Clueless-newbie-questions about Pentax K1000, Canon AE-1, etc.
Andrew Shires
hand. Reason: I have recently been playing with a friend's Canon AE-1
setup, have simple command of the buttons and knobs, and have come to
the point where I would really like to continue playing but don't want
to exploit my friend's generosity.
With the aid of this same friend, I've found out about two
strong-sounding options so far: a Pentax K1000 body for just under
$200, and a Canon AE-1 body for around $230 with a 50mm lens thrown
in. Are these deals good?
Regardless of these prices, I'd be interested to hear opinions about
which is the better beginner's camera, accounting for the possibility
that I might like to add more and more gadgets to the setup. I have
seen a lot of praise on the rec.photo.* newgroups for the AE-1 as a
beginner's camera, and some praise for the K1000 too.
I'm told that the K1000 lacks the AE-1's automatic exposure feature,
but that this feature requires appropriate lenses to work. I'm also
told that the second-hand market for lenses conforming to the AE-1's
mount is good, and that while Canon no longer produce new lenses of
this kind, copyists do. What is the second-hand market like for
lenses that can handle the AE-1's automatic exposure feature? What is
the second-hand market in general like for the K1000 mount?
While I would probably not initially want automatic winding, I could
be interested in this before long. There seem to be AE-1-compatible
winders around; what about the K1000?
The kind of photography I want to do is fairly general, I suspect, but
I definitely want to do highly magnified, close-up shots and would be
looking into getting an appropriate lens.
Am I even looking at the wrong cameras? It looks like I would
ultimately be spending around $500 to $600 to get a camera body, a
couple of lenses, sundry accessories and an autowinder. This seems
rather expensive for a second-hand camera setup that is apparently
behind the times, having neither bells nor whistles, such as automatic
focus. Is that view naive, or should I be looking at something else
after all?
Thanks for any and all info,
Andrew
Christopher G Mullin
: I am very much a beginner, looking to buy into SLR camera gear, second
: hand. Reason: I have recently been playing with a friend's Canon AE-1
: setup,
[snip]
: With the aid of this same friend, I've found out about two
: strong-sounding options so far: a Pentax K1000 body for just under
: $200, and a Canon AE-1 body for around $230 with a 50mm lens thrown
: in. Are these deals good?
No they're not. You should be able to get either of these for quite a bit
less. Get a copy of Shutterbug at your local newsstand (like Computer
Shopper, but for cameras, new and used) to get some prices and sources.
: Regardless of these prices, I'd be interested to hear opinions about
: which is the better beginner's camera, accounting for the possibility
: that I might like to add more and more gadgets to the setup. I have
: seen a lot of praise on the rec.photo.* newgroups for the AE-1 as a
: beginner's camera, and some praise for the K1000 too.
You can add all the accessories you would ever want to either system,
assuming you want to go with a manual-focus SLR.
: I'm told that the K1000 lacks the AE-1's automatic exposure feature,
: but that this feature requires appropriate lenses to work.
True, you need Canon FD lenses. Practically all the manual focus Canon SLR
lenses you will find *are* FD lenses, so that shouldn't be a major
consideration. The AE-1 is, IMHO a more capable camera generally than
the K1000. The big advantage of the K1000 is that you can still buy one
brand new, with a factory guarantee.
: I'm also
: told that the second-hand market for lenses conforming to the AE-1's
: mount is good, and that while Canon no longer produce new lenses of
: this kind, copyists do.
Also true, and there are plenty of new old-stock Canon-brand lenses still
unsold, too. You won't have any trouble getting lense for either of
these for a long time.
What is the second-hand market like for
: lenses that can handle the AE-1's automatic exposure feature? What is
: the second-hand market in general like for the K1000 mount?
See above. Shutterbug is a good source, or camera stores, or pawnshops.
: While I would probably not initially want automatic winding, I could
: be interested in this before long. There seem to be AE-1-compatible
: winders around; what about the K1000?
