I hear all the kudos for the MX, but rarely for the great little MG, nor, for that matter, the MV or MV-1... This will give you something to read and perhaps think about, while you're pondering all the other, more popular older cameras Pentax has come out with.
The MV came out in '79, as a simplified version of the ME. Same body and shutter. Less info in the viewfinder. This is the camera that brought out the more simple but quite effective Auto, 100X and B mode controls on the top plate. Aperture priority in the "Auto" mode (same as the ME,) while "100X" was the shutter speed and was used for flash exposures. It was purely mechanical. Great if you lost battery power. The MV-1 had the same body, except it could be used with a motor drive, and had a self-timer. Both these cameras were almost identical in size and shape as the much loved MX! The MX was about 1/2" wider and a little heavier. The MG, also aperture priority and having center-weighted metering, came out 3 years later, had the same body and controls as the little MV, but the more sophisticated viewfinder of the ME, plus a few additional features. I've used the MG extensively and found it a very capable small 35mm camera. I have no reason to believe the sister camera, the MV, won't perform right along with it. Besides, they take all m-42 lenses, with the adapter, and of course, all K-mounts clear up thru the A's. Perhaps the F's as well. If anyone likes the idea of the tough and reliable K series bodies, but wants just a little smaller and lighter, either of these two great little cameras will still fill the bill! <g> keith whaley
