Pentax Spotamatic F

alex_virt wrote:

Kalimetric wrote:

Thanks, everyone - that's a lot of responses! Looks like the zooms are not recommended then. Hmmm, maybe I'll just use the Spotamatic with primes then. I think I already have a tak 55/1.8, plus a Zeiss 50, so well stocked in that department. My real reason for changing over is green envy at the images produced on film. They just look so much more real.
My reason for not looking at a Kx, Km, K1000 is that I am buying in Switzerland, and the prices seem to be quite high for those. I'm just looking for something cheap to complement my digital. Also, I've been shooting for 10 years or so, and did a small amount of large format photography, so I'm not completely new to the film world. I wish I had bought into medium format when the prices were still low...

If you are new to 35mm film and looking for a cheap camera, take a look at the Pentax MZ series. Very capable cameras with screwdriver autofocus, can work with modern-ish lenses, even those without aperture rings. The DA 35mm/2.4 and DA50mm/1.8 work perfectly with film, and you can use them on digital as well. If you want a zoom, I recommend the Tamron 28-75mm/F2.8. MZ cameras often come with battery grips for AA batteries.

There is an Achilles heel though – a plastic cog in the mirror control mechanism that can easily break. However, those cameras are very cheap and finding a new one is not a problem.

May I recommend the MZ5n or the MZ3. They are quite handsome cameras and function very similar to classic Pentax designs such as the MX and LX.