«

Every time I pick up my old Praktica SLR, which is almost literally
falling to bits, I have to admit how much nicer it is to hold and take
photos with than my Pentax K100D.

I just can't seem to get on with:

* numbers instead of a moving dot to indicate exposure
* the small, dim viewfinder
* the chunky feel of the battery grip
* not being able to use the aperture ring in real time

So I'd like to get a Pentax LX.

Where's the best place to look (shops, private advertisements)? Or is
the answer to use the wretched eBay?

Thanks,

Daniele

In message
<1jczjxn.iuqya5141jzq3N%real-not-anti-spam-(E-Mail Removed)>,
D.M. Procida <real-not-anti-spam-(E-Mail Removed)> writes
>Every time I pick up my old Praktica SLR, which is almost literally
>falling to bits, I have to admit how much nicer it is to hold and take
>photos with than my Pentax K100D.
>
>I just can't seem to get on with:
>
>* numbers instead of a moving dot to indicate exposure
>* the small, dim viewfinder
>* the chunky feel of the battery grip
>* not being able to use the aperture ring in real time
>
>So I'd like to get a Pentax LX.
>
>Where's the best place to look (shops, private advertisements)? Or is
>the answer to use the wretched eBay?
>
>Thanks,
>
>Daniele

They do come up on ebay but they are not cheap. They seem to command
prices around the £300 mark.

I suppose you might get lucky and find some camera shop that sells 2nd
hand stuff and they don't know the value of the LX in particular.

Alternatively, do what I did last year and pick up a ME Super and 50mm
lens for a more reasonable £30.

--
Paul Giverin

My Photos:- www.pbase.com/vendee

Paul Giverin <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

> Alternatively, do what I did last year and pick up a ME Super and 50mm
> lens for a more reasonable £30.

The MX was the other model I was considering, but I like the way the
LX's viewfinder indicates exposure.

Daniele

In message
<1jczm4b.o8fc0prxvrubN%real-not-anti-spam-(E-Mail Removed)>,
D.M. Procida <real-not-anti-spam-(E-Mail Removed)> writes
>Paul Giverin <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>
>> Alternatively, do what I did last year and pick up a ME Super and 50mm
>> lens for a more reasonable £30.
>
>The MX was the other model I was considering, but I like the way the
>LX's viewfinder indicates exposure.
>
>Daniele

The ME Super does that too.

--
Paul Giverin

My Photos:- www.pbase.com/vendee

On Wed, 27 Jan 2010 16:59:58 +0000, Paul Giverin <(E-Mail Removed)>
wrote:
>In message
><1jczjxn.iuqya5141jzq3N%real-not-anti-spam-(E-Mail Removed)>,
>D.M. Procida <real-not-anti-spam-(E-Mail Removed)> writes:
>>So I'd like to get a Pentax LX.
>>Where's the best place to look (shops, private advertisements)? Or is
>>the answer to use the wretched eBay?
>>Thanks,
>>Daniele
>
>They do come up on ebay but they are not cheap. They seem to command
>prices around the £300 mark.
>
>I suppose you might get lucky and find some camera shop that sells 2nd
>hand stuff and they don't know the value of the LX in particular.
>
>Alternatively, do what I did last year and pick up a ME Super and 50mm
>lens for a more reasonable £30.


The LX is a fine camera. It was Pentax's only pro-quality SLR with
the K bayonet mount, although the smaller MX also appealed strongly to
professionals.

The LX was very well made and did everything a keen film shooter
needed. The problem was, it didn't really excel at anything.

During my "Pentax years" I used an LX. I also used an MX and a Super
A and, to be honest, the Super A was almost always my first choice. My
second choice was the MX. The LX got left at home.

Like most/all LXs, mine suffered from the dreaded "sticky mirror
syndrome" which requires a comprehensive rebuild of the reflex mirror
system, including replacement of all the rubber bushes. I used a well
known Pentax specialist repairer in London and was quite disappointed
at the size of the bill, which was a little over £130. It worked fine
afterwards, but having lost confidence in it, I never used it again.

I would strongly recommend that the OP should consider a Super A
rather than an LX. Alternatively, consider an MZ-3, which is an MZ-5
fitted with a pro shutter similar to that in the Nikon F4. The MZ-3
also has autofocus.

Finally, consider the MZ-S, which was very much a spiritual successor
to the LX. It took the philosophy and features of the MZ-3 and added
a rugged magnesium alloy-clad body with comprehensive environmental
sealing against dust, dirt and moisture. The result was a robust and
reliable yet sophisticated camera. The handling was outstanding.

There was going to be an MZ-D version with the same full frame 6 MP
Philips-designed sensor as in the Contax N Digital. Pentax cancelled
it, thankfully escaping the appalling problems that Contax had with
their version.

