"Wanna know my philosophy? Just go shoot" I hope more people realize this: you don't need a specific camera or lens or anything to take good pictures. I started taking pictures on my smartphone. My first camera was a thirty-year-old Zenit 122 with no functioning light meter. If you like your setup, you like your setup, it doesn't matter if it isn't "cool" or "professional"
Both my grandmother and my mom had K1000, and I ended up with both of them. My mom even had magazine clippings in her camera bag where she was comparing it to the Olympus before she purchased it. Love those cameras!
I’ve never gotten the whole “beginner” camera thing... if it takes photos, it takes photos. Almost 100% of a photo is the photographer. You could give me the most expensive camera in the world and I can take a horrible picture while you could give me a cheap camera and I can take a great photo.
Exactly! Then we see people breaking the bank from buying these Mamiya’s, Leica’s,Pentax’s, Haddelblads, and so forth only to shoot subpar images , People just need to learn photography? You know what, this motivates me to do an entire series on the pentax K1000
@@maxhernie8053 K1000s are not about being cheap. Cheap compared with a modern new camera but expensive compared with similar cameras of its time, or most used ones since, partly thanks to RUclips videos like this. I just checked UK Ebay and the median sold price (with lens) is £100 and median asking price is £250. You will need to go a long way to find a $6 one. The K1000 was not special for its time (1970s), only typical. Most cameras then were mechanical/manual and all the quality brands (Pentax, Nikon, Fuji & co) were assumed to last a lifetime or two. The K1000 only came to the attention of a later generation of users because it was still being manufactured in the 1990s, and it was sold to young people because art and photography schools continued to recommended it - by default because the schools never got round to updating their course handout material. That is the [valid] reason for its "student" or "college" reputation he mentions [8:23]; whether you think that is an issue is your call. In time, Pentax took advantage of this by outsourcing to cheaper manufacturers [8:16] yet raising the price. As for beginner anxiety, being faced with deciding shutter speed and F number is the way to make a Generation Z anxious. So most modern electronic cameras have a "green mode" where you leave everything technical to the camera. Arguably that is the way to concentrate on the picture itself, the opposite of what he says @3:00. Setting speed and aperture manually are now regarded as advanced techniques that beginners do not need to learn unless they are really keen on the tech or want to become pros. FWIW I have a top-of the range DSLR with about a million different modes, yet I use it set to manual all the time, and I have old manual cameras too.
@@dukenukem5768 Everyone can use a top end DSLR on a fully Program and Tv/Av Mode. Thats not entirely the point i was making about the camera in my comment. The Pentax K1000 arguably upholds its reputation as a beginner *photographer* camera. Everything you need to know about the basics of a camera is right in front of your face. You cannot argue with that. It's purpose, in my opinion, was not about being the best in its class in the day. Nikon and Canon and whatever else on the market on the Pro/prosumer end would surely outmatch it with various gizmos like the speed winder time stamp etc etc. Its limited to what it is, but the application the market/advertisers and what its legacy set it up for it has excelled. Analog is so much easier to work with in an academic setting. It teaches failure and intimate knowledge about photography more than digital can. The dark room makes or breaks you as a photographer and its still the reason why top photography schools use analog with the students. You can also just get an F-1 or some expensive Nikon/Lecia or Bessa but without basics you're really wasting your time and money and the more expensive DSLR or camera doesnt make up for the lack of fundamentals. Settings is just one part of a grander picture in image making, you know that. Cheap: schools probably got it in bulk and on the discount. Today, the only reason why it is so expensive is because film is "trending" and that particular camera along with the AE-1 and whatever Nikon equivalent are on blog posts and articles increasing the value. Those are about 250 USD easy. An AT-1 from canon, virtually the same camera as the K1000, is expensive! Analog is making a trendy return and prices reflect that.Thats simple capitalism right there. There are hundreds of thousands of the pre-Chinese K1000s so you can find them anywhere, especially the higher quality made ones, which reflects the popularity. I picked one up for 80$ USD, dirty, but it works.
I bought my K-1000 in 84, still use it today. Best investment ever. Got it new with a 50mm lens. My only gripe is the lens cap falls off, easy to loose.
I have a few SLR s Probably the best of them are the two Pentax K 1000s I use. One is Chinese made... The prism is marked but the meter works fine. The Tai lens on it is great The other one is a Hong Kong made with a Japanese lens which is mint. The 1 second speed is quirky but the other speeds are fine. I have had less trouble with these two SLRs than the other one s I have used. So I conclude the camera is excellent Despite thing s said about Chinese bodied K1000s
Great video, thanks so much! I grew up in the 70's using a K-1000 as my sole camera. Learned it well and took so many memorable photos. The kids sometimes go up into the attic and shuffle through the shoe boxes and say stuff like "wow, who wears socks up to their knees with stripes going around the calf?". Now I'm 54 and using my Iphone instead. Maybe there are 12 step programs for people like me. I had it so good. Changing from a Pentax K-1000 to an Iphone for your camera is like going from your moms best homecooked meals to moving out on your own and having nothing but golden corral to eat for breakfast/lunch/and dinner...for thirty years! So my 16 yr old son asked me a month ago what kind of camera I thought he should get prior to going to NYC with his brother for some fun time. I told him without a doubt, try to find a clean Pentax K-1000. He picked one up in great condition and he's really enjoying it. This video showed him much better than I could why the K-1000 is not only a good starter camera, but likely the camera that he might one day return to when he realizes that modernity left the imagination on the sideline. Thanks!
I started film photography 15 years ago with Pentax KM so I can related to this video a lot. The simplicity in the viewfinder is the exact reason I'm getting myself KM (K1000 brother) again. I'm just more attached to KM because I started with it :) Thanks for an amazing video!
