Pentax K1000 50mm f1.7

Pentax K1000 50mm f1.7 Lens

A fully working and tested Pentax K1000 with an ‘M’ series 50mm f1.7 lens, UV filter, original lens cap and Pentax neck strap.

This particular camera is from the 2^nd production run of the K1000 and would almost certainly have been a ‘Made in Japan’ (MiJ) version as evidenced by its serial number and the details of the camera. This would date it at somewhere between 1977 and 1982.

MiJ versions are considered superior to other versions of the camera and usually carried either a stamping into the metal OR a small silver sticker on the base. It is likely the sticker has fallen off given its age.

The camera shows wear consistent with its age but it has been tested on our professional quality equipment and found to be within specification for both its shutter and its meter.

It has been fitted with brand new Jon Goodman type light-seals which will out last conventional foam and a new mirror bumper has been fitted.

The lens is excellent both mechanically and optically.

Please Note: The Pentax K1000 has no on/off switch for its meter. The meter turns off when the lens cap is applied. If you leave the lens cap off it will continue to eat the battery power so it’s essential when not in use the lens cap be applied or the camera be stored in a dark bag. The camera uses a standard silver cell SR44 battery.

The K1000, introduced in 1976, is the simplest member of Asahi Optical’s Pentax K-series 35mm SLRs. The other members are the Pentax K2, KM, and KX, introduced in 1975, and the K2 DMD of 1976. All have the same basic body design, but with differing feature levels, electronics, and controls. The K1000 was the KM with the self-timer, depth of field pre-view and some other features removed to save cost.

It uses a horizontal travel, rubberized silk cloth focal plane shutter with a speed range of 1/1000 second to 1 second, along with Bulb and a flash X-sync of 1/60 second.

Solid and largely reliable the K1000 was sold in huge numbers to film students in its day and was one of the last film cameras in production.

Late in its life the design was licensed to Chinese manufacturers who made very many changes to reduce the price. The vert late Chinese variants are significant for the reduction in quality with many metal parts being replaced by plastic and tendency for the prisms to de-silver.

Camera and lens have been cleaned and the camera has had new light-seals and mirror bumper fitted. We would have to assume the camera must have been serviced sometime in the rtecent past as it operates perfectly in respect of its shutter speeds and meter.

All lenses of this age exhibit some small particles of dust and coatings are not up to modern standards. Cameras will exhibit some wear signs and likewise may have small dust specks in their viewfinders or focus screens. These do not affect the picture in any way.

ANY problems or issues will be described in the main text which you are advised to read carefully. If you are unfamiliar with film cameras we suggest you do some online research and read the manuals which are freely available from online resources.

Check the work we do to fully service a camera here

Mel & Claire