I completely agree with you, Thomas. I bought my Spotmatic F with the SMC Takumar 50mm f1.4 in 1975. During its life, the camera has been serviced only once. This was just before my daughter borrowed it to use during her photography courses at university. I still use the camera regularly and it works perfectly. A true classic!
Yes they are so durable, it's almost unbelievable! (But the same goes for the old Minolta SRT's or Nikkormats or maybe also some other cameras of that era ... they just never die!)
My first serious camera was an SP500, and I now have 3 Spotmatics 50 years later.The meters have all packed up, but that doesn't matter as they are still the best handling SLR ever built (I spent 45 years in the photo trade so have played with most). Yes, changing lenses is often a pain, but some of the Takumars rival anything ever made. My favourite - the 35/f3.5, still available at very low prices.
The Spotmatic is the archetypical camera. It's the shape everyone identifies with what a camera should look like. And it's weird, because there were other cameras before and after, but this is the one that stuck in our collective mind.
Yes, it's the archetypical camera, and also it's just very beautiful, very clean lines! Not a single piece that's out of proportion or disturbing in any way!
Great video! I currently have 5 Spotmatics, two of which were $5 each, and two of which were free. My favorites are the two SPII’s I have. At least one Spotmatics will go with me wherever I go. They are robust, work spectacularly, and are a joy to look at when not shooting. Now if only one of Ricoh Pentax’s new projects was a new version of the Spotmatic!
You seem to have found even greater deals than me! 😂 I agree with you that a new version of a Spotmatic or also a K-mount Pentax SLR would be something cool. But if they need to charge you 500+ Euro on the Pentax 17, I fear that the cost of a new analog Pentax SLR would be totally prohibitive!
That's really cool. I think someone wrote in the comment section that the SP500 also offers 1/1000 second - there is an unmarked indent on the shutter dial where the 1/1000 "should be" and it really works. Does this also apply to your SP500?
@@tomscameras Yes, my SP500 does have the unmarked 1/1000 position. The shutter certainly fires. However, I don't know how close it is to 1/1000. From another channel, the SP500s may have been SP1000s that failed to meet 1/1000 tolerance, so they just put dials on them with 1/1000 missing, did not fit the self-timer and sold them as SP500s. I don't know if this is true but it seems plausible.
That was a nice format. You covered it really really well. Justice done! Love the Takumars. Can just fondle them for hours together. I do pass through Köln about thrice a week with the RE5. I need to plan a trip there. Vielen Dank!
Thanks a lot for your feedback! And yes, Cologne is always worth a visit even though it's not a "beautiful" city :) and I'm also often using the RE5, either to Düsseldorf or to Bonn!
Great review. One tiny detail of these cameras that I think is very clever but I've never seen mentioned in any review is that if the combination of shutter speed and film speed is outside the operating range of the meter, the shutter speed index arrow on the top plate turns red to prompt you to choose a different shutter speed. Neat.
I recently replaced the light Seals in my Spotamatic SP11. I bought it in a kit with 4 Takumar lenses including the 50mm1.4 with the original metal hoods , filters extension tubes. I bought the kit mainly for the Takumar lenses. When the new Pentax 17 came out I felt I wanted a full frame film camera instead of half frame since I already owned the camera I decided to give it a try and upon inspection I found it needed new light Seals and a mirror bumper which I replaced myself with inexpensive parts from Walmart. I use my Minolta light meter with the camera as I have not been able to get mine to work I already had the light meter so no big deal
I do like the idea of the Pentax 17, but it's just a very different concept and also a different target group! But great that your Spotmatic is on the road again!
Mine is 50 years old now, serviced once two years ago and works like new. I love the all -mechanical design - no buttons or menus! Made my own custom wooden grip which improves the balance with heavier lenses.
I bought mine new in 1972 for £95 plus case and had it serviced 2 years ago for £95! It's a great camera just as good today as it ever was. Thanks for another great review!
Well my friend I bought the Nikon FG after saw your review and I have been enjoy this babe with Black & White photography.... I do have a good range of Nikkor Lenses from the 70's and they work beautiful with this camera. Thanks friend!!!!! I also have a D500, a D750 and a Z50, but i am having a trip with the FG... so many good memories when I was shooting with the FM that my grandpa' gift me in 1977, at my graduation day from high school... I am 65 now and can't wait to spend whatever more time I have shooting my cameras....
Yes there is just something special about film photography that all the digital cameras can't replicate. So nice also that you still have that Nikon FM!
