Hmm.. Let's see Why a good student camera? Why is it popular? perhaps cost? the fact that they are plentiful (produced from 1976 to about 1997)? the fact that the K1000 can run even without the meter should the battery go kaput (I know, I know, this can be said for the KX and KM as well)?
I've used the K1000, and the LX, and I've had the opportunity to hold and look through Frank's MX and they're all good. The K1000 for me was perfect to go back to and re-learn photography. I came from the Pentax School of Hard Knocks when it came to metering - all I had was an SL screwmount and an old, untested Gossen Sixtar to work with - some shots were ok, some were hideous - getting a K1000 was a step up for me - a HUGE step up - I now had a match needle IN the viewfinder. I could play with shutter speed and aperture all day and get the right exposure with different combinations just by looking at that little needle. I didn't need to have all the info in the viewfinder - a lot of times, with the LX, I'd set it to "Auto" and fire away only knowing/caring about the aperture - that didn't teach me much, but by that point I had learned what I needed to learn thanks to the K1000. I'm not sure why everyone seems to like it, all I know is, I liked it and if I don't sell the last remaining K mount item (the sweet 50mm SMC-M f1.4) I may just get another K1000 body to use because to me, it just seems "right". Cheers, Dave -----Original Message----- From: Christian Skofteland [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] Sent: Tuesday, November 19, 2002 3:41 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: K1000: Why a good student camera? I'm sure the K1000 is a good basic camera but why do many people think it's a good "student" camera? >From Boz's site: "This big, heavy, and fully mechanical body offers no automation of any kind. It offers only the most basic features: a light-tight box, a film advance, a tripod socket, and a built-in light meter: all that one needs for learning the basics of photography. This total lack of convenience features explains the cult status of the K1000 among photo students worldwide. However, it fails to explain its popularity with PDML members. I mean, do you people not miss viewfinder information on aperture and shutter speed, a self-timer, a DOF preview lever or minimal flash automation? Wouldn't a KX or a KM be a better choice?" Why is it "good" for students to have a total lack of viewfinder information (barring of course exposure info)? Why does a student not need to know what shutter speed he/she is shooting at without moving the camera from the eye to look at the dial? Why is it bad for a student to not be able to see what aperture he/she is using so he/she can judge depth of field? When I was learning photography (I'm still learning but I have a full understanding of exposure. I'm always learning) all I had was a Ricoh KR5. It frustrated me on several levels but number one was not knowing what my shutter and aperture was without moving the camera from my eye. (other things that bothered me about this camera: no DOF preview (which the k1000 lacks but is not needed for a beginner; after all they should understand what DOF is first before adding this convenience) and a max shutter speed of 1/2 (the k1000 has 1 sec which is fine)). Ok, the student should just be able to see relationship of aperture and shutter-speed based on movements of the match needle exposure indicator, but I feel that knowing the actual value is much more helpful to understand the basics of photography. k1000 not a good "student" camera? Heresy? My opinion? Give me an MX any day over a K1000.... Christian
