The Pentax K1000 may not be vintage, but it's certainly a classic SLR. It had a manufacturing longevity of 20+ years being made from 1975 to the mid 90s, and I spotted some new unused examples in the shops as late as 2000. The K1000 was based around the chassis of the Pentax KX, itself an incarnation of the earlier 42mm mount Spotmatic. Match needle metering in the viewfinder but shutter speeds and aperture not visible. It also lacked the delayed release, which is an irritation from time to time. It is fully manual and as a result has had a firm following amongst photography colleges and students alike. The lens mount is the K series that replaced the previous 42mm screw mount used. The camera is a comfortable weight and has a lovely cloth blind shutter that fires with a distinctive noise, especially at very slow speeds when the mechanism can be heard bouncing gently against it's stops. This example joined the collection in 1994 and has been in constant use ever since. It has been carted to many corners of the globe, beaten and bashed all the way. The incident that caused the large dent in the prism housing never bothered it and merely adds to its character. This camera along with its brother acted as our everyday hacks, recording countless wonderful memories and have earned honourable retirements.

Click on "this camera's gallery" button, below, to see sample images.

Body No.7612104
Shutter, Cloth focal plane, speeds B, 1, 2, 4, 8, 15, 30, 60, 125, 250, 500 & 1000th
Lens No.1651860, Pentax - A SMC, 50mm f/1.7
Condition, 6F

View other 35mm SLR cameras in this collection.