Introduction to the Pentax Spotmatic SP and SP 1000, Video 1 of 2
Vložit
- čas přidán 9. 09. 2024
- This video introduces the Pentax Spotmatic SP and SP 1000 interchangeable-lens SLR cameras. This video shows you the cameras features and basic operation.
To check out my photography blog, follow this link:
beyondbokeh.blo...
If you have any questions about a camera SLR, DSLR David will respond and is a very knowledgeable individual. Send him a message if you are having issues he will respond with an answer. Keep up the great videos David. You have helped me several times dealing with older SLR cameras. Have a Happy New Year!
The SP was marketed in North America as the Honeywell Pentax Spotmatic with no SP designation on the top from 1964 to 1971, much like the original SP. Due to the number of people serving in Veitnam who purchased Pentax Spotmatics, the Asahi SP Spotmatic is common in North America despite it never being officially marketed here under that nomenclature. It was replaced in 1971 by the SP II which featured a hot shoe and then in 1973 by the SP F which allowed for open metering on an M42 lens. All versions were available as Asahi and Honeywell, except for a model of Spotmatic only available here (can't remember the model) with an eye designed for a special Honeywell flash unit.
The SP 1000 is a budget model that came out in 1973 to replace the previous budget model, the SP 500 which came out in 1971. The SP 500 and SP 1000 featured the older clip on cold shoe from the original SP Spotmatic and deleted the timer. This camera also typically sold with a 50mm f/2 opposed to the 50mm f/1.8 or f/1.4 typically found on all variations of the Spotmatic.
The SP 1000 was manufactured until 1976 with later models being assembled in Hong Kong. It was essentially replaced by the K1000.
I also own a similar Asahi Pentax Spotmatic SP (from 1969) and a Pentax SP 1000 (from 1975) along with a Honeywell Pentax Spotmatic (circa 1969-70). Humorously my SP 1000 has a similar dent in the prism cover.
Thank you!
@@DacMan777 okay
Outstanding David thanks for this. A mate gave me a 2 body 4 lens kit a while ago I've only just gotten around to looking through it, cannot wait to crack some film through. Awesome content mate regards Paul
You can also use the viefinder groove to attach magnifiers that snap and flip back to let you recompose once you have focused properly.
Thank you!
Excellent, as usual sir !
Thank you!
@@DavidHancock unfortunately, after trying a LR921, a Varta V394 and another battery used by watch makers, it seems that my light cell is dead. I haven't find yet any documentation to verify if there is an defecting cable or if it's possible to change it. Thus I may buy a M42 to FD to use my 50/1.4 and 28/3.5 on the AE1 Program
@@Delmonteil If you have a light meter app on your phone, you can use that for meter readings with this camera.
Really helpfully, thank you!
Thank you!
Hey.....i just noticed at time frame...18:00-18:50.....that camera has a REPAIR TAG STICKER inside it......did you know that?
I did. I like to leave those in as it's part of the camera's history.
HI I just purchased a SP 1000 and checked the battery it had some white corrosion on it does that mean it's a mercury battery ??? Em I in trouble?
It might. I'm not sure. In my area I can take button cells to the battery recyclers and they deal with them. I know that with alkaline batteries distilled white vinegar makes the corrosion fizz, but I've never had an exploded Hg battery to test that on, but I'd recommend cleaning the inside of the battery chamber with distilled white vinegar and then rubbing alcohol using cotton swabs to apply the cleaners and dry the area.
Life saver!!!!! Answered all the questions I had! Thank you!
Thank you!
Thank you for the advice Mr. Hancock. It shots fine. :-)
I have 2 - Spotmatic II . One is marked Honeywell Pentax the other is Asahi Pentax. But one was disfigured to cover the name plate. I hope it is just paint but may have been sanded first. I heard the import / customs would not allow Asahi Pentax into the US without the name removal because Honeywell was the official importer. Anyone heard of this rule?
I have not, but that would jive with the way that customs handled East German Zeiss cameras.
They are different cameras with 1 difference between the two versions you have is that the 1000 doesn't have a self timer, otherwise they are the same. you can clearly see the lever is not present on the 1000. The name difference is that Honeywell was the US version Asahi was the rest of the world - the name doesn't indicate any difference in specification, only the SP, 500/1000 & F indicate differences and were across all markets
Yes and thank you.
Can you please explain the battery thingy a bit more? Do I have to replace this and how do I know if I do? Thank you in advance, I just got a Pentax SP1000 for my birthday and I am new to film cameras! I am excited to use it but I also hope I dont ruin anything accidentally! :)
gabriellaip7 I'm glad to. The battery operates only the light meter. The rest of the camera is completely mechanical -- the action of advancing the film tensions springs that drive the shutter and mirror.
