PENTAX K1000 Film Cameras

Going Back to Classic Film

When many people think of the golden days of film photography, the name Pentax K1000 immediately pops into their heads. This camera was increasingly well-known in the heyday of film photography, and is still loved by many to this day. For those who want to dive head first into the nostalgia of film photography, there are many film cameras available, as well as a plethora of accessories.

What Are the Basics of the K1000?

The K1000 was originally labeled as the Asahi K1000, and is an interchangeable lens, 35mm film camera.

• This film camera is a single-lens reflex (SLR) camera, which many modern users recognize as the forerunner to the DSLR, which is simply a digital SLR camera.
• While this SLR camera was never marketed as a professional-level camera, it was nevertheless still used by many professional-level photographers due to its popularity and ease of use.
• This camera was manufactured from 1976 to 1997, making it an incredibly long-running camera model that solidly earned it a place in film photography history.

Why Do So Many People Like the K1000?

With so many people using this film camera, those who are unfamiliar with film photography may rightly wonder why it was, and still is, so widely used.

• In terms of SLR cameras, this particular Asahi model is about the simplest available. While this may seem like a limitation, it was actually a breath of fresh air to many aspiring photographers, who now had an easy-to-use and accessible camera that they could use when beginning with photography.
• The controls are simple: users can set the speed of the shutter from 1 second to 1/1000th of a second, control the aperture via the attached lens, and start shooting. The speed of the shutter and the aperture are two key components when it comes to properly exposing the shot.
• A TTL light meter is built into the camera and is also incredibly simple to use. This light meter makes exposure even easier to balance.

What Are the Specifications of the K1000?

Many film photographers are curious as to what's \"under the hood\" of this Pentax camera.

• This SLR camera uses a K mount, meaning it is compatible with any camera lens that uses the K mount connection, like many SMC lenses.
• The \"1000\" in the name, references the maximum shutter speed this camera can attain: 1/1,000. This faster shutter speed allows for sharper photographs, just like with digital cameras.
• The viewfinder on this camera uses 0.99x magnification on a 50mm lens. The SE version of this camera has a combined split-image rangefinder.