Brand new, did I do okay?

[vintagesnaps]

I was thinking the same thing, the K 1000 was always a popular student camera and a good classic mechanical camera. You'd just need to get something K mount, I think the earlier Spotmatics were screw mount. For what you paid you got a couple of lenses so if you get a mechanical body you'd have a couple of different cameras to use with your lenses. I sometimes have color film in one camera and B&W in another.

Or 100 speed film in one camera and 400 in another... LOL and no, I didn't catch my mistake when I typed it! If we ever get any actual sunshine this summer I'll be using 100 speed film, if we have continuing gloom & doom I may have to use 400.

(Read what I'm thinking not what I'm typing! LOL)

 

[timor]

Grab a Pentax K1000.

Most obvious idea. But why ?! For the same money is easy to get better built and more flexible manual focus Pentax. Just a little research ? P3, P3N, P30T are even cheaper as they don't have that K1000 fame, KM and K2 are very much valid bodies, ME Super or Super Program would be the best choices. Also Pentax MZ-5N, despite its looks and AF capabilities is an excellent camera. It will cooperate with any K mount lens in any possible mode; full flexibility.

 

[spud1337]

Grab a Pentax K1000.

Most obvious idea. But why ?! For the same money is easy to get better built and more flexible manual focus Pentax. Just a little research ? P3, P3N, P30T are even cheaper as they don't have that K1000 fame, KM and K2 are very much valid bodies, ME Super or Super Program would be the best choices. Also Pentax MZ-5N, despite its looks and AF capabilities is an excellent camera. It will cooperate with any K mount lens in any possible mode; full flexibility.

Thanks for the input once again. I'm surfing Ebay for an ME Super in good working condition. In the meanwhile I'll just have to wait and see how my standard ME works out. Maybe I'll send it to a professional for a once-over.

 

[ktan7]

Congrats on winning the camera on ebay and hope you capture your vision through the film medium. Hope to see some of your film work soon.

 

[spud1337]

Sorry if I'm still not getting this - like I said I'm very much new to all this stuff.

Will the 50mm lens that came with my ME package(a SMC PENTAX 50mm 1:1.7 LENs) be compatible with an ME " super" ? The reason I ask is it would be cheaper to just purchase an ME Super body than try to find one with a lens. Opens up my hunting options a bit

 

[bsinmich]

Except for the old screw mont Pentax you will find that all of the K mount lenses will work on all Pentax Cameras. The ME & MV were 2 cameras that were totally automatic but you can still manually control them by adjusting the ASA on the meter dial. I got my MV so my one daughter could use it with minimal difficulty. I have 3 ME supers that I still use, a K1000 a PZ10 and a PZ70. Except for having to manually focus the old lenses on the PZ cameras all of the lenses are interchangeable. If you get a Pentax flash they will even set the flash speed automatically on many of the models. My K1000 is also an old standby. I think it weighs about the same as 2 ME Supers.

 

[spud1337]

Except for the old screw mont Pentax you will find that all of the K mount lenses will work on all Pentax Cameras. The ME & MV were 2 cameras that were totally automatic but you can still manually control them by adjusting the ASA on the meter dial. I got my MV so my one daughter could use it with minimal difficulty. I have 3 ME supers that I still use, a K1000 a PZ10 and a PZ70. Except for having to manually focus the old lenses on the PZ cameras all of the lenses are interchangeable. If you get a Pentax flash they will even set the flash speed automatically on many of the models. My K1000 is also an old standby. I think it weighs about the same as 2 ME Supers.

Hey- thanks a LOT for typing all that up. Bear with me this stuff is all new and confusing to me. Especially when it comes to lenses, and what their various numbers and features mean.

I've decided I'm going to just stick with the ME I won for now, and if it doesn't work that great or I'm craving something with a manual mode - hunt down a ME super or K1000 body and switch over the lenses that came with my ME(provided they are in as good condition as the seller claims they are).

 

[bsinmich]

I am not familiar with the ME but on my MV there is an indicator light that will signal the camera is selecting a shutter speed of less than 1/30 second. I have used that to give me an indication for what shutter speed is being selected. Going from there you can use the ASA setting on the meter for control of the shutter speed. That will take a little bit of figuring but it is workable. Keep looking on Craigs list & E Bay and you should get an ME Super for a very reasonable price. Even if it has a lens you can always use an extra lens.

 

[limr]

The K1000 was my first camera 20 years ago and it has never been out of use. I can't help but second the idea to get one

I happen to disagree with the idea that learning to manipulate a basic film camera has nothing to do with improving photographic skills. Anything that gets you to slow down and be more thoughtful of the image you want and how to get it can only improve your photographic skills in any medium. I think film is a great tool for doing that. If a shot doesn't work out in digital, you just keep shooting until it comes out the way you want to. You don't always know what you've done to make it so, and you're not worried about wasting shots. With film, you know that you have a limited number of shots per roll and so you're more invested in trying to make each one count. I think that makes us more mindful of what we need to do to get the shot that we want. I find that as I improve my film pictures, my digital pictures are also getting more interesting.

As for tips, I would start with Tri-X 400 black and white film and the 50mm prime lens (f1.7 is nice and fast - good for low-light conditions). Keep variables to a minimum - it will help focus on only certain aspects of shooting and will help you understand what might have gone wrong in the pictures that didn't come out the way you wanted to. The Tri-X is a very forgiving film and has great tones, and is also often used as standard in beginning photography classes. The lower ISOs are generally good for bright conditions and the higher ISOs are good for low light conditions. Since your ME is aperture priority, it might also be fun to do some street photography. Just set the f-stop and since the camera sets the shutter speed, you don't have to worry about it. Just practice your manual focusing and composition. When you are getting more adventurous, you can try your f1.7 wide open with some faster film (800, 1600 depending on how light or dark you would like your photos to be) and try some night photography. Here's one I took with my K1000 using Tri-X 400 at f1.7 and 1/60 shutter:



And if you really want to start getting a feel for film photography, I'd say forget the light meter for a little while, study up on Sunny 16 rules for exposure, choose relatively easy lighting conditions to start, and just start playing.
Sunny 16 rule - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Good luck!