Great video! I've had my K1000 since I bought it new in, like, 1989 or something. It's very sturdy, as you've observed, and it is, in fact, the only 35mm camera I still own (in fact i own 2, since I also got a "backup" body a few years ago.) I use this camera when I want good pictures with no screwing around. For instance, this is the camera I had in the delivery room for both of my boys, over ten years ago now. I have boxes and boxes of family photos from my teenage and college years shot on this camera, and binders of b&w negatives since I started shooting mostly b&w film. One thing you did not mention, which is kind of a negative about the K1000, is the really loud shutter. Of course, that's also part of the charm of it. Again, great review of a really solid camera. Thanks!
I love this camera. I learned how to shoot film on the K1000 at American River College in the early 2000s. It was my roommates and he let me borrow it. What I like about the K1000 is it is all about taking photos and not about the slick new just shutter speed, aperture, and ISO.
Its a solid manual camera and college students are lucky to start on it because you can learn photography concepts while using it. Any manual 35mm camera you start on you can keep using...always.
While it wasn't my first, I feel like this was the first 35mm camera I owned where things kinda 'clicked' for me. Best of luck, enjoy it if you find one! :)
For a couple weeks I've been trying to decide on which film 35mm SLR camera to buy. Since I own a digital Nikon, I looked into the famous classic Nikon F3. After watching RUclips videos showing the F3 many features I decided that it was overwhelming, because of too many features. I like simplicity so I decided it was not for me. After watching videos like this about the Pentax K-1000, i saw it was so mechanical and simple, not even needing the battery to function. It was perfect to fit me. Ordered one off eBay today! Thanks for the added history links, and even the PDF manual link. Liked and subscribed to your channel immediately!
Just bought my first Pentax K1000 for 70 dollars, but it included the leather strap and case, the original lens and lens cap and a flash! I'm so excited! 😁
I just inherited a K1000 from my grandfather along with four lenses to go with it. I've been in photography for several years, but never film, but I've always wanted to. Well, not film in a manual configuration. I'm incredibly excited to get out and see what I can capture.
I shoot with the K1000 during the 80-ties till 2008 together with a Pentax ME. I must say that during difficult conditions the K1000 is the winner. A tank of a camera and great to handle. Manual. No electronics and never let me down. I still have it and will never let it go.
I recently bought a Mamiya 1000 DTL with a neat lens for pretty cheap, in regard to which I share a lot of feelings you have towards the K1000. I haven't developed my first two rolls yet, so I hope the light meter does a good job. The needle seems to be a bit lazy sometimes. But it has a quirky way to safe battery life!
You can put a roll of film in and forget about everything else You don't have to worry about change in the weather and have to compensate by fiddling with apperture rings Just follow the needle.
WHAT A SUPRISE . I was in the garage and just located my Pentax I bought in about 1978 and shot it maybe 200 times.,maybe more but not much. I came right in to search the web and found this site. .It was a good camera for my needs. It good today that you can know if your pic is good immediately after taking it. I dont know why anyone would go back to film. I had been used to the instamatic 135. It was great for my interest level until I wanted sports action and I had just bought a 1969 GT350 conv. and needed a camera for race track day for club members with SAAC 3 at sears point and leguna Seca. Back then It was a rapidly growing national club that morphed from ShelbyOwners Assn . I took many pics of the race day events and my wife got some of me in the car ,and burnin rubber in all 4 gears....not really,more like burnin rubber in all the corners. It was a great camera for that and shots for cars at speed or while hiking in the sierra Nev mtns around Mt Whitney,Calif. Heres a list of some basic and useful lenses etc I had I had a 2x multiplier lense with a Pentax 80-200 for $300 .(Vivitars were $200-$230) Guess I will see what they are going for onebay. Does anyone know a better place to look for these old cameras on line?
Yo! Brother Sweet Lou! Thanks for the video. It brought back fond memories. My very first camera more than 2 decades ago in college in was a Pentax k1000. It served me well, in photography 101. I got an A that semester. PEACE
Once you slap a good lens on this camera, it'll be just as good as the next guy's M6. I have my mom's Minolta SRT 303 here that feels pretty similar to this. Gotta love these all-mechanical beasts.
Yay! that's the camera that iniciated me in analog photography, actually picked it up for 27 Euros in a thrift place, i bought it for adapting the lens but i tried it and fell in love with the analog photography
Fun video! This was the camera my parents used throughout my childhood. I've just pulled it out of the case to start using it again and needed a refresher.
Just started shooting a K-1000 as a secondary thing to my brand new K-70 digital. So-far I've only shot one roll with it, and atm haven't gotten it back from development yet, so idk how I did. But so far it's been a joy to shoot. Very much makes you stop and "think" about photography more. I just kinda "found" it laying around the house. My dad n I buy old film Pentaxs just for the lenses, so between us we have a couple K-1000's, KS Supers, and KS Super II's laying around, along w a decent number of 3rd party film era lenses. (I don't have any Pentax brand ones yet tho) Definitely love it with a good Auto Sears 50mm lens, sometimes my Tokina 28mm, but I'm having focus issues w it on my digital, so I kinda doubt it will work right on it either.
Amazing review. You killed it. I will be posting video of me shooting the K1000 on expired film. But love learning more and more about the film cameras I own!
I found this camera for $60 on a buy sell and trade site for my small town and bought it!!! I’m super excited to try out film photography for the first time, I know I’m going to make a LOT of mistakes but I’m ready to try I think, glad this little camera can be there for me and help me through it
You should start a podcast! I’ve been wanting to get into film for so long but I have no clue where to start. I love how you explain this stuff! It’s like a ‘For Dummies” book but I don’t feel *as* dumb😌
Ooooo you're in luck, I actually have one haha. It's called Sweet Talk. Just haven't made an episode in a while. But there are four episodes on the channel, they are also on spotify and stuff like that. Best way to get into film is just do it. Just get a cheap camera from a thrift shop and experiment!! Best of luck :)
Ahh... my first SLR .... still have it .... I had to learn about exposure and sunny 16 from the start because my meter never worked .... so glad it worked out that way ... now I have 4 of them .... not the highest quality SLR ... but definitely my favorite
Depends what you mean by high quality. They were well made, but a bit clunky to use, lacked features, and were very basic and old-tech even when introduced in 1976. They were mainly a late 1960's design at a time when tech was improving rapidly. But once you set the focus and exposure correctly they took as good a picture as any 35mm film camera ever did.
