Your video makes me want to hunt down another one of these. Picked up one on marketplace for $40 a few months back. Flipped up shutter. You're right, they seem easy to repair. Even for an amateur like me. Had nothing to lose but $40. Just took a tooth brush and loaded up some naphtha and scrubbed the botton compartment. Cocked & fired a few times and came back to life. Rusty like crud obstructions. Used sewing machine oil on moving parts.
Thanks for the awesome vlog. The k1000 was the first camera I learned on and the first one I bought right after photo camp. I remember the excitement of going to the camera store with my Dad to buy it in 1977. I Enjoy your vlogs and keep up with the awesome work.
I bought my first slr in 1978. After much dithering between buying a Canon AE-1 and a Pentax K1000, I chose the AE-1. Several weeks ago, 45 years later, a friend gave me his old K1000. With the exception of missing skin, it was in excellent condition. I put new skin on and gave it a thorough cleaning. It has become my favorite, followed by my faithful AE-1 which still works perfectly. I agree with everything you said about the K1000. Great presentation! Looking forward to more!
You talked about trying new film and said, “when experimenting it’s the steady variable I don’t have to worry about”. What an excellent endorsement of the camera.
I enjoy your videos the same way I enjoy Japan Vintage Camera’s channel. Interesting and vastly informative in the ways of vintage film cameras. Subbed recently and eager for more videos like these. Appreciate the effort!
This was also my first SLR in 1976 until I traded it in for a Canon AE1. In recent years I contracted the GAS and acquired a pristine K1000. In trying to cure myself without seeking psychiatric help I decided to thin out my collection and part with the K1000 :-( Watching this I started to experience withdrawal symptoms.....buy hey, I'm keeping the K1000 SE, KX, MX and Spotmatic F :-)
My first camera was the K1000 that, like yours, was given to me by my dad who was a serious amateur photographer. I used it consistently between 1981 and 2001 when I bought my first digital 2mp compact (later followed by K100D, K5 and K3 III). However the film revival was interesting me so, 23 years later, I brushed the dust off the K1000, put in a new battery and it was good to go! Maybe the shutter could do with calibrating, or the light seals renewed, but I have shot a couple of rolls and so far no light leaks apparent and all pictures exposed fine. What other camera can you say that about? I do find it a bit too deliberate for snappy street photography, so I recently acquired an ME Super for £65 ($85) off ebay for the aperture priority auto mode. It was in nearly mint condition - clearly barely used - a bargain! (or so I thought). It became apparent it had probably been left in a cupboard unused for 20 years and sold without testing. When I got it I found that half the time the shutter would not return fully and the mirror would stay up. Also sometimes the wind-on lever would not cock the shutter, so I had to wind on a second time, wasting a frame of precious film. The workaround involved slapping the camera hard on the palm of my left hand a few times to jog the shutter down fully. So it is in for a repair and service for about double the original cost of the camera. Meanwhile I am shooting another roll through the K1000 while I wait for the ME Super to be fixed. The K1000 is definitely my forever camera!
Thanks for making this video. In September 1985, our journalism instructor told us to buy the Pentax K-1000. It was a huge change from my point and shoot 110 film pocket camera. It was heavy and intimidating but it was with this camera that we learned the science of photography and the art of photojournalism. I still have it but the shutter sticks. I may get it repaired someday but for now it sits next to my grandfathers Rainbow Hawkeye box camera. It reminds me of the enthusiasm and anticipation I had back in those early days. It also reminds me to not get lazy and shoot in auto mode these days.
Be still my beating heart ! The Pentax K1000, my first real camera that I got back in Nov. of 1977 and Still have today, in excellent condition. Made in Japan. A legend. Pentax got everything right with this camera. Simple, basic, rugged not to mention a host of some wonderful SMC Pentax glass, Manual exposure only? In this digital age my K5 and K3 digital bodies are all set to manual exposure thanks to what I learned so many years ago from my beloved K1000. 21 years in production, 3 million copies made. Canon and Nikon may have had better marketing and a host of accessories for their cameras but not the quality to go the distance as the humble K1000 did.
Back in 1976 Pentax had marketing and accessory range similar to Nikon & Canon. Those, plus Olympus and Minolta, were the big five then. But Pentax did not aim for the pro market until the K2DMD (1976?) and then the LX (1980), and they'd missed the boat. Canon and Nikon did not "fail" to go the distance of the K1000 because they did not have the quality, they chose not to follow the market the K1000 was aimed at. Eg, the Nikon F3 was made for 21 years but for the pro market (same as the LX), and people are still using them today.
I got like 5 for 125 a few years ago and now that just seems unheard of, but not going to lie doing that adjusted for inflation on pricing really blew my mind still definitely worth it in my opinion and thank you for the comment!
