Pentax K1000 SLR Camera Detailed Review and Demonstration
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- Опубліковано 1 гру 2024
- In depth history and review of the iconic Pentax K1000, one of the longest running and best selling cameras of all time.
In 2010, two years before the peak of Digital camera sales, the TIME magazine All-TIME 100 Gadgets list had 11 cameras in the list. This can be seen as a wrap-up for the Camera history at that critical time. The nominations were the 100 greatest and most influential gadgets from 1923 to 2010.
Only two of them were Film SLR cameras. Nikon F and Pentax K1000. We saw in this video what a breakthrough Nikon F was. But out of the thousands of innovative models from 1920’s to 2010, Pentax K1000 is the one that makes it to the TIME Magazine list along with Nikon F.
For a lot of people who grew up in the film camera era, and still with us today, Pentax K1000 was their first “real” camera.
The Pentax K1000 by Asahi Optical Company of Japan was introduced in 1976 and continued the longest unbroken production run for this style of camera over 22 years until 1997. That’s the same length as Pentax LX and one year more than Nikon F3.
K1000 sold over 3 million units which would make it one of the best-selling cameras of all time. Therefore, it is historically important to our technology heritage.
K1000 did not achieve those results with long feature lists or bleeding edge technologies but by solid build, mechanical reliability and Simplicity. It doesn’t dumb down the process of photography like point and shoot cameras or today’s phone cameras. It delivers all the basics of the art and science of photography in a clean, uncluttered and useable way, which is excellent for learning.
It gives full control to the user. Its manual operation is not fake or an add-on feature like some cameras that came later in 1970’s or 80’s. One can actually grow with this camera and not necessarily see it as a passing phase towards something serious. This camera is serious enough for the vast majority of the users.
K1000, is part of the K series cameras which were based on the first Pentax Bayonet mount called the K mount.
The Asahi Pentax K1000 is an all metal, all mechanical, all manual camera. It has a battery only for the light meter. As we all know by now, those are the desirable vintage film cameras which outlast their owners by one or two generations.
Some later K1000 SE models made outside Japan in Hong Kong and Mainland China removed the name Asahi. These replaced the top and bottom plates with plastic, finished to look like metal. A similar technique used in Canon AE-1, which we also reviewed on this channel. The most sought-after ones are the original Asahi Pentax K1000 made in Japan.
As millions were made, there are thousands available for purchase today in mint condition and you should not hesitate to buy one today with a compatible K mount lens.
Was this review useful and informative? Any errors or omissions? Please let me know in the comments.
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Thanks for this very interesting review indeed.👍
Glad you enjoyed it. There is a lot more, where that came from.
My first SLR was a second hand K-1000, I did buy way back in 1987. Today I use Nikon SLR and DSLR, but I still have the old K-1000. If you don't have the money for a Nikon SLR, the K-1000 is an exelent choice. Today I use Nikon FG, F3 and F3/T when going analog. But I learned the basics, using the old K-1000. A good way to build up some practice and skils.
A perfect progression. Like most of us out there in the film world.
Great video, nice to see Drew Barrymore at the end of the video, she used to have a K1000 for her personal use
Yes, her preference for K1000 was not fake or only for publicity. The video has some of her grown-up pictuers holding the K1000.
Also for your interest, all 4 Beatles extensively used the predecessor to K1000, the Pentax Spotmatic.
Great video. Thank you. I just got a k1000 and it says assembled in Hong Kong but it has the asahi Pentax branding and appears to be metal all throughout.
I guess they are telling the truth. It is not Made in HK. Yours may be a batch Assembled in HK from parts made in Japan. You can usually tell if it is hard plastic with metal coating if it feels as cold to the touch as real metal.
I guess my K1000 is from the same batch. It is working absolutely fine. The shutter have the same very familiar sound at long exposures as my dad's old Spotmatic. In some videos there has been prism desilvering problems with those models without the 'Asahi' branding on the top.
I liked that if you need some features, you should see a therapist :)
I saw a therapist and I am fully cured. I don't need any extra features. Only the basics.
I absolutely share your thoughts, the vintage devices should be in use as they were originally intented. I have a couple of portable tube radios, I have made the needed 90 volt battery for them to use as a real portable. Br Eeli from Finland
New 90 volt battery? That must be an achievement !
We also have a lot of portable tube radios, but haven't started posting videos yet.
The problem is to get a nice strong AM signal as all the good stuff has switched over to FM.
Yes, the simpliest way is to take 10 9 volt batteries and connect them in series. Looking forward seeing your radio videos Br, Eeli