Pentax ME Super 35mm SLR Camera Package

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Learn or discover a new technique, build on your skills, or be inspired to have a go at a bit of DIY. Read more... The first few rolls I put through came out surprisingly well. This camera is just so easy to use. I missed focus numerous times – which should be expected as this was my first time shooting a manual camera. What impressed me the most was how everything came out correctly exposed. I’d rate the light meter trustworthy and accurate. The only incorrectly exposed photos that came out of the camera were due to operator error. I haven’t used any of the automated modes and cannot comment on their effectiveness, but if the meter works this well in manual I’m sure the various automatic and priority modes are fine. The Canon AE1 gets all kinds of praise heaped on it when discussing entry level 35mm SLRs that offer auto and manual modes. I’d take the ME Super over it every day of the week though. The Pentax’s aperture priority auto mode is a lot more intuitive and easy to use than the Canon’s shutter priority mode. As a bonus, the Pentax is smaller but still has a nicer viewfinder. The front flower is fully in focus, the rear flower is starting to snap in as well. Subject separation is good. Bokeh has become more hexagonal. The viewfinder magnification was very useful - but undermined by the split micro-prism. I could not stand the M series lenses either - too small and not the best optically.

I do believe in an everyday sort of magic – the inexplicable connectedness we sometimes experience with places, people, works of art and the like; the eerie appropriateness of moments of synchronicity; the whispered voice, the hidden presence, when we think we’re alone." All things considered, the Pentax ME Super turned in a great review. It’s a fun camera that’s easy to carry around, with good ergonomics and handling especially with a small lens. I really like small cameras that will function with no battery power, so this one worked out really well. A great camera for those wishing to travel light, and want control over their exposures. Approximate dimensions with no lens attached; 4 1/8″ (132mm) long, 3 1/4″ (83mm) tall, 2″ (50mm) deep including lens protrusion. Weight is 15.7 oz (445g). At its intended purpose, the ME is pretty fabulous. It’s one of those rare values in the world of vintage cameras that offers a near perfect balance of assets; excellent form factor, robust construction, technical prowess, and low cost. There are similar cameras in its category that may be just as good (Nikon’s EM springs to mind), but no camera in its segment is decidedly superior to the ME. A good deal of these top performers were released with the Vivitar brand name. Any zoom featuring the Vivitar Series 1 branding on it is going to have the best optics you can expect to see from an older zoom lens.

If you do not currently own it, a capable initial lens to get a hold of is the SMC Pentax-M 50mm f/1.7. The 50mm f1.7 is easy to find, is light, has fantastic photo quality, is cheap, and streamlined

There are plently of telephoto lenses to select from. 85mm and focal lengths longer than 135mm are going to be higher priced.

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The best vintange macro lens I have owned, the 90mm Vivitar, was made with a variety of camera mounts. Unfortunately, it will be tough to find a copy that’s got a Pentax K mount.