Review 1 of 25
Price Paid:
$250.00
from ebay.co.uk Summary:
Even if the metering system is only centre weighted, it is uncannily accurate.
Not the camera you will want if you are a feature and gadget geek, for this is a no nonsense tool.
This camera should bring a great sense of fulfilment and joy to all DoItYourself photographers (the same fellows who might rate vegetarian cameras like the Nikon FM2
and Canon F1n highly).
Ignore the value and overall rating down there, it's a subjective thing.
Without a worthy successor from Pentax, this camera has become THE Pentax, the cult symbol, and with that, the price keeps rising annually. Too bad Pentax put this camera (as an electronic version) into a flimsy plastic shell of the MZ-3.
It took me 5 years to hunt down a second hand body which price (£250) matches it's condition- cosmetically. But alas, the sticky mirror problem! Strengths:
Mine has a sticky mirror problem, though this is supposed to be a weakness, read on: even when the mirror failed to flip up correctly (due to the old gluey joints) at the trip of the shutter button the metering proved it's legendary status by exposing the film correctly! Example: the meter reads the scene to be 1/30s, shutter depressed, the mirror doesnt flip up till some miliseconds later, but the mirror stays up a bit longer than the 1/30 to compensate. Was really surprised when I got my first test roll of slides back. Was expecting half exposed frames and even underexposure, but the slides were PERFECT. I first thought the 'erronous' exposure time (1/30 became 1/15 or 1/8) was just that: erronous, but in fact not because the meter keeps adjusting itself even when the shutter is open for film exposure.
The mirror lock up is a brilliant feature.
You'd need it for long exposures up to minutes (my longest exposure was some 15 minutes though I thought this was impossible).
Are the accessories a strength or a weakness? The FA1-W finder is fantastic simply because you can adjust it to your eye's need. Clear and bright viewfinder.
The accessories system however makes this camera a very flexible and customizable tool.
Pentax lenses are underated, especially the primes. Trust me, for the price paid they give you the best bang for the buck.
Those who are used to the sizes and weight of pro level Canon and Nikon cameras may find the LX to be tiny and light though compared to the Weaknesses:
The sticky mirror. Though the OTF metering corrects the exposure it is very irritating. The lack of a exposure lock is something the designers missed. The slow sync speed makes fill in flash almost impossible (but I hardly use the flash anyway).
I won't use this camera any further till I've had it serviced and repaired, but so far quotes from independent and Pentax seem to be much too high.
Again the question about the accessories, strength or weakness? The motordrive and winder to body design is flimsy and badly thought out. Film may get damaged by light leak when attaching the winder to the body.
Those who are used to the sizes and weight of pro level Canon and Nikon cameras may find the LX to be tiny and light, but may be too tiny and light for the said Canon and Nikon users.
In the strength category I praised the lenses for being affordable: warning here, the best lenses (like the 85mm lenses) are not. They're sometimes equal if not more expensive than Nikkors.
Note: Pentax made many unannounced revisions to this camera during it's 20 years in production. Mine is a rather early model with serial number 524***. Similar Products Used:
Pentax MZ50, ME super, MX.
Nikon FM2, FE2. Mamiya C220. Customer Service:
Haven't used it. I go to independent workshops manned by former in-house-Pentax technicians.
| 
Link to this page
4 of 5
3 of 5
5 of 5