The N Digital killed off Contax. The MZ-D would surely have done the
same to Pentax. But the MZ-S is a very, very fine film camera, one
that in my opinion represents the absolute pinnacle of Pentax design.

The LX was merely a historical footnote. It came too late for Pentax
to attract back those professionals who had defected to Canon, Nikon
and other SLR systems because Pentax retained the M42 screw mount for
far too long. It never made much of an impact on the market. Many
Pentax users blame it on a lack of advertising, but I don't think it
was either good enough or distinctive enough to compete in the market.

So the MZ-S is my first recommendation, with the MZ-3 and Super A not
far behind.

Bruce <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

> On Wed, 27 Jan 2010 16:59:58 +0000, Paul Giverin <(E-Mail Removed)>
> wrote:
> >In message
> ><1jczjxn.iuqya5141jzq3N%real-not-anti-spam-(E-Mail Removed)>,
> >D.M. Procida <real-not-anti-spam-(E-Mail Removed)> writes:
> >>So I'd like to get a Pentax LX.
> >>Where's the best place to look (shops, private advertisements)? Or is
> >>the answer to use the wretched eBay?
> >>Thanks,
> >>Daniele
> >
> >They do come up on ebay but they are not cheap. They seem to command
> >prices around the £300 mark.
> >
> >I suppose you might get lucky and find some camera shop that sells 2nd
> >hand stuff and they don't know the value of the LX in particular.
> >
> >Alternatively, do what I did last year and pick up a ME Super and 50mm
> >lens for a more reasonable £30.
>
>
> I would strongly recommend that the OP should consider a Super A
> rather than an LX.

I'll certainly have a look at that. It'll work with my Pentax A lenses
too.

> Alternatively, consider an MZ-3, which is an MZ-5
> fitted with a pro shutter similar to that in the Nikon F4. The MZ-3
> also has autofocus.

No, I really dislike the look and feel of cameras with the big knurled
handgrips, and the built-in flash.

Thanks for the recommendations.

Daniele

In message <(E-Mail Removed)>, Bruce
<(E-Mail Removed)> writes

[snip]

Talking of things Pentax, I thought that now would be a good time to
mention that I do regularly use that 135mm f/3.5 lens you kindly gave me
last year. Admittedly my 50mm f/1.7 is on the camera about 80% of the
time but the 135mm does get used and I do appreciate having it.

I know that you wanted to know that it was being put to good use and it
is.

Cheers,

--
Paul Giverin

My Photos:- www.pbase.com/vendee

Paul Giverin <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

> Admittedly my 50mm f/1.7 is on the camera about 80% of the
> time

I'm not surprised! Isn't it just one of the nicest lenses?

One thing I am looking forward to is having my lenses on a camera with a
larger image fall.

I've found that I mostly use a 28mm lens on the K100D, and much more
rarely the 40mm and the 50mm, but they'll make more sense for me on a
camera with 35mm film.

Daniele

On Wed, 27 Jan 2010 22:12:21 +0000, Paul Giverin <(E-Mail Removed)>
wrote:
>In message <(E-Mail Removed)>, Bruce
><(E-Mail Removed)> writes
>
>[snip]
>
>Talking of things Pentax, I thought that now would be a good time to
>mention that I do regularly use that 135mm f/3.5 lens you kindly gave me
>last year. Admittedly my 50mm f/1.7 is on the camera about 80% of the
>time but the 135mm does get used and I do appreciate having it.
>
>I know that you wanted to know that it was being put to good use and it
>is.
>
>Cheers,


Thanks Paul! It's good to know that you are using it.

I still use one Pentax lens with an adapter on my Canon EOS 5D. It is
the SMC PENTAX-A 35-105mm f/3.5 zoom. Strictly speaking it is a
varifocal lens as you need to refocus every time you change focal
length. It is a fine performer with delightfully smooth bokeh, which
is quite rare in a zoom lens.

Unfortunately, my 5D comes off lease in a few months and I will be
replacing it with a Nikon DSLR - I am already using a D700 and most of
my lenses are Nikkors, so there isn't much point continuing with
Canon. I won't have a digital body that's capable of accepting Pentax
lenses. I still have one Pentax film SLR - a Super A - so the only
way I will be able to use the 35-105 is with film.

In message <(E-Mail Removed)>, Bruce
<(E-Mail Removed)> writes
>
>Unfortunately, my 5D comes off lease in a few months and I will be
>replacing it with a Nikon DSLR - I am already using a D700 and most of
>my lenses are Nikkors, so there isn't much point continuing with
>Canon. I won't have a digital body that's capable of accepting Pentax
>lenses. I still have one Pentax film SLR - a Super A - so the only
>way I will be able to use the 35-105 is with film.
>

No harm in keeping the Super A and the 35-105mm just in case then

You mentioned your 5D coming off lease...... are you a professional
photographer then?

--
Paul Giverin

My Photos:- www.pbase.com/vendee