My first film SLR! Bought mine at a camera shop on Times Square, NYC in 1979 along with three lenses. I'm 61 years old now, and I still have it! Still use it on occasion. :)
Thanks for a very thorough review. The three lens kit I prefer to use with my Pentax Spotmatic is : a) 50mm f/1.4 (8-element) b) 28mm f/3.5 c) 135mm f/3.5 I have the following lenses for my Spotmatic: Asahi 300mm f/6.3 preset Tele Takumar Asahi 200mm f/5.6 Super Takumar Asahi 135mm f/3.5 Super Takumar Asahi 105mm f/2.8 Super Takumar Asahi 50mm f/1.4 Super Takumar (8-element) Asahi 35mm f/3.5 Super Takumar Asahi 28mm f/3.5 Super-Multi-Coated Takumar
I got my spotmatic when I was in Germany, in the Army, '69. It was a good camera, I took a lot of B/W and processed the film and prints in the photoshop on post. I bought a Canon FT but its lenses were junk.
I hugely enjoyed this very informative video thank you very much indeed I have just ordered this camera and can’t wait for it to arrive and have a play thank you again. 😊👍🏻
I came to this video because a neighbour just this evening came round and gave me a Pentax S1a with a 50mm f/1.8 and a 200mm f/4! The camera is in incredibly good condition and the 200mm is mint! And though I suspect it would benefit from a service and probably new light seals, I can't wait to run a film through it to see what. Back in the late 1980s I worked in a camera shop in Bath and always admired the Spotmatics that used to come in secondhand every now and again, but never had the spare cash to own one. Then life moved on, I became (and still am) a freelance photographer, and never thought of Spotmatics again until this evening. Thanks for a fun run-through of a camera I still don't own :D
No worries! Ha, I won't go out of my way to find a Spotmatic, but if one comes my way I'll consider it. I put a film through the S1a and it came out fine except for the 1/1000th sec shutter speed isn't working. Otherwise it's in such lovely condition that I've dropped it off for a rebuild so it can live again!
Thanks for the overview! I'm from Brazil and have bought one for U$120, it's the cheapest manual camera, that is possible for me. I'm a beginner fotographer, just for fun. I'm very happy for the first roll taken. The only difference and little bit difficult was the mount M42 sometimes hard to find. I have a Takumar 55mm 1.8 that came with the included in the price of 120, and brought for U$100 a Yashinon 28mm 2.8 lens.
I like it's locking lever on the shutter release. No wasted frames. Ringo Starr used a Black Pentax Spotmatic in the film A Hard Day's Night. The FP was for old long peak flashbulbs which delayed the millisecond release. Not around now so just use X for instantaneous synchronisation with electronic flashes. I used a little plug to push in the FP socket to make sure I didn't use it.
Just one point. You don't need a battery adaptor or Wein cell as the metering's circuitry (Wheatstone Bridge circuit) allows for variations in voltage. This means it doesn't need an absolute voltage to function correctly.
I just subscribed as you are ringing my bells. I have Pentax's going back to an Ashai S2 (bought new by my father sometime in the early 60', as I recall), with a 55mm f/2.2 lens and many models in between. The Spotmatic F was the ultimate, but I've found that it could sometimes be picky about which M42 lenses it liked and didn't like. Mamiya and independent lenses were the worst, as I recall. I use an old Sekonic spot meter and don't worry about batteries for the camera. Great and indestructible camera--get one!
It was my first camera and although I tried to take care of it, within the decade, I had stripped the winder. It seems that I would sometimes get excited and throw the lever too fast and hard. Eventually, it stripped and they told me that the cost of fixing it made it impractical to fix. I was devastated. Take it easy on your advancing lever if you love your Spotmatic!
I got my Spotmatic F from a car boot sale a few years ago for £2 with a Super Takumar lens on it, both in great condition. I've got another Spotmatic somewhere that I picked up for peanuts as well but I don't know where it is. I feel inspired to dig it out now.
Well organized and beautifully presented review. I've currently got a near-mint Spotmatic SPII in chrome, but I like the feature set of the F model and LOVE the look of it in black, so I intend to trade up as soon as I can. Yours is a lovely example, btw! Cheers from Vancouver, BC!
That's half the truth: Yes, they use a bridge circuit, but that only means that the off-position is fixed. For the Spotmatic F that is right in the middle, so it isn't affected by the battery voltage. For older models it is farther down, so the needle position still may vary with the voltage.
