All mechanical, beat the heck out of it and works flawlessly

not as quick as my ZX5n, and heavier

The Pentax ZX5N is my overall top choice in caneras, but it can not do a few things the K1000 does. Mirror lockup, double exposures. Have taken fantastic photos with this camera, and works great with my telescope pointed at the stars at night.

Customer Service

none yeeded yet

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Ricoh KR5 Ricoh KR10 Pentax ZX5N

Sturdy metal body. Easy to change lenses, install and use an adapter for a shutter timer, and easy to advance the film and take an exposure.

Film loading can be frustrating, as others have noticed. Rewinding is also awkward, requiring two hands to start the process off. It is difficult to focus indoors. It is easy to set the shutter speed incorrectly for flash pictures. For the first 10 years that I had it (it's 20 years old), I would sometimes forget to change the film speed; newer cameras read this automatically. It's heavy, and my husband always ends up carrying it.

My father bought me this camera as a college graduation gift 20 years ago. He thought I should start off with a totally manual camera to learn photography. I soon found that the weight of the camera, and having to think about both shutter speed, aperture, and focusing, were not conducive to the types of photos I was taking -- friends at the beach, interesting buildings, vacation snapshots...The biggest problem has been making your indoor subjects hold a smile while you 1) frantically twist the aperture ring, then 2) try to focus. The only artsy thing I wanted to do was occasionally throw the background or foreground out of focus. Bottom line? I'm tired of manual focusing, and I haven't made much use of the aperture and speed settings. If I can find a lightweight, point-and-shoot camera that takes equally fine pictures, gives me 35mm, 50 mm, and 70mm settings, and has a powerful flash...I'm afraid I'm out of the SLR game.

Customer Service

I attended an "open house" customer service session at a department store. (I was getting flash pictures that were half black.) They could not find anything mechanically wrong with the camera, and said I was not setting the shutter speed for flash pictures. This setting is tricky, as I noted above. You have to look straight down on the top of the camera body to be sure you're setting it for flash pictures.

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This has been my one-and-only camera for 20 years. I am looking around for a lighter, point-and-shoot camera with a grea

It is a dependable camera that is a good value.

None

I have used my Wife's K1000 a few times the last couple of years. I have found it to be a really nice camera that comes with most every thing you could need, without being complicated by a lot of electronic gadgetry. My only complaints are the lack of a self timer and a depth of field preview. Still a lot of camera for the money.

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None

This camera takes beautiful pictures outdoors, and good ones indoors. It is very durable. You have almost total control over the settings. Even though I don't have a zoom lens, my camera's taken terrific pictures not only of people, but of landscapes.

In general, the quality of indoor pictures is not as high as outdoor pictures. Since this camera is almost completely manual, the opportunity for human error is high. It can sometimes be frustrating (for yourself and the photo subjects) to have to adjust all the settings and advance the film before each shot. Also the weight -- as with many SLRs, it can get be a drag to lug around the camera, flash unit, and other attachments, especially when you're on long trips.

This is a terrific camera for those who like manual cameras. I often get compliments on the quality of my pictures.

Customer Service

Never had to use them.

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I've had this camera since 1986, and haven't owned others in that time, though I have used some disposables.

The K1000 is simple, yet very practical. It offers the user complete control over all aspects of exposure settings. This pays off when you want to try different things with aperatures and time settings. I always carry two with me with different films because it is reliable for many situations. Many advanced cameras do not let the user try different settings which limits the creativity of the mind. With this camera, the only thing that is limited is the users creativity.

The only problem is the limited exposure time settings. Although it offers an opportunity to use a release cable, sometimes it is just better to have a longer preset timer. The light meter can sometimes be oversensitive which can cause exposure errors.

The bottom line is that with all the advances in cameras, simplicity still has its advantages. The K1000 offers this and more. Why else would such a camera be in demand and when you shop around, it still has such a high resale value. With this camera, there is a window of opportunity for equipment expansion and photo-taking situations. Not only was I satisfied with one, but I decided to have two just because they are great cameras.

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Many Olympus and Yashica cameras...

Awsome beginner camera. Very durable, dependable.

None, it's pure and simple.

I've seen this camera survive years of torture by hundreds of high school students. It's very solid and durable. Withstands more wear and tear than most cameras. Great camera for beginners or those who need it simple, small, light and dependable without all the fancy automation.

Customer Service

great

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Olympus OM-2000

Excellent learning camera, it seems everyone learned the tricks of the trade with this handy camera :o), its also very durable and very reliable.

ITS UGLY ! but we didnt buy our first cameras on appearance did we? also its very sensitive to scratches and stuff.

Great camera, excellent to learn with, popular. Ive taken some veery good pictures with this camera, although sometime the meter can be off or be acting up.

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hmmm, some older canon cameras

This was my first SLR, and a great "learning" camera. Very durable. Took a lot of banging around and one drop without a problem.

No fancy bells and whistles, but that can be an attraction for many.

A great, durable, "learning" camera.

Customer Service

Never had experience with Pentax service department.

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Nikon FE, Nikon FM2N

Very sturdy, good quality manual camera. Also very popular, so finding lenses etc. is not a problem.

Many nice features that you would have with today's more modern AF SLRs are not available.

Great manual camera and one which can be used to learn photography with. Once you feel you have reached your limits with this camera (limits used liberally), then it is time to move on to a more advanced system.

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None

Totally reliable, no gimmicks or frills.

I've heard other Crime Scene people complain of faulty meters occasionally, but I've never personally experienced any problems. I liked the camera so much I bought my own!

I was introduced to the wonderful K-1000 when I was in the Crime Scene Unit of the New Orleans Police Department. The NOPD issues the K-1000 to all its crime scene personnel, and the cameras are tough as nails, totally reliable, and work year after year, despite being used in pretty rough conditions. I sold my other cameras and stick to this time-tested workhorse.

Customer Service

Have never used it!

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Minolta X-700, Nikon FM, Nikon FM2, Nikonos II, II, V, Yashica Mat 124-G, MANY others!