Great! I got a mint SPII in BLACK, with a 50mm 1,4 TAKUMAR Super-Multi-Coated. No scretches, no malfunctions! Automatic Modes not missing! Enjoy the craftmanship!
Thanks for the review, I am a long time Pentax user and have few different SLR mostly with automatic features. I am hesitated to get a Spotmatic, bcoz I have a KX which I feel the viewfinder is quite dim hard to focus with slow lens, I believe cameras of the same era are similar, an exception was the Fujica.
The KX (and KM, K1000) has exactly the same viewfinder as the Spotmatic. Well there is more information like shutter speed and aperture in the KX viewfinder, but basically they are all built on the same chassis than the Spotmatic! Only in the MX and ME models the viewfinder is completely redesigned, larger and more bright!
Lovely review of a legend! Even better are the photos. Your copy pf the SP ii seems to be very mint. Off topic: have you tried Miranda cameras? Fully mechanical, well built, and can take M42 lenses via adapter though they have a model that specifically has an M42 mount. The best thing about them is the interchangeable viewfinders. They are also very cheap as they are unknown or maybe "forgotten " is a better word.
Thanks for your comment! And yes, actually I was on the brink of buying a Miranda at the Doesburg photographica market just a week ago! But in the end the camera that I was interested in was not in too good a condition ... so I passed. But I'm definitely having a look at Mirandas ;)
Picked up an SP500 few years back for about £25 came with a Takumar 50mm f2. Of note, the camera speed actually goes upto 1000th of a second by turning the dial one click off the 500 mark, it was a marketing ploy by Pentax, the SP500 was cheaper to sell. Also Takumar do an excellent 'wide angle' lens the 24 mm f3.5 prob my most used lens.
Oh yes, I've got to check out that 24mm Takumar! And thanks for mentioning that detail of the SP500. It reminds me of that car (was it a vintage Honda or Toyota) where the base version had a 4-speed gearbox, but in reality it was just a different gear lever and a piece of metal that prevented the owners to shift into 5th ...
@@tomscameras thoroughly recommend the 24mm Tom. Haha yes I remember hearing a story about that gearbox, I'm sure there's other similar stories too. Look forwwrd to seeing your views on the 24mm. Keep up the good work, thoroughly enjoy your videos, I bought the MX because of your video, and love it.
I have the original spotmatic in black, it is beautiful, especially because of the brass which becomes to be apparent. The eye piece and exposure selector seem to be in metal on my camera. Everything still works perfectly.
I love black Spotmatics, they look fantastic! And about the metal: Maybe they did change these details during the years? On my camera, they feel warm to the touch in contrast to all the metal pieces, and a little bit "softer". That's why I think it's plastic. It's not bad, mind you!
Love your videos, got an SP and SP F myself and a quite big Takumar lens collection (except the pricey 15mm f/3.5) - great cameras. But one request: Don't turn your noise removal (Accentize dxRevive by any chance?) to the max as this sounds just odd - keep a little background noise :)
I just asked a good friend who is the most crazy collector ever ... and no, even he doesn't have that 15/3.5 lens, only the Pentax K version ... but that one's also super rare! Thanks for your request / hint. I'm actually using Adobe Podcast and sometimes ai|coustics for voice processing!
In '64 it was far ahead of time. Just compare it to some SLRs of e.g. German origin! I wouldn't want to miss my SP II! But btw: "plastic", to be honest, Spotmatic is not the only one without plastic. Look at a Ricoh Singlex II. Built in '76/'77. The only plastic there being the cover of the film advance lever😉
Most German SLR cameras of the 1960s were a disaster, I totally agree! That's why I never make a video about them so far ... I don't want to be the "hater" :-p ... thanks for pointing me towards the Ricoh cameras! Actually I sometimes have an eye to the Ricoh TLS 401 for its brick-like "Nikon F2" lookalike body design and that unique dual viewfinder!
In your case, then the Spotmatic F would be a good solution. I don't like it that much as I don't like that concept where you always need to put on a lens cap to switch off the meter (and save the battery). But if that's okay for you, or you keep the camera in a bag all the time anyway, then it's not an issue!
Wow, so you got one of the very last ones - in 1976 you already could get the then brand-new Pentax K cameras! Beautiful! And yes I hope I'll get a chance to review the Pentax 17. I didn't buy one for myself - I've got more than enough cameras and I never really use all the point&shoots that I've got cause I'm such an SLR guy. But the Pentax 17 definitely is a very cool camera!
