choice of interchangeable finders and screens. Mirror Lockup and depth of field preview, ofcourse. And I liked the grips...

My LX will forever stay with me - as will one of my MX bodies and some more cameras.

I finally trashed my first LX but it took an extreme beating as my primary professional body for a decade before

requiring any service at all. I've since bought several replacements, all of which have had one issue or another.

IF you can still a pristine/mint/ or new version speciment with recent service, the LX might yet prove to be

quite the epitome of ruggedness--this reputation is doubtless newish ones bring a premium. (New, in the late

80's, when the exchange rate was skewed, the LX MSRP was ~ $1400.)

 

In the 90's, the LX and even the F3 got eclipsed by newer shutter types that could sync at 1/250 for daylight

balanced TTL flash. This is the biggest limitation for the LX and the only answer that Pentax ever came up with

in an SLR was the PZ-1/p. Which was not nearly on the same level (dust issues, no sealing whatever on the back).

 

Used LX bodies will often be trashed through profession abuse, and those that have no cosmetic defects can suffer

focusing and exposure problems from sticky mirror (there can be an electrical issue here as well mirror height

from sticky mirror stop bumpers and the greasy mirror seals). Other LX age-related defects are well described in

the literature.

 

The system finder FB1/FC1 is exquisite for macro and low angle work, and nearly unique among 35mm SLRs. (Only the

Canon F1 had anything similar).The LX viewfinder brightness spoils me. In film, only the Pentax F5 and the

Pentax 645N really compare. But then, the better Pentax glass that is on the same level of professional grade

quality has always been rare and thus has now become rather exorbitant to buy. The accessories like the

Motordrive LX and the flash cords were always finicky and have become even more fiddly with age. Building a

comprehensive kit today could easily prove frustrating. Using it professionally would perhaps be professional

hari-kari. I've moved on, but still keep one around for the tasks at which it excels (macro, nighttime wildlife

remotes, timed low-light exposures).

 

(p.s... are you familiar with the MIR site dedicated to the LX? Comprehensive, albeit somewhat fawning.)

I bought the LX on the used market a few years ago, and paid around $250. After I had it refurbished, the whole

cost was around $500, but it was well worth it though.

 

I now use the Pentax k100d super and there is so much to fool with, it actually gets disgusting. All the white

balance, the auto focus, and then the exposure. But if a person gets it all right, wow, some great pictures that

don't need scanned, and don't cost 60 cents per shot. If you know how to accurately measure exposure without

looking at the 'little screen on the back,' that we get so dependent on, the LX is such a simple camera to

operate! Meter, Compose, and Hit the button. If you ever get hooked on Fujichrome Velvia 100F like I have, it's

almost worth the 60 cents per slide to hear the manual ker-plunk of the shutter.

 

BTW, how many have taken their LX out and used it after using their digital for a few weeks, and find themselves

looking at the square on the film door waiting for that great picture to pop up? I did, and felt like a fool

after I figured out that the picture was only on the film:)

 

JR & LX in TN

In answer to Len's original question - my 2 Pentax LXs are still in regular use. I bought the first one new in 1981, so it's just passed it's 27th birthday. The other one's a newcomer, I've only had it 14 years. Both have been serviced every 10 or 12 years or so. I do a lot of close-up photography, mostly moths, fungi, and the like, and the waist-level viewfinder makes life a lot easier when you're grovelling around on the woodland floor, staring at a mushroom that's only an inch high! I'm not as flexible as I was, so the right gear helps no end.