Pentax Program Plus Manual

[Yaima President]

Pentaxintroduced the Program Plus in 1984. It is a manual-focus 35 mm SLR camera.It has four exposure modes, selected using a dial around the shutter release and the lens' aperture ring:Programmed automatic exposure (KA lenses only): lens aperture set to 'A', shutter dial set to 'Auto'Aperture-priority AE (K, Kf or KA lenses): lens aperture set to a value, shutter dial set to 'Auto'Metered manual exposure: Lens aperture set to a value, shutter dial set to 'Man'. Even 42 mm screw-mount lenses can be used for manual exposure, with a screw-to-K-mount adapter ('Mount Adapter K'). With screw-mount lenses, stopped-down metering is used.Programmed flash: lens aperture set to 'Auto' for programmed flash with a KA lens, or to a value for normal auto flash with any other lens. Shutter dial set to 'Auto' with dedicated flashes, or '100' for others.The shutter dial also has 'Lock', 1/100 (for flash synchronization with non-dedicated flashes), and 'B' positions. In manual exposure, the shutter speed is adjusted using 'up' and 'down' buttons next to the shutter dial. The shutter is a vertical-travel focal-plane shutter with metal blinds and has speeds from 15 seconds to 1/1000 seconds, plus 'B'. The shutter speed in use is displayed in an LCD display in the viewfinder. There is also a display for the aperture. In programmed and aperture-priority modes this shows the aperture to be used. In the metered manual, it shows, for example, '+2' when the meter reading indicates that the current shutter speed and aperture settings will overexpose by two stops, and '0' when the set values agree with the meter reading. The viewfinder also shows over-and under-exposure warnings, a low-battery warning, and a flash-charged indicator when a dedicated flash is used. The camera is compatible with several Pentax dedicated flashes, but cannot support the through-the-lens metering capability of some of them.The viewfinder has a normal split-prism rangefinder and micro prism focusing aids. The camera has a depth-of-field preview lever by the lens mount and a self-timer. It has a hot shoe and a PC socket.The camera has a finger grip attached to the front of the body on the right-hand side; this must be removed if a winder is fitted. The camera requires two 1.5V LR44 alkaline or SR44 silver oxide batteries, or an equivalent lithium battery.

The shutter dial also has 'Lock', 1/100 (for flash synchronisation with non-dedicated flashes) and 'B' positions. In manual exposure, the shutter speed is adjusted using 'up' and 'down' buttons next to the shutter dial. The shutter is a vertical-travel focal plane shutter with metal blinds, and has speeds from 15 sceonds to 1/1000 seconds, plus 'B'. The shutter speed in use is displayed in an LCD display in the viewfinder. There is also a display for the aperture. In programmed and aperture-priority modes this shows the aperture to be used. In metered manual it shows, for example, '+2' when the meter reading indicates that the current shutter speed and aperture settings will overexpose by two stops, and '0' when the set values agree with the meter reading. The viewfinder also shows over- and under-exposure warnings, a low-battery warning, and a flash-charged indicator when a dedicated flash is used. The camera is compatible with several Pentax dedicated flashes, but cannot support the through-the-lens metering capability of some of them.

The camera has a finger grip attached to the front of the body on the right-hand side; this must be removed if a winder is fitted. The camera used two 1.5V LR44 alkaline or SR44 silver oxide batteries, or an equivalent lithium battery.

The Pentax Program Plus is a circa-1984 Pentax K-mount 35mm SLR. It's a very capable camera offering either program mode or aperture priority automatic exposure or full manual exposure. Like other Pentax cameras of its era, it's a very lightweight camera with nice ergonomics. The included lens is a sharp SMC Pentax A 1:2 50mm (which supports program auto exposure when set to the 'A' dial on the aperture ring).

One thing to be aware when first using this camera is that the shutter is set to 1/1000 and the aperture display remains blank until you fire a couple shots to advance to the '1' frame (it can fool you into thinking it's not working correctly, but this is a feature to prevent people from taking spoiled photos on the film leader).

The camera, lens, and flash were tested with film and performed perfectly, it delivered sharp, correctly exposed negatives. We also verified the camera's shutter speed and autoexposure accuracy. The camera is in very good cosmetic condition as well (see photos). One slight cosmetic flaw that we can't easily show in photos is presence of some small specks in the viewfinder (doesn't affect photos and in our opinion not objectionable). The included ever-ready case is in good condition except the leatherette paint flaked off the snaps that go around the camera strap.

Manual focus K-mount 35mm SLR released by Pentax in 1984. The camera is capable of fully programmed auto exposure with compatible lenses as well as aperture priority AE and manual mode. It was also sold as the Program Plus (NA) and can also be found as the Pentax Program A (w/o "Plus"). Plastic/metal body available in black.

Pentax K was also widely used by other manufacturers like Ricoh, Cosina, and Chinon, so there is a wide variety of lenses available for the system. M42 lenses can also be adapted quite easily to work on Pentax K bodies.

One of Pentax's most successful cameras, the Pentax K1000, was instrumental in the success of the system. The K1000 is one of the longest-lived 35mm cameras and was produced from 1976 to 1997. It remains one of the go-to recommendations for photography students.

Photography has been a constant in my life. I grew up burning through disposable cameras and whatever film I could stuff into the cheapest Vivitar point and shoot in existence. There was something oddly satisfying about the ratcheting of the little dial winders, the snap of releasing the shutter, and getting to see the final product days (or weeks) later.

During my initial fever of gear acquisition syndrome, I picked up a pair of SMC 50mm lenses (f1.7 and f2.0) for my new K-70. I had heard great things about vintage glass and wanted to try it out. I was blown away by how good the results were. I had to acquire more. As I dug through Craigslist I came across a Pentax Super program with a pair of third-party zooms. It also included a flash, shutter cable, some batteries, filters, and the bag. I decided this was a good deal and picked it all up the next day.

The shutter speeds range from 15s to 1/2000, plus a bulb mode. A switch for the electronic timer can be found on the front of the camera. In use, the timer will flash a red LED and beep for a few seconds. The top deck LCD gives a readout of the shutter speed and has a readiness indicator. Within the viewfinder is a split image pentaprism surrounded by a ring of microprism. Below this is another LCD with shutter speed and exposure readouts.

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