I’m new to your channel and I love the way you bring things like the WASTED from GTA lol and you always find a way to touch up on other camera related things that help with overall film photos, I love it man
I've ordered this camera from Amazon (not arrived yet). Looking forward to using it. I haven't shot on film since I was a kid, and that was Just disposable cameras.
thank you so much! I've always been very fascinated by photography, but too shy to actually dip into that world and buy a camera. I was so worried about which one would be the right one, if it'd be too confusing to learn how to use it, etc. but as soon as I saw this camera I fell in LOVE!! decided to watch some videos to see if it's the right one for me to start out with - and your video helped me decide. Hoping I can get one soon :)
BEST OF LUCK!! My K1000 has been so important to my creative journey. I feel like I learned so much using it, and I really just enjoy it so much. Which honestly is such an important part of it too. You could have the best camera ever, but if it doesn't inspire you to want to go out and shoot, it doesn't really matter. Hope you get one soon too. When you do, join the discord and show us your stuff!!!
Very nice vídeo! My father just gave me one Pentax 1000 that was forgotten for over 30 years... I will have to clean it up and fix few things before start to use. Your video just made me realize how much I want to shoot with her... ;) Thank you!
I have a k 1000 I belong to my father. It's in fairly decent condition. Unfortunately the light meter no is no longer accurate but I just use the sunny 16 rule. Never really thought of it as a beginner camera. I just see it as a simple SLR that can take good pictures.
People call it a beginners camera because for many years it was recommended [obligatory] to college photography students. The theory was it forced them to learn about F-stops etc. Also for years it was the cheapest "big name" (Pentax was big then) SLR in the shop so beginners tended to buy it. It is just a stark utilitarian camera, but reliable. I find nothing appealing about it, but YMMV.
You're amazing, haha. Love your style. Also, sweet photos. And I agree about the K1000. I keep moving through different cameras, but at the end of the day if I want consistent results, I go back to my K1000. Maybe just cuz I know it best.
My dad just gave me a k1000 that he got from cleaning out an old garage. He said he's never used it and it looks like the original owner had barely used it. Battery still works.
@@SweetLouPhotography there's some awesome 3rd party lenses out there for diiiiirt cheap! I ended up with a box of KS Super and Super II bodies, and the K-1000 that I just started shooting with on the side because my dad n I shoot Pentax digitals, and scavenge marketplace and garage sales for lenses. I personally love my Sears 50mm f2 and 135mm lenses for my digital work, (tho the 135mm def needs some post processing love tbh due to fairly poor saturation, but the 50mm is just awesome, I need more of that lens lol) but there's some pretty good Vivitar Series 1, and even Focal lenses cheap. Just started messing w my Focal 85-210 using the macro mode bc it's my only true macro lens (oof) and ngl it's not half bad at that. Now, if you're feeling lucky, Moler's Camera in Wichita (iirc anyway) has an online deal, $8+shipping, you get a random PK 3rd party lens from a bin. Might be a fungus fest, might be a 28mm Sigma, (tho it was an FD mount so that's going to a friend that shoots Canon EOS) probably a generic 70-200 or thereabouts, but if you get 4 or 5 at a clip you're bound to get at least one that's useful for a pretty not bad price!
hopefully we will see a review of it :) be on the look out for a "pentacon" written on the base of the camera. those seem to be of better quality and are a little more scarce.
All the skateboarding/punk rock/hip-hop album art photography that Glen Friedman did in the 1980s was on a Pentax K1000. Minor Threat on the steps of the Dischord House? K1000. Cover of Public Enemy's "It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold us Back"? K1000. Every Beastie Boys promo shot up to and including "Ill Communication" era? K1000. Take away the gadgetry and hi-tech shenanigans and you're left with a photographer, their ability to think, their ability to see a shot in their head and make that shot a reality with the bare minimum of equipment. That's the mark of a great photographer.
the k1000 uses 35mm film, you can send your film to a lab to be developed (like the darkroom in cali) or you can develop and scan it yourself-- I made a video about that too if you're interested: ruclips.net/video/XSMoZQL8w3A/видео.html
I don't get the _"nothing between you and your photos"_ line. Only viewfinder info is the meter needle so after composing and metering you have to take it down from your eye to check the speed and aperture are sensible. That action is _"between you and your photos"_ unless you only take sunny snapshots. The Minolta SRT 101 at least has shutter speed in the finder.
Great video! I shoot digitally with a Pentax K1 but I'm looking into getting back into film. Question, do you know if the Asiah k1000 is a better build than the non Asiah k1000? Cheers
Yes, the Asahi one is better. Later in the production, Pentax took advantage of the fact that they had built an uncritical K1000 fan base, including art schools who still recommended it for their pupils because they had always done so. So Pentax cut costs by outsourcing production to a low bidder(s) who replaced some metal components with plastic, and dropped the Asahi name.
I've been debating to buy one for a long time and I think you video was a good push to buy one. As my first film camera. Thanks! Any film you recommend for it and places to get photos developed ?
Glad you dig it-- I love the K1000 so much. I normally send my photos to the Darkroom (in Cali) They do pretty good work, though sometimes their scans aren't the best. Before big 'rona, since I'm in NYC I tired to bring them to local labs as much as possible. So if you are local, Sammy's Photo Lab, and Eliz Digital are two that I've used a bunch as well.
Lol you were right about the beating my Photography teacher dropped his K1000 down a cliff in the Superstition Mountains and he hiked down and it still worked
got one of these for 20 bucks today with a 50mm lense on it, didnt even intend on getting it lmao. was at a mechanic workshop that was closing and selling all their tools real cheap, but found it sitting in a box.
I like the K1000. Owning my second. Also my second MX, so I humbly disagree, with that choice for me. But.... If it works for you, Love my ME Super, too.
