Which is the best Pentax?

[colindavis]

Straw poll time!!

Which in your own humble opinion was the best Pentax ever, film or digital, AF or manual. All comers welcome.

Mine is my current Pentax K10D as I really don't have much of a history with Pentax cameras. I have an MZ60 AF film camera which was okay but much preferred my older Konica manual.

I bought the K10D to enable use of the older FA lenses that I had having been persuaded by the review in AP to try it out in ..........wait for it.........Jessops!! I really liked the weight and feel of it in my hand mostly. I don't need 100 fps and am willing to work with the meters tendency to underexpose slightly. I also had a Samsung GS so the kit lenses worked with the K10D.

SO WHATS YOURS THEN??

Colin

[Benchista]

Spotmatic F. Or MX. Or 67. I'll get back to you when I've made up my mind!

[dangie]

As much as I like my K10D, I think you've got to go back to film days to find the best Pentax cameras. You have to judge them against the competition at the time. Digital cameras today are all much of a muchness.
The Spotmatic 500 (mine), Spotmatic 1000 and Spotmatic F were superb cameras but the 42mm screw mount did hold them back a bit. When the K mount appeared the K1000 sold in huge numbers as it was a perfect learning tool. The LX was a true professional camera, but it was up against the pros favourites, the Canon F1 and Nikon F (same problem which still haunts Pentax today). The 645 and 6x7 were very popular in the studio.
But for me, and it's a close call, I'd vote for the Pentax MX. An absolute little gem.

[huwevans]

The MX has got to be somewhere right up there, but the one I really wanted was a K2. As to whether it was the best, I'll plead ignorance, because I never did manage to get my paws on one. I'll go for the MX then. Even though it was way too small for me.

[Wheelu]

The most ergonomically perfect cameras that I have handled are the Pentax ME and MX. They are small and light and have wonderfully large and clear viewfinders of the sort that most digital SLR users can only dream about.

Contrary to popular opinion, I have a marginal preference for the ME super, whose push button manual adjustments I find easier to use than the wheel on the MX, but of course the MX has a DOF preview, and, when the light is right, the chosen aperture is viewable on the screen. The MX is also proving to be more reliable - hardly any electronics - so it's a very close run thing!

[Benchista]

Contrary to popular opinion, I have a marginal preference for the ME super

I wouldn't say "popular opinion" - just mine.

[El_Sid]

I'd say Spotmatics....... any of them. All the ones I've come across feel far superior in build and operation to practically any other equivalent camera I've handled...

...am willing to work with the meters tendency to underexpose slightly.

To be fair quite a few cameras aimed at the general consumer and tested in AP seem to have meters slightly biased toward underexposure. I suspect it's intended to minimise blown highlights...

[Gromit]

For me it must be the ME Super, simply because I was producing my best work at the time.

[nimbus]

I would go either for the Pentax SL, which was a Spotmatic without any built in metering. I still have one for nostalgic reasons, although the shutter is tapering now, or the LX, which is exquisitely built, but in the system world could not really keep up with the big two.

[PentaxManiac]

I can't give a definitive answer (yet) as there are a few I still haven't tried, including the Spotmatic and ES models. If pressed I would go for the MX as a traditional camera, but more than that the Z1P as a high-tech high spec experience.

Oddly enough, I've never tempted by the LX or the MZS, the MF and AF flagships - although if anyone has both in perfect condition and would take just the cost of postage I wouldn't say no

[johnriley1uk]

The best Pentax camera in what way? The best made, the best ergonomically, the best for reliability, the best for portability, the best for image quality.....

Whichever you mean, it depends upon what you want to do with it.

[dangie]

The best Pentax camera in what way? The best made, the best ergonomically, the best for reliability, the best for portability, the best for image quality.....

Whichever you mean, it depends upon what you want to do with it.

Errr........Taking pictures.....!!!! (Sorry)

My K10D is supposed to be all-singing, all-dancing, but it's either deaf or just bl**dy ignorant, 'cause no matter how much I shout at it, I still have to make the tea myself. Bl**dy useless camera.

[Benchista]

John's right, of course, but I think that in the sense of this thread, it's reasonable to assume that "favourite" is the best (!) meaning of the word. My problem is that it does vary according to mood. Actually, one of my favourites that I've not even mentioned was our Espio compact, which was a grand little camera.

[johnriley1uk]

Errr........Taking pictures.....!!!! (Sorry)

Crikey, that's a bit radical!

The best Pentax so far for taking pictures is the K20D.

The best one for thinking warm thoughts about how nice metal cameras were might be a Spotmatic, or an MX, or .....

[dangie]

The best one for thinking warm thoughts about how nice metal cameras were might be a Spotmatic, or an MX, or .....

Yes I admit that from time to time when I'm feeling a bit down, I take the old Spotmatic 500 out of its nice warm bag and give it a loving caress. Oh how I wish for a digital version of the Spotmatic..!!
The Espio compact has just been mentioned. I had the Espio 928. It was an ideal holiday camera. The 28-90mm zoom was excellent for walks through the Austrian Alps. Super camera. I'd forgotten that one.

[Benchista]

We got a 928 variant - the cheaper, later version - after finally destroying the original Espio. A better spec, but I never liked it quite so much.

[Monobod]

I have the following cameras:

Pentax SV with Super Takumer 55mm F1.8
Pentax Z1-P
Pentax K10D and the K20D.

I have also owned an Me super, which was very nice, but the meter on it was a bit 'off' for some reason, so i traded it.

My favourite film camera is the Z1-P, it is just so ergonomic and has a superb viewfinder.

The K20D knocks the K10D into the gutter as far as image quality is concerned, so must be my favourite digital slr.

My wife has a Pentax Optio S5z, which is a cracker of a digital compact.

Apert from that, I am completely unbiased.

[dangie]

As with other things in life you always remember the first(!).
My first digital camera was a Pentax Optio 330GS compact. It took some time for me to get into digital (just like Pentax I suppose) but when Kodak "lost" eight films that I'd taken in Austria that was it. Digital here I come.
The 330GS was "only" 3.2mp but the images were excellent. When viewing on the monitor they are very little different from my current cameras. I still use it now and again just to keep it working.
So in its way, the Optio 330GS is a favourite as well.

P.S. Kodak found my films six months later. Apparently the address labels had become separated from the films. But it wasn't only mine. There were approx 30,000(!!!) other films as well. It actually made it onto BBC's Watchdog programme.

[ojb28]

The K20D knocks the K10D into the gutter as far as image quality is concerned, so must be my favourite digital slr.

Please don't say this! It won't be good for my wallet!!

The only Pentax cameras I've had are an MEsuper, MZ-5n (I'm surprised no one's mentioned this one, awesome little camera!), and a K10D. The MEsuper has the best viewfinder, the MZ-5n is best for just taking anywhere (it's accompanied me from the Sahara to India), but if I had to keep one it would be the K10D for it's flexibility and superb DNG raw files, and lack of serious running costs! I have yet to give it a proper workout despite having had it for nearly a year, so I have yet to discover it's best points I suppose!

[johnriley1uk]

Please don't say this! It won't be good for my wallet!!

Unfortunately, it's true. Unfortunately for your wallet that is.