Pentax P3n

[shaloot]

<p>Hello!<br>

Does anyone know anything about the Pentax P3n? I looked up the user manual for it and it seems a nifty little slr, but it's just that I've never heard of it in any discussions or such. There is a deal here in our local craigslist for it saying $30 for a good condition camera, bag, few rolls of film and a tripod (now that itself is a good deal). The poster doesn't say what kind of lens, but pic shows some sort of zoom...<br>

I think I might go in on this, I mean for $30?? Then again, if it's a real crap shoot then no... but I do like the film cameras that look classic, and not the later plasticy 90s type...<br>

Thanks people!</p>

 

[mountainvisions]

<p>i had a p3n when I had a brain fart and thought my Program Plus was dead.</p>

<p>See I had this habit of winding past frame 36 and 37 and 38 to get the most frames from my rolls. A roll of 36 actually has about 38-39 shots on it depending on how tight the camera frames are.</p>

<p>A roll of 24 usually gets about 27 usuable frames.</p>

<p>Of course don't put your best shot of the day on frame 27 or 38.</p>

<p>Anyway, the spring mechanism in the winder sort of disables itself on the clutch in the winder if you go to the VERY end, and then hit the rewind button on the bottom. I didn't realize that I just needed to go beyond the normal range of the winder to get my spring back, this was until my brand new P30n (same as P3n I think) did the same thing on the 8th roll. Doh!!!</p>

<p>Anyway, point is the P30/P3 is a nice camera. In some ways I liked it better than the Program plus, mainly because it used a wheel for shutter speed rather than those little buttons. It lacked exposure comp, but had a better meter (for viewing not accuracy). I think it had auto DX coding (ok unless you push film), and it was plastic.</p>

<p>Overall both cameras were highly comparable. I sold the P30n for about $90 with a 50mm f/2 attached. Not bad considering I paid about $100 for it with a 28-105 lens. Of course it was in mint condition, not much different then when I got it, the guy said he wasn't even sure if he'd ever run a roll through it!</p>

<p>Overall, for $30 you can't go wrong.</p>

[anirbanbanerjee]

<p>I have the very similar P30T. It's a nice camera overall, except the film ISO setting is full auto (DX coding) and the mirror<br>

slap is loud.</p>

[mountainvisions]

<p>I had the P30T as well. I had my #s confused, but they are the same camera. One was for Europe and Asia and the other for NA.</p>

[andrewg_ny]

<p>I have P3n, it was my first Pentax, circa 1990. I will probably never give it up. Basically if you can live with 1/1000 shutter, ML (AE-L) or manual mode (no exposure comp), no manual ISO (DX coding only), it's pretty decent. Has DoF preview, and I like the viewfinder information (shutter speed, uses a system that emulates matched needle, more like the older M-series and almost exactly like the concurrent SF-series) better than the LCD in the Super Program/Program Plus though I think the viewfinder might not be quite as bright. Be aware that this body isn't exactly rare, though that price sounds good if it is in good shape. I think it's a pretty handsome body, with classic proportions. As Justin noted, from a feature standpoint it is very close to the Program Plus--except for the different viewfinder info style, DX-coding vs. manual ISO, and ML rather than exposure comp. It has less metal than the older bodies but I don't think it feels particularly cheap.</p>

[stemked]

<p>One interesting thing about the P30N (and P30T) they use an electronic shutter OR manual shutter. Therefore you can fairly easily make very long shutter release cords with a simple switch.<br>

I always like the focus aid of the P30T which is diagonal (the P30N is similar but is horizontal). It was my first K mount camera and as noted by others the only downside of the camera is that you can't set exposure compensation, Also the flash system is programmed flash, not TTL so you'll need an appropiate flash gun, but they are now pretty inexpensive,</p>

[david_n1]

<p>I have a P3 which was my first slr purchase. I won't ever sell it and it will probably outlast my dslr. For $30 I'd go for it. Two curious things about this camera - the auto DX actually goes to 3200 ISO even though the manual says 1600 is the max and the shutter/mirror is really loud. Others on PN have commented on the noise as well. D</p>

[jpo3136b]

<p>When you get into the automatic Pentax models, just be sure the camera has a Manual setting for the shutter speeds. For a while there, not all the models did. [i think right before the ME Super; maybe the ME or MX had no manual; one of them relied heavily on aperture priority automatic. I don't know for sure; but, I am always leery of those ones. Never owned one. Probably still better than CanNikon, though. At least you could get the glass on there, no matter what.] No manual, and computer or electronics problems can cripple you faster. [Like, camera breaks or wears down, and you need a part that's now obscure, etc.] Some of the models didn't have a manual, but at least had on the dial access to 125X and Bulb. Some models, like my ole buddy, ME Super, had what I call "computer manual." There were manual-like settings, but you had to use the buttons to get them. You're familiar. One day, one crack in a ceramic disc bearing a circuit card; entire camera was out of commission. A Spotmatic or K1000 could have kept going. All Pentax cameras are good cameras; just a glance at the shutter dial area will often tell you what you are getting in a model.</p>