The K1000 does not take an autowinder. There are other Pentax K-mount
cameras with autowinders and motor drives. Actually, especially with a
manual-focus camera, the autowinder is mostly a device to sell more
film. If you do have an autowinder equipped camera, you are *much*
better off if you never put it onto full auto. The 2-3 frames per second
it takes will all be shot at the wrong times. Much better to take one
picture at the exact moment you want to take it, and just let the camera
wind the film-- and with most photography, you probably have the time to
wind the film manually before another decisive moment occurs.
: The kind of photography I want to do is fairly general, I suspect, but
: I definitely want to do highly magnified, close-up shots and would be
: looking into getting an appropriate lens.
That would be a macro lens. If you're really serious about this, a
single-focal-length macro lens about 100mm will give you much better
results than most so-called macro zoom lenses.
: Am I even looking at the wrong cameras? It looks like I would
: ultimately be spending around $500 to $600 to get a camera body, a
: couple of lenses, sundry accessories and an autowinder. This seems
: rather expensive for a second-hand camera setup that is apparently
: behind the times, having neither bells nor whistles, such as automatic
: focus. Is that view naive, or should I be looking at something else
: after all?
That's how much cameras cost, depending on what lenses you get. You will
probalby want a wide angle 28mm or shorter (or something like a 28-80
zoom), a telephoto zoom in the 80-200 range, and that macro lens.
Depending on what sort of deals you get, you could conceivably do this for
as little as $350, but only if you're lucky, or get inferior lenses, or
both. Budgeting $600 would make more sense. A new autofocus SLR outfit
with 2 zoom lenses would cost more than that. Add the macro lens to the
autofocus SLR and it would be hard to do waht you want for much under $1000
Should you be looking at an autofocus SLR? Definitely, if you plan to
use this to take pictures of small children, or anything else which moves
erratically. If you're shooting mostly stationary subjects, autofocus is
convenient but not absolutely necessary.
Hope this helps --Chris
: Thanks for any and all info,
: Andrew
Orrin Edwards
> lenses that can handle the AE-1's automatic exposure feature? What is
> the second-hand market in general like for the K1000 mount?
>
produced. Besides Pentax, Ricoh and others also use K-mount lenses.
Orrin - Long Island, NY | 70641...@compuserve.com
oedw...@hoflink.com | orrin....@hofbbs.hoflink.com
Redmond Young
>strong-sounding options so far: a Pentax K1000 body for just under
>$200, and a Canon AE-1 body for around $230 with a 50mm lens thrown
>in. Are these deals good?
Too much. A used K1000 would be more like $100. A used AE-1 with
50mm f/1.8 lens is more like $150. I sold my AE-1 w/50mm for $150,
and except for engraving my driver's lic. number on it back in 1976,
it was near mint.
To go with the AE-1, I would suggest the Canon FD 28mm f/2.8 for
around $75, and the Canon FD 100-300mm f/5.6 for around $225-250.
With a flash, bag, and some filters, you're at the $600 price you
wanted to spent.
In the Pentax world, check out the ME Super instead of a used K1000.
I got mine with a 50mm f/2.0 for (8^> $40! These usually go for $150.
These cameras are very compact! And K-mount lenses are easily found
used and new. Other models to look for with higher prices are the
Pentax MX, Program Plus, and Super Program.
For NEW manual focus camera bodies in the $200 range, I like the
Pentax P30T over the K1000 ... many more features to play with and
only $25 more. There's also the Minolta X-700 for ~$200 NEW, and
used Minolta lens are quite available.
For Nikons, you should be able to get a used FG with 50mm lens for
under $200.
Red
Fred Collins
Pentax. KMart and Target sell them for about $200 brand new, they
are all-mechanical, there are millions of them out there, etc.
The K1000 has been in production for nigh on 20 years, so they
must be doing something right. The K1000 is a very basic camera,
however, and has had some QA/QC problems over the years.
