Pentax kx manual focus

I am a relative newcomer to the world of photography, having started in the summer of 2006, borrowing my father's K1000 (what else?)

Not long after I started wanting something more, and soon settled on the KX, and purchased one not long after.

Long story short, the KX has become my favorite, even after an ME super and an AE-1 were added to the family.

The KX has everything. It's weighty, but it's the weight of quality. The fit and finish on this camera is amazing; it's built more solidly than any other SLR I've held, and its smoothness and precision and operation are second only to the SV I used for a period (the Sightseeing Screwmount on the film forum--thanks woof!) It's big, but that means there's enough room for people like me who have big hands to have a good, solid grip on the camera. You'll definitely want a strap for it if you carry it for any extended period, however.

The viewfinder is excellent. It's not the biggest or the brightest on a Pentax SLR, but a viewfinder does not have to be big or bright to be good. It's a full-information viewfinder. A large translucent blue needle points to the currently selected shutter speed on a scale on the right-hand side of the viewfinder, and a smaller needle moves with the amount of light and the aperture setting. Match the two and you've got a good exposure. It's an intuitive system that works well everywhere except dim light. A window above the viewfinder allows for direct optical viewing of the aperture setting by a periscope-like system (you can see the window on the prism just above the lens mount in the pictures above.) These are apparently easily knocked out of alignment, and mine was when I first got the camera (a CLA by Eric fixed that, and many other problems--the camera was like new when I got it back. He does wonderful work.) When it was available new it came with a choice of focusing screen: microprism or split image with microprism collar. The screens are the same as the K1000 screens, but can only be changed by a technician.

The meter is very accurate, and the available film speeds are 8-6400. The meter is activated by pulling the fild advance lever out to the pre-advance position and half-pressing the shutter button. You'll hear and feel the button click. The meter will stay on until you push the advance lever fully inwards against the body.There is a memo holder on the back of the film chamber, which I've always found to be a useful feature. It's also got a DOF preview button, mirror lock-up, a self-timer, and a real battery check button. Speaking of batteries, it takes 2 SR44/LR44/357 cells.

The only real issue I have with the camera is that the shutter's loud, but it's a mechanical camera and that happens. I don't really shoot in areas where I have to be unobtrusive, so it's not that much of an issue. Also, before the camera was CLA'd, I took it on a field trip with my photography class to Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia (really neat place, it's an abandoned prison now run as a park-like place). It was below freezing that day, and the KX literally started to freeze and lock up. But it might not have those issues now that it's CLA'd. YMMV.

I think the KX is the king of all the Pentax mechanical bodies. People keep talking about the MX, and I'm sure it's a great body--it's a Pentax mechanical camera after all. But I think the KX comes out on top. Give it a try, and I think you'll fall for it too.

My first k-mount Pentax body was an MX. I liked it so much that during the years I had five of them, now only three remained. And then a couple of weeks ago I was lucky to purchase a black KX with a 1.4/50mm lens in pretty good condition. And it became my 2nd favourite all mechanical Pentax body. or the Nr 1? Well. time will decide on it.

Anyway. The KX is a very sophisticated, durable, simple to operate camera with all the features you need to take and make photos. There might be demands towards Pentax to have their product line developed with more commitment but who cares when most of their cameras have a pesonality you cannot find at other manufacturers. Because a character is built up of strenghts and weaknesses. And Pentax seems to follow this philosophy: they make cameras with personality and leave it that way. Developing things to a perfect level makes them boring. This is why we love Pentax, this is why I love the KX among other Pentax cameras. It has its strenghts and weaknesses but the balance beetween these two are so good that you feel like Pentax is the ordinary, fallible man amongst the saints.

