LX...at last

I was brought up using an MX, but had never even handled the pro camera flagship that was the LX. So I bought one on a well known auction site and it arrived today. It is a stunning bit of kit. All working fine except the "sticky mirror" syndrome means it takes a few shots before it gets into its stride.

I will just have to run some film through it.

One with the prism removed

It depends how much you use the old girl as welli would think the more you use her the better the shutter should get

Looks in beautiful condition! I made a point of buying mine from Japan as the Japanese seem to display more TLC for their equipment. I did the same with my 645.

Paul. ......i have also looked into buying from Japan , but was uncertain about taxes. . Did you have to pay additional charges ?

Regards

Unfortunately I did get clobbered by the tax man, the first time in many, many years. The 645 I got away with! I want to acquire an Asahiflex but as the maximum amount that can be imported to the Netherlands seems to have reduced considerably I'm a little apprehensive! Perhaps I could buy one from the UK before it breaks away!

Looks good. When I bought my LX it made all my previous gear seem more fragile and less well engineered. I had it serviced a couple of years ago (sticky mirror), which nudged me back into shooting film.

John.

Wonderful camera, my favourite. I'd get it serviced. Expensive but worth it. K.

Lovely camera, definitely worth getting serviced. Definitely worth reaching to the film!

The problem with the LX is the host of extra bits you might need now. Finders, screens, winders, flash stuff not to mention all the lovely compact manual focus lenses.
Loads more options than with other Pentax's.

The LX system is a real pleasure to experience and use. The finder system is beautifully engineered, with a different finder for each shooting preference - big, bright, coated viewfinders - simply superb. Winder and motordrive, plus data back & bulk film back, and of course the excellent TTL OTFP (off the film plane) flash system whose accuracy was superb and isn't even matched in the current digital range. I ran a film through my LX last year and it truly is a superbly different experience from digital - if you have the patience to wait for your results then it's well worth it.

...just saying

Sorry to hijack the thread but I'd like a response from OP as well as anyone else who is willing to provide input.
I have an MX that I've been meaning to test (and it will be my very first ever film camera). What kind of film would you recommend I use?

What do you intend to photograph? Different films have different uses as per your K-1 using different ISOs depending on the lighting conditions, also whether you want a punchy grainy fast film or something fine grained.
Then colour or black and white.
For a test film you might pop into Poundland and get an AGFA Vista Plus 200/24 (for a £1) which should equate to normal settings on a DSLR. Remember to expose for the shadows. Enjoy!
Don't forget, you can't press the delete button afterwards!
A film for a £1 is quite reasonable, a Kodak Colorplus 200/24 might cost over £4.

HarrisF1

I used Ilford XP2 400 ISO with the LX. A b+w film. I sent it off to Ilford who will process it and send the negs +pictures back to you. Plus a download of the scanned negs if you wish. http://www.ilfordlab.com/

I'd be shooting to try out the film experience. If I'm comfortable with it then I intend to take it with me on a journey or two (along with the Q and the K-1, unless I'm feeling very brave!)

Thanks for the heads up regarding film. A buddy of mine swears by Ilford and despite being a Mamiya/Hasselblad (MF) fan still carries a Pentax MX to some shoots.

As suggested I'd look at a B&W film (my preference is Ilford). Think of it as the sensor in your DSLR but one you can change the characteristics of - all films have different 'looks' to them, some are more suited to a given application than others (fine grain/high speed etc.).

Processing isn't cheap, but being limited to 36 shots maximum makes you think harder (is the shot worth it). Check out processing costs, some labs might charge the same for 24 or 36 exposures.

Note though that ISO400 is generally regarded as a 'fast film' and Ilford Delta 3200 is about the highest ISO you can get (and needs push processing to get ISO 3200) - quite a change from a DSLR. You won't have shake reduction either so have to keep the shutter speed high enough to stop camera shake.

As for the LX system - it is extremely well engineered - I feel the only weak point these days is the Motordrive (the NiCd cells in the battery packs will all be shot by now). The winder is much more practical only taking 4 AAs - 2fps is fine for me (and it offers powered re-wind).

John.