I'm excited to see if/when/what pentax comes up with for their modern film camera lineup. I'm slowly trying out pentax dslr's too and really enjoying the results. Also my pentax k1000 is also a metal version and sat in my grandma's closet probably for over a decade and I've been abusing it for years and its still running strong.
I have a K1000 that was my Mom's, and it works without a single flaw to this day. It is one of the made in Japan models, and given how old it is that is really impressive to me. It has a service sticker from the 90's but as far as I know that's the only time it needed repairs. The engineers at Pentax cooked up.
I still have my K1000. I think they will have to bury me with it. I've seen so much "life" through its viewfinder. Even now when i see something significant or remarkable, a scene worth remembering, I kind of hear the shutter go off in my mind.
I grew up shooting my parents K1000. I switched to a MX for a couple of years but it felt too small as time went on. Got a KX - totally solid camera, I just find the light meter too distracting for me. I'm now back with the K1000 as the daily. As you said, you really feel the medium most with this one. Just wish it had the MX spool.
I recently acquired a PENTAX ASAHI k1000 SE. A very nice all things working example. The only problem being that the Mirror foam bumper had disintegrated leaving chunks of it all over the Prism and mirror. Before seeing a video saying not to do it, I cleaned the Mirror and Prism with a Q tip and a bit of Alcohol. (Trying to extract the pieces) Not a soaking wet Q tip, but just the end bit. Is the Camera Toast now?. Evelyn
Great video! Just recently picked one up in great shape for $60 at a thrift store, after I thought I would never be able to get one again, having owned them in the past. In your opinion, is it worth doing a cla on one that works perfectly? I did replace the light seals.
Hi, thanks for nice video. Is there any benefit in using the SR44 battery in the K1000 as it has better discharging voltage curve? What is the smallest voltage the light meter works reliable when the battery drains?
You convinced me to get not just one but two of these! Love it with HP5 and developing at home in monobath. Film is not dying. Look at the Smarter Every Day episode when he visits Kodak factory. They are ramping up again, running at full capacity and cannot keep up. The only thing I'm sad about, there are no decent film scanners anymore. Need a good film scanner to be made by someone.
I bought one last year for 25€ it was dirty the paint is a bit scuffed and had a roll inside for so long that it stained the aluminium but a bit of canned air and a cleanup it started taking pictures no problem it's incredible the amount of bad use they can take and keep going
Would you say that the fabric shutter curtain is a weak point in this camera, and a long term vulnerability? A metal blade curtain better? Thoughts... Thanks.
I bought one that was serviced and tested so that shutter speed etc. was correct. Has been fun learning this as I grew up on good digital cameras. EDIT: And it looks like a “Hong Kong” one since its metal. Has serial number “7771890”.
The Pentax 50/2.0, usually sold with the K1000, did not have a particularly good reputation, so no great loss there. The M 50/1.7 was exceptionally good however, in fact better than the significantly more expensive M 50/1.4.
I wouldn’t take anything for my k1000. It’s teaching me the 😅 rudiments of photography. It also takes me back when digital photography didn’t exist. A time when you had to take your film to be developed. Nothing matches the anticipation of wondering how your photos turned out. I relive the moments of my past using a film camera like the Pentax K1000.
A good one, not the best, the fact the exposimeter is on if the lens capnis removed is annoying in my opinion, no field deep check , and so on. The MX would be far better if it were a bit more rugged, anyway the KX is way more professional
The best? what makes the 1000 better than the MX? Me? I have both and the MX gets my vote. It ain't better, just a preferrence - but the 1000 is no better (IMHO) than the MX
It is OK but hardly the best ever Pentax camera. It is only a typical mid-1960s to mid 1970s budget SLR. Pentax had better and other brands had equivalents. Cameras were still being made to last a lifetime in those days. Today it is over-priced for what it is, thanks to nostalgia and hype. FWIW, in 1988 it was being sold with a 50mm F2.0 lens for £150 in the UK, equivalent to £400 today, which sounds much less than those prices around 9:00. BTW, the meter uses a bridge circuit so not affected by whether a 1.3v mercury or 1.5v siver oxide battery is used.
Your video makes me want to hunt down another one of these. Picked up one on marketplace for $40 a few months back. Flipped up shutter.
You're right, they seem easy to repair. Even for an amateur like me.
Had nothing to lose but $40.
Just took a tooth brush and loaded up some naphtha and scrubbed the botton compartment. Cocked & fired a few times and came back to life. Rusty like crud obstructions.
Used sewing machine oil on moving parts.
lol this thumbnail had me thinking GxAce was reviewing the k1000. good content as always
I will neither confirm nor deny my source of inspiration but thank you and good eye haha
Thanks for the awesome vlog. The k1000 was the first camera I learned on and the first one I bought right after photo camp. I remember the excitement of going to the camera store with my Dad to buy it in 1977. I Enjoy your vlogs and keep up with the awesome work.