So the battery for these is no longer made and hasn't been for a while. There are Wein Cell replacements, but they only last about 90 days once exposed to air.
I'm told that the hearing-aid-type battery number 387 (should be available at any good pharmacy) is an exact fit, but I haven't had a chance to try it yet with mine.
Thank you. How will I know if I have to replace it? :)
gabriellaip7 You're welcome. :)
The light meter won't respond when you take a meter reading (note that it may not respond if you're inside anyway as there won't be enough light to turn it on in most indoor settings.)
The easiest way to check the battery is to test it against the Sunny 16 rule. This will tell you if it's working and if the meter is close to accurate. On a sunny day, find a subject like a tree that's in full sun. Set your shutter speed to 1/125th and your ASA to 125. Set your aperture to f/16. Take your meter reading the needle should be near or at the center. If it's off by a bit, that's fine, but that test gives you both an idea of your battery's life and your meter's accuracy.
Ah, I see! So... I can use my camera even if the light meter doesn't work anymore? I'm sorry for asking so many question, I'm so new to this!
No problem. Ask away. Yes, your camera will work and take pictures if the light meter does not work. The light meter only helps you determine if a photo will be properly exposed.
I can't speculate on the inter-office politics between engineers and marketers, :), but I can say that the SP500 does have an unmarked, faster shutter speed on the dial. That speed is uncalibrated, however, and ranges from 1/750th to 1/1,000th depending on the camera's age, condition, and specific internal gearing. Because it's not calibrated, it's not constant nor is it reliable for metering. But, it's probably within a half stop of 1/1,000th most of the time.
Such a great looking camera
I completely agree.
@@DavidHancock I was looking at Shueido camera on IG and wow they are making Art. My oh my what they could do with this Pentax. Throw the 8 element 50mm on and dream Kit.
The Honeywell doesn't have a hot shoe attachment. Also, the Asahi will not reset the shutter after a shot without film advancing, so it is not possible to take pictures and have nothing in the camera.
The Honeywell had an accessory shoe optional part, like the Asahi version. And both of them have the shutter cocking feature. However, it's not accurate to say it's impossible to take pictures with nothing in the camera. Both of these models work mechanically without film. The result, since there's no film, would be that there'd be no photo, but mechanically everything works with or without film.
Sorry, one more question. I have another camera and the film advance lever is stuck. Someone has told me it needs a film in it to work, it's a Yashica. Do you know if that's the case?
Without knowing the model, I can't say for sure.
It is the Yashica FX 103
That's not one I'm familiar with, but I know it has an electromagnetic shutter. So it would at minimum need batteries to operate. I would not think that the camera has to have film to work, and I don't know of any cameras younger than the mid-90s that do require film to work. I did find a manual that might be helpful, though:
www.cameramanuals.org/yashica_pdf/yashica_fx_103.pdf
David Hancock that's incredibly helpful. Thanks again for taking the time to advise! I look forward to watching more of your videos in the future.
Why not touch the mirror? How else am I supposed to get dust and gunk off of it?
Mirrors are surface-coated and cleaning compounds, fingerprints, and so forth, can ruin them. Here's a video I made with a mirror cleaning tutorial. czcams.com/video/uUBX-MVYjTM/video.htmlfeature=shared
loved it thanks man gave you a thumb up lol
Great camera ,i have one of this ,SP.
Nice!
To increase the confusion between the two models: I have one, bought in Europe, with the flash accessory (a hot shoe?) but it says SP1000 on it. No timer, no 'spotmatic' writing on it. it says 'Asahi' and nothing about where assembly happened, but I would guess Japan.
The SP1000 is a completely different model, too.
Hello :) thanks for your video it was very useful! Just FYI, my SP1000 doesn’t have Made in Hong Kong on the bottom, and also does have the roller inside that you mentioned. Thought you might find that interesting.
That is interesting. I wonder why that is.
Because you are ignorant.@@DavidHancock
I've used 1.5v batteries in like 25 different cameras for a long time, never "damaged" one. It may make the light meter out of perfect calibration, but all you have to do is just measure it against a trusted meter, figure out how far off it is, and then lie to the camera about the ISO of the film. If it is too optimistic (tells you you need 1 stop less light than you do" for example then when you shoot 200 ISO film, tell it you loaded 100, problem solved.
