Sometimes, I am enough lucky to be given cameras to try or am offered great swaps. This camera was one of those swaps. It is a basic SLR from 1980. It has manual mode or aperture priority depending on the lens. Two regular button batteries can power the coupled light meter guide in the viewfinder, but does not control the camera.
As you see it looks like a classic SLR should. It would be perfect for a beginner or someone who is not bothered by bells and whistles. You can find a few technical details here. The camera is activated by moving the film advance to uncover the red dot. Without a battery the mirror can lock up if the shutter is activated, but the red X will release it. The film advance has one of the shortest movement I have experienced.
The first time I tried it I didn’t particularly enjoy using it. Sometimes you do, sometimes you don’t. Maybe I foresaw the test photos from an expired film.
As you can see the lens worked fine, but everything was underexposed due to the age of the film. At this point I was not sure if it was the camera or the film. I was using the camera in auto mode.
As everything seems to be working I gave it a second chance. I loaded it with fresher film, Kodak Ekta 100, and tried a different lens. I also put on a shutter release button as I have not tried one before. I thought pimping the camera might make me like it a tad more.
It worked, I enjoyed using the camera much more this time. Ironically, it was only spoiled by the button. It made the shutter much more sensitive. When I wanted to get a light meter reading by a half press, the shutter would fire. I got use to it eventually and stopped being so heavy handed.
Anyway, here are some of the photos from the second test.
Well, much better. If you want to get into film photography this camera is simple to use and cheap to buy. It is basic, no bells and whistles at all, but reliable. It is a Pentax K fit so lenses are easy to get. It is slightly bigger than a Pentax ME Super which I prefer, but much smaller than some other SLRs.
I have many cameras like this so I won’t be keeping this one.
I eventually sold it to a photography student, perfect.
Impressive images from the second test. Thank you for showing them.
Thank you, Yorkshire really is beautiful.
The Ricoh SLRs of this era are great under-appreciated bargains. And they take all that lovely Pentax K-mount glass.
If this was the only camera I had, I would be ok with that.
Hard to believe that Ricoh now owns Pentax. Create a lens mount that is copyright-free (the K-mount) and in 40 years your low-budget competitors can buy you out! :O
Not a great business model, but great for film uses.
I used to have one of these – very nice and pleasant to use. And then the shutter jammed :/
Do you find Pentax p30t better than this one? I am eyeing one as a replacement for the jammed Rikoh.
Just on looks, I much prefer the Pentax. Apart from that they are too similar to call. Though I think the Ricoh works without batteries which is always a bonus.