Not worth it in my opinion unless you can get it for reeeeally cheap, not that it's a bad camera (it isn't)but just because the prices have inflated because of demand - it doesn't even have a self-timer. Plenty of other great Pentax SLRs with more features that can usually be bought for way cheaper like the KX, KM, MX etc. saw a KM and K1000 side by side in the shop the other day and the KM was literally half the price of the K1000.
Exactly. The hipsters have picked on this particular camera (there were many others similar in the 1970's) and inflated the price with hype. You could get a PhD in social psychology doing a study of how this happened. Nothing wrong with the camera itself, but nothing special either.
It is very similar to the K1000, the main difference being it has a M42 lens mount instead of a K bayonet. Neither have a self-timer (other Spotmatics and K-series cameras did). The SP500 iacks a flash hot-shoe and used mercury batteries _which are unobtainable now_ . There are work-arounds to the battery issue, but I wouldn't bother unless you only want it for a museum. Incidentally the SP500 has a top shutter speed of 1/500 sec while some other Spotmatics, and the K1000, had 1/1000 sec. In fact they all had the same shutter, but Pentax put a stop in the SP500 shutter speed knob to make it inaccessible - for marketing reasons! But some owners report that 1/1000 _is_ accessible on the SP500 but is just not marked. It could be that previous owners simply removed the stop. The SP500 was the budget Spotmatic, like the K1000 was the budget K-Series camera.
yes, the Asahi logo indicates which factory the camera came from, you can read more about it here: www.pentaxforums.com/forums/8-pentax-film-slr-discussion/82649-k1000-how-tell-japan-made-version.html
No. The purpose of vertical rather than horizontal is to increase the flash sync speed - typically under 1/100 for horizontal but up to 1/250 vertical. That may or may not matter to you. The professional cameras of the 1980s (eg Nikon F3, Pentax LX. Canon F1) used horizontal because it was more reliable.
I got lucky and found it at a Good Will for cheap-- ebay you'll see this for like 50 - 100$ in my experience. But because this was a mass produced camera for years, you will see them in thrift shops. I've seen a bunch! Good luck with your creative journey, and happy hunting
Averaging ~£125 (=$150?) sold on Ebay in the UK now (April 2021), add another £25 if really good condition. Price has come down a bit lately (Covid effect?). You can be lucky and find them cheap from house clearance sales etc or from people who don't know what they are selling. They are very common, biggest selling SLR of all time, because they were cheap when new.
Hello, I had to, earn my Pentax K 1000 camera Though I.C.S., School in the 1990's, and now It, is out of service.And I know, what's wrong with It, needs a new, rewind crank and open the door.
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"Wanna know my philosophy? Just go shoot"
I hope more people realize this: you don't need a specific camera or lens or anything to take good pictures. I started taking pictures on my smartphone. My first camera was a thirty-year-old Zenit 122 with no functioning light meter. If you like your setup, you like your setup, it doesn't matter if it isn't "cool" or "professional"
Your love for this camera shows in the care you've taken with these photos - Beautiful images
Thanks bud, appreciate ya immensely
Both my grandmother and my mom had K1000, and I ended up with both of them. My mom even had magazine clippings in her camera bag where she was comparing it to the Olympus before she purchased it. Love those cameras!
Big legacy energy there. That's awesome!! Hope you enjoy the K1000s!!
Out of interest, which Olympus?
I’ve never gotten the whole “beginner” camera thing... if it takes photos, it takes photos. Almost 100% of a photo is the photographer. You could give me the most expensive camera in the world and I can take a horrible picture while you could give me a cheap camera and I can take a great photo.
He says that, but then goes on to recommend it for beginners ?!
Exactly!
Then we see people breaking the bank from buying these Mamiya’s, Leica’s,Pentax’s, Haddelblads, and so forth only to shoot subpar images ,
People just need to learn photography? You know what, this motivates me to do an entire series on the pentax K1000
@@dukenukem5768 because its cheaper and very rudimentary. its no nonsense and it reduces the beginner anxiety about photography. anyone can use it!
@@maxhernie8053 K1000s are not about being cheap. Cheap compared with a modern new camera but expensive compared with similar cameras of its time, or most used ones since, partly thanks to RUclips videos like this. I just checked UK Ebay and the median sold price (with lens) is £100 and median asking price is £250. You will need to go a long way to find a $6 one.
The K1000 was not special for its time (1970s), only typical. Most cameras then were mechanical/manual and all the quality brands (Pentax, Nikon, Fuji & co) were assumed to last a lifetime or two.
The K1000 only came to the attention of a later generation of users because it was still being manufactured in the 1990s, and it was sold to young people because art and photography schools continued to recommended it - by default because the schools never got round to updating their course handout material. That is the [valid] reason for its "student" or "college" reputation he mentions [8:23]; whether you think that is an issue is your call. In time, Pentax took advantage of this by outsourcing to cheaper manufacturers [8:16] yet raising the price.
As for beginner anxiety, being faced with deciding shutter speed and F number is the way to make a Generation Z anxious. So most modern electronic cameras have a "green mode" where you leave everything technical to the camera. Arguably that is the way to concentrate on the picture itself, the opposite of what he says @3:00. Setting speed and aperture manually are now regarded as advanced techniques that beginners do not need to learn unless they are really keen on the tech or want to become pros. FWIW I have a top-of the range DSLR with about a million different modes, yet I use it set to manual all the time, and I have old manual cameras too.
@@dukenukem5768 Everyone can use a top end DSLR on a fully Program and Tv/Av Mode. Thats not entirely the point i was making about the camera in my comment.
