Hi Marnie I'd agree with Frank. The camera is just a box to hold the film (and maybe measure light) - the lens makes the difference. You say on the whole you like the camera - some of the most stunning photos on the PUG (and elsewhere) were taken with K1000s. Maybe stick with what you know, and get some new glass. Just my 2c. Cheers, Simon
> Dave Okay, I'll try that. On the whole I like the camera. It's got a nice heft, nice size, simple as pie controls, and feels solid and reliable. And doesn't take bad pics. I'll see if that technique helps me. Thanks, Doe -----Original Message----- From: frank theriault [mailto:knarf.theriault@;sympatico.ca] Sent: Friday, 8 November 2002 6:33 AM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: Pentax Upgrade Hi, Marnie, This probably isn't the answer you're looking for, but "if it were me" (and I know it isn't <g>) and I had a bit of money to spend, I'd buy a lens or two. You mentioned in an earlier post that you have two lenses (I'm assuming a 50mm is one of them). For the price of a body, you might be able to pick up one or two pretty decent used lenses. I think they might prove much more useful than another body. I agree, the K1000 takes "pretty good" pictures. I know it has basically zero features, but I look at most features as conveniences rather than things to improve your photos, especially if what you're considering upgrading to is a ZX-M. A body needs to be mechanically stable and vibration-free, needs accurate metering and shutter speeds. The K1000 is all of those. It also needs to hold a lens. The K1000 does that, too. Think about it, the light goes through the lens. If that gets screwed up, the best body in the world ain't gonna fix it. In terms of loading film, I assume the K1000 has basically the same system as my old Spotmatics. Take Dave Brook's advice. Before you close the back, wind once until the sprockets catch both sets of holes - by then the leader should be around the spool at least once, so you'll know you have a good "mechanical connection" (for lack of a better term) between the film leader and winding mechanism. Then, while holding the film against the sprockets, turn the rewind knob until all the slack is gone inside the canister. Close the back. When you do your first couple of advances to get the counter to "0", watch the rewind knob to make sure it's moving (assuring that the film is advancing). I know it sounds like a PIA, but it becomes second nature very quickly. So there you have it - my unsolicited advice - hope you don't mind! <g> cheers, frank [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > I have a Pentax K-1000 (taking first photography class). While I think > the camera takes pretty good pictures, the manual film load is killing > me. > > I am wondering about upgrading to a ZX-M fairly immediately. Or I > could save my money for 6-10 months and get a ZX-5N. Or I could get > the ZX-M now and get the 5N later. I could pick up the M fairly > cheaply now. > > Should I wait? Or would I find the ZX-M satisfactory enough for about > a year? Is it really similar to the K-1000? Except for the > shutter/aperture priority and auto film load, and film advance? > > Probably no easy answer to this, but would appreciate any input. I > keep losing picures (even one whole roll) because I find manually > feeding film into the take up spool too hard. > > Doe aka Marnie Parker -- "The optimist thinks this is the best of all possible worlds. The pessimist fears it is true." -J. Robert Oppenheimer
