Old Times

It was only a matter of time before I started in on old photo gear. Here is an elderly Asahi Pentax S1a with an equally old 55mm f2 Super Takumar lens attached. The system dates originally from about 1962. Legend has it that the four Beatles (having just come into the first decent returns for their music) were walking around together, when they came upon a camera store in London. They are supposed to have purchased one of these cameras each.  The extra WAS NOT SHOT BY ME but is one of several pictures floating about the internet, showing the fab four with their Pentaxes.

I always wanted an Asahi Pentax Spotmatic, back in the day. In my view that was the perfect 35mm film SLR. Wonderful balance in the hand, perfectly placed controls, only the essential features and the latest TTL centre weighted metering system. The biggest drawback was the antiquated screw mount for the lenses. Instead, I talked myself into the new Minolta SRT 101 with a great new bayonet mount and (what was purported to have been) a still cleverer metering system. Trouble is, it was always a dog of a thing to handle. Sigh. Wish I'd gone the other way.