Pentax K-1000 Good deal?

[CaptainSpazzz-a]

Hi everyone! I'm new and I must confess that I joined up to get some advise. :mrgreen: Anyway, I found this listing while browsing and I was wondering if you all think this is a good deal? http://orangecounty.craigslist.org/for/137079117.html It's a Pentax K-1000 (old school SLR), with 55mm lens, a Vivitar Promaster 7 Macro Zoom lens (70mm-210mm), a twenty inch shutter release cable, a filter adapter, one red filter, and a large camera bag . . for $100.
I took photo 2 years ago in high school and we learned on Nikon fm10, and that was an alright camera (they were old and very used and my skills weren't all that, and i havent really used anything else besides those, so "alright" is all i can say of them). I hadn't been actively looking for a camera recently, but then i found that listing and I remembered that the FM 10 were supposed to be over $200 i think. So I got really excited because I might finally be able to afford a camera (even at $100 I'd probably not be able to buy anything besides milk and fruits for a whole month). But then I found similar bundles on Ebay going for about $10 (they seemed legit and people were bidding). So now I don't know what to do. I probably won't be buying that Pentax seeing as how I can find them for cheaper, but then should I even get that model? I was going to buy it mostly because it seemed like an excellent deal (and the macro lens was really calling to me :mrgreen.
I haven't shot anything since highschool and have been getting excited to shoot again. I had been thinking about saving for a digital camera just for random picture taking (so like a point and shoot(?) digital), like my roommate's. I'd like to be able to do "wedding photography" some day and try to improve what i started to learn in high school, but i also don't want to carry around an SLR on outings to the Carl's Jr across the street.
argh, Now I'm all confused and don't even want to think about cameras anymore.

 

[Rob]

The K1000 is a great camera. It holds it's value quite well as it's durable, reliable and simple mechanically. I would say that $100 for a mint one isn't unreasonable, but the exact condition is important.

Many K1000s are used for teaching photography, therefore they have been abused by students.

The accessories you listed are not of great value, so I would ignore them. Vivitar are not one of the greatest brands out there, so I would imagine that the macro lens wouldn't be terribly good.

Try and get a K1000 with the standard f1.7 lens - it's one of the sharpest prime standard lenses around. Here's an example which looks reasonable:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Pentax-Asahi-K1...592691050QQcategoryZ15240QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Caveat emptor and all that btw.

The little Canon compact digitals look pretty good to me. I tried an A500 and it had a very good screen and surprisingly impressive image quality. It was quite an expensive model when I looked at it, about $500 I suppose.

Don't panic! A camera is only a camera, so it's not worth getting stressed over. Have another look around and see what's available.

Rob

 

[CaptainSpazzz-a]

Whew, thanks a lot; Obviously I don't have a clue about a lot of stuff :blushing: . I did look up the Pentax K1000 and people say it's a good camera. Do you know of comparisons between the Pentax K1000 and the Nikon FM10?
You tried a Canon A500, did you keep it or did you get different one? My roommate's is a Canon Elph. Those Canon digitals are niiiice.
Thanks again, I'm going to go calm down and look around some more.

 

[Rob]

Whew, thanks a lot; Obviously I don't have a clue about a lot of stuff :blushing: . I did look up the Pentax K1000 and people say it's a good camera. Do you know of comparisons between the Pentax K1000 and the Nikon FM10?
You tried a Canon A500, did you keep it or did you get different one? My roommate's is a Canon Elph. Those Canon digitals are niiiice.
Thanks again, I'm going to go calm down and look around some more.

In my opinion the FM10 was a bit of a strange camera for Nikon to release. The FM3a and FM2n are better cameras to my mind as they are more durable and offer similar features in a higher quality body. The Canon AE-1 and Contax 167MT are also worth a look.

In my opinion, any of the Pentax manual bodies with a standard lens, or any Contax with the Zeiss T* 1.7 are going to give top notch results. However, neither of those are as popular as Canon and Nikon, and neither offer much of a sensible upgrade path to DSLR. You may like to consider a plasticy offering, such as the Canon Elan series or the Nikon N55/65/75 as these are forward compatible lens wise with the auto-focus of the digital SLRs and would prove a sensible investment. However, as they are compatible, the lens prices are significantly higher. If you're thinking of expanding in the future, I would recommend Nikon or Canon, however, if you're just buying a good SLR to work as it is on film, then get perhaps a Pentax or Contax. If you want really cheap, but good quality, try a Pentax Spotmatic with the 1.7 lens - very sharp and much cheaper as they don't support the newer K-Mount lenses.

I only borrowed a friend's A500 at a party, but it did surprise me. If I were in the market for a compact, I'd get one of those in the mid-range. Megapixels aren't important in a compact as you won't be using it for those poster sized prints (most likely anyway).

 

[ThomThomsk]

In my opinion the FM10 was a bit of a strange camera for Nikon to release. The FM3a and FM2n are better cameras to my mind as they are more durable and offer similar features in a higher quality body.

The FM10 is made by Cosina, not by Nikon themselves, so it is 'badge engineering' built to a price and not directly comparable with any other Nikon.

