Extremely well built,reliable,lenses better than my Nikons,

viewfinder set for far sighted people.I`m near sighted.Causes eye strain.

The Pentax and Takumar lenses are excellent.I dont test lenses just use them and see results.Flare free.Wonderful contrast.Wish available new made in Japan.

Customer Service

Reliability almost perfect but easily repaired and serviced anywhere.

Similar Products Used:

Canon AE-1,Nikon-F
Leica M3

Simple and rugged, compatible with a wide range of lens,

meter doesn't work in low light, film can be tricky to load

This camera taught me photography. I take better pictures with the K1000 than the auto-exposure cameras, becuase it makes you slow down and think about the image -- what's the depth-of-field & shutter speed?, is there light behind?, is my angle right?, should I frame it left or right?, what's it focused on? ...
I use cameras with more features and low-light ability but I never use the "all auto" features, because the K1000 taght me how important it is to know the camera's settings.

Customer Service

never had a reason to use

Similar Products Used:

Pentax ME Super, MX, P30t & LX; Cannon AE1,

Simple Very rugged

Lack of built in timer
Lack of motor drive capability

This thing has had around 21000 pictures run threw it and it just keeps on working.It works at 100 degrees or 20 degress below zero and never fouls up. This thing teaches you to be a better Photographer. Find one buy it love it.

Customer Service

None needed

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Kodak
Others that I don't even remember or care to

Simple to use, well built, and very dependable

the shutter speed know could be easier to reach

Great camera for any background. I prefer manual cameras to autos. This camera is the only SLR in my collection. I mostly use rangefinders.

Customer Service

none needed

Similar Products Used:

Konica T

Metal body, takes great shots if you know what you're doing.

hard to load film, can't do multiple exposures very easily.

Bought this used when I took a photography class in college. Great camera for what it is, esecially if you're learning the technical side of photography.. Took many great pictures with it, and some bad too (my fault, not the camera's). Would like to upgrade to an AF SLR, but not sure which brand or model yet.

Customer Service

Never had to use this.

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various P&S, borrowed someone's older Nikon SLR once.

great beginner camera, very durable I've owned this camera for 10 years and with minimal maintenance it has functioned flawlessly.

completely manual, doesn't have "auto-focus" or "automatic light exposure" that I've seen on other cameras that would be useful in certain circumstances.

If you don't mind a completely mechanical camera, it's great. extremely relable out on the field.

Similar Products Used:

numerous "point and shoots" entry level cannon and Cannon EOS Rebel

This camera IS a workhorse. I learned with this camera and it has taught me everything I know to this day, from exposure settings to apeture settings. This camera will force you to learn the basics of photography and will take great pictures until the end

it's all manual so therefore if you are a casual photographer this is not the camera for you

see above!

Customer Service

none needed

Similar Products Used:

elan IIe, canon a1

Robust, simplicity, tough, excellent glass, indestructable

slow in advancing film, no timed shots, no automatic functions, archaic light meter.

This is the camera I take on rafting trips...Unlike the "wonder bricks" that marvel us with their technological prowess, the K-1000's forte is simplicity: drop it in the water and you probably wont even lose the light meter, its lone electronic function. Duct-taped over its orifices, it has survived rock gardens. With the excellent 50 mm lens 1.4 f stop, you can take pictures in virtually any light level without flash. Lots of available lenses. I have four of them, and intend on keeping them all. Have 12 lenses.

Customer Service

None needed

Similar Products Used:

Canon EOS 3, Elan lle, Nikon N-90S, Canon AE-1 Program, Canon A-1, F-1, Minolta X-700

All mechanical, beat the heck out of it and works flawlessly

not as quick as my ZX5n, and heavier

The Pentax ZX5N is my overall top choice in caneras, but it can not do a few things the K1000 does. Mirror lockup, double exposures. Have taken fantastic photos with this camera, and works great with my telescope pointed at the stars at night.

Customer Service

none yeeded yet

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Ricoh KR5 Ricoh KR10 Pentax ZX5N

Sturdy metal body. Easy to change lenses, install and use an adapter for a shutter timer, and easy to advance the film and take an exposure.

Film loading can be frustrating, as others have noticed. Rewinding is also awkward, requiring two hands to start the process off. It is difficult to focus indoors. It is easy to set the shutter speed incorrectly for flash pictures. For the first 10 years that I had it (it's 20 years old), I would sometimes forget to change the film speed; newer cameras read this automatically. It's heavy, and my husband always ends up carrying it.

My father bought me this camera as a college graduation gift 20 years ago. He thought I should start off with a totally manual camera to learn photography. I soon found that the weight of the camera, and having to think about both shutter speed, aperture, and focusing, were not conducive to the types of photos I was taking -- friends at the beach, interesting buildings, vacation snapshots...The biggest problem has been making your indoor subjects hold a smile while you 1) frantically twist the aperture ring, then 2) try to focus. The only artsy thing I wanted to do was occasionally throw the background or foreground out of focus. Bottom line? I'm tired of manual focusing, and I haven't made much use of the aperture and speed settings. If I can find a lightweight, point-and-shoot camera that takes equally fine pictures, gives me 35mm, 50 mm, and 70mm settings, and has a powerful flash...I'm afraid I'm out of the SLR game.

Customer Service

I attended an "open house" customer service session at a department store. (I was getting flash pictures that were half black.) They could not find anything mechanically wrong with the camera, and said I was not setting the shutter speed for flash pictures. This setting is tricky, as I noted above. You have to look straight down on the top of the camera body to be sure you're setting it for flash pictures.

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This has been my one-and-only camera for 20 years. I am looking around for a lighter, point-and-shoot camera with a grea