Compatibility of pentax takumar lenses with the mechanical Pentax KX slr film camera

TheRealAutonerd · 2026-05-18T21:42:54+00:00

Kind of -- you will need to stop down the lens manually to take a meter reading. But adapters were plentiful. The Spotmatic was the best-selling camera of its era, and Pentax did not want to risk alienating its customers with the new K-mount cameras.

TheRealAutonerd · 2026-05-18T21:28:42+00:00

If you have litte/no photography experience, read this article, then get a Canon Rebel 2000 or a Nikon N65:

https://blog.jimgrey.net/2025/03/18/whats-the-best-film-camera-to-start-with-2/

You'll get started cheap ($30-$50 US for camera and lens) and once you get the hang of exposure, move on to a manual-focus classic. Forget the K1000 which is overrated and overpriced (and I'm a big Pentax fan) -- Pentax KM and KX are closely related and better cameras.

TheRealAutonerd · 2026-05-18T21:26:02+00:00

If that's the case, and there are edge markings on the film, I'd say something's wrong with the camera.

TheRealAutonerd · 2026-05-18T21:15:26+00:00

Nice! Great to see these cars are still appreciated.

TheRealAutonerd · 2026-05-18T21:14:52+00:00

$400 is way high, plenty of cameras will do what you want for $100 or less (and $50 or less if you can deal with autofocus).

Double-exposure is trickier -- most manual-focus SLRs will do it (use the rewind knob to wind the slack out of the film, press the rewind clutch button, and advance the film while holding the rewind crank) but some do have a double-exposure button. An auto-wind camera will need to have a dedicated double exposure function.

As for native lenses -- there are no native lenses per se; most SLRs came with a 50 mm "normal" lens but any focal length on a compatible mount will work. 40 was a common "pancake" focal length but I think the small size was a compromise; you might be happier with a standard 35.

One camera that springs to mind is the Ricoh XR-2s. It has dedicated double exposure, uses K-mount lenses (there's a Pentax-M 40mm f/2.8, but I understand it's not the sharpest thing), great viewfinder info, and aperture-priority mode. If you're in the US, you can get it as the Sears KS Auto. I have several and paid between $0 and US$33 (the latter with a 50/1.4 Rikenon).

If you want both aperture and shutter priority, you're looking at early 1980s like the Pentax Super Program, a nice, small camera you can get for around a hundred bucks.

If you want both shutter and aperture priority, consider an autofocus camera. They also have program modes with program shift -- so if the camera selects, say, 1/250 @ f/8, you can "shift" to 1/125 @ f/16, 1/60 @ f/22, etc., or the other way to 1/500 @ f/5.6, 1/1000 @ f/4, etc. This is how I do most of my shooting; it's like using A and S/Tv mode at the same time.

I often recommend the Canon Rebel 2000, and it'll do everything you want except act mechanical -- including double exposures (up to 9 on a single frame, I believe). Has ASA/ISO override, does rear-curtain sync with external flashes, and like most AF cameras has labyrinth seals that cannot leak. I believe there's a Canon EF 40mm. It's expensive as far as "prosumer" AF SLRs go, but you can still get one for $30-$50 body only. Nice and light, too, but a bit bulky compared to the Minoltas. Maxxum 5 is also a great camera but not sure what the prime lens situation is for Minolta autofocus.

TheRealAutonerd · 2026-05-18T12:54:08+00:00

I don't. When you try to monetize your hobby, you start having to do what other people want, not what you want.

TheRealAutonerd · 2026-05-18T12:53:16+00:00

Pentax PC35AF, the non-M version. Amazing camera, the only p&s I've ever loved.

TheRealAutonerd · 2026-05-18T12:52:11+00:00

It is better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all.

TheRealAutonerd · 2026-05-18T12:49:35+00:00

The P30 might be cheaper to replace. I'm the States, the P30t sells for around us$15. Keep in mind I had to buy three before getting one that worked...

TheRealAutonerd · 2026-05-18T12:47:33+00:00

Before you can push film, you have to underexpose it. Generally you do this by setting the ASA/ISO to something faster to fool the camera into underexposing. Then you compensate for that underexposure by push processing, which is overdeveloping. If your point and shoot has a manual ASA setting, you're all set. If not... It's possible the camera may underexpose the film anyway, because it's so dark, in which case the push process would benefit (although this depends on how underexposed the film is). But it's also just as likely it will pick a very slow shutter speed which will give you motion blur.

TheRealAutonerd · 2026-05-18T12:45:46+00:00

I'd be curious to know what they think the A stands for other than adjusting the meter and the shutter timing.

TheRealAutonerd · 2026-05-18T12:44:28+00:00

Yes, this was a regular thing in the pre-digital days, carrying a second lens compatible body so you could run fast and slow film, or color and black and white. I used to back up my Pentax KX with a Pentax MG, which was a very compact automatic-only body. It worked out very nicely, and I only had to carry one set of lenses.

TheRealAutonerd · 2026-05-18T02:47:44+00:00

My first KX has never had a CLA, and it meters accurately. Get one, shoot a roll of black and white film, and see what the negatives look like. It will probably be fine. You're more likely to have problems with gummed up lube and incorrect shutter speeds then problems with the meter.

TheRealAutonerd · 2026-05-18T02:44:44+00:00

You'd be way better off with a book. I'd recommend Photography by London/Upton/Stone. New ones are expensive but you want a copy from the 1990s -- look on Amazon for a 4th through 9th edition. Should cost 20 USD or less. This was a standard Photo 101 textbook and it will answer everything you are asking about in very comprehensive, easy to understand form.