Great content as always. This was my very first film camera in 2009
I bought my first slr in 1978. After much dithering between buying a Canon AE-1 and a Pentax K1000, I chose the AE-1. Several weeks ago, 45 years later, a friend gave me his old K1000. With the exception of missing skin, it was in excellent condition. I put new skin on and gave it a thorough cleaning. It has become my favorite, followed by my faithful AE-1 which still works perfectly.
I agree with everything you said about the K1000. Great presentation! Looking forward to more!
You talked about trying new film and said, “when experimenting it’s the steady variable I don’t have to worry about”. What an excellent endorsement of the camera.
I have the same relationship with my Nikon F. When i had its shutter speed checked, they were spot on, and the last time it was serviced was 40yrs ago
I enjoy your videos the same way I enjoy Japan Vintage Camera’s channel. Interesting and vastly informative in the ways of vintage film cameras. Subbed recently and eager for more videos like these. Appreciate the effort!
I appreciate your comment and welcome to the channel!
This was also my first SLR in 1976 until I traded it in for a Canon AE1. In recent years I contracted the GAS and acquired a pristine K1000. In trying to cure myself without seeking psychiatric help I decided to thin out my collection and part with the K1000 :-(
Watching this I started to experience withdrawal symptoms.....buy hey, I'm keeping the K1000 SE, KX, MX and Spotmatic F :-)
My first camera was the K1000 that, like yours, was given to me by my dad who was a serious amateur photographer. I used it consistently between 1981 and 2001 when I bought my first digital 2mp compact (later followed by K100D, K5 and K3 III). However the film revival was interesting me so, 23 years later, I brushed the dust off the K1000, put in a new battery and it was good to go! Maybe the shutter could do with calibrating, or the light seals renewed, but I have shot a couple of rolls and so far no light leaks apparent and all pictures exposed fine. What other camera can you say that about? I do find it a bit too deliberate for snappy street photography, so I recently acquired an ME Super for £65 ($85) off ebay for the aperture priority auto mode. It was in nearly mint condition - clearly barely used - a bargain! (or so I thought).
It became apparent it had probably been left in a cupboard unused for 20 years and sold without testing. When I got it I found that half the time the shutter would not return fully and the mirror would stay up. Also sometimes the wind-on lever would not cock the shutter, so I had to wind on a second time, wasting a frame of precious film. The workaround involved slapping the camera hard on the palm of my left hand a few times to jog the shutter down fully. So it is in for a repair and service for about double the original cost of the camera. Meanwhile I am shooting another roll through the K1000 while I wait for the ME Super to be fixed. The K1000 is definitely my forever camera!
I started my photographic journey in the late ‘70’s using the K1000 Fabulous camera!! I wish I still had it!
Thanks for making this video. In September 1985, our journalism instructor told us to buy the Pentax K-1000. It was a huge change from my point and shoot 110 film pocket camera. It was heavy and intimidating but it was with this camera that we learned the science of photography and the art of photojournalism. I still have it but the shutter sticks. I may get it repaired someday but for now it sits next to my grandfathers Rainbow Hawkeye box camera. It reminds me of the enthusiasm and anticipation I had back in those early days. It also reminds me to not get lazy and shoot in auto mode these days.
Be still my beating heart ! The Pentax K1000, my first real camera that I got back in Nov. of 1977 and Still have today, in excellent condition. Made in Japan. A legend. Pentax got everything right with this camera. Simple, basic, rugged not to mention a host of some wonderful SMC Pentax glass, Manual exposure only? In this digital age my K5 and K3 digital bodies are all set to manual exposure thanks to what I learned so many years ago from my beloved K1000. 21 years in production, 3 million copies made. Canon and Nikon may have had better marketing and a host of accessories for their cameras but not the quality to go the distance as the humble K1000 did.
Back in 1976 Pentax had marketing and accessory range similar to Nikon & Canon. Those, plus Olympus and Minolta, were the big five then. But Pentax did not aim for the pro market until the K2DMD (1976?) and then the LX (1980), and they'd missed the boat. Canon and Nikon did not "fail" to go the distance of the K1000 because they did not have the quality, they chose not to follow the market the K1000 was aimed at. Eg, the Nikon F3 was made for 21 years but for the pro market (same as the LX), and people are still using them today.
Two other cameras have the same production run, the Nikon f3 (1980-2001) and the Pentax LX (also 1980-2001).
Good catch, I thought of the F3 while editing but didn’t realize the LX was as well, thanks for the comment!