That is a very informative discussion there. Buddy! Thanks for that one! I have an ES ii, but the metering doesn't work on manual mode. Is that really the design or something is wrong with the TTL? Thanks in advance!
I got myself a Pentax ESII but I dont know if my lenses are faulty or I just don't get how this camera works. I set the appeture, and the switch is in AUTO. The camera reads, for example, 1second exposure. I release the sutter an it fires at 1/1000 s. Only way I got to make it work is setting in AUTO and activating the stop down lever. My lenses are the following: Super Multi Coated50/1.4 7 elements and Super Multi Coated 135/3.5, which botch have the Manual/Auto switch stuck. Super Takumar 35mm and 28mm f3.5, which both lenses only get meter reading when set in auto and stop down lever activated.
If you must use Weincells,the rings pop off & fit on the Blue Tab Zn/Air hearing aid batteries,cheap as chips! BUT,the Spoty & Spoty F can use modern 1.5V Ag oxide batteries as they have a bridge circuit with a Shotsky clamping diode that outputs the correct 1.35V! How do we know? Seems the wiring schematics 'walked' out the backdoor of Pentax!! Remember Minamata?! The mere whisper of 'Mercury' in Japan would put the Tommy Knockers on a product!!
Where did you obtain that battery adapter? I have two Spotmatics, an SP1 purchased used and a n SP2 what was purchased new in 1974 (ish) which is still fitted with the mercury cell.
www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MR-9-PX625-PX13-Battery-Adapter-for-Film-Camera-Exposure-Meter-Mercury-MR9-/131849555545 or in the UK: www.smallbattery.company.org.uk/sbc_mr9_adapter.htm
I had a Honeywell Sp2, which only had the light meter on when the “SW” switch was engaged. Batteries lasted for over a year with normal use. Can the meter be turned off and on with the SpF? You never said.
I've got some SMC Takumar lenses ideal for the Spotmatic F, I never use. 28mm, 35mm and 135mm and they are beautifully made. Please let me know if you are interested in any of them, they are all f3.5 versions.
I don't understand our comment in that the "F" IS a Spotmatic. At any rate, the part that I loved about the Spotmatic F was the DOF button just to the left of the lens. That button revealed how the bokeh of the shot would look. It taught me all about DOF and how it can be used to enhance or hide the background.
Right then! Time for a 'Yuge' data dump as this channel offers the needed info for folks looking at a particular camera! First problem is diopter correction if,like me,you are as blind as the proverbial! There are hard to find Pentax correction eyepieces that slide onto the viewfinder but they are spendy & have no rubber eyecup! Same problem with magnifiers & right-angle viewers! Dreadnought!! There is a simple solution! Nikon bits fit!! Yes,the DK-22 slips on,allowing 19mm[used up to the F3,not the F3HP,21mm used on all later bodies] correctors. Use a DK-3 eyecup,a DK-5 blind & a DR-3--6 right-angle viewer! There are anti-fog & magnifiers also. Anything you can hang off a viewfinder of a F3 & earlier works,so sift through the on-line manuals! Also the AR-3 cable release works! Got into this for the Takumar M42 glass[my gamma radiation was down a litre!],the rest of my 35mm kit is Nikon. So the next problem was adapting M42 to a F- mount without the 'infinity focus' issue! Dug out my Crappy Tire vernier calipers & measured the mounting flange face to film plane distance. They are the SAME on both bodies! Remove the flange on the adapter & problem solved! Lock on the M42 lens with a grub screw[preferably nylon tipped]. Looking for a proper 'old school' machinist that can work a turret lathe & a Bridgeport mill, to verify this! The hunt for budgie's teeth continues!!
1) You did NOT explain the word " MATIC "in spotMATIC. 2) You HANDLE the camera, tooooooooo much, weavering all over the place. 3) Even though you have clean fingers, you touched the end s of the battery, and the NATURAL oils in your body, through the fingers, WILL create rust on the contact, and WILL shorten the life of the battery. I have seen that, in my 36 years of retail camera sales. 4) The battery cover was designed to use the JAPAN S coin, the YEN, when has 6 flat edges. 5) NEVER say.......i don t know why.......then you should do your home work....before you start .5) You did not tell what " tungsten " is.Remember a lot of your viewers don t know that. I know that as EKTACHROME " T 160 " film. 6) You use the SWITCH to meter with NON S.M.C.T. lens . 7) When you want to MULTI EXP, you did not say that the counter WILL NOT ADVANCE. 8) FP, is not " flash bulbs "....it s really called FOCAL PLANE " BULBS ", that s why it has FP on it. It s a great machine, that was used by many pro photographers. THXS.
