S1/H1 fun.

This last weekend, I was out playing with my recently acquired S1/H1 (9+ in all departments, including Asahi Pentax clip-on meter and 2.2/55 Auto Takumar lens, and leatherette ever-ready case (with an extra large hood to accomodate the lightmeter in its mounted position).

In addition, I wanted to try out an auto 2x teleconvertor I had recently found in a "junkshop" for Aus $5-00. This TC was rather dusty and covered in fingerprints, but careful examination revealed substantial potential.
After a good cleanup, it came up like new: not a mark anywhere!

Although the 2.2/55 Takumar is coated, it did seem to be somewhat prone to flare. However, using a hood and keeping it well clear of the sun, the image appeared to be crystal clear in the viewfinder, which bodes well for its powers of resolution and sharpness of focus.

nothing daunted, I attached the 2xTC and took a few shots through the combination. Again, as far as I could see in the viewfinder, the image quality did not seem to be affected to any obvious extent.

A number of shots taken were of the large mushrooms(the Fly Agaric?)with the red caps, sprinkled with white spots (very colourful), individually and in groups, taken in poor light in the shade of trees and shrubs. (Also, I had to allow for the loss of 2 stops due to the TC.)

Ah well, we'll see how it went, once the prints come back.

BTW, at least some of the S1/H1 bodies have an unusual feature I hadn't seen before: the shutter release is in two stages; the first stage shuts down the aperture to the selected stop (at this point you can spend some time admiring your depth of field ). If you continue to press, the shutter itself will activate. Of course, if in a hurry, you can quickly press the whole way "to the chase", not pausing to admire the view on the way.

Link to web pics of the mushrooms:

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fly_Agaric_mushroom_04_cropped.jpg

Just tried that with my S1a but didn't get the same result - the lens only stopped down at the moment the shutter fired despite me being ultra-careful. For a minute I thought I might have had a depth of field preview too...

Actually, I have two S1/H1 bodies. One has this feature, the other does not, which annoys me, now (as it is quite convenient to have). Previously, before learning that this was in fact a feature, I thought the body had a fault.

The body with the feature has a lower serial number than the one without, and the stop-down actuating lever in the body differs in shape and action in the two copies.

I wonder when they changed it, and whether the later S1s were already using parts intended for the S1a/H1a of the S2/H2?:

In the bodies that do have it, it is very definite in action, and you can't possibly miss it. It works with both the semi-auto (Auto Takumar) as well as with the Super Takumar lenses.

The body that doesn't have it simply fires the shutter (as in any other camera).

They were modified around that time to take the (then new) Super Tak 50/1.4 which had a slightly protruding rear element - hence the changes to the shape of the actuator. Those with the new shape (and compatible with the new flagship lens) should have an orange coloured letter "R" on the film rewind, those that don't will foul the rear of the lens at infinity. Looks like the DoF preview was lost in the changes...

The venerable "Ultimate Screw Mount Guide" says:

"Two different designs of the diaphragm mechanism exist. The new 'depth of field aperture mechanism' is not found in later samples with serial numbers above 400000."

And:

"From a practical point of view it was not an ideal solution, so the mechanism was not incorporated into any other model and it was even left out of the later S1/H1 samples".

Seems to be what you're describing Banjo.

R

Thanks both,

Very interesting stuff.

Yes, my earlier example has a serial number beginning with a 3, I'll have to check up on the later one.

It is true that the feature comes as a surprise, and one's first inpression is WTF!?

BTW, they didn't bother to eliminate the reference to it in the user's manual: I wonder how many new owners were left frustrated trying to activate it?

OK, my two samples have given me a somewhat confusing result:

The unit with the two-stage shutter (stop-down preview followed by shutter actuation) has the lower serial number (317xxx), BUT bears the later red "R" rewind lettering, while the unit that simply goes direct to shutter release has the higher serial number (389xxx) BUT shows the green (supposedly earlier) lettering.:

So, according to the book "The Pentax Way", the SMC 1.4/50 Takumar can be used with my earlier but not my later model:

Or, in Hefty's terms, the older unit (older mechanism) has the red lettering, while the newer unit (newer mechanism) has the green.

Pentax serial numbers never made any sense! They are infamous for being muddled and inconsistent, and that is before you factor in what might have happened to the camera in the meantime.

K.

From what I understand Asahi often "reserved" batches of serial numbers for later productions, so there's no guarantee that a lower number means an older camera. If you have one of the early Super-Tak 50/1.4's (with the protruding rear element) then be wary of using it on the 389xxx / green R body. The later 50/1.4's should be safe on any camera as they don't stick out at the back.

Thanks, Hefty1,

Yes, I see that -in my ignorance- I have been quite cheerfully using my (later) 1.4/50 quite randomly with all the camera bodies, without difficulties.

However, I now notice that my Asahi Pentax SP-F (both copies) also bear a "green" rewind "R". Now I'm really confused:.

Me too!

I only have two screwmount bodies and they're of a similar vintage; my Spotmatic bearing a green R and my S1a bearing an orange R. I do own an early 50/1.4 so I've resisted using it on the Spotty just in case...