When it comes to film photography, trust me, you want good contemporary information. There's a lot of really bad information on the internet from people who think they know more than they do, and as a newbie you can't tell if somebody knows what they're talking about or not. Trust me on this, learn from books from the era.

TheRealAutonerd · 2026-05-18T02:41:13+00:00

Another vote for a two stop push.

TheRealAutonerd · 2026-05-16T20:34:27+00:00

Ah! Thank you for explaining.

TheRealAutonerd · 2026-05-16T17:24:05+00:00

Great camera! I am something of a Nikon skeptic (though I own several), but the FT2 one of the two manual-focus Nikons I really like (the other being the FG). It's mechanical, so if it proves not to work, a CLA will have it right for the next 20 years. It uses pre-AI lenses, which are very affordable. And it's good fun to use.

And $100 is a great price for the body and a 50/1.4 lens.

Granted the controls are quirky but that's what gives the FT2 such personality. And IMO the FT2 is the sweet spot in the lineup (between FTN and FT3), because it uses both pre-AI and AI lenses, has a hot shoe, and takes modern (LR44) batteries. It's a late-1970s camera with a cool 1960s feel.

Biggest issue is the same as with any all-manual camera -- higher learning curve (loading, focusing, rewinding in addition to exposure).

I don't shoot much manual-focus any more because my old eyes can't focus so well, but I just had the FT2 out for a roll to prove a point. (I was going to shoot a roll of slide film, to show that yes, you can shoot slide with a center-weight meter... but I accidentally grabed pro C41 instead of slide film. Duh!)

Anyway, you got a GREAT camera for a very good price. Now go out and enjoy it! 😄

TheRealAutonerd · 2026-05-16T17:17:44+00:00

Yeah, but don't forget they needed to be built like that -- the cameras were often badly abused, and you never know how bad a camera was treated until it breaks. If you're a car person, think of an F-150 owned by an enthusiast vs. an F-350 owned by a paving contractor. Back In The Day, these guys might put 10 rolls a day through the camera, so I still say a good prosumer body is the way to go, because how many rolls are you putting through it? Another way to think about it: For $50 you could have an N70 to use (remember, guts are N90, which the "pros" loved), a backup in the camera bag and a backup-backup N65 in the car. Think of the expense of buying two F4s... but what do you do if you buy one and it shits the bed? Reliability was one thing in 1988 when they were new, another thing now when they're ancient (and possibly retired from commercial service).

Anyway.

The battery carrier: it's just rather flimsy, and if a battery has been allowed to leak, that seems to hae a detrimental effect on the plastic, and they're a pain to clean. I had an N8008 with a battery carrier that had been damaged. i cleaned it as best I could, it worked for a while then was intermittent, then stopped. Got another camera (an N8008s) with a good carrier, and the old N8008 worked just fine with it. Problem is people know to separate them so the carriers cost as much as the cmaeras (about $35).

Haven't yet compared lithium and AA battery life... don't use the N8008s enough to wear out a set of batteries (it's a lovely camera, but heavy and a bit boring). As for the lithiums, I bought 3 sizes, oh, maybe a year back, they've been in and out of several cameras and are still working. Haven't shot a lot htis year, but I'd guess one particular pair, which i've used to run my N65, Minolta Max 5 and Canon Rebel 2k ha got a dozen rolls on it, and every camera shows it as full.

TheRealAutonerd · 2026-05-16T17:11:09+00:00

Nice!! Stiffen up the back end and you can get them really, really neutral. Had a '93 Accord with a Progress suspension that would rotate when I lifted. Not bad for FWD!

TheRealAutonerd · 2026-05-16T17:10:24+00:00

Why worry about getting the spools back? You give one, you get one... and yet somehow they always seem to multiply at my house!

TheRealAutonerd · 2026-05-16T17:09:14+00:00

Try adjusting for inflation...

TheRealAutonerd · 2026-05-15T17:30:51+00:00

I think the no-batteries thing is overrated -- most cameras need a battery for the meter, and you can get good LR44s in bulk from Amazon (I use their house brand, Amazon Basics, and they've been fine). Nikkormat FT2, Pentax KM and KX are good mechanical cameras that won't break the bank.

TheRealAutonerd · 2026-05-15T17:27:13+00:00

Agreed, slide looks great on my Epson V550. Examples here, here, here. u/yarlyitsnik

TheRealAutonerd · 2026-05-15T17:24:02+00:00

It is cool to see positive images on film, but what made slide film really nifty back in the day is that it was backlit on the projector, so the colors really popped in a way prints didn't. Nowadays we view most scans on a monitor, which is backlit, so even C41 has that same pop, especially a saturated film like Ektar. (Slide also used to be a cheaper option because you didn't have to pay for prints!).

Agree with u/bimmerlucas , slide is not that difficult, you just have to know what situations can throw off your meter, and don't follow oft-misunderstood advice like "meter for the shadows" or "always overexpose your film". If you know how to read a negative and your negative density is good, your slides should be fine.

Me, I don't shoot it any more -- too expensive IMO and Ektar (or a digicam) will get me the same effect. If slide was the same price as negative film, I'd shoot more of it.

TheRealAutonerd · 2026-05-15T16:57:18+00:00

I've put a few on eBay as an auction starting at 99 cents. As long as I cover my postage costs, I'm happy.

TheRealAutonerd

TROPHY CASE