It sounds like a transitional model. The two screws baffles me though. I'd need to see pictures to be sure we're talking about the same thing.
ppro > -----Original Message----- > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]On Behalf Of Eduardo > Sent: Friday, March 01, 2002 8:30 AM > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Subject: Re: Spotmatic - help needed.... > > > > Thank you! You have lots of information about my camera that I wasn't even > aware of...:-) > > I'm comparing this one to a later production one (product n�23102) and it > seems to me that the details were slowly changing at that time because my > earlier one have some of the peculiarities that you've mentioned but lacks > others. If that's correct, there's no way of establishing a precise date in > which the product changed (except for the change to product 23102)... > > > Meter ASA Range. Does it only go to 800? This would further indicate an > early production version. > > > No. it goes to 1600. > > >Top Cover. Is there a screw that is partially hidden by the film advance > lever on the top of the cover? Or is there a > screw on the > > right side of the camera that contributes to holding the top cover on? > The latter is an indication of early production. > > > Actually it has both screws. The one on the side of the body is exactly the > same shape of the one partially hidden by the lever. > > >Film Counter. The cover of the film counter on early Spotmatics is taller > than later cameras. > > > Yes. That's one detail I wasn't aware of until I put the two bodies side by > side. The earlier one is higher. It's shape is also similar to the film > REWIND knob on the other side of the camera. > > > > Film Back. Late production Spotmatics, Spotmatic II's, some Sp500 and > SP1000's have a chrome roller that > presses the film flat. It > > is very unlikely that this roller will be present on early Spotmatics > with the original film back, and is not present on > most Spotmatics of > any vintage. > > Both of them lack the roller you've described. > > > There are differences in the focusing screen, self timer, engraving > lettering font, strap triangle rings, etc. > > The only one I could notice is that ther earlier's focusing screem has it's > fresnel lines more tightly spaced. > Can't comment about strap rings --- thanks, Steve --- because it lacked them > when I bought it. In fact, the seller omitted to mention the frozen battery > cover and the misaligned second curtain on his Ebay description and I almost > returned the camera --- I ended up deciding against doing so because he was > such a difficult guy to comunicate with. > Now I'm glad I didn't. I think you're correct; it's an interesting piece of > Pentax's history. She's not at risk of being used too much. Like many people > here, I have much more cameras than I need, although much less than I > wanted...:-) > > > > My personal view is that the earliest Spotmatic cameras are interesting from > an industrial design and historical perspective, and > are fine cameras. As a camera for practical use, later refinements in the > Spotmatic family of cameras led to improvements which > subtly improved the line. If I were to find an early camera, I would make > it operational and use it sparingly to keep it > operational but would rely on later versions for regular photography. > > ppro > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]On Behalf Of Eduardo > > Sent: Friday, March 01, 2002 1:13 AM > > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > Subject: Spotmatic - help needed.... > > > > > > > > Hi, > > > > Sometime ago I bought a very old Spotmatic for cheap with some problems. I > > had the problems fixed and it works perfectly now. > > I'm intrigued by some of it's details and wonder if someone could help me > > determine the age of the camera. > > I guess it's an early one (product n�231). But I couldn't find more > precise > > information about it. > > It's meter switch is narrower that the later, more common kind and the > arrow > > pointing up is engraved on the camera rather than on the switch. It > doesn't > > look like something adapted, IMHO. Besides that, the battery chamber (is > > this the correct name) is made entirely of metal (I understand the later > > ones are not like this) which I'm not sure was not adapted to the camera. > > What I would like to know is: > > 1) Is it really an early one (product n�231)? > > 2) If so, are these details --- meter switch and battery chamber --- > > correct? > > 3) Accordingly to the AOHC, product n�231 was built from 7/1964 until > 1965, > > but it doesn't say which month it's production ceased (It also states that > > product n�23102 was built from 1965, without further detail). Can someone > at > > least say if production stopped in the first or second semester of that > > year? > > 4) It's serial n� is 1160700. Could it be the 700th Spotmatic built? > > Thanks in advance for sharing your expertise. > > Eduardo. > > -----Mensagem original----- > > De: David A. Mann <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > Para: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > Data: Sexta-feira, 1 de Mar�o de 2002 00:22 > > Assunto: Re: Re: The most under-rated Pentax body > > > > > > >David Brooks wrote: > > > > > >> All those who new that Aaron would say that > > >> raise their hands<big grin> > > > > > > Someone ought to buy Aaron an Auto 110 ;) > > > > > >Cheers, > > >- Dave > > > > > >http://www.digistar.com/~dmann/ (out of date) > > >- > > >This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, > > >go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to > > >visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org . > > - > > This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, > > go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to > > visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org . > - > This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, > go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to > visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org . > - > This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, > go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to > visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org . - This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org .