The Pentax K1000 arguably upholds its reputation as a beginner *photographer* camera. Everything you need to know about the basics of a camera is right in front of your face. You cannot argue with that. It's purpose, in my opinion, was not about being the best in its class in the day. Nikon and Canon and whatever else on the market on the Pro/prosumer end would surely outmatch it with various gizmos like the speed winder time stamp etc etc. Its limited to what it is, but the application the market/advertisers and what its legacy set it up for it has excelled. Analog is so much easier to work with in an academic setting. It teaches failure and intimate knowledge about photography more than digital can. The dark room makes or breaks you as a photographer and its still the reason why top photography schools use analog with the students. You can also just get an F-1 or some expensive Nikon/Lecia or Bessa but without basics you're really wasting your time and money and the more expensive DSLR or camera doesnt make up for the lack of fundamentals. Settings is just one part of a grander picture in image making, you know that.
Cheap: schools probably got it in bulk and on the discount. Today, the only reason why it is so expensive is because film is "trending" and that particular camera along with the AE-1 and whatever Nikon equivalent are on blog posts and articles increasing the value. Those are about 250 USD easy. An AT-1 from canon, virtually the same camera as the K1000, is expensive! Analog is making a trendy return and prices reflect that.Thats simple capitalism right there. There are hundreds of thousands of the pre-Chinese K1000s so you can find them anywhere, especially the higher quality made ones, which reflects the popularity. I picked one up for 80$ USD, dirty, but it works.
I bought my K-1000 in 84, still use it today. Best investment ever. Got it new with a 50mm lens. My only gripe is the lens cap falls off, easy to loose.
I have a few SLR s
Probably the best of them are the two Pentax K 1000s I use.
One is Chinese made...
The prism is marked but the meter works fine.
The Tai lens on it is great
The other one is a Hong Kong made with a Japanese lens which is mint.
The 1 second speed is quirky but the other speeds are fine.
I have had less trouble with these two SLRs than the other one s I have used.
So I conclude the camera is excellent
Despite thing s said about Chinese bodied K1000s
Great video, thanks so much! I grew up in the 70's using a K-1000 as my sole camera. Learned it well and took so many memorable photos. The kids sometimes go up into the attic and shuffle through the shoe boxes and say stuff like "wow, who wears socks up to their knees with stripes going around the calf?". Now I'm 54 and using my Iphone instead. Maybe there are 12 step programs for people like me. I had it so good. Changing from a Pentax K-1000 to an Iphone for your camera is like going from your moms best homecooked meals to moving out on your own and having nothing but golden corral to eat for breakfast/lunch/and dinner...for thirty years!
So my 16 yr old son asked me a month ago what kind of camera I thought he should get prior to going to NYC with his brother for some fun time. I told him without a doubt, try to find a clean Pentax K-1000. He picked one up in great condition and he's really enjoying it. This video showed him much better than I could why the K-1000 is not only a good starter camera, but likely the camera that he might one day return to when he realizes that modernity left the imagination on the sideline. Thanks!
Great to hear someone articulate my exact affections for the k1000. There’s a reason this camera has such a dedicated group of admirers. ✌️
I started film photography 15 years ago with Pentax KM so I can related to this video a lot. The simplicity in the viewfinder is the exact reason I'm getting myself KM (K1000 brother) again. I'm just more attached to KM because I started with it :) Thanks for an amazing video!
Great video! I've had my K1000 since I bought it new in, like, 1989 or something. It's very sturdy, as you've observed, and it is, in fact, the only 35mm camera I still own (in fact i own 2, since I also got a "backup" body a few years ago.) I use this camera when I want good pictures with no screwing around. For instance, this is the camera I had in the delivery room for both of my boys, over ten years ago now. I have boxes and boxes of family photos from my teenage and college years shot on this camera, and binders of b&w negatives since I started shooting mostly b&w film. One thing you did not mention, which is kind of a negative about the K1000, is the really loud shutter. Of course, that's also part of the charm of it. Again, great review of a really solid camera. Thanks!
I just purchased this camera for my film class! Cant wait to learn how to use it
I love this camera. I learned how to shoot film on the K1000 at American River College in the early 2000s. It was my roommates and he let me borrow it. What I like about the K1000 is it is all about taking photos and not about the slick new just shutter speed, aperture, and ISO.
The K1000 is a fantastic camera! I have my dad's that he bought new in the '70s & it still works perfectly.
I love that!! It's so cool to hear about cameras getting passed down like that
Literally just bought this today off some guy for $30, never shot analog before and I'm so excited to learn
Its a solid manual camera and college students are lucky to start on it because you can learn photography concepts while using it. Any manual 35mm camera you start on you can keep using...always.
I literally just bought this camera and I can't wait to play with it. It'll be my first manual film camera. Thank you for this video!
where did you buy it from? I can't find it ? did you buy a used one or a new on?
@@ayeshagazyani9433 Used one. I just browsed online here in New Zealand. Happen to chance upon one after looking for months..
@@altXtabXdel thank you so much!!
I just listed one on eBay.
this was my first "real" camera. great video and review. i might have to look for another one.
While it wasn't my first, I feel like this was the first 35mm camera I owned where things kinda 'clicked' for me. Best of luck, enjoy it if you find one! :)
For a couple weeks I've been trying to decide on which film 35mm SLR camera to buy. Since I own a digital Nikon, I looked into the famous classic Nikon F3. After watching RUclips videos showing the F3 many features I decided that it was overwhelming, because of too many features. I like simplicity so I decided it was not for me. After watching videos like this about the Pentax K-1000, i saw it was so mechanical and simple, not even needing the battery to function. It was perfect to fit me. Ordered one off eBay today! Thanks for the added history links, and even the PDF manual link. Liked and subscribed to your channel immediately!
Nikon fm is very simple and I believe a bit lighter
Just bought my first Pentax K1000 for 70 dollars, but it included the leather strap and case, the original lens and lens cap and a flash! I'm so excited! 😁
Woooooo best of luck with it!!
I just inherited a K1000 from my grandfather along with four lenses to go with it. I've been in photography for several years, but never film, but I've always wanted to. Well, not film in a manual configuration. I'm incredibly excited to get out and see what I can capture.
Best of luck!! I hope you enjoy the camera and the process!!
I shoot with the K1000 during the 80-ties till 2008 together with a Pentax ME. I must say that during difficult conditions the K1000 is the winner.
