Firstly forgive me for posting this on a digital camera site but has anyone ever seen a Pentax Spotmatic 1 in black enamel BUT with a satin chrome surround to the lens mount? From the photos it looks original but I am unable to find this color/ finish combo elsewhere. Any help appreciated.
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Pentax Spotmatic film camera black AND chrome
- Thread starter philm5d
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a_c_skinner
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Yes, I'd go for a repair being the reason, I followed Pentax of that era closely and don't recall that being offered.
I am soggy with nostalgia, an SP1000 was my first serious camera.
I am soggy with nostalgia, an SP1000 was my first serious camera.
JulesJ
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KCK14
Senior Member
I did fix Spotmatics from that era and that is not original. Probably had to replace the front plate. Black models were much less common so likely took plate from another camera. The way the mount and the bezel were attached it was not easy to replace just the bezel, so not worth the effort to transfer from original front plate.
It could look good with a preset Takumar or an early Auto Takumar.I managed to download a photo. Yes, sorry you are correct -
strictly it's just an SP
They were made in black and chrome.
When that camera was new, a friend of mine bought one in London.
It was just over two weeks wage for him.
I thought he was mad but I did enjoy taking some photos with it.
yardcoyote
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I never had a Spotty of my own (my first camera was a K1000 SE) but one of my early camera buddies had a beautiful black one that I always sort of coveted.
Some trivia...
The Pentax name was first used on a prototype made by Pentacon in East Germany .
Pentax was derived from Penta (pentaprism) and ax (Contax)
Contax (East Germany) had designed that M 42 screw mount that became known as Praktica/Pentax mount.
(Praktica and Pentacon (Pentaprism/Contax) were the brand names used by that East German Contax factory)
The first Japanese made Pentaxes were branded Asahiflex. Asahi means morning sun.
Then they were called Asahi Pentax and I think with the A series cameras (1983) the Asahi name was dropped but the company was still Asahi Pentax till 2002.
Asahi was engraved but not painted on the M cameras.
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I remember seeing Spotmatics with the Pentax name way back when. Or at least I'm relatively sure of that - getting old does funny things sometimes. If I remember right, they looked just like mine and the spotmatic part looked the same, they just had the Pentax on the prisim.
Maybe my comment wasn't all that clear.
The prototype was called Pentax.
Then it was :
Asahiflex (1952-1957)
Asahi Pentax (1960- 1985 SP/K/M)
Pentax ( From A series (1983) and current)
Some were called Honeywell Pentax (Honeywell was the US importer) and Sears sold them under their Tower name.
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a_c_skinner
Forum Pro
This is all too small print for me, I saw a Honeywell camera in UK once, it was a Spotmatic F with motor drive, rare enough in itself. Silver. The correct lens for the Spotmatic is the Super Takumar I think, the SMC Takumars date from the Spotmatic ES, F or SP1000 era. IIRC.
rodriguezPhoto
Senior Member
And for a brief time it was called the Heiland Pentax, for the Honeywell division distributing it.
Heiland Pentax H3 1960-1962
--
~~~ Kim
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