Pentax K-mount sleeper: the Ricoh XR-1
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- čas přidán 3. 04. 2019
- As the prices of popular SLRs continue to rise, it becomes necessary to shop the bargain bin for hidden gems. This K-mount SLR is my pick for best sleeper SLR in Pentax' popular bayonet mount.
Here's an interesting piece about the Ricoh - Sears relationship: www.aperturepreview.com/the-l...
See this video ad-free on Odysee - LBRY: odysee.com/@briansphotoshow:5...
For more information on this very affordable yet full-featured camera, see the owners manual here:
www.butkus.org/chinon/ricoh/x...
Awesome classic analog merch available here:
www.redbubble.com/people/stil...
#ricoh #sears #pentax
This was my very first camera, the Ricoh XR-1. A great camera for a kid who mowed lawns all summer long to get enough money.
I loved the match need metering, and what I believed was a slight resemblance to a few old-style Nikon cameras.
Match needle metering, 1/125 flash sync, which was better than the competition, and a copal metal shutter, unlike those cloth crap shutters. Nirvana for a 15 year old.
I even used it to photograph a friend's wedding several years later.
Most of my actual Pentax slrs have some sort of a problem! But all the Ricohs keep on working having held up very nicely. So much for a budget brand.
You’re right about the KR line of cameras. I’ve owned the KR-5 KR-5 Super & Super ll & 2 KR-10s. Only one of the KR-10 worked but it didn’t for long the shutter got stuck open and that was it.
You made this video three years ago, and I am glad you did. I was literally going to toss this one to goodwill or sell online, then I started using it after this appreciation video. This is a sleeper! If it was a more renowned brand, it would be a very iconic mechanical camera. I honestly like the 50/50 construction of metal & plastic. Makes it lighter compared to an LX or K Series. Currently trying to find a backup body. Cheers.
Nothing puts a smile on my face faster than comments like these. I'm so glad I could help. Enjoy.
Just bought one for its 50mm f2 lens. Much better condition than my Pentax kx, me super and revue ac3. Mechanical metal shutter, great viewfinder with diagonal broken line, dof preview, multiexposition, and yes it has a mirror lock up just use the self timer. 20 euros with such a lens ! I love my me super s auto mode but electronics will fail for sure ...
Thanks for the video Brian, very helpful and encouraging. I just bought one (XR-1) for less than half the price of a CLA on my K1000. I put a light seal kit in it and everything thing tests out ok. I just wanted something for smc 50 1.7. It feels solid and the ergo is fine from my huge hands. My ping is less pronounced since I replaced the mirror bumper
'Investing' is one point when buying vintage cameras. 'Saving for the future' is what I think of when I get one and have it serviced.
Yes I was wondering about the KRs vs the XRs. Good advice from you there.
A lot of sellers want to include Vivitars, Soligors, Itorex and other mysterious lenses. (yes Vivitar made a few good ones)
For a K-mount film camera, I would like to own the unique Pentax MZ-S some time A bit more costly though. (I use the SF-X at the moment. Weird camera, but works really well.)
Of course I remember Deutsches Institut für Normung - lol . It was simpler than ASA IMO.
Again thx for a good talk.
Just got one of these,,richo xr1, in mint condition,, itching to use it, can't wait for the images it's going to produce,, love the channel great content very informative.
my ricoh cr-5 from jc penny is all metal still mint from 1984
Cool, I have a cosina fully mechanical love the feel of it the sound the shutter makes just bought my first film and loaded it, hoping to see some good images from it, in comparison to my DSLR it makes want to take my time to compose my shot more don't know if it's the cost of film or it's just the fact it's a different concept of photography even though this was well out before DSLRs, I have to say I find it more enjoyable.
Gonna have to disagree with your opinions on the Kr series, specifically the KR-5 Super, which has held up fantastically over the years. A great alternative to the K1000 which is overhyped.
Gidday from OZ. Just picked one up with extra lens for $20 . Now to find out a little more about it
You got a good deal on a good camera. Enjoy!
Hi Brian, I can recommend the 1983 onward Pentax Super-A (In UK and Europe) or the Super Program (in USA) with a Pentax -A F1.7. These lenses are being snatched up by Sony/Canon and M43 camera users for Video. They are plastic but have a lovely smooth focus ring. My Super A was bought in 1984 and used regularly up to 2003. i now use it for B+W film. It is very similar to the Pentax ME super but has 6 modes.
I've thought about getting an ME Super or something similar, but I just don't trust forty year old consumer electronics.
I've looked after my Ricoh XR-1 for 45 years. Still have the manual. I saved and saved as a kid for it. The lens release button has recently snapped off and I can no longer attach lenses or find a solution!!! Very sad 😔. They are really really hard to source now.
Yes, you don't see the XR-1 on the secondhand market too often. Perhaps they didn't sell well back in the day.
ASA was was only used in North America and Japan, DIN was by far more sophisticated, based on logarithmic scale and therefore more popular/used until ISO came and replaced both, its really weird why still today some people use ancient odd ball measurement units like a mile, pound, inch, stone....
Is this the same as a sears ksx 1000?
