Shel wrote: > The K1000 had a very long run, and may still be manufactured in China > under a different name. Technology and the demands of marketing and > consumers often dictate new models. Frankly, I could never understand > the fascination around the K1000. Sure, it was built well, but it had a > poor metering system, like the Spotmatic F, and was, in fact, not much > more than a bayonet mount Spotmatic variation.
I second that. Except the K1000 was a CHEAPENED Spotmatic that was literally expected to last a year and a half or two years until the release of the M cameras. But consumers wouldn't let it die. As most here know, it became THE camera for intro photo students, so much so that cameras stores in college towns get runs on them in early Fall and re-buy a lot of them back again at the end of the Spring. (It's kept the price on the used market high, too. No other earthly reason for a K1000 to sell for as much as a good MX.) From what I've heard (from Keppler in _POP_), Pentax tried to kill the K1000 twice or three times but couldn't--demand was too strong and dealers wanted it. It was a bit of a mixed blessing for Pentax, I think, as it set Pentax in most peoples' minds as a beginner or entry-level kind of camera. As soon as students got "serious" they wanted to move "up" to a Nikon. (YUH.) It finally did die, because finally it became expensive to manufacture (even in China) and just too under-featured for the price. I sure wish Pentax would build a "classic" all-metal, manual-focus SLR as a last gasp, like Nikon has done with the little FM3a. A modern Spotmatic with a sparing amount of up-to-date features added in would be just a wonderful thing. --Mike - This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org .
