On Sun, 09 Jan 2011 20:41 -0400, "Steve Sharpe" <[email protected]> wrote: > At 8:05 AM +1100 1/10/11, Brian Walters wrote: > >On Sun, 09 Jan 2011 12:53 -0800, "Larry Colen" <[email protected]> wrote: > >> Saw this ad on craigslist: > >> http://sfbay.craigslist.org/scz/pho/2144182087.html > >> $30 for P5, m50/1.7, Rikenon 35-70mm 1:3.5-4.5, and a small flash > >> > >> I expect that the zoom isn't really worth anything, and the 50/1.7 is > >> probably worth the $30. > > > > > >Well, the 50 1.7 is certainly worth $30, if it's in good nick. > > > >I liked the P5 (P50 here). It was my workhorse camera for quite a few > >years in the 1980s/90s. I always liked the look and feel of it. It had > >its limitations (no manual setting of ISO; no TTL flash; no manual > >shutter speed, so without batteries it was cactus) but, for what I was > >doing with it, those things weren't important to me. I still have it. > > I have a P5 as well, and like Brian, it was my workhorse camera, from > 1987 - 2000. It died about five years ago and is now a very reliable > bookend. Soon after I got it I was told I should have gotten its > predecessor, the Super Program, since the P5 had fewer features > (lower top shutter speed in addition to what is described above). > But, it served me well, took my Winder ME II and Motor Drive A, and > was my main camera until I bought a ZX-5N. >
As it happened, I did get a Super Program (Super A, actually) after I got the P50. The Super A was, indeed, a far superior camera but I carried both around for many years and used both equally until I eventually went auto focus. I always thought that the P50 was intended to be a middle of the range camera and that Pentax were probably working on a high end "P" body when the auto focus boom arrived to put an end to that. I've got no evidence that that was the case, of course.... Cheers Brian ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Brian Walters Western Sydney Australia http://lyons-ryan.org/southernlight/ -- -- http://www.fastmail.fm - Does exactly what it says on the tin -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List [email protected] http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.