Hi Brian, I have just taken my Ricoh XR-1 out of my shed (stored away for 15+ years, and tried to unscrew the battery compartment with a coin as advised to no avail, can I use some CRC lubricant on it to help loosen it? I am taking a course on B/W photo and want to use my old camera, so Im starting to prepare, regards, Sue
If the battery compartment cap is stuck there's a good chance that there are some old corroded alkaline cells in there, in which case the chamber might be fouled beyond repair. Or perhaps it can be fixed with a bit of effort. Either way you can still use the camera. It will function as normal and fire on all speeds without a battery. Just download a light meter app for your phone. You'll learn more about exposure this way anyhow.
Sorry for the late reply, thanks for the advice, all good, regards Sue
Just stumbled across this video trying to get my XR-1 into working order, the battery check pops up to C on me putting in two new batteries, but then just stays at B and never actually moves to match the green match needle target. Any ideas?
Depends on how much money you're willing to spend to fix it. I just use a handheld meter or sunny 16 with mine. For me, an old CdS meter isn't worth the investment.
@@BriansPhotoShow oddly enough I JUST got it back from a shop that said it was in 'good working order'
I guess my question is why would the battery check work but not the actual meter? I try to stay low profile, if there's one more thing I have to put in my bag to use a camera, I'm less likely to take it anywhere.
@@georgemichaelofficial find a better repair shop
@@BriansPhotoShow helpful!
Being like a k1000 does the light meter on the xr1 stay on when the lens cap is not attached ?
No. The light meter is activated by deploying the advance lever to its standoff position. When the advance lever is stowed flush with the body, the meter is off.
Is the xr500 good, i came across one for cheap consisering buying. Im looking for a smaller camera as i have the Spotmatic and a srt200.
I've never heard of the XR500. In general, I prefer mechanical shutters which have proven more reliable over time than electronic shutters. If the camera has an "A" on the shutter speed dial, indicating automatic exposure, then the shutter is electronic.
@@BriansPhotoShow ah yes I prefer that too. It's not a very popular camera, can't even find much reviews or videos on it. Thank you.
There's nothing wrong with some Vivitar lenses. The 90 mm Macro ran rings around the Nikon equivalent of the period.
There may be a few needles in that haystack but for the most part third-party lenses of the manual focus era aren't worth collecting.
@@BriansPhotoShow I suppose it depends on how you look at it. If you're collecting as a 'collector' then that's probably true, though there were some innovative third party lenses from the early days of computer aided design. If you are a photographer who's fallen in to the trap of collecting then some lenses are just interesting - and if you are interested in adapting older lenses to use on digital bodies there are some surprises to be had.
Ricoh SLRs are reported by used camera stores as presenting up to 90% failure rates in used bodies, so buying a real Pentax K-mount body would appear to be the better investment. Disclosure: I do not personally own or use a K-mount system.
Yes, that's what Juho at Camera Rescue said recently, right? I suspect that number is driven by the fact that the vast majority of Ricoh plastic SLRs are electronic. The mechanical Copal Square shutter is unquestionably reliable, so that leaves the film transport mechanism, about which Modern Photography's stripdown report (August 1978) stated: "The ball-bearing mounting of an idler gear and the hardened steel rollers on actuating arms are witness to the expensive contradiction of cost-saving plastics used elsewhere."
KR range not worth buying? That's ridiculous. I've owned a KR5, KR10 and a KR10 Super for many years and none of them have ever let me down. I still use them to this day because of their simplicity and ease of use.
Do you put this one above even the XR-7?
The XR-7 was Ricoh's flagship SLR in the early 80s. Having said that, I prefer battery-independent reliability. Moreover, according to the technicians at Kamerastore, electronic Ricoh SLRs coming into their shop exhibit a 90% failure rate.
@@BriansPhotoShow Gotcha. Thanks for pointing that out. I'm trying to get my girlfriend a great starter camera, one with an A shutter setting, but most of them seem to be electronic. Do you know of any mechanical ones? If not , are there certain brands with reliable electronic offerings?
@@matiasvidela5657 All SLRs with an aperture-priority auto exposure mode are electronic. The most reliable are probably the Nikon FE, FE2, FA and, of course, the F3. None of those are cheap. Another option would be the autofocus Nikons and Canons of the 1990s. I believe they're still fairly reliable and most certainly inexpensive. My choice from that group would be the Nikon F80, though I'm sure there are some very good examples from Canon, I'm just not as familiar with those.
@@BriansPhotoShow Thanks much :)
Nothing beats an actual "Photograph", period. Digital has a place in the market, but if you want your image to last 150 years? Take a photograph. And store it right. Due to the laws of physics, any/all data on Digital media will be so degraded in 25 years, you may as well just throw it out.
Please say......PLASTIC.... POLY..... FIBER..... CARBON.....And not just " plastic ". There is a difference. Also in Canada, our Ricoh s were NOT sold by SEARS ( of canada ), but through JAPAN CAMERA of TORONTO. You will also discover, that MANY camera company models, were made by.....COSINA , but not ASAHI PENTAX. Their standards were much higher, then others. Good show......do more.