Frank, Thanks for the advice. I'll look into another Spotmatic body, maybe a II so I have the hotshoe.
I'm really, really slow w/ changing screwmount lenses- paranoid about cross-threading and it seems really slow. Bayonet mount lenses are so simple- line up the dots, turn 1/4 and click, ready to go. Taka -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] On Behalf Of frank theriault Sent: Tuesday, April 09, 2002 5:09 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: Spotmatics and screw mount lenses Hi, Taka, Comments interspersed with your text: TM wrote: > Thanks so much to all who replied to my first post. > > I'll look into repair a little further- the Spotmatic > that I have is in nice shape otherwise, although there > is a bit of green corrosion on the viewfinder housing. > > It looks like I'll have to get another Spotmatic body > just for flexibility's sake- those screwmount lenses > are awfully slow to change. Interesting. I just got my first bayonet mount camera a few months ago, after having used screwmounts exclusively since purchasing my first Practika 30 years ago. I actually find it easier and faster to change a screwmount lens! No lining up little dots (which I find a real PIA in the dark). It's just a matter of what one is used to, I guess. > > > In the meantime, I guess I'll also go get some bayonet > mount lenses, the motor drive for the Super A and the > flash. > > Are there any particular Spotmatics that should be avoided > or sought out? None to be avoided, really. Be aware that the SP500 really does have a "phantom" 1/1000 shutter speed; there's an unmarked detente just past 1/500. The factory didn't calibrate it, so it may be 1/2 stop off or so, but it's there, and it can be calibrated at a repair shop. I use mine all the time, without problem. SP500/1000's, however, have no self-timer (which I pretty much never use anyway). SPII's have the advantage of a hotshoe. F's have the advantage of a hotshoe, shutter lock and open aperture metering. However the F's meter is on whenever the lens cap is off (there's no on/off switch), so it's easy to leave off the lens cap when you get home, and drain the battery. I've heard varying stories of reliability of ES's and ESII's - some on this list have used them problem-free since forever. So, really, it's a matter of features that you're willing to pay for, rather than one model being more reliable than another; SPII's, F's and the ES models cost more on the used market than the other models mentioned. regards, frank > > -- "The optimist thinks this is the best of all possible worlds. The pessimist fears it is true." -J. Robert Oppenheimer - This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org . - This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org .