I bought one for my daughter when she “discovered” film photography back when they literally dirt cheap
I got like 5 for 125 a few years ago and now that just seems unheard of, but not going to lie doing that adjusted for inflation on pricing really blew my mind still definitely worth it in my opinion and thank you for the comment!
She was lucky. A good one costs a lot now, over-inflated.
I'm excited to see if/when/what pentax comes up with for their modern film camera lineup. I'm slowly trying out pentax dslr's too and really enjoying the results. Also my pentax k1000 is also a metal version and sat in my grandma's closet probably for over a decade and I've been abusing it for years and its still running strong.
I have a K1000 that was my Mom's, and it works without a single flaw to this day. It is one of the made in Japan models, and given how old it is that is really impressive to me. It has a service sticker from the 90's but as far as I know that's the only time it needed repairs. The engineers at Pentax cooked up.
I still have my K1000. I think they will have to bury me with it. I've seen so much "life" through its viewfinder. Even now when i see something significant or remarkable, a scene worth remembering, I kind of hear the shutter go off in my mind.
I grew up shooting my parents K1000. I switched to a MX for a couple of years but it felt too small as time went on. Got a KX - totally solid camera, I just find the light meter too distracting for me. I'm now back with the K1000 as the daily. As you said, you really feel the medium most with this one. Just wish it had the MX spool.
I recently acquired a PENTAX ASAHI k1000 SE. A very nice all things working example. The only problem being that the Mirror foam bumper had disintegrated leaving chunks of it all over the Prism and mirror. Before seeing a video saying not to do it, I cleaned the Mirror and Prism with a Q tip and a bit of Alcohol. (Trying to extract the pieces) Not a soaking wet Q tip, but just the end bit. Is the Camera Toast now?. Evelyn
14:15
Setting the shutter to bulb turns off the meter… effectively the off button.
Great video! Just recently picked one up in great shape for $60 at a thrift store, after I thought I would never be able to get one again, having owned them in the past. In your opinion, is it worth doing a cla on one that works perfectly? I did replace the light seals.
Hi, thanks for nice video. Is there any benefit in using the SR44 battery in the K1000 as it has better discharging voltage curve? What is the smallest voltage the light meter works reliable when the battery drains?
You convinced me to get not just one but two of these! Love it with HP5 and developing at home in monobath.
Film is not dying. Look at the Smarter Every Day episode when he visits Kodak factory. They are ramping up again, running at full capacity and cannot keep up. The only thing I'm sad about, there are no decent film scanners anymore. Need a good film scanner to be made by someone.
I bought one last year for 25€ it was dirty the paint is a bit scuffed and had a roll inside for so long that it stained the aluminium but a bit of canned air and a cleanup it started taking pictures no problem it's incredible the amount of bad use they can take and keep going
A great camera by any measure.
Could not agree more
Would you say that the fabric shutter curtain is a weak point in this camera, and a long term vulnerability? A metal blade curtain better? Thoughts... Thanks.
Nice
I bought one that was serviced and tested so that shutter speed etc. was correct. Has been fun learning this as I grew up on good digital cameras.
EDIT: And it looks like a “Hong Kong” one since its metal. Has serial number “7771890”.
I really regret selling mine and the 50/2.0 that it packed, was something else :(
The Pentax 50/2.0, usually sold with the K1000, did not have a particularly good reputation, so no great loss there. The M 50/1.7 was exceptionally good however, in fact better than the significantly more expensive M 50/1.4.
Pentax LX : )
Plastic K1000 gang, Rise Up
I wouldn’t take anything for my k1000. It’s teaching me the 😅 rudiments of photography. It also takes me back when digital photography didn’t exist. A time when you had to take your film to be developed. Nothing matches the anticipation of wondering how your photos turned out. I relive the moments of my past using a film camera like the Pentax K1000.
I Peeped some lil baby in the music 🤣
Asahi is not "朝日" but "旭".
A good one, not the best, the fact the exposimeter is on if the lens capnis removed is annoying in my opinion, no field deep check , and so on. The MX would be far better if it were a bit more rugged, anyway the KX is way more professional
The best? what makes the 1000 better than the MX? Me? I have both and the MX gets my vote. It ain't better, just a preferrence - but the 1000 is no better (IMHO) than the MX
Pentax KM
It is OK but hardly the best ever Pentax camera. It is only a typical mid-1960s to mid 1970s budget SLR. Pentax had better and other brands had equivalents. Cameras were still being made to last a lifetime in those days. Today it is over-priced for what it is, thanks to nostalgia and hype.
FWIW, in 1988 it was being sold with a 50mm F2.0 lens for £150 in the UK, equivalent to £400 today, which sounds much less than those prices around 9:00. BTW, the meter uses a bridge circuit so not affected by whether a 1.3v mercury or 1.5v siver oxide battery is used.