Camera works great. Shutter fires wonderfully, lenses are for the most part clean (minor dust in viewfinder), film loads in great, and all other mechanical features work great. Took quite a few photos so far and it’s been working great! Highly recommend this camera to starting photographers. This is a pretty heavy camera so it will definitely last and will not easily be lost, however, a camera strap is definitely recommended (can get a little annoying to carry for long periods of time).
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
Condition was better than expected, shutter fires correctly and consistently. dust and light seals needed to be replaced, which is to be expected. Film rewinder was a bit loose, but shouldnt be a problem. Camera overall in good shape, especially for its age.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
I bought my K1000 because I wanted a cheap 35mm film camera that would just take great pictures on demand - no dead batteries, no autofocus going mad hunting for best focus, no "please wait, saving information" messages when you try to take rapid-fire shots. The K1000 excels at this. Batteries - the K1000 only takes (1) LR44 battery, available at any convenience store. All the battery does is power the built-in light meter; you can take pictures without the battery. With the battery in, using the K1000 is easy - point it at your subject, focus the lens, turn the aperture and shutter dials until the light meter's needle is pointing to the middle of the scale, then press the shutter button. The split prism viewfinder makes focusing as simple as getting line segments on your subject to line up in the viewfinder. You can use the exposure compensation meter to fine-tune the light meter if you think that the light meter will be fooled by the color of your subject. The only things that this camera won't do well are the things that it wasn't designed to do - it won't autofocus, and it won't tell you when you're screwing up your shot. It's built like a tank, so you get an indestructible camera body at the expense of having a millstone around your neck when you travel. For those people considering whether to get a Pentax ZX-M instead of the K1000 - get the ZX-M only if weight is an issue or if you absolutely need your camera to do your thinking for you. Otherwise, the K1000 is a better deal.Read full review
This is my first 35mm film camera, and was really happy I bought it. Hell it was only $99 with the lens. Mine was in excellent condition and well packaged. I got the model with the microprism (not the split-screen). Note you need to put your eye a few millimeters back. Loading the film is straightforward, similar to other 35mm camera such as Nikon F3 but not like Leicas. Just remember to press the button under the camera before rewinding the film. Just wish the camera had a better grip to place my fingers. It will accept an universal screw-in type cable release. The 50mm f/2 is good enough for me since I mostly do my photography at small apertures (i.e. large f/stop number). The K1000, as its name implies, has a maximum shutter speed of 1/1000 s. As far as I can tell all shutter speeds are accurate on mine. I do appreciate that this is a fully mechanical manual camera. It requires no battery to shoot. The single SR44 (don't buy LR44, silver oxide is much better than alkaline) only powers the light meter, an analog one that uses a needle, which is even better than the one on the Nikon F3 for instance, because the needle tells you by how many stops you are under/over exposing it (it doesn't tell you that directly but it's very obvious) and it's easy to see that you're coming close to the appropriate exposure. The camera is very simple, it doesn't have a self-timer, mirror lock up, depth of field preview and any auto mode. It's a really great tool to get back to the basics (which doesn't mean you'll get basic pictures at all, bien au contraire !) The size is just right. I wouldn't recommend it, but it just barely fits in the pocket of my jacket. Too bad the lens doesn't come with a hood, though you can attach one. Also know that the lens will extend when focusing. The viewfinder doesn't have 1.00 magnification, but is it really a problem? The flash sync speed is 1/60 of a second, not really usable for fill in flash but you'll appreciate the hot shoe (above the viewfinder, as usual) and cold shoe (facing the front of the camera, the round thingy on the bottom right of the lens). You can make multiple exposures using the following trick: Take your first shot. Then tighten the rewind (crank it a bit) then hold it with your left thumb, press and hold button under the camera while operating the film advance (although it won't advance the film but only cock the shutter). Take the second picture. Proceed as usual to move on to the next frame. Still I would waste a frame to make sure it won't overlap the last picture. This happened to me, it's not a fool proof. A dedicated function is much safer. I'm guessing the problem is tightening the film too much, in fact I should try not tightening it at all, it shouldn't make that much of a difference, if any. This camera is fantastic, and even more for its price. It seems rock solid, with a metal construction. I'd say if you want to try film, then you're really going to have a lot of fun, and will really enjoy the fact that this camera is so simple. Digital cameras have gone crazy in the recent years, there are just too many menus and options.Read full review
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
The Pentax K1000 originally came out in 1976. I bought my first one in 1978. It was the basic "plain Jane" 35MM SLR that was manufactured by Asahi Pentax. The camer would accept ank K Mount, Baynet type lens that was produced by Pentax. It did not have the capability of accepting a auto winder or a motor drive. It is a totally manual camera. You had to set the film speed, shutter speed and apeture manually. In the view finder on the left side was a needle that pointed to a '+' or a '-' symbol to let you know if your shot was going to be correctly exposed. The camera had an internal light meter which accomplished this function. I used my K1000 when I worked for a small newspaper in the late '80's and it never failed me. The camera body was metal and it was extremely rugged. I still have that camera and have picked up another K1000 recently. While digital cameras have taken over the photography market, it is still hard to beat 35MM photography for basic photography. As most photo processing centers still develop 35MM film and they can put your pics on a disc, the 35MM camera is still as viable today as it ever was. Considering that you can purchase a K1000 on Ebay for just a few bucks, you could not go wrong getting a K1000 and learning just how much fun photography can be. Also everything you learn using a film camera is easily translated to digital photography.Read full review
I purchased this camera for a photography class (plus I wanted one after using my uncle's Pentax K1000), this camera is awesome. This is an all-manual 35mm SLR film camera that is pretty straight to the point. Between the camera body itself and a lens, there are settings for film speed, shutter speed, and aperture (and maybe zoom depending on the lens being used) - that's it. There is a light meter located in the viewfinder, the only thing in the entire camera that requires a battery. Nothing fancy, just enough to take a picture, but also to where, as a photographer, you put more thought into your photos, rather than letting the camera do the work for you. This camera looks and feels like it was built like a tank - seeing how many of these cameras are still around seems to indicate that these cameras are very well-built and are very reliable. For students looking for a good starter film camera, I highly recommend this camera - I like it a lot. Oh yeah, and you could run one of these without a battery (with the loss of the light meter)! God bless!Read full review
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