Pentex MX

[JaGWiRE]

I found one in my house the other day after my mom mentioned it (it was her ex-husbands, who passed away from cancer someodd like 20 years ago). I took a look and it looks pretty cool and I think it works (although I've never shot film SLR before, I checked the manual and began figuring stuff out.)

Attached was a 1.7 49mm manual focus lens. I assume everything was manual back then?

Does this camera have any potentiol? My mom said there may be some more lenses and other stuff somewhere else.

[chris clements]

One of the best all-manual cameras of its day - any Pentax 'K' mount lens will fit it, right up to those on current Pentax DSLR's.
Would be a great way to learn the basics of photography, but you'll need to source a battery for the exposure meter.

[JaGWiRE]

One of the best all-manual cameras of its day - any Pentax 'K' mount lens will fit it, right up to those on current Pentax DSLR's.
Would be a great way to learn the basics of photography, but you'll need to source a battery for the exposure meter.



Well, I have a 30D. I'm wondering if I should keep it (the MX), and pick up a used *Ist or something if I am able to find the other lenses (I am planning to keep my Canon of course.)

What's the deal with the flash? It look's like it's popup, but I couldn't get it to pop out, and the manual show's an external one attached to the shoe, hmm?

The camera has me stumbled a little bit anyway because everything's all over the place and the manual is so, hm, don't know how to describe it :D. Maybe good words would be non-modern day good for the moron type manual.

Regardless of learning, would there be any reason to keep it around?

[chris clements]

Brush up your photographic history - the MX came along a hundred years before pop-up flash :)
If you can drive your 30D with confidence and don't want to try film, then put it back in the cupboard.

[JaGWiRE]

Brush up your photographic history - the MX came along a hundred years before pop-up flash :)
If you can drive your 30D with confidence and don't want to try film, then put it back in the cupboard.


I see. So actually taking some shots with it seriously and getting them printed is a little unlogical?

What about my idea if I find the other lenses and there are enough of them, getting an *ist (used), and using it as a second body with those lenses?

[chris clements]

If you find them, the other lenses won't give you anything more on a modern Pentax body that they'll give you on the MX.
Why do you want to buy into the modern Pentax DSLR system?? Aren't you happy with the 30D? It would give you a parallell (2 of everything) system, not a back-up.
If you want to use the MX, then you can pick up 'K' mount lenses for peanuts in boot/yard sales or on e-Bay. And they'' ll be better-built and they'll (at least) match the optical performance of modern KAF lenses.

[JaGWiRE]

If you find them, the other lenses won't give you anything more on a modern Pentax body that they'll give you on the MX.
Why do you want to buy into the modern Pentax DSLR system?? Aren't you happy with the 30D? It would give you a parallell (2 of everything) system, not a back-up.
If you want to use the MX, then you can pick up 'K' mount lenses for peanuts in boot/yard sales or on e-Bay. And they'' ll be better-built and they'll (at least) match the optical performance of modern KAF lenses.


Yeah, I realise the lenses will still be manual, but if there is enough of them, I don't know if I'de let them go to waste. Are they worth anything? I am happy with the 30D, but I am just beginning to build a lens collection. I wouldn't dump the 30D. Depending on the lenses though (maybe lots of primes?) I wouldn't mind having them in use on a second body. Not really sure what they are capable of though (i.e. this 49mm 1.7? sorry if I got the numbers wrong, I already forgot), but it could be interesting.

[chris clements]

As I've said (boot/yard sales), you won't get much for them. But you may have the odd gem - for me, the Pantax SMC A-Star 85 1.4 remains one of the all-time greats.

As for performance, if they're Pentax SMC's (as opposed to third party) they'll be at least as good as the Canon FD's of the same era

[rhys]

The MX was a super camera. It was replaced by the LX which wasn't as good. The MX had a silk shutter while the LX had a titanium shutter. Both were the roll-up type shutters. If pinch comes to shove a decent camera mechanic will cut a new silk shutter from rubberised silk sheet. Those MXs are a lot more repairable than the LX. One of my friends had one and he loved it.

Personally, if I had some Pentax lenses and an MX then I would also look for a K100D and use that set up as a travel kit. It's great for travel as it'll all run off bog-standard AA batteries.

[JaGWiRE]

Yeah, I may only have this one lens though (my mom seems a bit confused about the whole lenses thing.)

The pentex seems to be really light apparently.

I'm surprised the aperture is so wide. The 49mm looks like a kit lens, and it's 1.7 Woah? Well, a nifty fifty is comparable I guess, and not too expensive.

[chris clements]

It was replaced by the LX which wasn't as good.

No, and no.

The LX was Pentax's attempt to break the Canon/Nikon professional stranglehold, and is worlds away from the MX. Its electronics were cutting edge for its day and it cost at least 5 or 6 times the price of the all-manual MX,
The LX is built like a tank with full weathersealing and interchangeable pentaprism, plus facility to take a fulll motordrive (as opposed to an autowinder) and bulk film back.

The MX outsold the LX tenfold simply because the markets were different: entry/enthusiasts' full manual against high spec (& cost) pro workhorse.

[chris clements]

The 49mm looks like a kit lens

No kit lenses in those days. Every camera came with a 50 (the '49' you're looking at is the filter size)

[Carzee]

No kit lenses in those days. Every camera came with a 50 (the '49' you're looking at is the filter size)

I was gonna say that.

I can show my age and say I had a MV, cheap elctric version of the MX, but the MV was safer for exposing my Kodachrome 25. Absolutely worked like clockwork.

Incidentally, came up in conversation at the camera club last night, can anyone else remember when you 'cropped' a tranny aka 'slide' with folded aluminium foil?

[::John::]

Incidentally, came up in conversation at the camera club last night, can anyone else remember when you 'cropped' a tranny aka 'slide' with folded aluminium foil?

... still happens at the Camera Club I used to belong to in Sydney.

[JaGWiRE]

Sorry guys, I am years away from anybody who would have used this gear. Also, my mom's first husband passed away something more like almost 30 years ago I think, and this was probably one of the first MX'S produced (I read they were produced from like '76 to some time in the 80's.)

[chris clements]

Sorry guys, I am years away

You just wrap us up warm and leave us out here on the veranda discussing 8-track cartridges and whether James Douglas Morrison really died in that Paris bathtub.

One day you'll be an old dodderer too:)

[Echo63]

I picked up my dad's old Pentax ME super tonight, looked through it and the viewfinder is so much clearer and brighter than my 350d, i also love the split image focus screen.
dad got it out of the cupboard so i could show my fiancee what an "old school" camera looked like, and how to use one.
i learned to use that old pentax, and may ask dad if i can have it (he now owns a sony P+S) just to play with film again.

using an old film camera like that will teach you about waiting for the perfect shot, and thinking about your image.
a modern digital SLR will show you what you are doing instantly so you can learn, rather than waiting a day or so for your film to come back.

[JaGWiRE]

Yeah echo, I can't deal with the suspense.

What's with the whole "middle circle in focus clear, everything else not so clear?" thing?