Pentax K1000 Long Lens and Light Meter Questions

mike28

TPF Noob!
Joined
Jul 11, 2007
Messages
3
Reaction score
0
Hi. I am new to serious photography and obtained a Pentax K1000 camera about a month ago. The camera functions perfectly, except the built-in light meter does not produce accurate readings. According to the employee at my local camera store, the camera requires about one stop more light than is indicated by the meter. I've thought of getting it repaired or buying a separate light meter. I've considered purchasing a Gossen Lunasix on ebay, because I've read that they are effective and durable, and they are relatively cheap. Would I be better off getting the camera's internal meter repaired or buying a separate meter? What would be the advantages, if any, of a separate meter?


Another question about equipment. My primary interest in learning photography is taking pictures of human subjects. I've tried to take close-up pictures with the 50mm lens that comes with the camera. This has produced distorted facial features, with noses appearing awkwardly long. So I was thinking of switching to a zoom or telephoto lens, perhaps a 135mm lens. I know that my camera requires a k-mount lens, but I do not know how to distinguish among the various k-mount telephotos that are available. Would you be able to recommend a particularly excellent telephoto lens for photography of human subjects?


Thanks
 
If the meter on the camera is still functional, use it. Just be aware that you'll need to open it up a stop. You could also go with the sunny f16 rule and save repair costs or the cost of a handheld meter.
 
Welcome to the forum.

Does that camera have an ISO/ASA dial? You could just set it to one stop lower than the film you are using...that would take care of the meter problem.

A hand held meter can be a great tool though. It's especially good if you can take ambient readings. All in-camera meters are reflected light meters and are therefore reliant upon the reflectivity of the subject or scene. If you can take an ambient reading, you can ignore the reflectivity of the subject and get an accurate reading.

I'm not up to speed on K mount lenses...but 100mm or more is usually recommended for portraits...so a 135mm would probably be pretty good.
 
My concern about adjusting for the meter's error is that I am not sure that the error is uniform across all intensities of light. Under the conditions in which it was tested in the photography shop, it needed to be opened one more stop than indicated by the meter. What if, in different lighting conditions than those in the photography shop, the adjustment would be greater or less than one stop? I can't be sure of this, I don't think, and I'd like an accurate meter.
 
Hi and welcome.

You will find various K-mount telephotos on eBay or other sources of second-hand lenses... if looking for a Pentax one these sites may help you choose...

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

http://stans-photography.info/ (user opinions)

There are also plenty of lenses made by Tamron, Vivitar, Ricoh etc that were made in the K-mount and are usually very cheap.
 
Thanks for your responses. My impression is that a 135mm might be too long for portrait photography and might cause flattening of facial features. From what I can gather, a long lens of around 85mm would be optimal for portraits. It seems that most k-mount lenses, which would fit my camera, of between 75mm and 110mm are extremely expensive. The only affordable k-mount lens I can find in this focal length range is a Phoenix 100mm 3.5 macro, in almost new condition selling for $75. Does anyone know anything about this lens? Would it be a good starting lens for portraits? Alternatively, I could go with a 70-210 zoom lens, but I get the feeling that the optics of a fixed-length lens are superior for portrait photography. What are the advantages and disadvantages of going with the zoom rather than the fixed length lens? Would you recommend that I buy the Phoenix 100mm lens or a zoom?


Thanks again.
 
The meter is fine. I've shot with that camera using lenses in the several hundred mm range with no correction needed. Light is light. Either there's enough or there isn't. Nothing is tricking the meter into thinking there's more light than there actually is.

As for lenses, forget the Phoenix, whatever that is. Have a look at this guide I wrote:
http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=48998
 

Most reactions

Back
Top