Pentax

While exploring a photostore, I ran across a zoom lens that caught my eye. It was a Tamron 38^100mm f/3.5 with interchangeable Pentax 'K' mount. It was metal and heavy.


Quik Photonote: This Tamron was a constant aperture type and has a "macro" ring which gives 1:4 ratio at all focal lengths, not just one end of the zoom. These two features increase lens size and weight. Many perfectly good lens have variable apertures and close focusing only at one end of the lens, usually the long end. There's nothing wrong with this way of doing things, except if you are using manual control it makes accurate metering fiddly, and I was into doing things manually.


This lens had my attention, as I know the Tamron could be changed to the Canon FD mount and the lens used on my Canon AE-1 and FTb. The 38mm end could give me a semi-wide angle. On the side of the lens was a slide that looks like this A--M.


'A' allows the lens to operate normally with the camera body. 'M' stops down the aperture to the selected stop and leaves it there, and allows stop down metering. A great feature for the bodies that lack a stop down lever.


Did I say the lens was heavy?


All this just to start a Pentax journey.


Attached to the lens was the tiny Pentax ME. This was one of the smallest SLRs made by any body. Only Olympus rivals such a thing with their OM series.


I see another chapter, and there really is one.


The ME was an Aperture Priority only camera. You choose the aperture, the camera chooses the correct shutter speed, but that's it, you have no other choice. But that's not a bad thing. There is a manual setting of 1/60 of a sec for flash but that's it. I was into setting my camera manually, the body was not what I wanted. For some reason, I ignored all the good features of the body, and looking back, and can only think of one, the complete lack of control. Not very wise of me, you can quess what I picked later in the future.


While browsing in the same camera store later, I ran across another photojourneyer who was carrying a Pentax MX. Same size as the ME, but totally manual. He was getting tired of setting manually (as I would) and he liked my ME.


We traded. Unbeknowst to me, I received the better end of that deal. The MX was worth more.


Strange, I shot more pictures with the ME than the MX.


The MX was Pentax's try at a professional camera. It had an impressive system backing it up, the problem was that Canon and Nikon had also impressive systems and they had introduced automation to their current bodies.


I purchased a Tokina 80^200mm f/4 for this body and did this ever not turn me on. I traded this lens to my friend for his Sears 50 and 135 (another unloved 135) for my Tokina.