A tank of a camera and great to handle. Manual. No electronics and never let me down. I still have it and will never let it go.
I recently bought a Mamiya 1000 DTL with a neat lens for pretty cheap, in regard to which I share a lot of feelings you have towards the K1000. I haven't developed my first two rolls yet, so I hope the light meter does a good job. The needle seems to be a bit lazy sometimes. But it has a quirky way to safe battery life!
You can put a roll of film in
and forget about everything else
You don't have to worry about change in the weather and have to compensate by fiddling with apperture rings
Just follow the needle.
Love the vid and especially the first few shots are beautiful!
Thank you so much!! Really appreciate ya
WHAT A SUPRISE . I was in the garage and just located my Pentax I bought in about 1978 and shot it maybe 200 times.,maybe more but not much. I came right in to search the web and found this site. .It was a good camera for my needs. It good today that you can know if your pic is good immediately after taking it. I dont know why anyone would go back to film. I had been used to the instamatic 135. It was great for my interest level until I wanted sports action and I had just bought a 1969 GT350 conv. and needed a camera for race track day for club members with SAAC 3 at sears point and leguna Seca. Back then It was a rapidly growing national club that morphed from ShelbyOwners Assn . I took many pics of the race day events and my wife got some of me in the car ,and burnin rubber in all 4 gears....not really,more like burnin rubber in all the corners. It was a great camera for that and shots for cars at speed or while hiking in the sierra Nev mtns around Mt Whitney,Calif.
Heres a list of some basic and useful lenses etc I had
I had a 2x multiplier lense with a Pentax 80-200 for $300 .(Vivitars were $200-$230)
Guess I will see what they are going for onebay. Does anyone know a better place to look for these old cameras on line?
Yo! Brother Sweet Lou! Thanks for the video. It brought back fond memories. My very first camera more than 2 decades ago in college in was a Pentax k1000. It served me well, in photography 101. I got an A that semester. PEACE
Once you slap a good lens on this camera, it'll be just as good as the next guy's M6. I have my mom's Minolta SRT 303 here that feels pretty similar to this. Gotta love these all-mechanical beasts.
Yay! that's the camera that iniciated me in analog photography, actually picked it up for 27 Euros in a thrift place, i bought it for adapting the lens but i tried it and fell in love with the analog photography
Much love!! Thank you so much. And 27 euros is a dope price. Hope you enjoy your for a long time!! It's such a dope camera
Fun video! This was the camera my parents used throughout my childhood. I've just pulled it out of the case to start using it again and needed a refresher.
Just started shooting a K-1000 as a secondary thing to my brand new K-70 digital. So-far I've only shot one roll with it, and atm haven't gotten it back from development yet, so idk how I did.
But so far it's been a joy to shoot. Very much makes you stop and "think" about photography more.
I just kinda "found" it laying around the house. My dad n I buy old film Pentaxs just for the lenses, so between us we have a couple K-1000's, KS Supers, and KS Super II's laying around, along w a decent number of 3rd party film era lenses. (I don't have any Pentax brand ones yet tho)
Definitely love it with a good Auto Sears 50mm lens, sometimes my Tokina 28mm, but I'm having focus issues w it on my digital, so I kinda doubt it will work right on it either.
Amazing review. You killed it. I will be posting video of me shooting the K1000 on expired film. But love learning more and more about the film cameras I own!
I found this camera for $60 on a buy sell and trade site for my small town and bought it!!! I’m super excited to try out film photography for the first time, I know I’m going to make a LOT of mistakes but I’m ready to try I think, glad this little camera can be there for me and help me through it
Best of luck!! Have fun with it
You made me buy my first camera and it is this I will have it in a few days, thank you
Congrats and best of luck with it!! Make sure you tag me on IG or join the discord, would love to see what you come up with
You should start a podcast! I’ve been wanting to get into film for so long but I have no clue where to start. I love how you explain this stuff! It’s like a ‘For Dummies” book but I don’t feel *as* dumb😌
Ooooo you're in luck, I actually have one haha. It's called Sweet Talk. Just haven't made an episode in a while. But there are four episodes on the channel, they are also on spotify and stuff like that.
Best way to get into film is just do it. Just get a cheap camera from a thrift shop and experiment!! Best of luck :)
I really enjoy this channel! So satisfying to watch.
Glad you dig it!!
Great video! I have the Canon A1, but still love this video! You were pretty funny haha new subscriber here on out
Ahh... my first SLR .... still have it .... I had to learn about exposure and sunny 16 from the start because my meter never worked .... so glad it worked out that way ... now I have 4 of them .... not the highest quality SLR ... but definitely my favorite
I love that!! I feel the same way, not the best. But it's so special to me
Depends what you mean by high quality. They were well made, but a bit clunky to use, lacked features, and were very basic and old-tech even when introduced in 1976. They were mainly a late 1960's design at a time when tech was improving rapidly. But once you set the focus and exposure correctly they took as good a picture as any 35mm film camera ever did.
Great video. Looking at a couple K1000’s now. Looking for simple.
I’m new to your channel and I love the way you bring things like the WASTED from GTA lol and you always find a way to touch up on other camera related things that help with overall film photos, I love it man
I've ordered this camera from Amazon (not arrived yet). Looking forward to using it. I haven't shot on film since I was a kid, and that was Just disposable cameras.
Well, you sold me on the Fujifilm 300 wide, Tiger Pokemon toy camera and now this..
Love your reviews - Thanks for all the useful insight.
Thank you so much, glad you dig what I'm doing!! How's the Pokemon camera treating you though??? hahaha
@@SweetLouPhotography Haven't gotten anything developed yet but the Diglett shutter alone makes the camera worth it!
thank you so much! I've always been very fascinated by photography, but too shy to actually dip into that world and buy a camera. I was so worried about which one would be the right one, if it'd be too confusing to learn how to use it, etc. but as soon as I saw this camera I fell in LOVE!! decided to watch some videos to see if it's the right one for me to start out with - and your video helped me decide. Hoping I can get one soon :)
BEST OF LUCK!! My K1000 has been so important to my creative journey. I feel like I learned so much using it, and I really just enjoy it so much. Which honestly is such an important part of it too. You could have the best camera ever, but if it doesn't inspire you to want to go out and shoot, it doesn't really matter. Hope you get one soon too. When you do, join the discord and show us your stuff!!!
