Field Test Pentax KX Camera- 35mm SLR

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Why would I do a field test on a camera like this in a 67 forum? This camera is the most likely contender to be used with P 67 lenses and the Adapter K. Most of us use 35mm equipment in addition to our 67 for various reasons. To limit the weight we carry, it is logical to only carry a 35mm body and NOT the lenses that go with it. Pentax's LX is one other choice but they are expensive and so I will concentrate on the KX. The KX is a K-Mount manual camera. It has many more features than the common K1000. Its layout is not like a scaled down 67 but seems to be patterned after the Leicaflex SL. The KX has a manual mirror up and down, which can have advantages over the 67 system. It also has a DOF preview button and a self timer. It has a match needle metering system again like the Leicaflex. But, the meter is not a spot type but an averaging type. There is a battery check button, a shutter button lock and a special silk focal plane shutter. The meter is activated by pulling the advance lever out and depressing the shutter button slightly. Overall quality of the build is not quite as good as the 67 but close. Pentax does not recommend using wide angle 67 lenses on this camera but I have done this with good results. Big teles can be used with the Adapter K and you don't have to worry about shutter shake with this body. I have used most lenses between 45 and 600mm with this camera with good results. The KX is only available used because they haven't been made for many years. Overall, a good accessory body for the 67 system. SR

-- Steve Rasmussen (srasmuss@flash.net), December 09, 1999

Answers

Dan, I'm not familiar with that model, so I can't help you. But, I can say that if you own the 67II, you may prefer the more electronic K mount 35mm bodies. If you own the older, more mechanical 6x7 and 67, you may prefer a mechanical 35mm body such as the KX. BTW, I consider the LX and KX pro cameras. SR

-- Steve Rasmussen (srasmuss@flash.net), December 10, 1999.

Deron, you might be right about the K2. There have been so many Pentax 35mm SLRs that I cannot keep up with them all. Does the K2 have all the features that the KX has? BTW, LX is known to be the best 35mm Pentax. SR

-- Steve Rasmussen (srasmuss@flash.net), March 05, 2000.

Deron, thanks for the added detail on the X familiy of Pentax 35mm cameras. SR

-- Steve Rasmussen (srasmuss@flash.net), June 02, 2000.

I've been thinking of getting a P30T as an 'accessory' for my 67. What do you think?

-- dan (strawberry9@worldnet.att.net), December 09, 1999.

I have a P3n (pretty much the same as the P30t). It is a very nice camera, but it is missing the following features that you might consider important:

o) exposure compensation o) manual film speed override o) sophisticated metering o) mirror lockup

Check the feature list on the P30t and make sure that it has what you want. If so, go for it!

-- Mark Erickson (maericks@netcom.com), December 17, 1999.



Steve:

Why the KX over the K2? In fact, doesn't the electronic shutter of the K2 make it a bit more like the 6x7?

-- Deron (dchang@choate.edu), March 05, 2000.


The one advantage that the KX has over the K2 is that it has the little window in the viewfinder that allows you to see the f stop off of the aperature ring. Also, I think that the KX has a unique mlu which allows you to drop the mirror back down if you change your mind about a shot. I think the K2's is like the 6x7 in that once you commit to mlu, it is tough to return to the mirror down position without taking a shot (can someone confirm this?). The one HUGE benefit to the K2 is that you can expose for long shutter speeds (up to 8 secs manually I think) without having to do the "one-one thousand, two-one thousand..." thing. The KX has a longest shutter speed of only 1 second.

-- Deron (dchang@choate.edu), May 14, 2000.

Just an update on the KX. The KX has the manual mirror up and mirror down as does the K2. The major difference is that the MLU for the KX involves stopping down the lens while this is not the case for the K2. The process of stopping down the diaphragm just before shutter curtain release in the lens may lead to some vibration in the K2. NOT because of the movement of the blades, but more from the spring-loaded arm that drives the stopping down process. The KX has "everything out of the way" by the time you decide to trip the shutter.

The one huge advantage that the KX and K2 have over the venerable LX is that you can do MLU and the self timer at the same time. With the LX, the MLU mechanism is tied to the self timer and therefore the actions are mutually exclusive. For someone who does a lot of macro shots on a tripod, I sometimes use the self-timer instead of a remote release. The LX forces me to use a remote release which is not always convenient. (Threading a release on and off can be a pain and you should NEVER leave the remote release cable attached to the camera when you are not taking the picture. The cable has a habit of catching on things and potentially damaging the threads in the release socket when you move your camera one way and the release stays put. I did this on my p67. Ouch!)

The KX is altogether a better design than the K2 (in terms of lack of reliance on a battery, MLU, and adjusting film speed. Of course, except for the MLU/self timer issue, the LX has both bodies beat in terms of engineering (but not cost!).

Finally, the MX is my opinion is the least desireable in the X family. It is too small for my hands, it has no MLU, and I find the display in the finder to be poorly designed when compared to the classic match-needle layout.

Whatever you decide to do, remember that our P67's still have the potential to sculpt way better pictures than the 35mm option.

-- Deron (dchang@choate.edu), June 01, 2000.


Hey...in the last year, my KX has sat on my shelf. Whenever I go to use a 35mm body, I always reach for my LX. Is anyone interested in a uesd KX (EX condition)? Because I baby my equipment, I probably won't let it go for less than $150. You might be able to convince me otherwise. Let me know. I feel like the KX should go to a better owner than me (i.e. someone who will actually take it out for a walk every now and then).

-- Deron (dchang@choate.edu), December 19, 2000.

And, when every Pentax model ever made has lined up in the parade, I would like to add my 28 year old ES, with 42mm screwmount, and a whole serie of brilliant SMC Takumar lenses (did they ever match these?) It never let me down once, and it still surprises me when my mountain-hiking trannies come back. I will never part, and when I loose it, I will buy two other ones for $75 each. For now I did not miss the adapter ($70) for 67. I would want, however, there was an adapter to use my 35 mm lenses on the 67...

-- Peter Gooijer (rockrose@freeler.nl), December 20, 2000.


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