> James Moniz wrote:
>> Largely for fun, I just picked up a Honeywell Pentax H1a with a
>> 55mm f2 Takumar from ebay. This will be my first screw mount.
But probably not your last.
>> While I'm waiting for it to arrive, I wanted to know if any of
>> you have used this ancient, beautiful-looking hunk of metal and
>> glass, and what you like/don't like about it.
While I like the flash shoe and meter in my Spotmatic, unless
I actually need either of those when I'm reaching for a screwmount
body, I reach for an H3 or an S1a/H1a. My first Pentax (my second
SLR) was an H3, about six years ago.
What don't I like? Okay, changing lenses in a hurry is a bit
of a pain (but it's only a problem when I'm in a hurry). Fear
that old age will eventually get to the shutter is lurking in
the back of my mind. And a hot shoe would be nice. And I don't
have as big a selection of zoom lenses for screwmount (but hey,
those screwmount primes are pretty damned nice).
What do I like? Like the K1000/KX/K2, it's a really good size
for my hands. It feels solid. It still works even though it's
about as old as I am. (Hmm. GIven my fibromyalgia, I guess
my S1a cameras work better than my own body does.) The viewfinder
is _mercifully_uncluttered_ -- all that info (starting with the
simple needle in the Spotmatic and going up from there) *is*
useful, and when that information is convenient, it's good to
have it right there, but sometimes I just want to get away from
that and exeperience the simple pleasure of a viewfinder that
simply shows the view. The shutter speed dial is very easy to
operate with a fingertip, or when wearing gloves. And the smooth
feel of the film advance lever -- the fluid feeling of the mechanism
and that just-right shape to feel right under my thumb ... all in
all, it's just a real pleasure to operate -- it feels like a
precision machine.
I think it feels nicer to operate, on a tactile level, than
the Spotmatics.
Oh yeah, it also makes a cool conversation starter. "That camera
is _how_ old?" Or, "No, it's not a Spotmatic, it's what came
before the Spotmatic." It's especially good for making friends
with people twenty years older than I am, who used to use something
similar when they were half my age. "Wow, I haven't seen one of
those in a while!"
But the _big_ win is just a) how very nice it feels in one's
hands, and b) the combination of simplicity and reliability.
The H1a is a good implementation of a good design.
-- Glenn
