My first walk with the Pentax ended up in a complete disaster. I had put a roll of Kentmere 400 through to test how it would fare. Having thought that the roll had run though the camera fine, I sent it off for development. Only after having the film developed it was brought to my attention that nothing was actually shot on it.
So what was wrong with the Pentax ME Super (or K1000)? Well, it turns out that even though I had seen the film catch and reel on to the camera, when closed, it was not moving to the next frame. This required the roll mechanism to be replaced entirely, which took a few weeks to get done.
With a tinge of excitement and trepidation I took my camera out for a walk in Notting Hill one cold Spring day with two of my favourite photographers, Lucas & Molly. This time feeling more confident, I put in a roll of Kodak Portra 800 due to the continuing murky English weather conditions.
The camera is so light and small its a delight to carry with you. Almost feels like nothing which makes me wonder if it was the materials they used to make it or did they leave something out. Compared to similar cameras it’s certainly one of the lightest and smallest I have held. I suppose any Leica would be a clear challenger.
I do like the catch mechanism in the Pentax Super ME but it can be a little fiddly if you haven’t shot with it before. I need to work on my technique a little more and with a little more practice I should be able to load the camera with one hand soon. Not sure if that is at all a possibility with Medium Format cameras!!
The location couldn’t be more perfect. The pastel colours of the homes intermixed with cobbled roads and old school telephone boxes. There’s certainly plenty here for someone trying to capture colour and environment of a place.
As we walked along Portobello Road I found myself learning something new each time I took a snap with the camera. What I particularly enjoyed was a three light indicator which pops up with you slightly depress the trigger. It forewarns you whether the image will/will not come out due to the f-stop on the camera against the ISO of the film. Extremely handy and so helpful in its absolute simplicity. This reason alone could be a reason for why someone could consider getting one of these cameras.
Given the lack of light, I think Kodak Portra 800 performs really well here and certainly has given me some optimism in using this film more often around London now using not only this camera but another analogue cameras too. I am curious however to find out how an equivalent 35mm lens would fare.
One thing to note is if you are wearing gloves to not let your fingers get too close to the lens. This can be quite tricky due to the size of the camera but certainly one thing to watch!
Overall, its a fabulously compact piece of kit. If you’re on a budget and an enthusiastically want to explore analog photography more than look no further than the Pentax Super ME (K1000). Only those who own really understand its sheer beauty!
Finally, a special thanks to Lucas & Molly for the great conversation, company and being so generous with their support as always! You can follow them on Instagram here:
@analogsquare
@eclectachrome