Since I am a beginner, these strengths are from a beginner's standpoint.
*Rugged
*Controls are basic and easy to understand
*Cheap and easy to find used
*Manual Controls
*No battery is required to take pictures (battery only powers the light meter).

*Loading the film can be a little tricky.
*Light meter doesn't work in the late evening or at night (with 400 ISO film)
*Hard to find new lenses for it (Pentax says that you can use most of their AF lenses on this body but I have never tried it before)

If you are just starting out and want to learn about taking pictures, this is a good camera for you. If you are just starting out and are lazy, you'd be better off with an AF SLR or a P&S. With the K-1000 you have total control over focus, aperture, shutter speed, and film speed. It makes you slow down and think about how you have to change these to get the picture you want. Also, the standard lens that came with it if you bought the camera new as part of a kit, (50mm/f2 SMC-A)is better than consumer zooms that come in kits of newer AF SLR's for someone who wants to learn the right way. Since it is a prime lens, you can't zoom in or out, which forces you to move around to get the composition you want. Another advantage it has over consumer zooms is about 2 or 3 stops (maximum aperture). This means you can shoot in just 25%-12.5% the light that would be required for a consumer zoom. I hope my writing is good enough to be understood, sorry if it isn't (my grammar is not very good). The point I am trying to make is, the Pentax K-1000 is a good camera for a beginner.

Customer Service

never needed

Similar Products Used:

Nikon FM10

durable, simple and make me think about the photographic process.

no dof, timer or provision for motor drive. Focussing screen is crap

Bought a MV new which has finally died after 23 years of travelling around Aust on the back of a motorbike. Needed a replacement and the k1000 was cheap, available and near perfect for my needs. Will probably upgrade to a MZ5 because my eyesight is poor but will keep the k1000. Lenses are interchangeable, ( have just bought a 100-300 AF )although I am a little worried about the MZ5 durability - will it last as long as the MV or K1000 ??

Customer Service

none yet

Similar Products Used:

Pentax MV, old Agfa, various point & shoots

It works! Simple, intuitive controls (as long as you know what you're doing),idiot-proof meter, and a non-pansy, all metal body. Not to mention the fact it was given to me.

No DOF preview and a slow flash sync shutter speed are trivial, but it's IMPOSSIBLE to load a roll of film in less than three minutes.

I work for a student newspaper at my school, and I have used this dinky all-manual soapbox in situations where several pros with $1000 auto-everything Canons and Nikons dropped their jaws at this kid who had the cajones to take SPORTS photos with an all-manual camera. I have took sports, I have took action, I have took photos in almost every situation imagineable, and the K-1000 just hangs tough. Think about it. What did people take sports photos with before auto-focus? The K-1000. Even so, taking sports photos with a K-1000 stinks, so I think I'm gonna upgrade to a ZX-7 or a ZX-5M so I can use my old K-mount optics (like a Tokina f4 80-200mm zoom lens with amazing image quality)with an auto-everything body. But I'll still pack my K-1000 in the gadget bag.

Customer Service

Unless someone decides to play soccer with my Pentax, I don't see myself needing it.

Similar Products Used:

Old Minolta Maxxums, Olympus IS-3 (SLR with an integrated zoom, pretty much a toy)

Reliable. Tough. Durable. Takes Great pictures with a little guessing.

None that I saw. Needed a better lens, though. I bought the kit and had a zoom with a not too good aperture range, so I couldn't take very good low light shots.

This camera got me an "A" in my Intro to Photography class. It took clean, crisp pictures, and the manual controls realy made me learn the intricacies of photographing in different light. I wish I hadn't sold mine two years ago. I have a passion for it again, and I'm reading through the other posts that it isn't being manufactured again. I'm always iffy about buying second hand. Oh well, I still have great student photos to marvel at and be able to say, "I took these, and this camera made it possible..."

Customer Service

None.

Similar Products Used:

None

AWESOME CAMERA!!! I bought it in October and I couldnt be happier with it!! Works great, easy to use, takes great pictures. I highly suggest this camera to anyone looking for a manual camera.

Only thing I dont like is the fact that the light meter is always on. This problem can easily be solved with the use of a lens cap though

An awesome camera for anyone who wants to take pictures, and doesnt want or need any automatic features. Simple to use, super tough and reliable, the K1000 will serve the needs of any photographer. I use the camera to photograph Trains, and all my pictures come out great. No blurry or over/under exposed pictures. Accurate light meter and easy focusing makes it ideal for motion pictures. If you can get it for under 150$, BUY IT!!

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Old Petri Manual camera (forget what model)

Great manual camera, I've never got a bad picture. Took pictures all over Europe and got rave reviews of all my shots.Was able to interchange lenses and got great pics.

Completely manual, was nerve racking when focusing on a moving target. Needs something done to help speed up the focus and film advance.

My daughter wants this camera. I guess I'll have to leave it in my will, cause she's not getting it before then. I'm going to have to get some new batteries again this year and wipe off the lens and start shooting again. GREAT CAMERA!! Pentex did a good one with this camera.

Customer Service

Never needed service. Just new battries every 5 years.

