Pentax ME Super 35mm SLR Camera Package

Product Information

I'll lead off with the summary: this is among the film bodies I could be entirely happy with if required to restrict myself to only one. Not the best option, the SMC Pentax-M 28mm f/2.8, is still a good choice. The truth is, many people might not actually consider it a wide angle lens. However, it is substantially less expensive than any wider option. Macro lens choices for the Pentax ME Super suffer from supply problems. The supply of Pentax K mount options is small, which increases prices higher than you will pay for equivalent Canon FD mount or Nikon F mount options. SMC Pentax 100mm f/4 Macro SMC Pentax 100mm f/4 Macro

This was my second Pentax SLR after the rather simple MG and compared to it the "Super A" (as it was called in Germany) was a very feature-rich high-end consumer product. First I disliked the full automatic "propgram-mode", because I thought the photographer would loose too much control over the process of picture taking (funny, compared to current DSLR-features ), but then I realized the Super A could offer mynax modes of taking picturees in one camera body: Aperture und Shutter priority for advanced users, programm mode for taking snapshots and, finally, M- and Bulb-mode for complete manual control. The TTL-flash system was very handy as well. I bought the camera with the 1.7 50mm, 2.8 28mm and 2.8 135mm SMC-A lenses, which I still own and love (now mainly used on the K-5). All in all the Super A still is my favourite film camera due to it's accuracy, ease of use and very rich feature set. If You manage to find a copy in good condition, go for it (as I will probably do myself ). Let me add two of my favourite ME (Super) features. One is the superb loading system: a bundle of white, flexible rods on the take up spoil grabs the film leader first time, every time.

The Pentax Super Program in Action

The 40mm doesn’t really belong in this test and was added as an afterthought. It has the least subject separation and things are never too far out of focus. Wide open at f/2.8, there isn’t really much bokeh to speak of. What little bit there is, has a nice round character and in general, the out of focus areas are pretty neutral. They neither add to nor detract from the picture. Our dishwasher is on the fritz, so we handwash our dishes and leave them to dry. The kitchen window is nearby, providing plenty of light. I again utilized a tripod to ensure a measure of consistency. I opened up each lens wide open with the camera in Aperture priority mode. This resulted in a bit of overexposure at the widest apertures, but with color negative film, the results are generally acceptable. If you do not currently own it, a capable initial lens to get a hold of is the SMC Pentax-M 50mm f/1.7. The 50mm f1.7 is easy to find, is light, has fantastic photo quality, is cheap, and streamlined My relationship with the Pentax ME Super has been quite short. I initially thought it might just about supplant the MX, but after finding it increasingly frustrating throughout only shooting a roll and a half of film, I’ve decided I have no intention of shooting it again.

Light leaks are of course common with all old SLR cameras, they are quite simple to fix and I would recommend finding a good youtube video and replacing them yourself. If you don’t replace your light seals then your images will have light leaks right the way through them and ruin your shots! This is an entirely fair article, and it’s unfortunate that the deal-breaker is (pretty much) the only shortcoming of the ME Super. Funnily enough I was recently thinking about buying another one as I’ve accumulated some nice K-mount lenses recently and bought an MX instead which I like very much but find a lot harder work than the ME Super. My fingers know every nuance of every control on the ME Super without having to engage my brain beyond what I’m trying to take a picture of. This first image is a general landscape scene, probably around F/8-11. The golden Bougainvillea was shot at close focus, F/2.8. The forest tree scene probably at F/8-11, I turned it on the side to make the slide show work better. Another general landscape scene around F/8-11. A flare control shot here, originally taken vertically. The last picture I’m testing distortion; I see a very flat signature, almost nothing. Definitely a product from the 80s, with an interesting mix of electronic and mechanical components. It is fun to use within its limits. This camera is very compact, but the two-piece plastic grip makes it easy to hold. Feels solid and nice to use, and for the most part it gets out of your way. Not like a work of art, just functional but well built.

🍪 Privacy & Transparency

The differences in field of view between the lenses. 40mm seems quite a bit wider than 50mm, look at the powerline and sky to see how big of a difference there is. The shots are not interchangeable by any means. The disparity between 50mm and 55mm, while still noticeable, is not as significant. I am pretty sure you could pass off the 55mm shot as a 50mm lens and no one would notice without something to compare it to. The differences in field of view between the lenses. 40mm seems quite a bit wider than 50mm, look at the powerline and sky to see how big of a difference there is. The shots are not interchangeable by any means. ” I’d definitely love to see this being produced again since Pentax has announced they could be producing film cameras again. I think the key thing that lets the ME Super down is that it’s hard to come by one that works properly, due to its electronic shutter. If Pentax produced this again, I think it’d be an amazing go-to camera for street photography. The Pentax ME Super uses the K mount, which offers a wealth of quality lenses to choose from (Image credit: Gareth Bevan) Pentax ME Super Features On the other shoulder of the camera is the combined exposure compensation and exposure index selection dial. Lift and rotate for speeds between 12 and 1600 ISO. And just rotate for -/+ 2 EV exposure compensation. Apart from a self timer on the front, that’s about your lot. Which was, of course, a big part of my attraction to it. It might be button-controlled, but regardless, it’s still a very simple camera with few features. In fact, it’s simplistic nature also points to the other thing that attracted me to it – that being how it works as an aperture priority camera.

I started by grabbing my SMC Pentax-M 50/1.4, SMC Pentax-M 50/1.7 and SMC Pentax-A 50/2. I set them on the picnic table to take a picture of them and said to myself, why don’t I throw in the SMC Pentax-M 40/2.8 pancake and SMC Pentax 55/1.8 in the mix just for fun? So I did.

Pentax ME Super – Final Thoughts

Disregarding the Pentax LX which is in a class by itself, the Pentax Super Program is the top model among all Pentax manual focus cameras when it comes to features and specifications. The best Pentax K mount lenses are separated by type of photography and price. There are a number proposed alternatives to select from that have a wide range of prices suited to the value of the camera. Standard Focal Length Lenses A good deal of these top performers were released with the Vivitar brand name. Any zoom featuring the Vivitar Series 1 branding on it is going to have the best optics you can expect to see from an older zoom lens. This problem is not unique to Pentax. Cruise around photography forums and you will see similar statements about Nikon, Canon, Minolta, Olympus, etc., lenses as well. All of these statements are wrong, but some are less wrong than others.

When it comes to pricing, the relationship is easy to understand. As the field of view gets wider, the lens will be more expensive. Lenses with large apertures will also be more expensive. The ISO is manually set by pressing a small button on the exposure compensation dial and rotating the outer ring. The Pentax Super Program can accommodate film speeds from 6 to 3200. The first few rolls I put through came out surprisingly well. This camera is just so easy to use. I missed focus numerous times – which should be expected as this was my first time shooting a manual camera. What impressed me the most was how everything came out correctly exposed. I’d rate the light meter trustworthy and accurate. The only incorrectly exposed photos that came out of the camera were due to operator error. I haven’t used any of the automated modes and cannot comment on their effectiveness, but if the meter works this well in manual I’m sure the various automatic and priority modes are fine.A clever feature of this quite electronically controlled camera is that in the case of battery failure, the camera can still be operated manually using a 1/125 shutter speed, so in a pinch (and with a light meter or a lot of experience), you can keep on shooting until you find new batteries.