For Pentax cameras, the modern batteries are no issue because they have a voltage regulator in them that ensures a proper voltage. For others, the over-voltage batteries won't damage the circuits (I've learned a lot since I made this video) but they will throw off the meter by about two stops and underexpose all the photos.
how do you know if the camera is on ?
If the lens cap is off, the meter is on. Everything except the meter is mechanical so it's never truly off.
Does the sp 1000 have light seals ?
It does. They're easily replaced and it's been a number of years since I saw one with original light seals that didn't need to be replaced. I have a video showing how to replace old light seals with cotton yarn.
I really dislike the US Honeywell made for versions. Got to be Asahi Pentax.
Just because of the logo? They're exactly the same otherwise I'll
Glad to know I’m not the only one.
Wait so the orange light has to turn black in order for me to take pictures ?
Okay never mind I misunderstood, sorry!!
:D
I bought an energizer 392 battery for this. This is alright correct? I read online various options and 392 was an option and available at target so I grabbed that. It seems ok, I looked at the manual and the meter reading stick did point up. I recently bought the sp1000
I believe that works. These have resistors in the circuits so even if it's not the exact voltage it will work.
Thank you for getting back to me. Cool, thanks.
Hi David thanks for this informative video, can I use m42 mount lenses other than takumar eg. Helios 44 -2, Meyer Optik or Domiplan 50mm on Pentax Spotmatic F? Thank you in advance
You definitely can.
David Hancock thanks you very much 👍👍👍
You did nt say....how to take double exposures with theses camera. The camera s also have a mirror lock up.......find it if you can......
MLU I'm not aware of. And yes, I made this video before I started including double exposure process notes.
If I'm not mistaken the SP1000 was just a marketing move. They introduced a cheaper version, the SP500 with 1/500 max shutter speed and the SP1000 became the higher end model. The funny thing is that mechanically the SP500 and SP1000 are perfectly identical. The SP500 is missing the 1000 mark on the shutter dial but you can actually turn it to empty place where 1000 should be and the shutter will release at 1/1000 second correctly. This was a big f*ck you to the marketing guys by the engineers:)
hello David! I have an SP1000 for not too long, and the lightmeter has worked fine up until now. When I point it at a Sunny sky with even a low shutterspeed the needle is in the minus area. The battery has suffient capacity and I did not drop the camera or did anything in my knowledge that could have damaged the lightmeter
Do you have any idea what the cause of the problem is and how I can get it fixed?
Thank you in advance.
+ARPep9 Hmm. That's hard to say. The battery only powers the light meter, so my first guess is that the battery has died. Are you using a WeinCell? Those only last for a very short time.
Alternately, when you were using the meter, did you leave the meter on all the time or did you only use it to take meter readings?
I'm at a loss for any other culprits to the meter not working besides the battery dying. If you have tried a few different batteries and it's not responding, check with Eric at Pentaxs.com. He repairs all my Pentaxes and will know if the camera can be fixed.
David Hancock Thank you for the response! I have a PX400 battery in it. I tested if it had enough capacity by setting the ASA to 100 on bulb mode. It dropped which means it does have enough capacity. I did leave the meter on without the lens cap a few times. Maybe that could be it?
About pentaxs.com , Im from Europe so that wouldnt be a viable option for me, but thank you for the suggestion!
So you tested it since the issues with the meter and it responded that there was suitable charge?
David Hancock Yes, I did! And yes, it responded that way.
ARPep9 That's curious. It could either be that the metering cell is dead or it could be that there just wasn't enough light (maybe due to the aperture and shutter setting) to return a metering result. If you've tried multiple settings (it sounds like you have), I would suspect a faulty metering cell may be to blame. I know there are repair shops in Europe that can repair that, but I don't know any of them. ManualFocusForums and APUG would both be places to ask for recommendations.
hey David, thank you for putting up all the helpful videos! One question though, yes it is about the battery/lightmeter. they replaced the mercury battery that this camera uses: the S400PX. I was able to buy one online and I put it in my sp1000. and the manual said you could test the battery by setting the ASA to 100 and putting it on bulb mode. And then by turning on the lightmeter it should rapidly drop. that would mean the battery would have suffient capacity. and the meter did drop. but the light meter does not move if point the camera at something bright or change any settings. Do you have any ideas on what the problem might be? should I try to get the battery you mentioned? thank you so much in advance.
Anna When you test the light meter and it doesn't move. I assume you're turning the light meter on to test it. Are you testing it inside or outside? If it's inside, there might not be enough light for the meter to turn on. These meters will only turn on if a certain amount of light (more than is typical indoors) can reach the meter sensor.