Another fun video to watch and the best K1000 review I have seen. Especially with such an opener 🤫😉 well done!
You are too kind, thank you so much man!! The K1000 is super special to me haha
@@SweetLouPhotography your video totally transports that.
Instant sub from the intro and the VHS play effect on the top LOL
Fuckin dying at the Owen Wilson meter. But wow, what an amazing review. I’m sold bro.
3 seconds into the video and I am VIBIN WITH IT, instant subscribe!
Hahaha thanks so much, glad you're on board
Very nice vídeo!
My father just gave me one Pentax 1000 that was forgotten for over 30 years... I will have to clean it up and fix few things before start to use. Your video just made me realize how much I want to shoot with her... ;) Thank you!
Best of luck!! That's officially a family heirloom now :)
how does it compare with the Spotmatic? Thank you
It is a Spotmatic with a K lens mount instead of a M42 mount.
I have a k 1000 I belong to my father. It's in fairly decent condition. Unfortunately the light meter no is no longer accurate but I just use the sunny 16 rule. Never really thought of it as a beginner camera. I just see it as a simple SLR that can take good pictures.
People call it a beginners camera because for many years it was recommended [obligatory] to college photography students. The theory was it forced them to learn about F-stops etc. Also for years it was the cheapest "big name" (Pentax was big then) SLR in the shop so beginners tended to buy it. It is just a stark utilitarian camera, but reliable. I find nothing appealing about it, but YMMV.
You're amazing, haha. Love your style. Also, sweet photos. And I agree about the K1000. I keep moving through different cameras, but at the end of the day if I want consistent results, I go back to my K1000. Maybe just cuz I know it best.
I feel the same way!! All roads lead back to my Pentax hahahaha. Thanks so much!
What about Nikon FM2? Which one you prefer comparing to the Pentax K1000?
Thanks for a great in depth review!
My dad just gave me a k1000 that he got from cleaning out an old garage. He said he's never used it and it looks like the original owner had barely used it. Battery still works.
This camera really tuned me in to photography and I still have it with a 200mm aside from the normal lens.
I definitely need to grab more lenses for mine!! I have the 50 and the 28mm
@@SweetLouPhotography there's some awesome 3rd party lenses out there for diiiiirt cheap! I ended up with a box of KS Super and Super II bodies, and the K-1000 that I just started shooting with on the side because my dad n I shoot Pentax digitals, and scavenge marketplace and garage sales for lenses. I personally love my Sears 50mm f2 and 135mm lenses for my digital work, (tho the 135mm def needs some post processing love tbh due to fairly poor saturation, but the 50mm is just awesome, I need more of that lens lol) but there's some pretty good Vivitar Series 1, and even Focal lenses cheap. Just started messing w my Focal 85-210 using the macro mode bc it's my only true macro lens (oof) and ngl it's not half bad at that.
Now, if you're feeling lucky, Moler's Camera in Wichita (iirc anyway) has an online deal, $8+shipping, you get a random PK 3rd party lens from a bin. Might be a fungus fest, might be a 28mm Sigma, (tho it was an FD mount so that's going to a friend that shoots Canon EOS) probably a generic 70-200 or thereabouts, but if you get 4 or 5 at a clip you're bound to get at least one that's useful for a pretty not bad price!
This video could also be called: "Sweet Lou Talks While He Shows Us A Bunch of Amazing Photographs He Made!"
Seriously, SO MANY awesome photos
JACOB I'm gonna CRY stop it hahahahha. Thank you so much duderino, you are so kind
may i suggest the Praktica mtl 5 b? it has all the features of the pentax but the light meter is actuated by a button next to the shutter.
ooooooo appreciate the suggestion!! I think my friend has one, I'll investigate
hopefully we will see a review of it :) be on the look out for a "pentacon" written on the base of the camera. those seem to be of better quality and are a little more scarce.
All the skateboarding/punk rock/hip-hop album art photography that Glen Friedman did in the 1980s was on a Pentax K1000. Minor Threat on the steps of the Dischord House? K1000. Cover of Public Enemy's "It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold us Back"? K1000. Every Beastie Boys promo shot up to and including "Ill Communication" era? K1000. Take away the gadgetry and hi-tech shenanigans and you're left with a photographer, their ability to think, their ability to see a shot in their head and make that shot a reality with the bare minimum of equipment. That's the mark of a great photographer.
This was a fantastic video !
What kind of film do you need? Also how can you digitize the film? Thanks!
the k1000 uses 35mm film, you can send your film to a lab to be developed (like the darkroom in cali) or you can develop and scan it yourself-- I made a video about that too if you're interested: ruclips.net/video/XSMoZQL8w3A/видео.html
It's a great beginner camera but you out grow it pretty quickly. Better to buy a Cannon AE-1
I don't get the _"nothing between you and your photos"_ line. Only viewfinder info is the meter needle so after composing and metering you have to take it down from your eye to check the speed and aperture are sensible. That action is _"between you and your photos"_ unless you only take sunny snapshots. The Minolta SRT 101 at least has shutter speed in the finder.
Great video! I shoot digitally with a Pentax K1 but I'm looking into getting back into film. Question, do you know if the Asiah k1000 is a better build than the non Asiah k1000? Cheers
Yes, the Asahi one is better. Later in the production, Pentax took advantage of the fact that they had built an uncritical K1000 fan base, including art schools who still recommended it for their pupils because they had always done so. So Pentax cut costs by outsourcing production to a low bidder(s) who replaced some metal components with plastic, and dropped the Asahi name.
In 2019, yes. But in 2020, I would just wait for the Pentax k1000 ii.
but does it do 8k??????????
