If you are searching for a 35mm SLR camera to take crisp, decent pictures, especially black and white professional photographs, then Pentax K1000 is the one for you.
Those who have been into photography for more than twenty five years should know what a Pentax K1000 is. Its nostalgic power makes the K1000 became one of the longest lived basic cameras of all time.
Sturdily built, this camera provides you with full manual control over all parts of their photography. You can control focus, ASA setting, shutter speed, and aperture with this camera.
The Pentax K1000 has a speed range of 1/1000 seconds – a very fast speed range for the shutter. However, the speed range can also be adjusted to a very slow 1 second. The K1000 also uses a flash sync of 1/60 second.
This camera is almost entirely metal assembled and almost fully mechanically controlled, which means that the camera uses different levers, springs and a multitude of gears. The best of all is that the K1000 is operable without the use of batteries.
Sure the camera needs a battery for its light metering information system to function well. The light metering information system consisted of a control system that uses a needle pointer that moved between positive and negative. This system was used to indicate readings that may be different between the built in light meter and the actual camera settings.
A great viewfinder, along with a built in spot focusing aid and a self-focusing screen is incorporated in the Pentax K1000, making it easy to identify the focus. The lack of buttons, settings, and icons draws you to focus on what really matters, framing, lighting, and timing.
There are also a wide range of lenses available for this camera. Whether they are manufactured by Pentax or made by other companies, the Pentax K1000 lenses makes the K1000 very versatile for the types of photographs that can be taken.
Pentax K1000 SE
A ‘Special Edition’ version was released in later years, utilizing split image within the rangefinder and a wonderful collar focusing screen. The Pentax K1000 SE has brown leather covering instead of the traditional black leather that was later used. As a whole the ‘SE’ model is very similar with the K1000.
Overall, the Pentax K1000 is a very popular and most likely the best selling SLR camera ever. The K1000’s simplicity, quality and nostalgic value makes it a great choice for years.