Film Camera Review | Pentax Spotmatic SP
A quick review of my first AND third film camera.
READ ME: I am fairly new to film photography and I’m sure there are countless older guys and a handful of niche younger guys who could write something a bit more thorough. This review series is NOT about the professional specs of the camera, but more so the usability, any quirks, and if I enjoyed it enough to keep using it. A real world, practical review from the perspective of a digital photographer.
Our Film Articles Featuring the Pentax Spotmatic:
Logic behind purchase: I was exploring Vietnam with a buddy from college and we wandered into a hybrid camera/coffee shop. I wanted the lens (Super Takumar 55mm F1.8) attached to the camera more than the camera itself. You can read the review of that lens here.
Impressions: My previous experience with film cameras was of some cheap 90s stuff, a plastic Zenit that came with my wife’s Helios 58mm lens, and a Praktica that my Zeiss 50mm came with. So this was the first film camera that I bought thinking “hey I might actually use this…and I have a ton of m42 lenses to try on it too!”. So my impressions were *above average*, but they would soon be improved.
Size/Weight: It’s not heavy, it’s not light. The overall size and shape lets me fit it in with my other camera gear pretty easily, especially if I’m already taking m42 lenses.
Favorite Usage: Initially I would take it only as a sorta of “special moments / backup” camera. Lately I’ve been trying to spend more time off-line and while I still love my digital cameras, the analog experience is about as off-line as you can get. It reins in my need for instant gratification too, which has been therapeutic in a way. I’ve been a bit too untrusting of film to take any action or telephoto shots yet, so I’ve mostly been shooting 50mm lenses and the occasional Zeiss 20mm frame.
Issues: I have had zero issues in the last 11 months, until I went on a winter hike last month. It seemed that the shutter wasn’t triggering as hard (I have zero clue if that’s the right terminology) and the mirror would get stuck up. I’m pretty sure I’ve wasted a few frames trying to clear that error code. Joking. It *seems* that the issue is coming from the extreme cold we’ve had lately. Perhaps the lubricant is gumming up and things are sorta slowing down and freezing. Spoiler: I bought a second Spotmatic (a black one this time) in Austria on our January trip and the black body has been having zero issues with the cold. The original (silver) body seems to be working fine again in warmer temperatures or indoors.
Quirks: My copy was sorta a frankensteined version of the 3 bodies the shop owner had on the shelf. He hadn’t had anyone interested in one in a while, so when I said I wanted the lens and the body, he set to work at taking the 3 bodies and disassembling them in order to give me the best parts from each one. I didn’t take him long at all, but I watched the process and took notes. I also distinctly remember him lubricating everything too. So this camera won’t ever win awards for matching numbers. I do like the story behind it though. Everyone I know is always talking about how durable the mechanical film cameras used to be. This one (and in some ways all 3 of its donors) gets to live on a bit longer due to the frankenstining.
Features (or lack of): The lightmeter has never worked. I fixed this with a flash shoe mount external lightmeter. It works good enough, though I think my lightmeter app on my phone is a bit more accurate.
How does it compare?: As noted at the start, I don’t have a ton of film experience. After buying the Pentax though, about 6 months later, I bought a Nikon F2 by glowing recomendation of the internet. I never loved or really understood that camera’s cult following. I kept wanting to use my Pentax more instead. I liked my m42 lenses better than the Nikon f-mount lenses (dear god I couldn’t and didn’t want to get used to the opposite direction of everything). The F2 is probably more durable and reliable than my Pentax, or at least the internet says it is. However, it’s also heavier and not super comfortable to carry around all day. If I had started film photography with a Nikon F2, I would’ve stopped almost immediately, but the Pentax has made me want to keep trying and improving. So there’s that too.
Would I keep it? : As mentioned above, I’ve already bought a second Spotmatic. So 110% yes. Also if the silver one ever fully dies, I’m using the black one as parts to save it. So there is deffinitely a bias toward the silver body. Both are beautiful and functional. No frills but also everything seems sorta simply elegant and delightfully “good enough”.
Source: A random camera shop in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
My Price: $65 for body and lens
Average Price: I’m sure my Vietnam price was a deal, but I think I overpaid for my second Spotmatic, which was around 100 euros in Vienna and in rougher condition. Ebay prices show them going for anywhere from around $100–350 online.