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Minolta-Tele-freedom. Completely automatic, love it.

The price.

The meters on all examples (3) of this camera that I used tended towards underexposure. I gave up on K1000s after an annoying meter failure.

I have had several K1000s. My first experience was incredible frustration over not being able to successfully load the film on a number of occasions. It turned out that the camera was at fault, and after being repaired it was, well, only kind of hard to load. Although reputed to be tough, my K1000s didn't last long in the rainforest, despite religiously keeping them dry(ish). I think that a used Nikon FM2 is a far better proposition than a K1000, even if the FM2 creates a little more credit card debt.

Customer Service

Very good warranty service.

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Nikon FM2n

Simple to use. has all the basics, but nothing else.

Tough and reliable (but hardly indestructible). Some say it is built like a tank, but maybe it is built more like a Jeep.

You can instantly bond with other (past or present) K1000 owners. F5 and EOS1v users will say "I used one of those when I was in school." (But they will probably not trade their camera for yours.)

Lack of depth-of-field preview is a major flaw for a "student" camera.

No self-timer.

Feels somewhat cheap and "tinny" to me (but still much better than its plastic replacement, the ZX-M).

Somewhat overpriced due to its "cult" status.

No longer available new.

Cheap plastic parts on newer models.

The K1000 has built its cult-like status as THE student camera largely because it was cheap and simple, not because it was the world's greatest camera. It was basically a stripped, bare-bones version of Pentax's better cameras. It caught on as a student camera because it was so cheap, and schools were looking to save money when buying cameras in bulk. Even though Pentax cheapened manufacturing over the years by having it built in China and substituting plastic parts for metal, it is now too expensive to build an entry-level camera like this. As a result, Pentax has replaced it with the ZX-M, a stripped version of its lower-end AF SLRs. While the ZX-M has some nice features (and can take fine pictures), it feels like a cheap toy in comparison to the K1000.

Its not a bad camera, but for the price (I see them sell for about $150 used) you can get a better SLR if you look around a little. Try looking into the Olympus OM-1, Canon FTb, Minolta SRT-series, or even the Pentax KX or KM. For just a little more money, you could even find a clean Nikon FM. All of these are just as simple to operate and at least as durable as the K1000, and are nicer cameras overall. You will get a depth-of-field preview (an essential feature, I think, when you are trying to learn photography) with these other choices, too. All of them were more expensive cameras than the K1000 when they were new (because they are superior cameras) but now can be found for the same price or even less, maybe because they do not have a "cult."

If you want to relive your student days with one of these, at least you should avoid the cheapened "Made in China" versions with plastic covers and get yourself the "Made in Japan" version. I suggest you also try to avoid buying surplus cameras being sold by schools, as they have often suffered abuse at the hands of numerous students (why do you think they are getting rid of them?). Contrary to the mythology, K1000s CAN break down if abused, just like any other camera.

To get the best out of this camera and stay on a budget, I also suggest that you stick with a good, cheap 50mm lens and avoid el-cheapo zooms. The 50mm is cheaper, more compact, and will give you a brighter viewfinder image. The old manual Pentax lenses have a much better feel and durability than the plasticky new AF lenses.

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Olympus OM-1n, OM-2000, Nikon FM

DURABILITY! I had one for 15 years, lost it(!), my current one for 8 years.

Simplicity.
Takes fabulous macro shots.
Easy to maintain.
Doesn't eat up batteries.
I can't break it.
Perfectly weighted - heavy enough to let you know you've a serious camera, light enough to use all day.

The split-focus viewfinder on the factory original was good, but the newer viewfinder sucks - takes me longer to focus accurately.

After 8 years, I know intuitively when I need to use the Pentax, the Omega, or the Sigma (sounds like a sorority). Sometimes I'll use it just because it feels good in my hands. This is a key point - I've spoken with many other K1000 users and they all say the same thing: it feels good in the hand. For serious beginners this is the only camera to have. For everyone else it's a best friend, a sure stand-by. I don't recommend it for fast sports unless you have a motor drive. It's NOT for the point-and-click crowd at all. It doesn't have the glamour of a Nikon F4 but it can hold it's own plenty well.

Customer Service

WHAT customer service? It's never needed any.

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Sigma SA-300
Omega 6x7

Easy to use. All manual. Makes you work on the shot and not the functions. Very reliable and the light meter is actually pretty accurate. I take it bouncing around on my bike and click after click it keeps on taking great pics. Can't over build it with extras. Just a plain ol' camera.

The view finder is difficult to use because of the focus grid. Film loading and unloading can be difficult. Just don't use the whole roll or the film may jam. I have hit the end of the roll and for some reason the film jammed. Have some issues with loading the film, but once I figured it out, I got it. No depth of field.

Excellent camera for student or intermediate photographers. It is a low cost camera and lenses are everywhere. I have found it funny that the body is in short supply here. No one is giving them up.

To fix the jamming problem at the end of the roll, I pop the door with out opening it, reclose it til it latches and press the button again and rewind.

Customer Service

huh? there is customer service? Why?

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Nikon FG. Loved and Miss it!!!