Good solid build quality

Having to remember to reset the exposure compensation control

A very reliable and well built model which I use as a backup to my Canon EOS 300

Customer Service

Great! 60 day warranty from shop and they threw in two lenses and a gadget bag.

Similar Products Used:

None

Semi-Auto and manual functions. The leds are somewhat better than a needle. Tough as nails.

I have problems loading film. For some reason, I put the leader in wrong and have wasted several rolls of film doing this. Midway through the roll, it binds, due to the film not being in sync with the advance cogs?? Maybe it is just me. I find the K1000 easy to load in comparison

A reliable older camera. Needs batteries to function at all shutter speeds. Like the other K mount cameras, lenses are easy to find cheaply. Lighter than the K1000. What can I say, it is a Pentax...Good stuff.

Customer Service

None yet...

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I own a Pentax K1000

Light weight, easy handling power winder, easy loading, quiet, sturdy, very reliable, still has useful 1/125 speed with no battery, uses no battery power when set at X and used with flash. Even with no batteries installed the MEII winder can be used to turn on the camera's meter.

Exposure compensation warning signal no longer works properly (and after only 20 years). Easy to miss the manual/ automatic switch on the winder (can cause problems which will temporarily lock up the camera). Shutter speed selection buttons are too small. No DOF preview.

The high prices still existing for old ME Supers is a testiment to their trustworthy service. The K and M series Pentaxes are among the best cameras ever produced. Wish I could still buy a new reasonably priced camera with this quality (Contax and Nikon still make cameras which fit the bill, but at double or triple the price). I will buy another if I can find a decently preserved example.

Customer Service

Swift turn around on a winder problem. Haven't bothered about the exposure compensation dial since I am not sure if Pentax still services this camera.

Similar Products Used:

K1000, screw mount Argus (Chinon made I believe), Minolta Maxxum 5000.

Compactness and ease of use.
Excellent viewfinder and shutter speed range.
Incredibly low power consumption.

No stop-down lever.
No TTL flash.

The Super version of legendary ME.
PENTAX is very modest in advertising its products : this camera never pretended to be a PRO equipment but in fact it is d*** solid and durable - if you consider its compactness it was a real goal at the time.
Excellent shutter speed range : do not believe all the non-educated journalists - this camera has the slowest shutter speed below 2 MINUTES ! I tried it successfully many times.
Very good viewfinder info and excellent brightness.
I hate however the abnormal focusing turn direction - same as Nikon desease.
Unfortunately no stop-down lever which is a harm did to this nice camera.

Customer Service

No need for any service

Similar Products Used:

CHINON CE-4
CANON A-1
OLYMPUS 0M-1n
MINOLTA SRT-101b

I bought my Pentax at a garage sale. For $150. I got a Pentax ME Super with a 50 mm lens, a Vivatar 75-205 mm Zoom lens, a tripod, a Vivatar 285 Zoom flash and a Pentax 160S flash.

Until I bought this stuff, I used one of those fully automatic "plastic boxes". I can't believe the difference. The pictures taken with the Pentax are sharp. The color is brilliant. I love everything about this camera: it's versatile, metal, looks like a camera...
I've only had it for about 1 month, been burning through film like mad and have yet to take what I call a truly bad picture.

My inexperience with it.

It will force me to buy more accessories.

A great camera. I can't believe Pentax took this off the market.

Customer Service

none needed

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none

A rugged camera with great flexability. Allows for a lot of creativity for a miniture camera.

Only one real one. The electronic signal travels over a wire that stretches the full width of the camera. After time that wire tends to get hung up in the film advance gear and break. Otherwise, very durable

It's a great camera at half the price of the "name" brands. If you want a work horse and don't care that you don't have the most fashionable camera on the market, Pentax is for you!

Customer Service

Any camera service company in your city can fix them. The repairs average under $125

Similar Products Used:

Nikon, Leika, Canon

Lightweight, compact, feels solid.

No built-in winder, shutter speed control buttons very small and close together.More noisy than e.g. the Olympus OM and not as refined

One of the first compact SLRs. They still don't make them any smaller. You can get more lightweight cameras, but then they have a plastic body. Has a nice, solid feel and is simple and easy to use. Doesn't feel as refined and finely built as the Olympus OM. The mirror is louder and the aperture ring is a bit "rattly" compared to the Olympus. It feels tougher and more solid than the Olympus, though.

It's really a pleasant and reliable little camera. I never had any problems with it although I was the third owner, at least. It's very comfortable to handle - even if the shutter speed buttons are a little too small and close together - and easy to hold and carry in one hand. This is a big advantage when you go snapshooting in the street, you can have the camera out of the bag all the time.

Customer Service

N/A

Similar Products Used:

Contax 167 MT, Contax 137, Minolta SRT 100, Olympus OM

WELL BUILT, STRONG, AND RELIABLE YET VERY COMPACT. AN EXCELLENT MANUAL CAMERA FOR THE BEGINER. EASY TO READ AND CONVENINT VIEW FINDER LIGHT METERING. LARGE ASSORTMENT OF USED LENSES AT A CHEAP PRICE IN COMPARISON TO OTHER BRANDS, AND OLDER LENSES CAN BE USED ON NEWER PENTAX. EASY TO FIND REPLACEMENT PARTS, AND OTHER ACCESSORIES. ITEM WAS LESS THAN A HUNDRED DOLLARS FOR A BODY IN GREAT CONDITION, PLUS FLASH AND 50MM LENS.

TO SMALL AND DIFFICULT TO GRIP. FILM LOADING CAN BE INACCURATE, AND PRECAUTIONS MUST BE TAKEN TO INSURE PROPER LOADING. MIRROR TENDS TO LOCK UP DURRING EXTREMELY LONG SHUTTER SPEEDS, BUT VERY VERY RARE.

AN EXCELLENT BEGINNER CAMERA. LENSES CAN BE USED WITH NEWER PENTAX LINE, GREAT FOR THOSE LOOKING TO UPGRADE. MINNIMAL PROBLEMS IN COMPARISON TO OTHER CAMERAS. EASY AND CHEAP SUPPLY OF ACCESSORIES AND PARTS.

Customer Service

N/A

Similar Products Used:

PENTAX PZ-10
PENTAX MX-Z
PENTAX K 1000

Affordable. I got mine with a 50mm lens and a 135 mm lens for 125 bucks.
Very compact. very user friendly. has a aperture-priority auto mode. The controls are so intuitive and user friendly. Perfect for learning photography as well as for casual photography.

No DOF. Very compact (can be tough to hold with big hands).

Buy one .

Similar Products Used:

None

Lightweight
Versatile

Film takeup mechanism
Weak latch on back

Have used ME Super for just about every technique; studio portrait, candid, landscape, nature, macro, remote (with long cable release) etc etc. Recommend it for club photographer who knows they will never make a living from photography but wants a tool that can do just about everything. Vast selection of used lens available at very reasonable prices. If you cannot afford a Nikon, buy an ME or two!

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Cosina
Canon
Olympus