Some things never change, for good reason. When I was 15, in 1985, my mother asked a photographer we know which camera to get for me, as a gift and first camera. I still have my Pentax K1000 to this day. When I met my hubs, he was a photographer but had only ever shot digital. I gave him my trusty old Pentax to experience the real thing and now he shoots on film as often as we can afford it. The classics never go out of style. :)
These old analog cameras are just such a joy to use. It is definitely an addiction to use, and film prices is the only limiting factor. Glad y’all love film as well.
I have a Pentax k1000 that my father gave to me he had it since it was new. I think he got it in the early eighties. I've gotten really good images with it.
I received my Pentax K1000 as a gift from my mom too. I had graduated from high school and wanted to start in photography. I also still have mine and decided to take it out for a spin. Nostalgic using this gift from my mom. :)
I purchased mine new in 1978 and still have it, it's been sitting on my shelf for the past twenty years and am now I'm preparing to use again for its 45th anniversary. A genuine workhorse.
This is a very detailed and informative presentation. For today's younger people, who did not grow up with "film", I'm sure all this info is necessary. But, I'm 70 years old. I started taking photos with a simple "Box" camera at age 8. So I've been a "Film Photographer" all my life, over 60 years! I find it very sad that this fantastic technology, which began it's development in the 1830's and peaked out sometime in the 1980's or 1990's, could just be relegated to the trash can of History in such a short time. Film has many advantages over "digital". I've never stopped using film. Sure, I take an occasional shot with my cell phone "camera", but nearly all the images that I want to keep and to endure forever is shot on film!
I'm a 27 year old guy and all I've ever really used is my smartphone to take photos, apart from the occasional use of a small digital camera and the disposable one-time-use film cameras back when I was a kid. However, I just bought my first film camera (of course the K1000). It was of course 2nd hand and seemed to be in good condition - I can't wait to try it out! Needless to say, but looking at a photo and memory captured from a camera, gives a whole different feeling than scrolling through photos on a smartphone. For a complete beginner like me, this video helped a lot. Thanks a bunch!
I bought my K1000 from my roommate when I was in the army in the 80's. I used it for 6 years. Around that time I switched to a Nikon MF2n another camera that the battery is just for the meter but will sync at 1/250. I was getting in to external flash as my primary light source so the increased sync speed seemed necessary at the time. I ended up selling my K1000 a few years later for the same amount that I paid for used $100. That K1000 with a 50-f2 was a very good learning experience. I put a 50mm lens on my Nikon D750 ever once in a while to recreate that experience. As a new user it first feels like a limitation. It forces you to get closer to you subject. A good flash to mate with the K1000 would be a Vivitar 283 or 285 with the thyristor cord for on camera or off camera flash photography.
I inherited my mom's Pentax KX from her college days and have been shooting on it for years, I adore this camera. Recently she found her old K1000 body. I know the K1000 is the more well-known and popular camera, but honestly, I like the KX's features more. Especially through the viewfinder. The light meter has numbers and two needles (one for the exposure, one for what your shutter speed is currently set as) and I can see my aperture setting above the frame. I can make my settings and not have to break away from my subject to double-check them. Now that I have two, though, I'm enjoying getting to experiment with different films and see how they compare with identical shots.
I taught photography classes at the local community college for 20 years (now retired), including beginning photography, both film and digital. It was by far my favorite class to teach! These cameras were and are true workhorses. We had them in the photo dept to lend out to students. Anyone who has ever worked in such a setting knows you have to have sturdy, indestructible equipment, as students are really quite abusive to gear 😮! In addition to their sturdiness, as you say, the simplicity of design and ease of handling made them beginner friendly. Can’t go wrong with a clean, adjusted, and serviced K1000!
It became a popular camera in schools and colleges because of its ruggedness... Tutors didn't want a back log of cameras to be sent for repairs So it cut time and costs !
Untermyer Gardens Conservancy @ 2:25 & 2:42. I've had two or three K1000's in my life. I never really liked them as much as the Pentax MX & LX I had. But since the K1000 was a little bit larger and had less complexity than the other Pentax SLR's it is more robust mechanically. Also a bonus feature is that used Pentax K mount lenses are very plentiful and much easier to adapt to modern DSLRs and mirrorless cameras. Pre 1990 Canon and Minolta lenses require adapters with additional lens elements to work properly on DSLRs.
I bought 2 of these after my dad's got stolen. I gave him one and I kept one. I plan to try something insane, and see if I can image the April 8th eclipse and hopefully get the comet to show up too. Curious, can you use an intervelometer with this camera, or is it too manual for that? Also, if I go bulb mode, is there a way to get an accurate time, say, if i wanted to take a 3 second exposure?
It was a brilliant camera. It could/can do about the same as my Leica, at a fraction of the price. It is even a lot better with long focus lenses and accepts zooms. The only downside is that the user must know a little bit about photography and that already was/is too much for many. For them, long live the mobile phone!
Theres a loooooot, a big part of them remain so unpopular, eventhought the're as good or better than the k1000 or ae1. I could recomed you the Ricoh kr5, it can use the same lenses as the k1000 and has a better metering system, the only con would be that it doesnt have the 1/1000
Are there any other film cameras like the K1000 that have that warm vintage look to the film? I'm looking for one a tad bit more on the affordable side.
Just got my first film camera the Pentax K1000! I have never shot film before so I was wondering, can I switch out different lenses on the camera while there is some unused film in it, or will that ruin the roll?
You probably know the answer by now, but for anyone looking through the comments you absolutely can swap out the lens with film inside because the shutter is closed protecting the film
"so I guess this will sort of help me develop my skills more because my meter has always been broken...." me two minutes later "yeeeaaah..... from the first time I set it up in high school I don't think I ever thought it took batteries 😂
There are several hundred PENTAX k1000's on eBay. I've not been able to find one that actually says Japan behind where it says Asahi Opt Co on the back. Are the ones that say assembled in Hong Kong Plastic?.
The facts are... Many examples haven't been operated for years ______yet will work fine ! I used to sit pressing the shutter and winding on. People do that and never put a roll through. They cosset their camera But it's good to keep operating the camera constantly! However until you put a film in and start shooting _____you are not a photographer obviously
Definitely NOT the ultimate beginners camera. It has no depth of field button. The Pentax KM or Spotmatic F is far better for a beginner. The K1000 is far too over hyped and generally has inferior build quality especially the later Hong Kong and Chinese made copies.
Overated and over priced. The later K1000 were made in China and some internal parts were substituted for plasic to save on cost, these fail much faster than the original made in japan versions.. The Pentax 35mm KM and KX are far better cameras and have more features.
@LyudmilaRGVK These days, it is almost impossible. The overwhelming majority of K1000's where made in Hong Kong comparatively few made in Japan. Nevertheless, there is no quality issue. The Hong Kong made models are in every respect as good and indeed indistinguishable from Japanese ones. There are many unscrupulous sellers out there attempting to gain a premium of an already greatly overpriced camera. The later Chinese made ones are obvious and don't fool anyone. All KM and KX models are Japanese made.