Even thought that is a good price for and AE-1, you have to remember
that it has been out of production for quite some time, Canon has
changed its lens mount since then, etc. I don't know about available
repair parts for the AE-1, but I would expect them to become scarce
over the next five years or so.
In that same price range, you might consider a used Nikon FM, FE, or
even a Nikkormat FT2. The advantage to Nikon is that you can use
just about any Nikon lens on just about any Nikon camera. If you
decide to upgrade, you can retain your existing lenses and just
buy a newer camera body. Canon does not offer that ability.
-fred
In article <DEICC...@harlequin.com>, and...@gauss.harlequin.com says...
>
>I am very much a beginner, looking to buy into SLR camera gear, second
>hand. Reason: I have recently been playing with a friend's Canon AE-1
>setup, have simple command of the buttons and knobs, and have come to
>the point where I would really like to continue playing but don't want
>to exploit my friend's generosity.
>
>With the aid of this same friend, I've found out about two
>strong-sounding options so far: a Pentax K1000 body for just under
>$200, and a Canon AE-1 body for around $230 with a 50mm lens thrown
>in. Are these deals good?
>
>Regardless of these prices, I'd be interested to hear opinions about
>which is the better beginner's camera, accounting for the possibility
>that I might like to add more and more gadgets to the setup. I have
>seen a lot of praise on the rec.photo.* newgroups for the AE-1 as a
>beginner's camera, and some praise for the K1000 too.
>
>I'm told that the K1000 lacks the AE-1's automatic exposure feature,
>but that this feature requires appropriate lenses to work. I'm also
>told that the second-hand market for lenses conforming to the AE-1's
>mount is good, and that while Canon no longer produce new lenses of
>this kind, copyists do. What is the second-hand market like for
>lenses that can handle the AE-1's automatic exposure feature? What is
>the second-hand market in general like for the K1000 mount?
>
>While I would probably not initially want automatic winding, I could
>be interested in this before long. There seem to be AE-1-compatible
>winders around; what about the K1000?
>
>The kind of photography I want to do is fairly general, I suspect, but
>I definitely want to do highly magnified, close-up shots and would be
>looking into getting an appropriate lens.
>
>Am I even looking at the wrong cameras? It looks like I would
>ultimately be spending around $500 to $600 to get a camera body, a
>couple of lenses, sundry accessories and an autowinder. This seems
>rather expensive for a second-hand camera setup that is apparently
>behind the times, having neither bells nor whistles, such as automatic
>focus. Is that view naive, or should I be looking at something else
>after all?
>
John E. Snyder
>With the aid of this same friend, I've found out about two
>strong-sounding options so far: a Pentax K1000 body for just under
>$200, and a Canon AE-1 body for around $230 with a 50mm lens thrown
>in. Are these deals good?
I haven't checked the latest prices, but I was under the impression that
new Pentax K1000 bodies were about $150.00, and that you could get a
package deal with a Pentax SMC A 50 mm ("normal") lens for something like
$250.00
Check mail order catalogs like B&H or Porters
By the way, last year I got a Pentax K1000 as my first camera ever, and I
am very well pleased with it. I started right up with shooting Kodachrome
slide film, too. Starting that way means that out of any roll, several of
the pictures will be pretty bad (under or overexposed). However, if you
have some patience and commitment, you learn a lot that way. And the
learning time until you get some terrific pictures is not necessarily long.
Even though I was a complete beginner, even the first roll of film had
several pictures that I thought were very pleasing. Now after a year, and
lots of boxes of slides, my percentage is getting better, and the average
slide is better, but it is still true that any box has a few bad ones, a
few great ones, and lots of average to above average ones (interesting to
chronicle a vacation or interesting place, but not visually
attention-grabbing)
Just remember, while you are learning, they won't come out the way you
hoped every time.
