paul_quirk

I got my K1000 with a 28mm lens as a Christmas gift back in 1988 from my father, a photographer who used Pentax exclusively for his 35mm work. He liked Pentax because he liked how compact the MX was. Later, he passed down his manual focus 50mm F1.7 lens, since he upgraded his equipment and got the exact same lens but in autofocus. I fell in love with the camera when used with that lens. Later, I bought a manual focus zoom lens, then another Pentax body - a P3n, partly because I wanted some program and DOF preview features, but also so I could preserve and prolong the life of my now-vintage K1000.

 

I continue to stick with Pentax because the quality is good and I can build up my equipment for a lot less money. Having that backwards compatibility through the generations means there isn't a good quality lens I can't buy for a decent price. My P3n is a solid camera I feel confident with; the compact size means it comes with me just about everywhere I go.

 

Pentax continues to be with me through the various stages of my life...from when I got my first K1000 at 17 to when my son was born, so I guess there's some sentimental attachment as well. Thanks, Dad, for that K1000. It was the best Christmas gift ever.

If I had to pick one and only one lens to start with and own forever with any Pentax camera, it would be my 50mm/F1.7 lens. With it, some stunning photographs can be taken, and it's extremely versatile. Then, if I was on a tight budget but wanted to buy a 2nd lens, a 28mm would probably be the best value for my dollar. I'd stick with primes, and I wouldn't worry much about automated features since the most important part is the quality of the glass.

On the other hand, the film camera market is great for people like me who love a good bargain. I'm building up my Pentax 35mm system for dirt cheap!

I'd run that same roll of film through another camera and shoot the frames with the lens cap on (so you can keep your exposures) and see if the same thing happens. Might be a 36 exposure film can was accidently loaded with only 24 exposures.

The Pentax P3 and P3n are two underrated cameras that sell on ebay for pretty cheap these days (I got a very lightly used P3n body for $41 USD, it's almost like brand new). You can go full manual or programmed mode with these (and aperature priority with the P3n), and I suggest these over the MX because it's getting harder to get an MX in decent condition these days; the ones that are in good shape tend to be expensive...but there are lots of P3 and P3n's, and since you don't get a lot of interest in them like you do with the MX, the price is always right.

The next time it happens, try taking up the slack in the rewind crank, and while holding that firmly in position, use your 2nd hand to press in and hold the rewind button in the bottom...and then use your 3rd hand (!?!) to crank the lever, then shoot a blank. Then try to crank again. Just an idea to try.

Just charge enough to cover your expenses and your time, and learn from the experience. Since this is your first major brief, it might be in your best interest to think about building a name for yourself first, even if it means the possibility of not charging what others are. A good agreement for the post cards might be to charge them a one-time fee, as long as your name is on them somewhere and contact information is provided. Once you have built up your name, then you can start charging enough to make people flinch. If you charge too much now, there's a possibility that they'll give the job to someone else and you might miss out on what can be a golden opportunity to lay the foundation of your career.

"The simplest way to improve is to go up in size."

 

Simple only if money is no object. Medium format is expensive, and it's the cost that makes it complicated. For those of us who are on a budget, the simplest way to improve is to go with slower, good quality slide film. Nothing is simpler than dropping in a roll of the best film, Fuji Velvia 50. No new gear to learn about, no 2nd mortgage to buy the gear, etc...

Good point, Jean-Baptiste. I almost forgot. On some Pentax lenses, the sweet spot for the lens is marked in orange. For instance, on my 3.5 28mm lens, it's F8 with the focal length set at 3 meters (10 feet); that also puts it in hyperfocus, meaning everything from 1.5 meters on will be in focus. So for that paticular prime lens, I'll want to try to stay at or near F8.

 

There is no such marking on my 50mm prime lens, however. Perhaps it's good at any aperature setting, not having any paticular sweet spot.

By the way, Matt, at 16x20, you'll be hard-pressed to tell the difference between one made from a 35mm picture shot on Fuji Velvia 50 using a good quality prime lens and one made by a medium format camera. The Fuji Velvia 50 is that good.

Sometimes, the quality of the film has a lot to do with the quality of the picture. I personally find that when using primes, the difference in quality when compared to zooms is much more noticable when I'm using, say, Fuji Velvia 50, or high quality 100 iso film. When shooting 200 and up, the grain becomes noticable, and the lens quality is not as important. I like to use Fuji 800 for a fast film myself, but the pictures taken with my zoom look about as good as when I'm using one of my prime lenses at that film speed. Especially considering that the Sigma's and Tamron's aren't exactly terrible lenses, and decent point-and-shoot cameras generally also don't have terrible lenses. Those "Lesser" lenses are well-matched for iso 200 film and up.

