This is a bit of an odd post for me, as I don’t have the camera in my possession anymore. So this is all based on memory or research. It is another camera I was asked to sell by my friend. There are just two cameras in the box now, and I am currently testing one of them. To be honest, there are three, but I have not yet brought myself to put the Agfa Parat up for sale.
But back to the MX. Here it is or was…
Right from the off, I liked this camera. It is simple. It has an easy-to-read light meter that even shows the speed you have set the camera to. The viewfinder also shows the aperture selection, but my photo does not show that. Best of all, though, it works without a battery as it is mechanical. So if you are out and about and the battery fails, you can carry on shooting. It was introduced in 1976 as an answer to the small-sized offerings from Olympus. In fact, this post says it was the smallest mechanical SLR ever. I was really tempted to buy this one for myself, but with the Parat also on my radar, I put this one up for sale, and it went immediately. Hence, I don’t have it to look over to refresh my memory.
It sold so quickly that I only got to shoot one roll of very expired Kodak RAR film in it, just to check it was working as it should. I would have been happy to have kept it a little longer to try a fresher film, but that’s life.
Here are some of my results from that one film.
I am trying to get through this film as quickly as I can. I seem to have a lot of it, plus some other expired film. It is great for testing cameras, but I am not too keen on the massive grain.
So my final thoughts: I loved this camera. I liked how it looked, how it handled, and how small it was. If I didn’t have so many cameras, I would be happy to have just this one…especially if I had an all black one. In fact, I am going to add this camera to my top ten list.
I’m currently having a dilemma with this beautiful camera. A couple of months ago I bought this model for a good price and in very good condition. Surprisingly, the K 1000s are more expensive. My Pentax MX has a defect in the light meter. I thought about reselling it to avoid the costs of a technical service, but it’s a camera that feels very good, is compact, and its mechanisms are very smooth, even more so than the Olympus OM1. I’ll most likely try to sell another one and keep the MX 😊.
I can understand the dilemma. I sold my K1000, and really wanted this one, but I do have the esii, a mechanical camera. But it just isn’t as small and light as this one. This one sold underpriced, which also made me wish I had bought it myself.
Your photos of the pony are gorgeous.
There is some common land near me. It is land given to “the people’ for grazing etc. There are always lots of horses on there. They make me nervous, I am not a horse person, but I was with a friend who was more comfortable around them. They are on a rope, but still.
A good find, that MX. Pentaxians search out the MX, as it offers K1000 reliability plus an information-filled viewfinder and compact size. Your RAR film might lend itself to pointillist-style art photos, with its prominent grain structure.
It was a good find for my friend and a bargain for the buyer. The film was a bargain for me as a full roll was in a bulk loader I bought. But I am done with it now.
Imagine that MX with the 40mm pancake lens… it would feel like you’re carrying a point and shoot.
Yes, i might get a pancake for one of my slrs. I just have to figure out which is the smallest.
I use the Canon EF-mount 40mm pancake all the time but not sure if you have any EOS SLRs…
I have the 300 or 3000 they are the same.
The MX is on my bucket list.
It might be one mine now.
I’m fortunate to have 2 MXs, an “early” black one, (serial number 9XXXXX), bought from a secondhand store in Kofu City, Japan and a silver later version (serial number 4XXXXXX), bought as faulty from eBay, but in great cosmetic condition. There is a difference in feel between the cameras. I believe Pentax modified them during the production runs. The silver one feels much nicer. The advance lever operation is sweeter and feels more like my super smooth Nikon FE. There is just something about the MX that makes me want to use them! I hope you find and enjoy your black version!
Lucky you 🙂 It will have to wait a while for me, unless I sell a few cameras as a kind of swap.
Regarding the different feel in your MXs: Was the MX, like the K1000, built in Japan, then in the Philippines and finally in China? If so, that might explain the difference.
The MX is a great little SLR, one of my favourites and great for travel as it’s so small. I have two silver, though one is jammed, and one black one, which is a real beauty. Definitely worth getting one for yourself and keeping hold of it.