Ohhh yes, I feel you! Even though I do have a strange obsession with the early digital Leica models, the M8 and the M9. But especially the M9 is a pretty risky purchase these days regarding the sensor issues. But still, they're about the only digital cameras that make me feel like I'm shooting an analog camera. I really love that.
All my K mount cameras are Pentax digital cameras istDL, K100D, K3-11 and K3 Mark III that's why I bought the Takumar lenses I van use them on my Pentax DSLR''S the Spotamatic SP11 was a indifferent bonus that left in a backpack for 3 years before I decided to see if anything was wrong with it besides the light meter. Yes it needed new light Seals and a mirror bumper
It's not difficult or much slower to change screw mount lenses than the bayonet type as you don't need to find and match the red dots. Just screw it in. Don't even need eyes.
That‘s true. But I am still much faster with bayonet mounts! One thing that I also noticed is that I very much prefer those soft plastic rear lens caps that you can just push over the threads, instead of screw-on rear lens caps!
I completely agree with you, Thomas. I bought my Spotmatic F with the SMC Takumar 50mm f1.4 in 1975. During its life, the camera has been serviced only once. This was just before my daughter borrowed it to use during her photography courses at university. I still use the camera regularly and it works perfectly. A true classic!
Yes they are so durable, it's almost unbelievable! (But the same goes for the old Minolta SRT's or Nikkormats or maybe also some other cameras of that era ... they just never die!)
My first serious camera was an SP500, and I now have 3 Spotmatics 50 years later.The meters have all packed up, but that doesn't matter as they are still the best handling SLR ever built (I spent 45 years in the photo trade so have played with most). Yes, changing lenses is often a pain, but some of the Takumars rival anything ever made. My favourite - the 35/f3.5, still available at very low prices.
I love my Spotmatics, and the lenses.
Beautiful photos and your videos are works of art!
Thanks Kim! :)
The Spotmatic is the archetypical camera.
It's the shape everyone identifies with what a camera should look like.
And it's weird, because there were other cameras before and after, but this is the one that stuck in our collective mind.
Yes, it's the archetypical camera, and also it's just very beautiful, very clean lines! Not a single piece that's out of proportion or disturbing in any way!
Great video! I currently have 5 Spotmatics, two of which were $5 each, and two of which were free. My favorites are the two SPII’s I have. At least one Spotmatics will go with me wherever I go. They are robust, work spectacularly, and are a joy to look at when not shooting. Now if only one of Ricoh Pentax’s new projects was a new version of the Spotmatic!
You seem to have found even greater deals than me! 😂 I agree with you that a new version of a Spotmatic or also a K-mount Pentax SLR would be something cool. But if they need to charge you 500+ Euro on the Pentax 17, I fear that the cost of a new analog Pentax SLR would be totally prohibitive!
Thanks for video. Yes, a classic camera. I currently have an SP 500.
That's really cool. I think someone wrote in the comment section that the SP500 also offers 1/1000 second - there is an unmarked indent on the shutter dial where the 1/1000 "should be" and it really works. Does this also apply to your SP500?
@@tomscameras Yes, my SP500 does have the unmarked 1/1000 position. The shutter certainly fires. However, I don't know how close it is to 1/1000. From another channel, the SP500s may have been SP1000s that failed to meet 1/1000 tolerance, so they just put dials on them with 1/1000 missing, did not fit the self-timer and sold them as SP500s. I don't know if this is true but it seems plausible.
That was a nice format. You covered it really really well. Justice done! Love the Takumars. Can just fondle them for hours together. I do pass through Köln about thrice a week with the RE5. I need to plan a trip there. Vielen Dank!
Thanks a lot for your feedback! And yes, Cologne is always worth a visit even though it's not a "beautiful" city :) and I'm also often using the RE5, either to Düsseldorf or to Bonn!
@@tomscameras that is basically my route, Düsseldorf to Bonn and back :) May be we cross paths someday!
Great video, thanks!
You’re welcome! I‘m glad you enjoyed it, thanks for the feedback!
Great review. One tiny detail of these cameras that I think is very clever but I've never seen mentioned in any review is that if the combination of shutter speed and film speed is outside the operating range of the meter, the shutter speed index arrow on the top plate turns red to prompt you to choose a different shutter speed. Neat.
Oh, many thanks for pointing out this small but clever feature! Fantastic! I didn't know about it, like apparently most other TH-cam guys ... !
Are we talking about the same camera?