<p>Just check the dial out if you get confused about earlier Pentax models. The shutter dial can tell you a lot at a glance.</p>

<p>Javier, if you really want to squeeze every bit of frames out of a roll of film, then you should load in darkness. I realized a couple of weeks ago that I could probably have conserved hundreds, maybe a few thousand, frames over the years if I had just loaded in the changing bag. Load in the dark, and you only need to advance and trip one time to set the takeup spool; there would be no need to advance those first three or four frames to clear a burn-in that didn't happen. J.</p>

[david_barts2]

<blockquote>

<p>... maybe the ME or MX had no manual; one of them relied heavily on aperture priority automatic ...</p>

 

</blockquote>

<p>That would be the ME, which is essentially aperture-priority-only. The MX offers nothing <i>but</i> metered-manual mode; except for the light meter, it's an all-mechanical camera.</p>

[andrewg_ny]

<p>I think the shutter noise is slightly noisier than my Super Program but really pretty close to ME Super in that regard. It wouldn't be a surprise to me if it was a little quieter with film in it since it is a slightly 'hollow' sound. Anyway, these are all whisper quiet compared to an SF1.</p>

[jpo3136b]

<p>I wanted to come back and say that I have had a look at one of the repair manuals; and, I realize that I was wrong about some of those electronics claims. Of course, the manual cameras are not electronics-free; and, I think I overshot on that one. I have no idea how electrical systems damage would affect the K1000; I only assume; sorry.<br>

I think it is reasonable, though, to maintain the shutter dial thing. Happy hunting, by the way, for the camera. J.</p>

[orly_andico]

<p>I got a P3 a couple months ago for $20 shipped.<br>

The P3 doesn't have an Av mode (only full-auto with "A" lenses, and full manual). "A" lenses can only be used in manual mode by taking the aperture ring off the "A" position.<br>

I had good fun with the P3 and my SMCP-DA 16-45. No vignetting around 21mm and longer. Full-auto mode only because the 16-45 doesn't have an aperture ring.<br>

The viewfinder is huge, just a wee bit smaller than my Fujica ST605n (which has a 1.0X viewfinder) and about twice the area of the K10D viewfinder. Did I mention it meters with M lenses? without the need to stop down? the viewfinder is about 20% larger by dimension than that of the 5D Mk II (thus blunting for now my lusting after a full-frame DSLR's viewfinder).<br>

As others have noted, it has film ISO by DX coding so you cannot push film or apply exposure compensation. But not bad for $20! very nicely built, I might add.</p>

[andrewg_ny]

<blockquote>

<p>The P3 doesn't have an Av mode (only full-auto with "A" lenses, and full manual). "A" lenses can only be used in manual mode by taking the aperture ring off the "A" position.</p>

 

</blockquote>

<p>This is not exactly true. P3 has the equivalent of P, Av, and M. You get P if the aperture ring is set to 'A' and the shutter set to 'Automatic'. You get Av if you use the aperture ring to something non-A, and M if aperture ring is non-A and shutter speed is non-automatic. There is no Tv--if the lens is set to 'A', the shutter will always be 'Automatic' regardless of what you select with the shutter speed dial. This is like the Program Plus, but not like the Super Program or MZ-5/MZ-M, etc. which allow Tv as well as the other modes.</p>

[orly_andico]

<p>Andrew, I believe that's the P3N. On the P3, if the aperture is on a non-A, it reverts to full manual mode.. the P3 doesn't have an "automatic" shutter setting, just the manual speeds and a "PROGRAM" setting but you can't turn the shutter to that area (at least I tried and failed).</p>

[garry_young1]

<p>Here's my P30t - 18 years old now!</p>

<p><img src="http://d6d2h4gfvy8t8.cloudfront.net/7042418-md.jpg" alt="" width="679" height="453" /></p>

<p>What a great little camera!</p>

[john carter]

<p>I have two of them, perfect everything, AV, TV, auto, manual. All the side issues, size, easy loading, film window, ergonomics, hot shoe, cable release access are great, except DX code only, it also won't fire with batteries.</p>

[andrewg_ny]

<p>Orlando, I stand corrected. The original post was about <strong>P3n</strong> (which thankfully <em>does </em> have Av) though I should have noted the difference. I didn't actually realize the <strong>P3 </strong> was crippled in this way--I thought the main difference was only cosmetic and the addition of the cable release socket. I always thought it was curious that these bodies didn't have Tv like the Super Program--the P5/P50 didn't have it either. I guess back then, this kind of additional automation probably had real costs in terms of hardware instead of just writing a couple of extra lines of code for a microprocessor.</p>

<p>Garry, where are all the kings horses & all the king's men when you need them? This makes me sad.</p>

[shaloot]

<p>well thanks for the buildup guys! I emailed the owner last night so hopefully I'll hear from him/her real soon!</p>