My first film SLR! Bought mine at a camera shop on Times Square, NYC in 1979 along with three lenses. I'm 61 years old now, and I still have it! Still use it on occasion. :)
Hi please where do you get your films and batteries
@@jinchurizyn5268 the film and battery shop.
This camera looks beautiful in black!
Thanks for a very thorough review.
The three lens kit I prefer to use with my Pentax Spotmatic is :
a) 50mm f/1.4 (8-element)
b) 28mm f/3.5
c) 135mm f/3.5
I have the following lenses for my Spotmatic:
Asahi 300mm f/6.3 preset Tele Takumar
Asahi 200mm f/5.6 Super Takumar
Asahi 135mm f/3.5 Super Takumar
Asahi 105mm f/2.8 Super Takumar
Asahi 50mm f/1.4 Super Takumar (8-element)
Asahi 35mm f/3.5 Super Takumar
Asahi 28mm f/3.5 Super-Multi-Coated Takumar
Every time I stumble upon a video of yours I’m blown away by the pristine examples you collect! it must take quite some diligence.
Most are brought off eBay! You have to be patient, studying the photos, asking questions and knowing what to look for! I regret selling this one.
I got my spotmatic when I was in Germany, in the Army, '69. It was a good camera, I took a lot of B/W and processed the film and prints in the photoshop on post. I bought a Canon FT but its lenses were junk.
I hugely enjoyed this very informative video thank you very much indeed I have just ordered this camera and can’t wait for it to arrive and have a play thank you again. 😊👍🏻
I came to this video because a neighbour just this evening came round and gave me a Pentax S1a with a 50mm f/1.8 and a 200mm f/4! The camera is in incredibly good condition and the 200mm is mint! And though I suspect it would benefit from a service and probably new light seals, I can't wait to run a film through it to see what.
Back in the late 1980s I worked in a camera shop in Bath and always admired the Spotmatics that used to come in secondhand every now and again, but never had the spare cash to own one. Then life moved on, I became (and still am) a freelance photographer, and never thought of Spotmatics again until this evening. Thanks for a fun run-through of a camera I still don't own :D
Thanks for the comments. Hope you get one soon!
No worries! Ha, I won't go out of my way to find a Spotmatic, but if one comes my way I'll consider it. I put a film through the S1a and it came out fine except for the 1/1000th sec shutter speed isn't working. Otherwise it's in such lovely condition that I've dropped it off for a rebuild so it can live again!
thank you so much! i bought a second hand spotmatic and your video helped a lot! god bless you :)
Ziaad84 Glad to be of service! :)
Very well done overview of the SPF. It really is the ultimate Spotmatic!
JR Smith Thanks!
Great camera ,i have one , thank you for this video. GOD bless you and your family and your country .
Thanks for the overview! I'm from Brazil and have bought one for U$120, it's the cheapest manual camera, that is possible for me. I'm a beginner fotographer, just for fun. I'm very happy for the first roll taken. The only difference and little bit difficult was the mount M42 sometimes hard to find. I have a Takumar 55mm 1.8 that came with the included in the price of 120, and brought for U$100 a Yashinon 28mm 2.8 lens.
Enjoy!
M42 here in Europe is very common to find...
Beautiful camera, looks like new. I have a simple Spotmatic. Solid little camera.
To lock open the shutter in b mode, for long exposures you can do that with the lock on a shutter release cable.
I like it's locking lever on the shutter release. No wasted frames.
Ringo Starr used a Black Pentax Spotmatic in the film A Hard Day's Night.
The FP was for old long peak flashbulbs which delayed the millisecond release.
Not around now so just use X for instantaneous synchronisation with electronic flashes.
I used a little plug to push in the FP socket to make sure I didn't use it.
clear, all explained as it should be.. thanks
Just one point. You don't need a battery adaptor or Wein cell as the metering's circuitry (Wheatstone Bridge circuit) allows for variations in voltage. This means it doesn't need an absolute voltage to function correctly.