Not sure I follow...I got a Spotmatic F and cannot see what you mean
I recently replaced the light Seals in my Spotamatic SP11. I bought it in a kit with 4 Takumar lenses including the 50mm1.4 with the original metal hoods , filters extension tubes. I bought the kit mainly for the Takumar lenses. When the new Pentax 17 came out I felt I wanted a full frame film camera instead of half frame since I already owned the camera I decided to give it a try and upon inspection I found it needed new light Seals and a mirror bumper which I replaced myself with inexpensive parts from Walmart. I use my Minolta light meter with the camera as I have not been able to get mine to work I already had the light meter so no big deal
I do like the idea of the Pentax 17, but it's just a very different concept and also a different target group! But great that your Spotmatic is on the road again!
Mine is 50 years old now, serviced once two years ago and works like new. I love the all -mechanical design - no buttons or menus! Made my own custom wooden grip which improves the balance with heavier lenses.
That sounds a bit like that wooden grip that you could buy for the Pentax LX in the 1980s!
Great review! And faboulous pictures from Catalonia and Köln! Thanks for doing this! 😊👍🏻
Thanks for your feedback! Really appreciate it!
I bought mine new in 1972 for £95 plus case and had it serviced 2 years ago for £95! It's a great camera just as good today as it ever was. Thanks for another great review!
I really love all these stories of first-owner classic cameras, like yours! Thanks for sharing!
Great photos. Thanks !!!
I'm glad you like the shots! Many thanks for your comment!
Well my friend I bought the Nikon FG after saw your review and I have been enjoy this babe with Black & White photography.... I do have a good range of Nikkor Lenses from the 70's and they work beautiful with this camera. Thanks friend!!!!! I also have a D500, a D750 and a Z50, but i am having a trip with the FG... so many good memories when I was shooting with the FM that my grandpa' gift me in 1977, at my graduation day from high school... I am 65 now and can't wait to spend whatever more time I have shooting my cameras....
Yes there is just something special about film photography that all the digital cameras can't replicate. So nice also that you still have that Nikon FM!
Still my favourite camera. I love the Pentax Spotmatic line-up. Great video!
Thanks a lot!
Great! I got a mint SPII in BLACK, with a 50mm 1,4 TAKUMAR Super-Multi-Coated. No scretches, no malfunctions! Automatic Modes not missing! Enjoy the craftmanship!
Oh yes, that's a nice outfit! I love the black Spotmatic's, they look absolutely awesome!
Thanks for the review, I am a long time Pentax user and have few different SLR mostly with automatic features. I am hesitated to get a Spotmatic, bcoz I have a KX which I feel the viewfinder is quite dim hard to focus with slow lens, I believe cameras of the same era are similar, an exception was the Fujica.
The KX (and KM, K1000) has exactly the same viewfinder as the Spotmatic. Well there is more information like shutter speed and aperture in the KX viewfinder, but basically they are all built on the same chassis than the Spotmatic! Only in the MX and ME models the viewfinder is completely redesigned, larger and more bright!
Lovely review of a legend! Even better are the photos. Your copy pf the SP ii seems to be very mint.
Off topic: have you tried Miranda cameras? Fully mechanical, well built, and can take M42 lenses via adapter though they have a model that specifically has an M42 mount. The best thing about them is the interchangeable viewfinders. They are also very cheap as they are unknown or maybe "forgotten " is a better word.
Thanks for your comment! And yes, actually I was on the brink of buying a Miranda at the Doesburg photographica market just a week ago! But in the end the camera that I was interested in was not in too good a condition ... so I passed. But I'm definitely having a look at Mirandas ;)
@@tomscameras Great! I turned on notifications so I don't ever miss it. I'm really enjoying your channel by the way. Greetings from Plön!
Picked up an SP500 few years back for about £25 came with a Takumar 50mm f2.
Of note, the camera speed actually goes upto 1000th of a second by turning the dial one click off the 500 mark, it was a marketing ploy by Pentax, the SP500 was cheaper to sell.
Also Takumar do an excellent 'wide angle' lens the 24 mm f3.5 prob my most used lens.
Oh yes, I've got to check out that 24mm Takumar! And thanks for mentioning that detail of the SP500. It reminds me of that car (was it a vintage Honda or Toyota) where the base version had a 4-speed gearbox, but in reality it was just a different gear lever and a piece of metal that prevented the owners to shift into 5th ...
@@tomscameras thoroughly recommend the 24mm Tom.
Haha yes I remember hearing a story about that gearbox, I'm sure there's other similar stories too.