 

Another thing to consider when using high quality, low ISO film is you'll tend to get better latitude. However, I would suggest investing in a tripod (if you haven't already) and a remote shutter release before considering going with such a slow film. The results of Velvia 50 are stunning, and can only be fully appreciated with a slide projector and a sufficiently large screen.

Actually, I've gotten into the habit of checking the advance lever before taking a picture (comes naturally after so many years of using the K1000). A problem I have these days is with my newer P3n...I go to take a picture and nothing happens because I forgot to turn the camera on. Since it's electronic and the winder really only serves to advance the frame, I have no misgivings about leaving that cocked and ready to fire.

How about option 4: develop it yourself. I used to develop B&W in my bathroom; you don't need much space. It's fun and rewarding.

A camera body is merely a box with which to hold film. The principal of the 35mm camera hasn't changed since the old Spotmatics. What matters is the quality of the lens, and the person taking the pictures. I've always believed that the old prime lenses made out of glass and metal are far superior to modern cheap plastic zoom lenses, and no microchip and CCD autofocus sensor can do better than the experience of a seasoned photographer.

 

I think every photographer would do him/herself a big favour by adding one classic mechanical, manual camera body with a prime lens to their collection and spend a few days shooting with it. Sometimes I think that young, modern photographers who go straight to the "Wunderplastik" cameras are missing out on honing in on the fundamentals.

I've owned an all-metal Pentax K1000 for nearly 2 decades now, and

it's always served me well without any problems. However, one thing

that's always concerned me is leaving it cocked and ready to fire for

extended periods of time. I believe that the camera stores energy to

fire the shutter in a spring of sorts. Always being cautious, I've

always fired a "Blank" if the camera's been cocked for more than a

couple of days. Sometimes it takes care of this itself when I fish

around in my camera bag for something.

 

My question today is, does it do any harm to leave the K1000 cocked

and ready to fire for long periods of time? Or am I being too over-

cautious for my longtime friend and wasting film?

As Alexandru already mentioned, the motor is inside the body. Where the lens and body meet, there is what resembles a flathead screw on the lens where it meets the camera, with the blade part that turns it on the camera. When you look at an AF Pentax lens when it's removed and turn the focus ring, you can see this little "Flat head screw" connector turn.

I'd invest in some lenses first. Although modern 35mm cameras have more bells and whistles, they aren't taking pictures that are any better than those you can take with your K1000. Auto focus isn't all it's cracked up to be, and in some respects, your K1000 is superior to modern cameras. For instance, it has a huge, bright finder in contrast to the postage-stamp sized finders today.

 

I was in the same boat as you, I started with a K1000 and wanted a 2nd body (mostly so I can have two different speed films loaded and switch between them), so I narrowed down the features I wanted in a new camera more specifically. I wanted DoF preview, compatibility with my lenses, aperature priority, full manual mode, Film DX sensing (I keep forgetting to set the film speed knob)...and found that a very lightly used P3n I bought on ebay for $41 USD fit the bill perfectly. Works excellent, and the money I saved I can invest in some high quality prime lenses.

SMC means the lens is Super Multi Coated. Pentax made screw mount lenses as well as k-mount lenses that are SMC. If I'm not mistaken, I believe the A means it has an Automatic aperture setting. By the time Pentax was making program mode cameras that used automatic aperture lenses, they were well beyond the era of screw mount lenses, so it's a safe bet that this is a K mount and would work fine with your K1000. It's also a good investment, because when you decide to "Upgrade" to a modern program mode camera, you can use this same lens and take advantage of the automatic aperture setting.

I'm not familiar with your area, but I see K-mount zoom lenses showing up on ebay all the time. I've had good luck so far buying lenses for my K1000 that way.

I'd load it up with some 800 film. The 50mm lens should work just fine. Take a reading off a player up close, and set your shutter speed and aperature with that and leave it (lighting's not likely to change in an arena). If they're action shots, go with a larger aperature, and set your shutter speed faster. I recommend taking the reading off the player up close first because the white ice will probably throw the meter off otherwise, making the players look too dark. You may wish to get a cheap, used 35-70mm zoom lens later to give you more control over how your subject is framed (though it won't be as bright as your 50mm, but you should be okay if you stick with 800 film).