pentax MV

[peters8]

what do you think about this camera?is it better than the k1000 (noisy shutter,dimensions ecc.ecc...)

[Chan Tran]

what do you think about this camera?is it better than the k1000 (noisy shutter,dimensions ecc.ecc...)

Well first I never paid attention to how noisy the shutter is so I can't tell you there. It's has the same dimensions as the ME which is about as small a 35mm SLR gets. It's an aperture priority auto camera only. You can't set the shutter speed manually. As a less expensive version of the ME, the shutter speed set by the camera isn't shown in the viewfinder like in the case of the ME. It has somewhat less viewfinder magnification compared to other Pentax of the same era. It's battery dependent.

So in this case I have to say the K1000 is better because it's usable because if I use the MV it would drive me nuts for not knowing what it is doing.

[John Koehrer]

What Chan said, I seem to remember the M series cameras as being pretty quiet(looooong time ago).
If you're looking for an automatic camera the ME or ME super are similar. The Super has both automatic and manual operation.

[PentaxBronica]

The MV and MV1 are pretty useless other than as snapshot cameras for the reasons detailed above.

My suggestions: If you like the K1000 but not its size, look for an MX. If you want a lighter camera which still has manual control, look for a P30 series. The first batch P30 lacks a cable release socket so if this is important to you look for a later P30 or the P30n/P30t models. Yes they're battery dependent but they're now cheap, lightweight, and have more accurate metering and shutter speeds than a K1000. I've paid as little as 99p for a tidy P30 body in full working order before now, put a roll of slide film in and got 39 perfectly exposed slides back. They are very under-rated.

My main objection to the ME Super is the buttons for shutter speed, I much prefer a proper control dial (which the P30 has). You could also consider a KX or K2 but they're about the same size and weight as the K1000!

[Ian Grant]

Like others have said already forget the MV, I bought one for my mother and it was perfect for her as she wantend something simple.

If you can live with DX coding and no override the P30 is a good camera, my favourite was a Chinon CE4, a great manual/auto K mount SLR that had all the features not found in the Pentax cameras aside fom the K2. I found the ME & ME Super awkward to use.

Ian

[Steve Smith]

Another good third party K mount body is the Ricoh KR-10x. I have one which we bought at work to use on the microscope but was never been used. After a re-organisation and tidy up which resulted in this body heading for the rubbish dump, I grabbed it for myself.


Steve.

[Chan Tran]

I am not sure why the op is so concerned about shutter noise in an SLR.

[PentaxBronica]

There are a couple of ways around DX coding. You can:

Alter the code on the film, either with tape/conductive copper tape or with a new sticker.

Leave the film alone and remember to always expose it by the desired value above or below what the meter is telling you.

As I've never felt the need to push film I'm not overly bothered, the price of used P30s at the moment is so low that it's no great hardship to buy a few re-coding stickers if you really want to push or pull.

[cliveh]

I think the K1000 was the best Pentax ever made.

[Pioneer]

I certainly use the daylights out of my K1000 and I love it.

But...if you are looking for a quiet shutter...keep looking. Even with new mirror bumpers it sounds like a gunshot going off when it's quiet. Although some SLRs are quieter than others they are all a noisy breed.

If you want quiet, go with a leaf shutter 35mm. Even a Leica sounds noisy next to those cameras.