Pentax KX

The P30 (and P30n) have better shutter speed selectors (easier to use with a thumb) than the stiff dials or fiddly knobs of earlier models IMHO. Also, no gungey light seals to replace! They're great cameras. That said, I'm glad I have an MX, it's a thing of beauty, especially now I've replaced the light seals.

This site link claims that the P30T was made by Cosina

Well one poster in a thread does! The same thread where people think Leitz might own Leica...who knows, but the level of knowledge can be a bit dire at times.

I can't imagine how completely different posters can effect the knowledge and intelligence of others posting in the same thread... how bizarre!

This blogger who has degrees in Psychology and Theology and is also a Photography Teacher + a Pro who knows his cameras, having used Pentax since the Spotmatic days seems to confirm that a whole group of cameras inc. the P30T are based on the Cosina CT1G

http://bong.manayon.net/2010/11/cosina-ct1g.html

He also took the very nice cover photo for the PDML Annual 2008/9

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bongmanayon/2695572641/

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Neither can I Algi, so probably I haven't made the point I was actually making clearly enough.

It wouldn't surprise me if that were true, Cosina are supposed to have also made one of the later OM series for Olympus, the OM2000.

I got my ME Super today, its gorgeous ASA Dial feels slightly gritty but I can't complain for the price at all.

Can anyone recommend me some film? Thinking of getting some Kodak Ultra 400 or Gold 200 since I can pick up in some local shops.

Also whats this about light seals? How do I know if they need to be replaced?

My ME isn't so super, I doubt it will ever see another film, but it is nice to pick up and play with occasionally

I'm currently on the lookout for another film body and it's not going to be a Pentax I may have to join another forum and say hello to another forum member who's there

As for film I used to like Gold 200 for colour.

There are foam light seals around the rear door where it joins the body. There is also a buffer at the front of the mirror box to absorb the shock of the mirror flipping up when the shot is taken. If these are gone or have turned gooey or fragmented then they need to replace. If it's not done then you risk light leaking into the back of the camera and spoiling the film, and damage to the mirror.

If you're looking for better quality film, try the professional ones (Kodak Ektar or Porta for example). I'm currently trying some Ilford B&W too (HP5), if that floats your boat. There are a LOT of B&W films out there. The first consideration is the light level you'll have for shooting (as this will dictate the ISO range you can use).

As I also just started, I want to try all of them. I have Ektar, two speeds or Portra, two speeds of Ilford B&W, Rollei Retro B&W, lomography 100 all waiting to be tried, and plenty more on my list...

I would say:

For buildings and architecture, Pan-F (my favourite film)
For most other things, FP4.
But if you don't know when you'll be using it, XP2. It has the advantage that you can drop it off at any developers using a normal C41 colour process.

But of course you need to develop your own film. There is nothing quite like it!

Kodak Ektar 100 is lovely stuff with quite punchy saturated colours which aren't always to taste. It is, however, a bit fussy about good development and cheapo drug store type labs tend to mess the colours up. As a result, I use a "pro" lab which is pricey, but I get good consistent results. If you look at my Flickr photostream you'll find lots of images shot on Ektar, as well as a few other types of colour film. If you are photographing people Kodak Portra is a better choice as it renders skin tones nicely.

If you are just beginning I'd use one of the "consumer" films like Gold and use a cheapo lab until you're sure the camera is working fine (the gritty ASA dial is a worry as the electronics under it are known to fail) and you are happy you can get the exposure right.

The ME Super has centre weighted metering with a bias to the lower half of the image. I found when using slide film (very unforgiving of exposure errors) that if bright sky were included in the image it tended to under-expose. I often used to meter off some grass or such like and set the exposure in manual. For print film, a touch of under-exposure is not so bad and can help with the saturation of the skies.

Best wishes, Kris.

The KX was my first Pentax body and remains my favorite.
It is an excellent manual focus, manual exposure camera with
full-information viewfinder, and it's not too small like the MX.

Chris