No automatic settings means you have to think about the picture before you take it.
Lenses are plentiful and relatively inexpensive. An excellent student camera. The steel body is well-suited for outdoor or extreme photography, and can take a great deal of bangs and scrapes while still performing well. In-camera light metering works well in most situations and will last for several years between battery changes. Battery affects light meter only, and the K will continue to shoot even with a dead battery. Classic looks. All necessary controls are easy to use. Most available lenses are of a high quality.

No automatic settings - may intimidate or confuse those with a limited knowledge of photography. Light metering needle is non-illuminated, has no on/off switch, and is almost impossible to read in dark shooting situations. Lens cap must be kept on when camera is not in use, or the light metering battery will die prematurely. No autowind or self-timer. Shutter type dictates a 1/60 setting only for flash photography.
Camera has a "dated" look to it (although some prefer the term "classic"). Button battery compartment door screws in to bottom of camera, and can become lost if not occasionally checked for tightness. Due to camera design, available accessories are somewhat limited as compared to other SLR's. Proper focus can be hard to acheive in low-light situations.

The K1000 is an excellent "all-around" camera that is at home in the hands of a student, as well as in those of a seasoned professional. The camera has no automatic settings (not such a bad thing), and is a tool that can be used to take great photographs.. The K's have a steel body and are able to withstand a ridiculous amount of punishment without complaint. The K1000's have a staunch following, and earned a place as one of those camera that everyone should own at least once in their lifetime. If you've never owned one, you are missing out on one of the best used bangs-for-the-buck still available in photography.

Customer Service

I can't comment on Pentax customer service, as I've never had a problem with my K1000 that required repair.

Similar Products Used:

Canon A-1, Mamiya C220, Olympus Infinity Twin, Fuji SLR

Completely manual settings. Extremely durable. Easy to use. Lenses are plentiful and easy to find in good condition. Will continue to shoot even if battery for light meter is exhausted. Film is easy to load, even while in the field. Body is well built, and can withstand a great deal of abuse without faltering.

Although a plus for many, the camera has NO automatic functions. All settings must be done manually before shooting. No autowinder option available. No self-timer. Light meter uses button-type battery, and it will die quickly unless lens cap is kept on when not shooting.

The K1000 is an easy to use all-around 35mm SLR. With no automatic settings, it makes you think about your shot before taking it. Clean-looking, classic, and plenty of lenses available for it. Earlier models have all-steel body with little plastic. A great student camera, or for those that like doing outdoor photography. This camera will withstand an unrealistic amount of abuse and still perform well.

Customer Service

I can't comment on Pentax customer service, as I've never had a problem with my K1000 that has needed attention.

Similar Products Used:

Canon A-1, Pentax A3000, Fuji

simple and easy to use, good features, long lasting shutter, this camera is built like a tank.

fully manual

A simple beginner's camera yet also good enough for the serious amateur. This is a fully manual and fully reliable SLR. It's so basic yet to awesome.

Similar Products Used:

Pentax ME Super, Canon EOS 1N

fully mechanical (battery dies, keep on shooting) match needle metering (no LEDs. gives a much better feel for adjusting exposure) solid as a rock scads of lenses available

no depth of field preview

The K1000 is a great, basic, simple, camera. I don't know of any camera in it's genre that can top it.

Customer Service

never needed any

Similar Products Used:

other Pentax 35mm cameras

solid feel, there is weight to camera makes one think, rather than just snapping away. dependable simple

hmmmmmm, would have to say better remember to replace lense cap otherwise batteries will be kaput when you try to get reading from meter.

i had to try this camera after reading abouts how everyone enjoyed using it. well, i am a fan now also. :) pictures came out great on my first roll of film, clear and clean. i will not be selling this camera, its a keeper.

Customer Service

none needed still working like a charm

Similar Products Used:

nikon fe, nikon fg, nikon fm, pentax mef, pentax me and pentax super program

-Simplicity. -Toughness. -Reliability. -Availibility. -Lens Selection.

-?.

A tough camera that will take just about anything you throw at it, it's built like a brick. A great camera to learn on and also a pleasure to use. Can't say much more about it, it is simply brilliant.

Customer Service

Never needed.

Durability- I once fell into a dry creek bed and landed on it, causing no harm. One cleaning in 25 years, no problems

Difficult to focus in low light. film must be loaded carefully.