Steven Abrams
G Mullin) writes:
> The K1000 does not take an autowinder. There are other Pentax K-mount
> cameras with autowinders and motor drives. Actually, especially with a
> manual-focus camera, the autowinder is mostly a device to sell more
> film. If you do have an autowinder equipped camera, you are *much*
> better off if you never put it onto full auto. The 2-3 frames per second
> it takes will all be shot at the wrong times.
That'sone way of looking at it, but I like the use of a winder because
it doubles as a grip. The ME-II winder is a very comfortable grip for
the Pentax Super Program; when using a real grip, though, you have to
keep moving your hand back to the body to advance the film... not so
with a winder/grip.
Now, if they only moved the other controls to the grip, too ;-).
> : Am I even looking at the wrong cameras? It looks like I would
> : ultimately be spending around $500 to $600 to get a camera body, a
> : couple of lenses, sundry accessories and an autowinder. This seems
> : rather expensive for a second-hand camera setup that is apparently
> : behind the times, having neither bells nor whistles, such as automatic
> : focus. Is that view naive, or should I be looking at something else
> : after all?
You can spend less. Your AE-1 should be in the $150 and under range
used, and the K1000 can be had *new* for slightly more than the $200 you
quoted before; used for around $125.
I'd go with Pentax, though, rather than Canon, for the startup kit.
Figure $300 for a K1000 and a couple of reasonable lenses. As you
grow, you can add lenses and/or upgrade the body. If you later decide
that you want to go to a new autofocus bodies with additional useful
features (DOF preview, TTL flash, shiftable program mode(s), fast
flash sync, etc.) and if, at that time, Pentax has a line of AF
bodies that are of interest to you, you can buy one and use all of
your old lenses. If you go with Canon, that won't be an option
because the EOS lens mount is totally incompatible with the older FD
lens mount.
> Should you be looking at an autofocus SLR? Definitely, if you plan to
> use this to take pictures of small children, or anything else which moves
> erratically. If you're shooting mostly stationary subjects, autofocus is
> convenient but not absolutely necessary.
I find that I can focus just about fast enough for my niece and dog
running around; my brother, with his AF Sigma, doesn't do much
better.
~~~Steve
--
Steven Abrams abr...@cs.columbia.edu
Living is easy with eyes closed, misunderstanding all you see.
-Lennon/McCartney
Steven Abrams
(Redmond Young) writes:
> For Nikons, you should be able to get a used FG with 50mm lens for
> under $200.
I earlier suggested an older MF Pentax over a Canon because it lets
you use all of the new lenses and all of your lenses would work on a
new body. This is also true of Nikon; the FG, FM, FE, or the -2
version of these cameras, are all excellent choices, too.
Rui Pedro Mendes Salgueiro
> options so far: a Pentax K1000 body for just under $200, and a
> Canon AE-1 body for around $230 with a 50mm lens thrown in.
> I'm told that the K1000 lacks the AE-1's automatic exposure feature,
This is usually considered an advantage of the K1000 as a learning
camera. You will have to learn.
> What is the second-hand market in general like for the K1000 mount?
All the present Pentax lenses (and all the lenses presented since
1975) can be used in the K1000.
> While I would probably not initially want automatic winding, I could
> be interested in this before long. There seem to be AE-1-compatible
> winders around; what about the K1000?
There are no winders for the K1000 (it doesn't have the necessary
connections). If you are buying second hand look for a Pentax MX or
maybe a ME Super.
> Am I even looking at the wrong cameras? It looks like I would
> ultimately be spending around $500 to $600 to get a camera body, a
> couple of lenses, sundry accessories and an autowinder.
This seems a good reason for chosing the Pentax. If you later want
a modern autofocus camera you can keep your lenses, and the body
as a backup.
In my homepage you can find more info on Pentax cameras.
--
http://www.mat.uc.pt/~rps/photos a tiffosi until 12/11/1995
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