Excellent overview of this amazing camera and the system accessories. One advantage of the frame counter going backwards is the ability for multiple exposures. The 250 exposure back and motor drive were also able to be remotely controlled by Power Pack M which opened up time lapse photography as well. Such a well thought out system camera, thank you for another wonderful video
Nice overview, this is a great system bought mine new back in the 80's after starting with K1000. Bought up most of the accessories used , still with Pentax today.
Excellent overview of this wonderful camera. I have two corrections. When resetting the exposre compensation dial you don't have to press the button. The dial just clicks at the "1x" setting. Furthermore to release the prism you can move the small lever counter-clockwise without pressing that same button. So that button is only used to release the exposurre compensation dial to set it. On later versions of the LX a feature was added to the knob. By pressing the knob the exposure meter was switched on for 30 seconds (like half-pressing the shutter button).
Very good review. I have had an LX since the 1980s, complete with the motor drive @7:50. Best manual focus 35mm camera ever made IMHO, the rival Nikon F3 and Canon F1 both had comparative disadvantages. However the LX never really got far into the pro market because Nikon and Canon were already entrenched there. The waist level finders don't need the aperture window because you are looking down at the scale on the lens anyway. The FE-1 is called a "waist level" finder but in fact it needs to be close to the eye : it is really for macro work. The simple FF-1 can really be used at waist level however. The FP flash connection is for old-school bulb flash and the LX must have been about the last camera made with one. The X flash connection could (but not necessarily) take a special sync lead (lower picture @2:18) that picked up the TTL and "Ready" signals from those two small gold contacts, but that was for a hammerhead flash unit (Pentax AF400T), not the hotshoe-mounted flashes shown @2:21 which got all they needed from the hot shoe.
I bought a used LX in the late 90's, and ordered a new bottom plate that was damaged, and a focus screen with etched grid patterns. It was a very nice camera.
Very thorough review! Unlike the other aperture priority capable cameras, the LX has no viewfinder blind as light entering it does not influence the meter for the reasons you pointed out. I agree that with the FA-2 finder on, it looks like the original Asahi Pentax!
Awesome review. I just came across 1 & was initially wanting the metal reloading cassettes out of the kit but realised how cool it was & I recognised already how its feels like a baby 67 MLU with its macro bellow kit & slide adapter and all.
I used an LX professionally for 20+ years. A few significant issues: 1). Critically sharp focus will be hard to maintain or achieve once the mirror rest rubber bumper stops degrade and need to be replaced. 45 years on, they all will have needed this service multiple times whether used or stored--and will likely need this service again, immediately, hence the abundance of eBay listings 2). Sticky Mirror Syndrome is not same as #1 but unrelated solenoid located under bottom cover 3). Viewfinder unlocking lever will also stick over time with use and finder won't release. 4). these being hybrid manual-shutter/electronic shutter bodies, they're complicated and daunting to repair yourself 5). Motordrive LX is fragile and ridiculously complcated; Winder LX however is relatively is robust 6). Parts for LX have been unobtainium for 15+ years, and Pentax no longer services them.
An amazing camera, my favorite among all the "professional" grade manual focus SLRs. I have owned and extensively used them all, the Minolta XK, the Canon New F1, the Nikon F3, the Contax RTS, Leica R4, Olympus OM4, etc. etc. Sadly the LX electronics aren't as resilient over time as most others. In the end after trying darn near everything, I kept the Canon for four reasons - the mechanical shutter speed selection when the battery is dead goes from 1/125 through 1/2000, the camera's electronics are bulletproof, it has a classic needle meter, and the biggest? The speed finder is the best manual focus viewfinder ever made. Of course, the prism weighs a lot, but that's OK with me:) The laser matte J screen is also amazing. The LX is very similar with the rotating prism finder. I did *not* like the way you have to change the screens on the LX though - I managed to scratch one pretty good. Great comprehensive coverage here of an amazing camera. I still have an MX on a shelf - love the huge viewfinder on that too, but it's slated for fleabay, since that model suffers from stuck mirror problems exacerbated by age.
Ok rly liking this. Very similar to my Nikon F2 system. Now I wanna experience their pro level top tier autofocus system but not necessarily as new we the MZ-S sharing K & KAf lenses. What models ?
@@wimvanheugten2832 No, the LX doesn't have a brass body, but almost all the other bodies do. A heavily used black MX or KX looks absolutely gorgeous...
![BOWKYLION - วิงวอน (ex-change) [Official MV]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/cLdnZWDaO-w/mqdefault.jpg)
Cool video, thanks
That’s a superb and definitive overview. Well done and thank you.
Excellent overview of this amazing camera and the system accessories. One advantage of the frame counter going backwards is the ability for multiple exposures. The 250 exposure back and motor drive were also able to be remotely controlled by Power Pack M which opened up time lapse photography as well. Such a well thought out system camera, thank you for another wonderful video
Nice overview, this is a great system bought mine new back in the 80's after starting with K1000. Bought up most of the accessories used , still with Pentax today.
