Asahi Pentax K2...Anyone have any experience with one?

<p>I picked up a K2 body on eBay for a mere $25 and bought a simple SMC Pentax-M 28-50mm zoom to mount on it to give it a little road test. The camera is in great shape, aside from a little missing paint on the sides, and seems to work perfectly. Have any of you ever used one of these and if so, what do you think of the camera? I know the ISO ring can be a source of irritation from what I've read and have experienced a little so far, but otherwise it seems like a nice, solid camera. I've had a few KX models before but the K2 seems a bit more full-featured. I would love to hear thoughts on this camera.</p><div></div>

<p>I have a KX which is similar and like any of the mechanical Pentaxes they are a reliable<br>

shooter and great cameras. I also have the 28-50mm zoom. It is a great all around lens. It is<br>

great not only for taking the obligatory scenery photos on vacation but is really usefull in a<br>

crowded house and being able to frame shots when it is difficult to move around. Great find<br>

and enjoy.</p>

<p>I agree with Ron that the KX and the K2 are both fine cameras. I have two of each. But the K2 as you say is a bit more full featured. Wasn't the K2 the flagship a the time?<br>

<br /> For those who do not have both - he KX is a bit more basic - like a k1000 with depth of field preview, mirror lock up, a self timer and you can see the aperture in the viewfinder. The metering system is a bit different from the k1000 (the K1000 is actually similar to the KM in this regard). The K2 differs from the KX as it has a metal vertical shutter v a horizontal rubberized silk, x synch of 125 v 60, automatic shutter settings, speed dial goes to 8 seconds verses only 1 second for the KX and several other smaller differences. The iso setting ring on the K2 is the only feature I do not like. On the K2 I pulled out just now, it is working fine. They just seem to get stiff. It took me awhile to learn to just push in the black tab and move the silver ring with the silver ring grips, not the black ring grips! And the K2 doesn't have that aperture viewer in the viewfinder. Strange they didn't include that. <br /> <br />All things considered, I like using them both. The size and weight are just right for my hands. You got quite a good deal for a really good camera. I hope you post some images.</p>

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<p>I bought one of these new in 1976. The K2 was briefly Pentax's top of the line, but it was quickly eclipsed by the compact M cameras, and you didn't hear much about it after that (literally, just months later).</p>

<p>On mine, the slow shutter speeds were abnormally slow right out of the box, which was denied by Pentax technicians. It was later confirmed to be slow by an independent technician. I took this picture with it in 1976:</p><div></div>

The only thing I don't like about my K2 is that the mirror lockup doesn't seem to have much leverage, so it takes a lot of force to push the slider up.

<p>Great feedback, everyone. Thanks! So far I like the way the camera handles, and I've loaded film, so we'll see what I can do with it. <strong>Rod</strong>, I'm glad to hear you had a good experience with this lens. <strong>David</strong>, thanks for the info; the K2 is rather deluxe in comparison to the others. <strong>Pierre</strong>, I'd love to know the story behind that picture! <strong>Jerry</strong>, I'm still learning which buttons and tabs do what on the camera.</p>

<p>Very cool ad, Les! Thanks for posting that.</p>