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I have it for so many years I can't remember when I got it, with the 40 pancake and the nice 20mm. my sister and dad had also one, so to silver and one black MX. my dad still had all the old lenses and gave it to me, so I got the Pentax K1 markII and I'm still using these nice lenses, think I only have one autofocus lens but most of the time I grab my old glass. only one of all the lenses is not working properly, the 85 has stiff aperture blades, but the rest is still going very strong

A most excellent tutorial. Thanks for posting :)

Hello 👋 Around 32:10 you say that four shots from Pixel Shift can be combined in post production etc... Doesn't the camera combine the four images for you, in body?

Didn't work on my iPhone 11

how to afc in video mode?

Massive error. you have drawn the circuit completely incorrectly. the wiper of the shutter/ASA potentiometer is connected to A, there is a ground connection on this potentiometer connected via a screw to ground the third connection on this potentiometer goes to the meter switch and back to the battery. RX on your drawing should be a pair of CDS cells and R3 is the calibration resistor set at factory. Also the spotmatic battery has a positive ground and the negative is switched the current flows in the opposite direction. Why don't you download a spotmatic service manual and check out a real schematic.

Any advice on which cheap electronic flash unit to mount?

That’s a superb and definitive overview. Well done and thank you.

This was far better than any instruction manual I read fot the Spotmatic. And I presently have both the original manual and the independent book that was published for Spotmatic owners. Thank you!

I had to put new light seals in my Spotamatic as well a new mirror bumper. I had no idea the seals were bad until somebody gave me a roll of film and none of the pictures came out

This is exactly my travel combo: MX and the 2.8/40. Verly light and compact. Usually I take an additional 2.8/100 with me and that's it...

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.

................this is much better than the new Pentax 17.

Being the Pentax 17 has been released is there going to be a run on older Pentax film cameras and DSLRs?

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 discovered this method myself fairly recently and have been loving the results! I need to just sit down with all my old B&W negatives and start "scanning" them in. I had a set of the Asahi Pentax Bellows II for a while, but I never had the slide copier. So I found one that was in perfect shape for like $15 and that's when I discovered the little door at the back that fits the negatives in it perfectly. So cool and so much cheaper to do it this way with this gear than buying one of the many cheap plastic scanners out there for way too much money! Also, thanks for doing the math and showing the pages from the booklet. That is one thing I don't have with my bellows set up.

Excellent camera, love mine to bits. But mine looks as good as new whereas this one seems a bit worn...

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!

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 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

I just picked one up at the thrift store for $99, with the original manual and reciept from 1989, for $1100!

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).

Excellent! Thanks a lot :)

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.

nice

If you leave the lens on manual could you take a light reading without using the stop down switch?

Could I use this equipment in the same style as the Valoi Easy35? So by putting my macro lens on my camera first which has a 49mm filter thread, getting a 42mm step down ring to attach just one or both of the bellows to act in the same way as the extension tubes on the easy35? Loved the video, this is such a unique way!

The 55mm f2.2 semi auto any idea how to get the apeture to close properly mine will not spring shut when released . The pin to release it works fine but there is no movement unless I take lens off and move the apature lever manually on back the lens

Some of this could be washed out Using the Lightroom app Or any other app to fix the problems. I don’t deny the problems are existing. I own a k-70 it’s all I could afford. And I’ve been doing pretty good with it. Maybe one day when I can afford it, I’ll get a k-1iii But until then, I’ll stick to what I got.

A very informative video, nice work. The one bit of advice you give that I disagree with is to not really mess with the metering modes. There's a reason there's a dedicated button on the back panel. Prior to recently buying my K-1 II, I've been using it on my K-5 IIs for years. The metering mode is under the mode dial there. My advice to anybody is to pick something in your house to shoot, preferably near a light source. Take shots in all 3 metering modes, and it becomes pretty obvious how they behave. It's really not exactly the same result you get by playing with exposure compensation.

Why didn't you show video recording with the new plm to see how it works?

for some reason, moving the aperture ring on the lens doesn't change the light meter LED readout. The DOF preview works properly and it's a K mount lens. For example, it will be green, but when I press the DOF preview it could turn red. I'm trying to understand what's going on here and whether there's something wrong with the light meter.

i remember my first time looking down the mx's viewfinder and almost being thrown back coming from much darker viewfinders. no youtube comparisons or written descriptions can do it justice, you gotta try it yourself

Great historic compilation and narrative.

Are there any magnification tool to help with focusing when using the viewfinder?

Great video, Stephen! Like its big brother (the LX), this MX is a serious Pentax SLR film camera, but so much smaller, more manageable and simpler. Very fun and easy to use! Sadly, my first MX was destroyed a few years back, along with a box of other cameras and equipment, when my storage unit was flooded; but thankfully, I recently found and purchased a replacement on ebay -- and in excellent condition! Now, with my "new" MX in hand, I can start shooting film again! I will be sure to protect this one (and the lenses) from harm by keeping it in my apartment in plain sight near my bed. 😉 Your video was a good refresher. Thank you! 🙏

I still think the old display of the older cameras were better. When you have light and you are focusing on a darker subject, it is more difficult to see the focusing points. Perhaps you get better used to them the more you use it, but in certain situations it is a hinderance to lose sight of them. Was a 10% brighter viewfinder worth that? I guess we will see, but as I have only had the camera for a short time I sure hope you get accustomed to this over time…..

Great work. Thank you for all tips. Carry on.

The aperture block issue of Pentax entry level camera is evicting customer. I would not buy any Pentax camera again due to the aperture block of my K-S2 since three ago.

Thank you!!

The MX is my favourite pentax. I posses K1000 / ME SE / ME Super & MX - I also own 4 Canon AE1+P cameras, my primary shooters. I would be equally satisfied with 4 MX bodies. Colour / B&W / Transparency and 3200 😉

Thanks!

Can you manually focus the camera and see it on the image sync app?

Great informative video! I was able to find one of this exact model (black version) at a thrift store. It's got multi-coated lenses like yours in the video. I do have one question though. How would you adjust exposure if I were to use the 1.5v alternative battery instead of the 1.35v zinc/air battery?

Thanksssssssss pentax❤😊

Indestructible bravoooo the firme pentax😊❤❤❤😊

I have two Spotmatic that are still in operating condition, my biggest issue is finding the replacement for the old mercury battery.

It's pronounced "Ashai".

I see you have the 8 element 50mm there, nice 👍

As soon as it was posted in Pentax Forums I went straight to the video, and loved it!