Excellent overview of this wonderful camera. I have two corrections. When resetting the exposre compensation dial you don't have to press the button. The dial just clicks at the "1x" setting. Furthermore to release the prism you can move the small lever counter-clockwise without pressing that same button. So that button is only used to release the exposurre compensation dial to set it. On later versions of the LX a feature was added to the knob. By pressing the knob the exposure meter was switched on for 30 seconds (like half-pressing the shutter button).
Very good review. I have had an LX since the 1980s, complete with the motor drive @7:50. Best manual focus 35mm camera ever made IMHO, the rival Nikon F3 and Canon F1 both had comparative disadvantages. However the LX never really got far into the pro market because Nikon and Canon were already entrenched there.
The waist level finders don't need the aperture window because you are looking down at the scale on the lens anyway. The FE-1 is called a "waist level" finder but in fact it needs to be close to the eye : it is really for macro work. The simple FF-1 can really be used at waist level however.
The FP flash connection is for old-school bulb flash and the LX must have been about the last camera made with one.
The X flash connection could (but not necessarily) take a special sync lead (lower picture @2:18) that picked up the TTL and "Ready" signals from those two small gold contacts, but that was for a hammerhead flash unit (Pentax AF400T), not the hotshoe-mounted flashes shown @2:21 which got all they needed from the hot shoe.
I bought a used LX in the late 90's, and ordered a new bottom plate that was damaged, and a focus screen with etched grid patterns. It was a very nice camera.
Very thorough review!
Unlike the other aperture priority capable cameras, the LX has no viewfinder blind as light entering it does not influence the meter for the reasons you pointed out.
I agree that with the FA-2 finder on, it looks like the original Asahi Pentax!
Awesome review. I just came across 1 & was initially wanting the metal reloading cassettes out of the kit but realised how cool it was & I recognised already how its feels like a baby 67 MLU with its macro bellow kit & slide adapter and all.
I used an LX professionally for 20+ years. A few significant issues: 1). Critically sharp focus will be hard to maintain or achieve once the mirror rest rubber bumper stops degrade and need to be replaced. 45 years on, they all will have needed this service multiple times whether used or stored--and will likely need this service again, immediately, hence the abundance of eBay listings 2). Sticky Mirror Syndrome is not same as #1 but unrelated solenoid located under bottom cover 3). Viewfinder unlocking lever will also stick over time with use and finder won't release. 4). these being hybrid manual-shutter/electronic shutter bodies, they're complicated and daunting to repair yourself 5). Motordrive LX is fragile and ridiculously complcated; Winder LX however is relatively is robust 6). Parts for LX have been unobtainium for 15+ years, and Pentax no longer services them.
An amazing camera, my favorite among all the "professional" grade manual focus SLRs. I have owned and extensively used them all, the Minolta XK, the Canon New F1, the Nikon F3, the Contax RTS, Leica R4, Olympus OM4, etc. etc. Sadly the LX electronics aren't as resilient over time as most others. In the end after trying darn near everything, I kept the Canon for four reasons - the mechanical shutter speed selection when the battery is dead goes from 1/125 through 1/2000, the camera's electronics are bulletproof, it has a classic needle meter, and the biggest? The speed finder is the best manual focus viewfinder ever made. Of course, the prism weighs a lot, but that's OK with me:) The laser matte J screen is also amazing. The LX is very similar with the rotating prism finder. I did *not* like the way you have to change the screens on the LX though - I managed to scratch one pretty good. Great comprehensive coverage here of an amazing camera. I still have an MX on a shelf - love the huge viewfinder on that too, but it's slated for fleabay, since that model suffers from stuck mirror problems exacerbated by age.
I just picked one up at the thrift store for $99, with the original manual and reciept from 1989, for $1100!
Awesome find
Thanks for the video, it's really helpful. 👍
Ok rly liking this. Very similar to my Nikon F2 system. Now I wanna experience their pro level top tier autofocus system but not necessarily as new we the MZ-S sharing K & KAf lenses. What models ?
Pentax MZ-5n, I think.
Excellent! Thanks a lot :)
Being the Pentax 17 has been released is there going to be a run on older Pentax film cameras and DSLRs?
Excellent camera, love mine to bits. But mine looks as good as new whereas this one seems a bit worn...
Patina ;)
@@PentaxTips Yeah, I really like that. Especially in black bodies when the brass is becoming visible everywhere...
@@22fretNo brass body elements for the LX. You may notice a gray/silver colour under the black paint.
@@wimvanheugten2832 No, the LX doesn't have a brass body, but almost all the other bodies do. A heavily used black MX or KX looks absolutely gorgeous...
nice
................this is much better than the new Pentax 17.