I was lucky enough to find my Pentax KX, complete with a Pentax 50mm f/1.2 lens, in a pawn shop in Reno, Nevada, back in 1979. It was used, but just barely, and over the years it has sealed the deal for me on Pentax. I can't imagine myself without a Pentax camera. Since then I've added three more Pentax cameras to my slowly growing collection, but I still use this one because it is so easy to work with. In fact, if it wasn't for trying to keep up with children, and now grandchildren, with a manual focus lens (it is possible to do but it takes serious concentration), I may never have bought an autofocus camera at all. Well. I probably would have anyway

This Pentax KX, with it's 50mm lens, has been the perfect companion. The viewfinder is sharp enough that I can still use it, even though my eyes are no longer nearly as good as they were when I bought it. The meter reading is simple to use and tells you in a minute whether your exposure is good or not. With this camera I can change shutter speed and aperture and see exactly what they are in the viewfinder. When shooting wildlife or kids (very close to the same in terms of having to keep a close eye on them when you are trying to take a picture), being able to track them in the viewfinder while you're adjusting exposure is a great advantage. In fact, I was seriously disappointed when I found out my first autofocus camera didn't have that little window to show me the aperture setting. Even though this camera uses batteries, it is possible to take pictures without any batteries in it. I know because I've done it. The light meter won't work but you would be surprised to know how many pictures turn out just fine by using only the Sunny F16 rule. They probably won't get accepted by Arizona Highways or similar magazines but most of us won't be getting any pictures in those magazines anyway, even though we are using $1,000 plus digital cameras with $1,000 lenses.

I have recently gotten more serious about my photography and I should note that, until a few months ago, I had never used the mirror lockup or the depth of field on the KX. (I probably should have read the manual but that wasn't something I was known for doing back then, or even now for that matter.) I probably have thousands of pictures of kids, pets, birthday parties, hunting and vacation trips that were all taken handheld with this camera using nothing but Kodak ISO 400 and 800 film, and most of those pictures turned out great. I admit, a lot of the kid shots came back a little blurry but that wasn't the fault of the camera and a tripod would not have made any difference. I actually didn't even know the camera could lockup the mirror or tell you the depth of field, and I know I didn't know what those features were used for. I actually had to go find the user's manual (I am so glad my wife knows where everything is) when I read my first photography book about a year ago and learned what those controls could do for me. Here it is, 30 years later, and this camera is still advanced enough that it does everything I really need to take great pictures, some of which might get into a magazine someday.

Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love my new digital Pentax, especially being able to see the picture as soon as I take it, but I still love looking at the results I get from this camera. I only hope that my digital is as tough as this KX, but I'm afraid it probably isn't. This KX has been used in the back country of Nevada since I brought it home from the pawnshop in 1979, on backpacking trips and 4-wheeling, and it has never required any professional service in all that time. In fact, I've learned the hard way, that if I am headed for the hills, I am far better off carrying this camera then bringing my digital. Shortly after buying my K200D I took a bike trip into the back country. Naturally, I left the "old" KX home and took my digital with me instead. Imagine my surprise when I returned home and found that several of my digital pictures had visible dust spots. I repeated this same exercise twice more (I'm a slow learner) and I learned that I can get dust bunnies on that digital sensor in nothing flat, even though I carry it in a ziplock bag. In three months I've had to have it cleaned twice. But the KX just shrugs off the dust and keeps on putting out great pictures. I do keep it in a ziploc bag now, but that is a fairly recent practice I adopted with my autofocus camera (it wasn't quite as resistant to dust as the KX seems to be although it is lots better then the digital). A good dusting outside with some canned air (formerly a camel hair brush), and a little careful cleaning with a Q-Tip inside, has been all the maintenance this camera has ever needed. I have recently found a pretty good camera repair service in Reno (when I needed to get my digital sensor cleaned) and I'll be taking this KX in for it's first professional cleaning.

I am not by any stretch of the imagination an expert on cameras, and I'm barely a semi-competent amateur photographer, so take this for what it's worth. This is a great camera! If, for some reason, I found out tomorrow that I could only keep one camera, and all the rest had to go, this is the one I would keep.

I scanned in one of the recent pictures I have taken with this camera to give you a sample of what it is still capable of. This was taken with my KX and my Rokinon 85mm f/1.4 lens (another fairly recent purchase.) Please forgive the scanner (it is my first try at this) and the photographer.