Pentax K1000 Review: A reliable workhorse
Yusuf Sabqi I have a very special place in my heart for the Pentax K1000. It is the first SLR film camera that I purchased, and a fully mechanical one at that. Yes, it uses a single cell battery, but that is only to power the light meter (which was already kaput in my copy to begin with). So here I am, writing about the film camera that sparked my G.A.S. (Gear Acquisition Syndrome) and increased my love for film photography.
Unfortunately, I no longer am in possession of the camera. The photos that you see in this article are the ones that I managed to salvage from my Carousell listing of the Pentax K1000.
Let’s get on with the review shall we? But first, specifications of course because, duh, specs definitely matters right? (I’m being sarcastic, chill guys.)
Specifications
These specifications were taken from Ken Rockwell’s amazing website.
- Type: 35mm Single-Lens Reflex (SLR) camera
- Lens Mount: Pentax K-mount
- Shutter: Horizontal rubberized-silk focal-plane, 1 second – 1/1000 & Bulb, 1/60 flash sync, orange “cocked” indicator next to shutter button, regular screw-in cable release.
- Viewfinder: 0.88x magnification with 50mm lens, glass prism, ground glass with central micro-prism spot for focusing.
- Metering: Two CdS cells, single live needle in finder: center is OK, up is brighter and down is darker, ASA 20 ~ ISO 3,200, metering range: EV 3 ~ EV 18 at ISO 100 with f/2 lens.
- Power source: 1 LR44 cell-battery
- Film loading: Standard film loading system (film tongue goes into slit in take-up spool)
- Film advance: Wind lever, single or ratcheted multiple strokes, 160º throw with 10º stand-off.
- Dimensions & weight: 93.5 x 143 x 49.5 millimeters, 606 grams.
There, now we’ve got the important specs out of the way.
As per other reviews, I will break up this article into several sections to make your life easier.
Build quality
The Pentax K1000 is solidly constructed from metal, with bits of plastics here and there. It is very well built, and can definitely withstand a few knocks and drops.
The camera feels very solid in the hand, and has a good heft to it to due to its metal construction. The leatherette feels quite plasticky to my liking though.
My copy of the Pentax K1000 seemed to have issues with the shutter door, as it did not seem to close tightly as it normally should. Light leaks happened because of this. I have managed to solve this problem by slightly tweaking the back door catch using a pair of pliers. The back door closed tightly, and the light leaks were no more.
The lens that came with my copy was the ‘kit lens’ of its day, and is also made of metal. Together, they make a fine combo, especially for the price I got for it (RM 350, which is equivalent to around USD 120).
Easiness of operation
In terms of operation, the Pentax K1000 is as easy to operate as it can get. Being a bare bones camera, one can immediately see why the Pentax K1000 is the preferred camera for photography school teachers to recommend to their students.
The Pentax K1000 only has 3 essential settings for photography: shutter speed dial, an ISO ring integrated into the shutter speed dial, and aperture control (on the lens).
This simplicity allows the user to focus more on the composition of the image rather than other distracting settings, as with the case with many modern cameras (no offense intended).
Focusing is done manually through the lens and the reasonably large viewfinder. The Pentax K1000 uses a split-prism system using ground glass with a central micro-prism for tack sharp focus.
Shooting experience
Prior to purchasing the Pentax K1000, I have read reviews on it and watched many YouTube videos to hype myself up.
Needless to say, the Pentax K1000 lives up to its name.
Its reputation for being a beginner-friendly camera could not have been more accurate. Shooting the Pentax K1000 with the Pentax 50mm f/2 lens was a breeze. Just set your shutter speed and aperture, compose your shot, focus, and fire away.
The viewfinder with 0.88x magnification is reasonably huge. I remembered feeling euphoric as it was the first film SLR viewfinder that I have looked through in my entire life.
Focusing through the viewfinder was great. It has a circular ground glass with a split circle in the center for focusing. Align the split images together and your focus should be tack sharp.
I must say that the ergonomics of the camera were not the best. It was very heavy, and the lack of a grip was a pain to my fingers and wrists. I have to mention though, that this only affects me during the times when I stubbornly decided not to use a neck strap.
Lens sharpness
The Pentax 50mm f/2 that came with my Pentax 1000 was reasonably sharp. From my experience, it produces contrasty images and good color reproduction.
Take a look at some photos that I took with this combo:
Weaknesses
Based on my experience with the Pentax K1000, there are only two weaknesses that I can think of.
The first weakness that the camera has is, as I have mentioned before, is its ergonomics. A heavy camera without a grip to hold your camera is a nightmare experience for your wrists due to the heavy weight of the camera.
The second weakness is of course the weight. Weighing close to 750 grams with the 50mm f/2 lens, the Pentax K1000 is definitely a camera you want to use with a neck strap. Due to its heavy weight though, your neck would soon tire, so my solution was to cross body sling it.
Conclusion
The Pentax K1000 will forever hold a special place in my heart. Its simplicity and reliability is what makes it a popular choice for beginner film photographers globally.
It may not have the bells and whistles as other more advanced cameras, but it does bring me back to the basics of photography: composing the shot and living in the moment.
For those of you in Malaysia, you can get the Pentax K1000 from Uncle Eddie. Click here to visit his Carousell and go through his listings.
Do you have a Pentax K1000? Share your experience shooting with it in the comments below!
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