Thanks!
I just subscribed as you are ringing my bells. I have Pentax's going back to an Ashai S2 (bought new by my father sometime in the early 60', as I recall), with a 55mm f/2.2 lens and many models in between. The Spotmatic F was the ultimate, but I've found that it could sometimes be picky about which M42 lenses it liked and didn't like. Mamiya and independent lenses were the worst, as I recall. I use an old Sekonic spot meter and don't worry about batteries for the camera. Great and indestructible camera--get one!
It was my first camera and although I tried to take care of it, within the decade, I had stripped the winder. It seems that I would sometimes get excited and throw the lever too fast and hard. Eventually, it stripped and they told me that the cost of fixing it made it impractical to fix. I was devastated. Take it easy on your advancing lever if you love your Spotmatic!
Another enjoyable video, Tony. Re the battery adaptor, will this also fit the Olympus OM1n MD?
Yes!
@@Samsung9alaxy Thank you.
I got my Spotmatic F from a car boot sale a few years ago for £2 with a Super Takumar lens on it, both in great condition. I've got another Spotmatic somewhere that I picked up for peanuts as well but I don't know where it is. I feel inspired to dig it out now.
That was a great buy!
pass it on if you find any one more ;)
Well organized and beautifully presented review. I've currently got a near-mint Spotmatic SPII in chrome, but I like the feature set of the F model and LOVE the look of it in black, so I intend to trade up as soon as I can. Yours is a lovely example, btw! Cheers from Vancouver, BC!
Actually, the spotmatics had a bridged circuit so it doesn't matter if you use 1.5v batteries. I always use 392 style ones with a small rubber o-ring.
TheQriz Thanks for the info!
That's half the truth: Yes, they use a bridge circuit, but that only means that the off-position is fixed. For the Spotmatic F that is right in the middle, so it isn't affected by the battery voltage. For older models it is farther down, so the needle position still may vary with the voltage.
Very good video
That is a very informative discussion there. Buddy! Thanks for that one! I have an ES ii, but the metering doesn't work on manual mode. Is that really the design or something is wrong with the TTL? Thanks in advance!
I'm not familiar with the ES model so can't help you there I'm afraid. Thanks for the comment.
Hi there, i have an ES II and yes the metering is not working with manual mode.. i just use sunny 16 rule..
I got myself a Pentax ESII but I dont know if my lenses are faulty or I just don't get how this camera works. I set the appeture, and the switch is in AUTO. The camera reads, for example, 1second exposure. I release the sutter an it fires at 1/1000 s. Only way I got to make it work is setting in AUTO and activating the stop down lever.
My lenses are the following:
Super Multi Coated50/1.4 7 elements and Super Multi Coated 135/3.5, which botch have the Manual/Auto switch stuck.
Super Takumar 35mm and 28mm f3.5, which both lenses only get meter reading when set in auto and stop down lever activated.
Nice video, Tony. don't forget the Weincells. They are pricey but convenient
Yes, the WeinCells are OK Rick, but they start draining as soon as they are exposed to air and in my experience only last a couple of months!
yes. i only use the sparingly.
If you must use Weincells,the rings pop off & fit on the Blue Tab Zn/Air hearing aid batteries,cheap as chips! BUT,the Spoty & Spoty F can use modern 1.5V Ag oxide batteries as they have a bridge circuit with a Shotsky clamping diode that outputs the correct 1.35V! How do we know? Seems the wiring schematics 'walked' out the backdoor of Pentax!! Remember Minamata?! The mere whisper of 'Mercury' in Japan would put the Tommy Knockers on a product!!
William Power Thanks for the info!
love this camera. Dont suppose you want to sell your lens? im after that version of the 1.4 Currently have the 55 1.8. Favorite lenses by far
phuzzz82 No, not for sale. It's the only lens I have for this camera!
Where did you obtain that battery adapter? I have two Spotmatics, an SP1 purchased used and a n SP2 what was purchased new in 1974 (ish) which is still fitted with the mercury cell.
www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MR-9-PX625-PX13-Battery-Adapter-for-Film-Camera-Exposure-Meter-Mercury-MR9-/131849555545
or in the UK:
www.smallbattery.company.org.uk/sbc_mr9_adapter.htm
Many thanks, just ordered one.
where do you buy your cameras? they're all in such great condition!