I have a Cosina (actually it says Voigtlander on the camera) rangefinder that I'm very happy with, and a Cosina (Voigtlander again) lens that I'm even happier with, but I doubt they will outlast my FM2n, which is built like a brick chicken house.

Thomsk

 

[selmerdave]

Captain,

I would get the K1000 at $100. You might find cheaper on eBay, but you might find a crappier one too (when it arrives).

It's worth noting that the 55mm lens is a "K" which means it is from the earliest generation of the K-mount lenses. These are pretty much unanimously held (with the exception of some of the >$800 Limited lenses today) as the finest lenses Pentax (or others for that matter) made, optically and mechanically. The 55mm whether it's the 1.8 or 2.0 is a great lens, at least as sharp as any other standard lens Penax made.

The K1000 is a great camera, so a bird in the hand is worth $100 if you ask me.

Dave

 

[Rob]

The FM10 is made by Cosina, not by Nikon themselves, so it is 'badge engineering' built to a price and not directly comparable with any other Nikon.

That would explain why it's still available along with the F6 as the only remaining film cameras. Good point!

I touched one once, and it was crappy. It got poor reviews as well. I'm sure it works and everything, just one of those oddities.

Rob

 

[saulmr]

The K1000 is built like a tank. I got it with the F2 50mm and the results are great. Mine had a non-working meter, and that has tought me much more about photography than my Canon K2.

If you can, get it. It's a great buy.

 

[CaptainSpazzz-a]

In my opinion, any of the Pentax manual bodies with a standard lens, or any Contax with the Zeiss T* 1.7 are going to give top notch results. However, neither of those are as popular as Canon and Nikon, and neither offer much of a sensible upgrade path to DSLR. You may like to consider a plasticy offering, such as the Canon Elan series or the Nikon N55/65/75 as these are forward compatible lens wise with the auto-focus of the digital SLRs and would prove a sensible investment. However, as they are compatible, the lens prices are significantly higher. If you're thinking of expanding in the future, I would recommend Nikon or Canon, however, if you're just buying a good SLR to work as it is on film, then get perhaps a Pentax or Contax. If you want really cheap, but good quality, try a Pentax Spotmatic with the 1.7 lens - very sharp and much cheaper as they don't support the newer K-Mount lenses.

I only borrowed a friend's A500 at a party, but it did surprise me. If I were in the market for a compact, I'd get one of those in the mid-range. Megapixels aren't important in a compact as you won't be using it for those poster sized prints (most likely anyway).

Yeah, it worries me that I won't be able to find much in terms of compatibility, because I do want to move up eventually, and I don't have a lot to spend on a set of lenses for each (manual SLR, DSLR).

Do the Elan and N/55/65/75 have completely maual settings? Like, for student learning? Can I get a manual lens for these models? I like the N65/55/75s and some of the Elan.

 

[CaptainSpazzz-a]

Captain,

I would get the K1000 at $100. You might find cheaper on eBay, but you might find a crappier one too (when it arrives).

It's worth noting that the 55mm lens is a "K" which means it is from the earliest generation of the K-mount lenses. These are pretty much unanimously held (with the exception of some of the >$800 Limited lenses today) as the finest lenses Pentax (or others for that matter) made, optically and mechanically. The 55mm whether it's the 1.8 or 2.0 is a great lens, at least as sharp as any other standard lens Penax made.

The K1000 is a great camera, so a bird in the hand is worth $100 if you ask me.

Dave

Call me Spazz (or Spazzz-a) lol, Captain, sounds funny on second thought.

That's true, you never completely know with Ebay. I was lucky to find good tickets for :hailaul McCartney last year, but you never know. (i like to brag about those tickets just a little :mrgreen: ) Anyway..

Thanks for the advise. (and everyone else too) I'm very much leaning toward the Pentax K1000 now.
Can the K mount lenses be used with more recent models? Maybe not even DSLR, but more recent SLRs? I'm not really considering the Nikon Fm10 anymore, but I think i saw somewhere that they're compatible with much of the newer lenses.

 

[selmerdave]

Spazz,

The mount is the same (physically) on all Pentaxes since the mid-70's, but there are certain limitations on the newest digital bodies about which I am no expert. I believe they can be used in manual mode but I understand there are some limitations.

There are one or two other exceptions compatibility-wise, but overall Pentax is one of the best in that regard.

Sorry, I'm a bit of a fan. And I've switched to Nikon (my K2 was stolen, was later given a complete FE2 setup) and I seriously miss the Pentax.

For more info you definitely want to have a look around at:

http://www.bdimitrov.de/kmp/

Take care,

Dave

 

[CaptainSpazzz-a]

Spazz,

The mount is the same (physically) on all Pentaxes since the mid-70's, but there are certain limitations on the newest digital bodies about which I am no expert. I believe they can be used in manual mode but I understand there are some limitations.

There are one or two other exceptions compatibility-wise, but overall Pentax is one of the best in that regard.

Sorry, I'm a bit of a fan. And I've switched to Nikon (my K2 was stolen, was later given a complete FE2 setup) and I seriously miss the Pentax.

For more info you definitely want to have a look around at:

http://www.bdimitrov.de/kmp/

Take care,

Dave

Great link. Thanks!