Yea, I did test it inside. I thought it would be light enough but turns out it wasn't at all. When I was outside it started moving! I'm really glad it works. Thanks for the response! :)
One more question though! On a whole other topic. I saw a astrophotography picture on your profile. Can you take good pictures with a pentax? If so, how long do I set my shutter speed and apature? Do I set it to bulb mode and just hold it for a long time? Thank you!
I've taken a lot of star trails images with Pentaxes. I have a tutorial on how to do star trails with a film camera. You will want to use bulb (a locking cable release is ideal), a fast lens, and a faster film.
I'm not sure which photo you saw, but here are some examples as what to try and what to avoid:
Here's one I took with my Pentax K1000 with Fuji Natura 1600 film. The lens was a Vivitar 28mm f/2.5 at f/2.5 or f/2.8. The exposure was probably about 15 minutes.
lh3.googleusercontent.com/-vWDqRTG6NWw/VX0j9Yr3PqI/AAAAAAABs2E/JP88395KlVY/s1000-Ic42/26.jpg
And here's one taken with Fuji Acros 100 ISO film with the same setup:lh3.googleusercontent.com/-BzW28kodS6s/VXPpXuV17CI/AAAAAAABryU/pAIR0XWgPtA/s1000-Ic42/2.jpg
The second one was in a MUCH darker area (north of Fort Bragg, CA, versus South Lake Tahoe, CA) and far fewer stars are visible. For a good star trails photo, you'll need ISO 400 or faster film. The black and white exposure was probably two hours. The color was probably 30-45 minutes. I should be better about timing these things but I'm not.
The first one has significant vignetting due to the wide-angle lens and lens characteristics (like vignetting) being amplified during long exposures. I have taken good star trails with 200 ISO film but have used a very fast lens (f/1.4) and set it to f/1.8 or f/2 in order to do it. If you have a Takumar 50mm f/1.4, you can take superb star trails with your Pentax. Set it to f/2, put in some 800 or 1600 ISO film, and take different exposures of different lengths (and take better notes than I do, too.) :D
If you want to take a photo with the stars being motionless, like this one:
lh3.googleusercontent.com/-as7GkKKvevg/VWAohvNctWI/AAAAAAABrD0/ltA6ZD57tQc/s1000-Ic42/1.jpg
This takes some specialized equipment and practice. I use an iOptron SkyTracker. But before tacking this, I would say get really good at star trails. It's a LOT harder to shoot at night than in the day.
+David Hancock thank you for the how to! It takes a lot longer than I thought. I saw the last picture you linked, its very beautiful. I expected that it would take some better equipment then mine. but I would love to take pictures like that. I'll watch your video and try for myself when it's a clear night. thanks! :)
i have the sp1000, so if i get a hot shoe for it, what flashes will work with it?
cwilll There was no hot shoe accessory for the Spotmatic series. The shoe that's on the camera in the video is a cold shoe. All it can do is hold a flash. You would still need a cable to connect the flash to the terminal on the front of the camera.
do you know where i could find a connector?
any good camera store, Amazon, eBay, Adorama, and B&H are all good options. If your flash has a cable port, just make sure you get the correct cable. If there's no port or if you're unsure of the cable, get a PC port to hot shoe cable. This cable connects to the PC port but has a hot shoe on the end that the flash connects to. that hot shoe can then be placed in your cold shoe or you can hand-hold your flash for better lighting. That's probably your best bet.
What shutter release cables work with the sp500?
Any standard, threaded cable will work. Just not the Nikon- and Leica-style releases.
What is the battery for
It operates the light meter.
I touched the film curtain! Nooo! What now?!
If it still operates properly and there's no damage, then just carry on. The risk to the film curtain isn't specifically finger oils but pushing the curtain off its rails or having it close on your finger. If it no longer operates properly, let me know and I can suggest a good repairman.
I wish you didn't go off on a tangent, talking about later models. Super informative otherwise.
Thank you!
Wrong in SO Many ways. why make a video unless you have done your homework. Honeywell was a made for camera for the anti japanese US American market. everywhere else it was an Asahi Pentax Spotmatic SP. the SP 1000 was released several years later and had no self timer.
Honeywell was importing the Asahi Printed cameras and just slapping their name on them, just like Sears had done before with the Tower cameras that had been Asahi on other markets. There was a lot of protectionism after WWII in the US and German cameras of some makes couldn't be imported here without changes, too.
Pesimo da vetguenza
Sarei felice di vedere un video che hai realizzato su questa fotocamera che ritieni migliore.