Ebay!
I bought the Honeywell Pentax Spotmatic in 1968 w/ the f/2 lens.
Hi great video where did u get the battery converter from?
eBay.
I had a Honeywell Sp2, which only had the light meter on when the “SW” switch was engaged. Batteries lasted for over a year with normal use. Can the meter be turned off and on with the SpF? You never said.
No on/off switch, except the lens cap! 😀
I've got some SMC Takumar lenses ideal for the Spotmatic F, I never use. 28mm, 35mm and 135mm and they are beautifully made. Please let me know if you are interested in any of them, they are all f3.5 versions.
im interested to buy.. Do you stil have? vanchijackson@gmail.com
Just wondering where you got this camera from?
Ebay!
Ставил подходящую батарейку с уплотнителем из аллюминивой фальги... без всяких переходников... работает к1000 как часы....
Could you post a link as to where you can find the battery converters? Thanks in advance.
Search PX625 battery converter on eBay.
Does it work with LR44 1.5v batteries. some say they do, some say they don't... I'm confused
Original batteries were PX625. You can use LR44 with an adapter as shown in the video.
I remember a Japanese lady friend wanted an F when she was young but her father bought her a Spotmatic and she threw a tantrum.
I don't understand our comment in that the "F" IS a Spotmatic. At any rate, the part that I loved about the Spotmatic F was the DOF button just to the left of the lens. That button revealed how the bokeh of the shot would look. It taught me all about DOF and how it can be used to enhance or hide the background.
I found a silver colored (top part) version- which is more valued- this black or silver top?
onzkicg Difficult to say! It depends more on the condition of the camera.
Are you wanting to sell this one, its exactly what I am looking for
Unfortunately it's already sold. But I regret it. :(
Got one at garage sale few yrs back $10. Already have Pentax A3000 with tons OF lens. Film yes..digital no.
keep it still!
Right then! Time for a 'Yuge' data dump as this channel offers the needed info for folks looking at a particular camera! First problem is diopter correction if,like me,you are as blind as the proverbial! There are hard to find Pentax correction eyepieces that slide onto the viewfinder but they are spendy & have no rubber eyecup! Same problem with magnifiers & right-angle viewers! Dreadnought!! There is a simple solution! Nikon bits fit!! Yes,the DK-22 slips on,allowing 19mm[used up to the F3,not the F3HP,21mm used on all later bodies] correctors. Use a DK-3 eyecup,a DK-5 blind & a DR-3--6 right-angle viewer! There are anti-fog & magnifiers also. Anything you can hang off a viewfinder of a F3 & earlier works,so sift through the on-line manuals! Also the AR-3 cable release works! Got into this for the Takumar M42 glass[my gamma radiation was down a litre!],the rest of my 35mm kit is Nikon. So the next problem was adapting M42 to a F- mount without the 'infinity focus' issue! Dug out my Crappy Tire vernier calipers & measured the mounting flange face to film plane distance. They are the SAME on both bodies! Remove the flange on the adapter & problem solved! Lock on the M42 lens with a grub screw[preferably nylon tipped]. Looking for a proper 'old school' machinist that can work a turret lathe & a Bridgeport mill, to verify this! The hunt for budgie's teeth continues!!
William Power Thanks for the info! I'm sure a lot of viewers will find this helpful.
1) You did NOT explain the word " MATIC "in spotMATIC. 2) You HANDLE the camera, tooooooooo much, weavering all over the place. 3) Even though you have clean fingers, you touched the end s of the battery, and the NATURAL oils in your body, through the fingers, WILL create rust on the contact, and WILL shorten the life of the battery. I have seen that, in my 36 years of retail camera sales. 4) The battery cover was designed to use the JAPAN S coin, the YEN, when has 6 flat edges. 5) NEVER say.......i don t know why.......then you should do your home work....before you start .5) You did not tell what " tungsten " is.Remember a lot of your viewers don t know that. I know that as EKTACHROME " T 160 " film. 6) You use the SWITCH to meter with NON S.M.C.T. lens . 7) When you want to MULTI EXP, you did not say that the counter WILL NOT ADVANCE. 8) FP, is not " flash bulbs "....it s really called FOCAL PLANE " BULBS ", that s why it has FP on it. It s a great machine, that was used by many pro photographers. THXS.
What a nice comment