Category Archives: Photography

35mm film is far more fun than digital

These images taken of Woolacombe were done using  a Pentax SP1000 35mm camera. This camera was my father’s, who bought it from new in the 1970s. All Pentax Spotmatics (SP) use the M42 screw-thread lens mount. The lenses are focused at maximum aperture to give a bright viewfinder image for focusing, then a switch at the side stops the lens down and switches on the metering to enable the exposure to be set prior to shutter release.

I’m really getting into lens flare which is usually caused by a very bright light source, either affecting the image or shining into the lens, which produces a haze. I also like the slightly over cooked vintage feel of these images, scrathes, dust, and fibre strands -35mm film is far more fun than digital.

Ilfracombe Harbour

The image above was taken in Ilfracombe – June 2012

Pentax P30 35mm camera

The Pentax P30 is an SLR and uses manual focus lenses with the K-mount bayonet fitting.

I shot a roll of film on an old Pentax P30. The results were not as satisfying as those taken with the Pentax SP500. I couldn’t seem to get the quality.

The Pentax P30 is an SLR and uses manual focus lenses with the K-mount bayonet fitting. The original lens had a small button on it which turned it into an automatic camera, the light meter flashed options in the view finder. At about 510 grams, the camera is lightweight, with shutter speeds from 1/1000 of a second to 1 second. The automatic mode on this film camera chooses the best shutter speed and aperture setting to give the novice photographer (me) the best possible chance of taking a good photo. It also has a semi-automatic mode as well, which chooses most of the settings but allows for more creativity. There is also a totally manual setting for the brave.

Pentax Spotmatic – SP500

I have just bought and received via eBay a Pentax SP500 camera. I  put a new battery into it and the internal light meter worked straight away. Unlike the Pentax K1000 you need to switch the light meter on using a switch on the camera body … Continue reading ?

Colour Photos – Pentax SP500 camera

I loaded the Pentax SP500 camera I got off eBay yesterday with a colour film (200 asa) and took a few shots in and around my home, experimenting with different lenses. The clearest shots were achieved with the original Takumar 1:2/55mm lens.

I was fortunate enough to find a film processing shop that got the film back to me in a couple of hours – surprising for North Devon!

Here are a couple of the images – I scanned the negatives using my HP film scanner.

Pentax Spotmatic – SP500

I have just bought and received via eBay a Pentax SP500 camera. I  put a new battery into it and the internal light meter worked straight away. Unlike the Pentax K1000 you need to switch the light meter on using a sliding switch on the front of the body.

I cleaned it up a little bit and checked the lens – which was clean and bright, no scratches or blurs.

The film is loaded and I have begun clicking away…

Pentax cameras of this era came with fantastic standard lenses. The one I purchased came with an original Takumar 1:2/55mm lens, a great lens that is flexible and precise. Takumar is the name that Asahi Optical gave to its lenses, which they used on Asahi Pentax cameras. These lenses were named after the Japanese-American portrait painter, Takuma Kajiwara.

When the first Pentax Spotmatic was introduced to the public at the 1960 PHOTOKINA, photographic fair, in Cologne, Germany, it attracted the instant and close attention of photographers and photographic engineers alike.

The model range included the original Spotmatic, Spotmatic II and IIa, Spotmatic F, plus the SP500 and SP1000. There was also the Pentax SL, which was identical to the Spotmatic except that it did not have the built-in light meter.