Pentax cameras


This article discusses the cameras - mainly 35 mm SLRs - manufactured by Pentax Ricoh Imaging Corp. and its predecessors, Pentax Corporation and Asahi Optical Co., Ltd.. Pentax must not be confused with Pentax 6x7 or Pentax 67 which are 120 medium format 6x7cm film cameras.
It covers from the first "Asahiflex" models in 1952 and their successor, the pivotal "Asahi Pentax" single-lens reflex camera, last made in 1997, to the present time known as "Pentax" first made in 1981.

Background

The period around 1950 marked the return of the Japanese photographic industry to the vigorous level of the early 1940s, and its emergence as a major exporter. The newly reborn industry had sold many of its cameras to the occupation forces and they were well received. The Korean War saw a huge influx of journalists and photographers to the Far East, where they were impressed by lenses from companies such as Nikon and Canon for their Leica rangefinder cameras, and also by bodies by these and other companies to supplement and replace the Leica and Contax cameras they were using. This was the background to the development of Asahi Optical's first camera.

Timeline of innovation

  • 1952: The first Japanese SLR
  • 1954: The world's first instant return mirror system in a pentaprism SLR
  • 1966: Asahi is the world's first camera manufacturer to produce one million SLRs
  • 1967: Opening of the first camera museum in Japan owned by a camera manufacturer located at Nishiazabu, Tokyo
  • 1971: The world's first SLR camera with a TTL automatic-exposure control. This camera was the Pentax ES
  • 1971: The world's first Super Multi-Coated lenses
  • 1976: The world's first gallium arsenide light meter in a SLR
  • 1976: The smallest and lightest 35mm full-frame SLR camera
  • 1979: The world's first camera to incorporate the concept of push-button shutter speed control. This camera was the Pentax ME Super
  • 1980: The world's first through-the-lens autofocus camera. This camera was the Pentax ME F
  • 1981: The first camera manufacturer to reach the production milestone of 10 million SLR cameras
  • 1984: The world's first multi-mode medium format camera. This camera was the Pentax 645
  • 1987: The first 35mm SLR camera to feature a built-in TTL auto flash
  • 1991: The world's first weather-resistant zoom compact camera is launched. That camera was the "PENTAX ZOOM 90WR"
  • 1995: The world's smallest autofocus SLR camera designed based on the concept of "intuitive operation" is launched. That camera was the PENTAX MZ-5
  • 1997: The world's first autofocus medium format SLR camera. That camera was the Pentax 645N
  • 2008: The world's smallest digital SLR camera equipped with an image sensor equivalent to the APS-C size format is launched. That camera was the PENTAX K-m
  • 2010: The world's first to introduce a digital medium format SLR camera. That camera was the Pentax 645D
  • 2011: The world's smallest and lightest interchangeable lens camera in a body significantly smaller than every other digital ILC body available on the market. That camera was the Pentax Q
  • 2012: The world's first medium format DSLR without IR cut filter especially for research, archival, and law enforcement use. This camera was the 645D IR
  • 2012: The first mirrorless camera to natively support a SLR lens lineup. This camera was the K-01
  • 2014: The world's first to achieve a score above 100 at DxO. The camera was the 645Z with a 101 DxO score
  • 2016: Pentax was the first to introduce a weather resistant and backside illuminated flexible tilt type LCD monitor with their first professional full frame DSLR. This camera was the Pentax K-1
  • 2023: Pentax announced they are developing a new 35mm film camera under the project title Pentax Film Camera Project, although it appears to have been canceled.
  • 2024: Pentax releases a new compact film camera, the Pentax 17. Camera uses 35mm film and takes pictures in half-frame format

