Total manual control, heavy duty but not very heavy. Dials easy to adjust, smooth film advance

Not many. You have to rewind the film yourself. Nothing else.

Great camera for beginners through advanceds photgraphers. Overall a great camera for all levels.

Customer Service

Used 13 years without a problem. After that it has jammed a few times, the cost of repairing was 110$

Similar Products Used:

FM-10, also have 2 lenses 135mm and 50mm

bombproof! Ultra-reliable.

Heavy. In very cold temps, the shutter can be slow. Really slow.

I bought my K1000 18 years ago, and have used it all over the world with great success. This camera will not die! A trusted friend.

Customer Service

NA

Similar Products Used:

Nikon FM

simple, reliable, rugged camera. operates just fine with no battery and in harsh environments.

completely manual. the light meter is inaccurate but consistent, so it's easy to correct for.

I've never paid more than $75 for a K1000 body at a pawn shop. All of mine were marked 'broken' in some way or another, but only needed a minor repair or cleaning to be functional. I gave away two to fellow students in college who had had their expensive automagic cameras stolen. They're just that cheap and easy to get.

I take a K1000 to Burning Man (http://www.burningman.com) and don't worry about sand and dust getting blown into the body during a film change. After three days of afternoon sandstorms with winds in the 30-50mph range there's really not much you can do to keep alkaline dust and sand out of your gear. (I really feel sorry for the poor schmoes who brought their expensive toys to the desert.)

I also don't bother with camera bags any more when carrying a K1000. I just toss the K1000 (with a 50mm lens) in my courier bag and take off. No hassles/worries about someone bumping into me, or seeing I have a nice camera bag and deciding to mug me.

This is a great camera for a beginner, or someone who is going to be worried more about their own personal safety more than the safety of their camera.

The K1000 really is the AK-47 of cameras -- any illiterate farm hand can be taught to use it, it's amazingly rugged, it's cheap, and it will be around forever.

Similar Products Used:

disposable cameras.

Nothing but strengths! The K1000 in my opinion is the best camera ever made. A true workhorse and trusted friend.

None.

The K1000 is a gifted workhouse. My prime photographic journeys take me to alkaline deserts, sub-zero temperatures and moist, humid wetlands. My K1000 has been dropped on rocks, baked in the sun, drenched in water and covered in alkali, without one problem. It's so reliable I don't even carry mine in a camera bag and I don't have to worry about some lowlife stealing my camera. Nikon users can keep their cameras and worry about people stealing their $1400 SLRs. Pentax has designed the best camera in history, and my advice: Buy and stick with the K1000. Their everywhere, their cheap, their rugged and their reliable. Somethings you simply cannot find in any SLRs today. A true friend!

Customer Service

Never had to use it!

Similar Products Used:

Pentax ME Super
Nikon N70

great camera, rugged construction, reliable

nothing

the best camera in the world for all.

Customer Service

Never Required

Similar Products Used:

Minolta Maxxum 5000i

Strength, rugged construction, no batteries, price, availibility, and hte list goes on...

meter is a little off and won't do low light, but it's not that big a deal

This is truly one of the greatest SLR's of the century - more people have learned the art/skill on this than any other camera (IMO). It's buit sold, never fails, and I don't hesitate to take it anywhere. It's great as a student camera, a backup, a banger, whatever you need it to do... The metering could be better, but I've learned to guess-compensate for that. What was Pentax thinking when they discontinued this SLR!!!

Customer Service

Never Required

Similar Products Used:

Nothing compares as "similar" otehr SLR's used
1) Nikon N50
2) Nikon N60
3) Pentax ZM-M (can't belive it's pentax)
4) Pentax 67

Simple and rugged camera. Light meter broke one time only in the last 15 years.

weight.

Good one for the money you pay even if very basic.

Customer Service

Good+

Similar Products Used:

N90s, EOS5, EOS rt, Minolta 7i, 600si, Olympus OM4Ti, Pentax K1000.

The all manual function really teaches the beginner about photography the RIGHT WAY. This is the best beginner camera around, and a great second hand for an aspiring expert. It takes a lickin' and keeps on tickin'.

Mine has the newer (got my new in box 1998) plastic main body housing, and the matte finish around the strap posts has flaked off a bit. Some might not consider this a weakness though, since it makes you look like a seasoned bad ass.

I learned the craft on this camera at Loras College (Dubuque, IA. Go Duhawks!) and have since taken it out in all seasons and through some pretty intense shooting throughout Ireland. I keep the body, a 50mm, and a 28mm in my bag, and it has never let me down. I just can't believe that Pentax has discontinued this classic workhorse. Buy several of them while you can!

Customer Service

Never needed it, doubt it ever will.

Similar Products Used:

Cheasy automatic cameras of every description, and I also own an Olympus OM-4 with all the swag (but I'm always worried that it will get run over or stolen).

Since I am a beginner, these strengths are from a beginner's standpoint.
*Rugged
*Controls are basic and easy to understand
*Cheap and easy to find used
*Manual Controls
*No battery is required to take pictures (battery only powers the light meter).

*Loading the film can be a little tricky.
*Light meter doesn't work in the late evening or at night (with 400 ISO film)
*Hard to find new lenses for it (Pentax says that you can use most of their AF lenses on this body but I have never tried it before)

If you are just starting out and want to learn about taking pictures, this is a good camera for you. If you are just starting out and are lazy, you'd be better off with an AF SLR or a P&S. With the K-1000 you have total control over focus, aperture, shutter speed, and film speed. It makes you slow down and think about how you have to change these to get the picture you want. Also, the standard lens that came with it if you bought the camera new as part of a kit, (50mm/f2 SMC-A)is better than consumer zooms that come in kits of newer AF SLR's for someone who wants to learn the right way. Since it is a prime lens, you can't zoom in or out, which forces you to move around to get the composition you want. Another advantage it has over consumer zooms is about 2 or 3 stops (maximum aperture). This means you can shoot in just 25%-12.5% the light that would be required for a consumer zoom. I hope my writing is good enough to be understood, sorry if it isn't (my grammar is not very good). The point I am trying to make is, the Pentax K-1000 is a good camera for a beginner.

Customer Service

never needed

Similar Products Used:

Nikon FM10

durable, simple and make me think about the photographic process.

no dof, timer or provision for motor drive. Focussing screen is crap

Bought a MV new which has finally died after 23 years of travelling around Aust on the back of a motorbike. Needed a replacement and the k1000 was cheap, available and near perfect for my needs. Will probably upgrade to a MZ5 because my eyesight is poor but will keep the k1000. Lenses are interchangeable, ( have just bought a 100-300 AF )although I am a little worried about the MZ5 durability - will it last as long as the MV or K1000 ??

Customer Service

none yet

Similar Products Used:

Pentax MV, old Agfa, various point & shoots