Has to be one of the best manual SLRs built. Easy to use, forgiving, durable. Accurate light meter. Bought it because most of the geologists I worked with in the early 70's swore by pentax spotmatics. The K100 is even better. Works well even at -25 C.

Customer Service

Other than the one cleaning, never had to use.

Similar Products Used:

Pentax ME, which has had to be overhauled twice for $100+ each time in 7 years, and now resides in my filing cabinet, broken again!

Though features vary by model, all of the K series bodies are sturdy, reliable picture-takers.

-Dim focus screen - K1000, KM & KX -KM and K1000 averaging pattern of meter is easily "fooled". More sophisticated KX has center-weighted silicon meter.

If you who have read this far you have probably already decided to buy a Pentax K1000. The K1000 has a well-earned reputation for being a reliable, no-nonsense body capable of producing images on par with any professional system camera. But Pentax also produced a couple of other models based on the same chassis, and you do yourself an injustice if you don't look at these too. I refer of course to the models KM and KX. The Pentax KM is the camera the K1000 is based on ie the K1000 is a stripped-down KM. The KM is basically a K1000 with self-timer and depth-of-field preview. The latter allows you to look through lens at shooting aperture, thereby allowing you to judge what part of the foreground and background will also be in focus. Many of us consider this an indispensible feature; indeed, I would not buy a camera without it. The Pentax KX adds self-timer, DOF preview, mirror lockup, a more sophisticated silicon metering system, and a full-information viewfinder. This model is a joy to use, and my personal favorite. Both KM and KX cameras feel and handle much the same as the K1000. Unlike the K1000, all KM and KX bodies were made in Japan. Despite having more useful features, the KM and KX often sell for far less than the K1000. This is because most have never heard of these models. Consider yourself enlightened...

Customer Service

I found a wonderful Pentax-trained repairman; email if you want contact information.

Similar Products Used:

Pentax K1000, KM, KX, K2DMD, MX, Ricoh XR-1s, XR-2s

-fully manual -durable -easy to use -perfect learning tool

none considering its a fully manual camera

If you want a camera where you are in total control and is very durable than the K 1000 is the only camera you should buy. This camera is one of the best cameras ever built. I've had mine since i was in high school when i took my first photography class and it still works just as good as it did back then. And it's taken quite a beating. Mine actually has quite an ugly dent where the prism sits but you cant tell by looking though it. When you conbine the K 1000 with pentax SMC lenses you will get perfectly clear images.

Customer Service

you dont need any

Similar Products Used:

olympus 700uz canon elan 7 pentax me canon d60

Build quality. Ease of use. Accuracy of light meter. Camera's good looks.

Not the most perfect glass in the camera biz. Dead-on razor sharp pictures isn't this camera. Problems spooling film while loading (quite frustrating sometimes)

In the early 80's I was ready to invest some money in a 35mm camera and asked a professional photographer in Las Vegas what camera I should purchase. The first question he asked me was what I would be using the camera for...(which was the right first question to ask). I told him I wanted to learn how to shoot with a 35mm in all sorts of situations and that I would probably purchase more than one lens. Without hesitation, the recommendation was the Pentax K-1000. That was 20 years ago. I still have my trusty K. This camera is still in perfect condition. I've never replaced the light meter battery. I still love placing the camera on the table and just admiring the build quality! It's taught me spades about 35mm photography with all my trials and errors (not to mention the expense of film and developing). I've long since moved to digital photography and had the K-1000 packed away, until just recently. We took off to the mountains this Labor Day weekend and my digital camera batteries were dead. I decided to take the K-1000 and what a joy it was, all over again, to shoot with an SLR 35mm. To see depth of field again, To feel the heaviness of the shutter 'click'. I look forward to the day when I can afford a Digital SLR. I owe all my camera expertise from action photography, framing, flash and fill flash, and exposure to the K-1000. I can hardly wait for the bulb exposures of the starry night sky up in the mountains. My K-1000 is a reminder of my 20's and 30's because anytime I took a picture during those wonderful years it was with the Pentax. Now, my 13 year old is learning the art of 35mm photography and I'm having a great time teaching him with the same Pentax K-1000 that taught me.

Customer Service

Professional cleaning once. I've never had a mechanical problem with my K-1000.

Similar Products Used:

Pentax ME (which I bought for my wife and a few years later broke)