Pentax Spotmatic

What a Pentax Spotmatic actually produces — 17 photographs shot on one by members here.

Pentax · 35mm · 17 photographs

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The Pentax Spotmatic brought through-the-lens metering to the mass market in 1964, and it did so well enough that it remains one of the most-used film SLRs ever made. Despite the name, the meter isn't a spot meter. The prototype was, and the name stayed after the production camera switched to averaging the whole frame.

Metering is stop-down. You push a switch on the side of the body, the lens closes to the working aperture, and you center a needle. It is slower than open-aperture metering but completely reliable. The battery powers only the meter; the shutter is mechanical, running from 1 sec to 1/1000. The original cell was a 1.35V mercury battery, so check meter readings with a modern replacement.

It uses the M42 screw mount, and its natural partners are Pentax's own Takumars, especially the Super-Multi-Coated versions, which are still sharp, compact and good value. Be aware that some older Takumars contain thoriated glass and have yellowed over time. That color cast is usually fixable by leaving the lens in sunlight.

The later Spotmatic F added open-aperture metering with SMC Takumars. Either model, with a 50mm f/1.4 and HP5 Plus, is a camera that simply keeps working.