James Moniz promised: > I will eventually post some photos taken with my H1a on my website.
And, of course, in the PUG, right? ;-) -- Glenn Actually...yes. I swhould probably add to my expansive collection of 2 submissions to the PUG in as many years! :P Jim http://www.jimmoniz.com ----- Original Message ----- From: "D. Glenn Arthur Jr." <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Tuesday, July 08, 2003 3:47 PM Subject: Re: Today's Word Is "Anachronism"! :) > > 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 >