Look forwwrd to seeing your views on the 24mm.
Keep up the good work, thoroughly enjoy your videos, I bought the MX because of your video, and love it.
I have the original spotmatic in black, it is beautiful, especially because of the brass which becomes to be apparent. The eye piece and exposure selector seem to be in metal on my camera. Everything still works perfectly.
I love black Spotmatics, they look fantastic! And about the metal: Maybe they did change these details during the years? On my camera, they feel warm to the touch in contrast to all the metal pieces, and a little bit "softer". That's why I think it's plastic. It's not bad, mind you!
Love your videos, got an SP and SP F myself and a quite big Takumar lens collection (except the pricey 15mm f/3.5) - great cameras. But one request: Don't turn your noise removal (Accentize dxRevive by any chance?) to the max as this sounds just odd - keep a little background noise :)
I just asked a good friend who is the most crazy collector ever ... and no, even he doesn't have that 15/3.5 lens, only the Pentax K version ... but that one's also super rare!
Thanks for your request / hint. I'm actually using Adobe Podcast and sometimes ai|coustics for voice processing!
In '64 it was far ahead of time. Just compare it to some SLRs of e.g. German origin! I wouldn't want to miss my SP II! But btw: "plastic", to be honest, Spotmatic is not the only one without plastic. Look at a Ricoh Singlex II. Built in '76/'77. The only plastic there being the cover of the film advance lever😉
Most German SLR cameras of the 1960s were a disaster, I totally agree! That's why I never make a video about them so far ... I don't want to be the "hater" :-p ... thanks for pointing me towards the Ricoh cameras! Actually I sometimes have an eye to the Ricoh TLS 401 for its brick-like "Nikon F2" lookalike body design and that unique dual viewfinder!
I noticed on my SP1000 that 250-500 and 1000 all is the same speed. 1/250. Problably need a service. The slower ones seems to work fine
Yes a service would take care of this issue. It's just that the mechanics are dirty and need a thorough clean and new lubrication!
Own them, love them.
I feel you!
I really struggle with the stoped down metering. Probably my aging eyes. Will try the f.
In your case, then the Spotmatic F would be a good solution. I don't like it that much as I don't like that concept where you always need to put on a lens cap to switch off the meter (and save the battery). But if that's okay for you, or you keep the camera in a bag all the time anyway, then it's not an issue!
My Honeywell Pentax Spotmatic F was bought at New York at 1976 with a SMC Takumar 50 mm F 1:1.4 ...love shuter's noise... What about Pentax 17 ?
Wow, so you got one of the very last ones - in 1976 you already could get the then brand-new Pentax K cameras! Beautiful!
And yes I hope I'll get a chance to review the Pentax 17. I didn't buy one for myself - I've got more than enough cameras and I never really use all the point&shoots that I've got cause I'm such an SLR guy. But the Pentax 17 definitely is a very cool camera!
I don't get the Leica hype either. Never did.
If I had a Leica, I would sell it and buy an old Pentax or a modern Fuji instead!
Ohhh yes, I feel you! Even though I do have a strange obsession with the early digital Leica models, the M8 and the M9. But especially the M9 is a pretty risky purchase these days regarding the sensor issues. But still, they're about the only digital cameras that make me feel like I'm shooting an analog camera. I really love that.
Great video, thanks. Do you have a Pentax 'K' mount body?
Yes, I'm shooting two Pentax MX. I also have a video about them:
th-cam.com/video/gB7Wi2-UNXs/w-d-xo.html
All my K mount cameras are Pentax digital cameras istDL, K100D, K3-11 and K3 Mark III that's why I bought the Takumar lenses I van use them on my Pentax DSLR''S the Spotamatic SP11 was a indifferent bonus that left in a backpack for 3 years before I decided to see if anything was wrong with it besides the light meter. Yes it needed new light Seals and a mirror bumper
It's not difficult or much slower to change screw mount lenses than the bayonet type as you don't need to find and match the red dots. Just screw it in. Don't even need eyes.
That‘s true. But I am still much faster with bayonet mounts! One thing that I also noticed is that I very much prefer those soft plastic rear lens caps that you can just push over the threads, instead of screw-on rear lens caps!
They made 1,787,960 Spotmatics and 478,379 Spotmatic IIs.
Thanks! So that would be a total of just over 2 million then! Can you tell us the source of these numbers?
Wear the strap!
I always keep it in a camera bag when out and about - except when filming as it's all about showing the camera!