Awesome video! Have the same feeling about my Yashica F3 super : )
I've been debating to buy one for a long time and I think you video was a good push to buy one. As my first film camera. Thanks! Any film you recommend for it and places to get photos developed ?
Glad you dig it-- I love the K1000 so much. I normally send my photos to the Darkroom (in Cali) They do pretty good work, though sometimes their scans aren't the best. Before big 'rona, since I'm in NYC I tired to bring them to local labs as much as possible. So if you are local, Sammy's Photo Lab, and Eliz Digital are two that I've used a bunch as well.
Just bought a refurbished Japan made one on the way!
Enjoy it!!!
@@SweetLouPhotography It feels so amazing 😭
Lol you were right about the beating my Photography teacher dropped his K1000 down a cliff in the Superstition Mountains and he hiked down and it still worked
What lens do you prefer shooting with?
got one of these for 20 bucks today with a 50mm lense on it, didnt even intend on getting it lmao. was at a mechanic workshop that was closing and selling all their tools real cheap, but found it sitting in a box.
My first camera! So sad that I actually sold it...have to get another!
i need to take mine apart to clean out the view finder. it looks like ink got in there somehow
I just orderd a k1000 yup my first film
I like the K1000. Owning my second. Also my second MX, so I humbly disagree, with that choice for me. But.... If it works for you, Love my ME Super, too.
I am in CT where can I get my cleaned. I've just rediscovered my K1000. every shop are digital caneras
I am about to buy it!!!!
best of luck!!
Not worth it in my opinion unless you can get it for reeeeally cheap, not that it's a bad camera (it isn't)but just because the prices have inflated because of demand - it doesn't even have a self-timer. Plenty of other great Pentax SLRs with more features that can usually be bought for way cheaper like the KX, KM, MX etc. saw a KM and K1000 side by side in the shop the other day and the KM was literally half the price of the K1000.
Exactly. The hipsters have picked on this particular camera (there were many others similar in the 1970's) and inflated the price with hype. You could get a PhD in social psychology doing a study of how this happened. Nothing wrong with the camera itself, but nothing special either.
What do you think about the penta sp 500? Is it any good. ? TO LEARN FROM?
It is very similar to the K1000, the main difference being it has a M42 lens mount instead of a K bayonet. Neither have a self-timer (other Spotmatics and K-series cameras did). The SP500 iacks a flash hot-shoe and used mercury batteries _which are unobtainable now_ . There are work-arounds to the battery issue, but I wouldn't bother unless you only want it for a museum. Incidentally the SP500 has a top shutter speed of 1/500 sec while some other Spotmatics, and the K1000, had 1/1000 sec. In fact they all had the same shutter, but Pentax put a stop in the SP500 shutter speed knob to make it inaccessible - for marketing reasons! But some owners report that 1/1000 _is_ accessible on the SP500 but is just not marked. It could be that previous owners simply removed the stop.
The SP500 was the budget Spotmatic, like the K1000 was the budget K-Series camera.
Hi! Where can i get that type of camera? I’ve been thinking about getting it for christmas
Damn it, the would you kindly reference got me, I did subscribe
Would you kindly. Powerful phrase... familiar phrase?
Love your videos
Thanks so much, glad you dig what I'm doing here!!
I’d like to go around shooting streetphotography without lens cap, how long do you think my K1000 battery will last?
Hi, is there a difference if a pentax k1000 says Asahi on top of the logo? Or are they both the same? Because I noticed some says “asahi” some don’t
yes, the Asahi logo indicates which factory the camera came from, you can read more about it here:
www.pentaxforums.com/forums/8-pentax-film-slr-discussion/82649-k1000-how-tell-japan-made-version.html
Omg I was about to sell my k1000 because I wanna trade in for fujifilm X100V. Your video lets me save it.
enjoy it!!!
You have the chinese made version there, plastic top and bottom. No Asahi on the top. Still a great camera though.
will i get a better picture with a horizontal shutter vs a vertical shutter?
No. The purpose of vertical rather than horizontal is to increase the flash sync speed - typically under 1/100 for horizontal but up to 1/250 vertical. That may or may not matter to you. The professional cameras of the 1980s (eg Nikon F3, Pentax LX. Canon F1) used horizontal because it was more reliable.
I found a Japanese one for $20 at Goodwill, so keep an eye out
I really want a k1000 just unsure where to get one that's in good condition any idea?
Ebay, thrift shops, local sales
how much does it sell for ? i’m 17 and i wanna start being a photographer early
I got lucky and found it at a Good Will for cheap-- ebay you'll see this for like 50 - 100$ in my experience. But because this was a mass produced camera for years, you will see them in thrift shops. I've seen a bunch! Good luck with your creative journey, and happy hunting
Averaging ~£125 (=$150?) sold on Ebay in the UK now (April 2021), add another £25 if really good condition. Price has come down a bit lately (Covid effect?). You can be lucky and find them cheap from house clearance sales etc or from people who don't know what they are selling. They are very common, biggest selling SLR of all time, because they were cheap when new.
Buying one in 2021
I want to get this, do you recommend the 50mm lens or 35mm lens
I love the 50mm, I use it almost exclusively. I do also have a 28mm which I quite like, especially for astrophotography stuff.
What camera meter app do u use
normally I use the meter in my k1000 or 'Light Meter - Free" on android, hope that helps
How does a light meter even work!
m a g i c
Nice video
I own two, there my fav!!!
8:38
Just making a personal time stamp of this for every time I feel it's necessary to goof on my college photographer girlfriend with her K1000 😂❤
What lens do you use?
You can see @0:41
Drugs. Simple Jack. Wow. Love that camera!
Are you a long island native?
close, i'm from the Bronx
yes
Yes indeed
@@SweetLouPhotography I didn't need the video to know the answer but it just reinforces my view point LoL
Hello, I had to, earn my Pentax K 1000 camera
Though I.C.S., School in the 1990's, and now
It, is out of service.And I know, what's wrong with
It, needs a new, rewind crank and open the door.
Epic