    Screw mount cameras

Asahiflex Series

Asahi Optical introduced its first 35 mm camera in 1952. Asahi was unusual in deciding to start with a high-quality 35mm camera that was not a copy of something else. Its designers were convinced of the inherent superiority of the SLR and so proceeded along these lines. This effort resulted in the Asahiflex I, which was also the first Japanese 35mm SLR. Image:Asahiflex IIb Model I.jpg|thumb|The Asahiflex IIb
There has always been a close design relationship between the products of Asahi, and those made in Germany by a variety of manufacturers, most notably Zeiss Ikon. In the case of the Asahiflex, study should be made of the immediate pre-war and immediate post-war models of the Praktiflex, which could be properly called the inspiration for the Asahiflex. This is, however not very likely, since the cameras are very different in mechanical construction and form, although the specifications show many similarities. According to other sources, it was a pre-war Reflex Corelle, owned by president Mr. Matsumoto, that inspired the Asahiflex. The camera was designed by two engineers who had previously worked at Konishi.
The Asahiflex I had a non-interchangeable waist-level viewfinder, with a direct optical viewfinder for eye-level use. The Asahiflex I had a non-returning mirror and shutter speeds from 1/25 to 1/500. The camera used the M37 screw mount. It went through some minor modifications for flash use, resulting in the IA. With the IIB a key advance was made: the quick-return mirror. The problem of mirror black-out was one of the main problems with prior SLR designs, greatly reducing usability and a major reason for the greater popularity of the rangefinder. With the IIB there emerged the first practical quick-return mirror, a vital innovation and one which was quickly adopted by other manufacturers. With the final model in the series, the IIA, the Asahiflex gained slow speeds from 1/25th of a second to 1/2 of a second.
  • Asahiflex I
  • Asahiflex IA
  • Asahiflex IIB
  • '''Asahiflex IIA'''

    Asahi-Pentax Series (pre Spotmatic)

A recognized problem with the Asahiflex series was that, lacking a pentaprism, it was very difficult to use the camera in a vertical position and taking pictures of moving objects was almost impossible. The small viewfinder on top of the camera was of little use when the photographer wanted to use a 135 mm or 500 mm lens. The problem was recognized by Asahi. In 1957, Asahi introduced the Pentax series, a 35 mm single-lens reflex camera camera which was so well received that it influenced the design of 35 mm SLRs worldwide for years to come. The Pentax and its later development and likewise classic 1964 Pentax Spotmatic spurred the development of Asahi into a photographic multinational company, eventually renaming itself "Pentax" after its seminal product. The Pentax series remains pivotal in the development of modern SLR photography.
There is some confusion about the etymology of the name. Most sources claim it was licensed from VEB Pentacon the East German successor to Zeiss Ikon, and is derived from the combination "PENTaprism" and "contAX", in the same way that "Pentacon" was taken from "PENTAprism" and "CONtax". It's known that the "Pentax" name was originally registered as a trademark by VEB Pentacon, duly noting that both the M42 lens mount and the first recognizably modern 35mm SLR camera, the Contax D, were products of the East German branch of Zeiss Ikon, circa 1949. There are other stories, too. The word PEN in Japanese actually means small, so you might think that this is the explanation, but it is not. In fact the name Pentax comes from a contraction of PENTAprism and AsahifleX. This was confirmed by the international sales department of Asahi Optical Co. in 1999.
The Asahi Pentax of 1957 featured:
  • Pentaprism
  • Rapid-wind film advance lever. Earlier 35 mm SLRs, with the exception of Exakta's left-handed lever, and the Edixa Reflex, had knob advance.
  • Film rewind crank, likewise a first for 35 mm SLRs.
  • Instant mirror return, unique to the Pentax and its immediate predecessor, the Asahiflex IIb
  • Microprism focusing aids on the focus screen, unique to the Pentax
Moreover, the Pentax placed controls in locations that would become standard on 35 mm SLRs from all manufacturers, such as the right-handed rapid wind lever, the bottom right mounted rewind release, and film speed reminder around the film rewind crank.
The photographic giants Canon & Nikon, did not introduce their own SLR cameras until 1959 with the Canonflex and the F-series respectively. By contrast, the Pentax series offered these features at a relatively low price, introducing many photographers to 35 mm SLR photography.
Image:h3v blk.jpg|thumb|right|Honeywell H3V
The Asahi Pentax series went through various iterations until 1964. Each successive model incorporated minor improvements, the most noticeable being the incorporation of the two shutter speed dials into one. The AP of 1957 is externally almost identical to the 1964 SV.

Spotmatic Series

However, by the 1960s the clamour for in-camera exposure metering was rising. It was possible to attach an external CdS exposure meter to the later AP-derived models, but in 1960 the next breakthrough arrived. At the 1960 photokina camera show, Asahi exhibited the Spot-matic prototype. This camera took exposure measurements, via a spotmeter, through the taking lens, an incredible innovation. The camera excited tremendous attention and in 1964 the first production Spotmatic emerged. The Spotmatic was virtually identical to the prototype; however, the spotmeter was replaced with an all-over average-reading exposure meter in order to give more consistent results. The camera was an instant success and was snapped up by the thousands, although Asahi had been beaten into production by the Topcon RE Super which went on sale in April 1963; the Topcon failed to attract the same degree of commercial success. The Spotmatic was replaced by the Spotmatic II with many upgrades 1971 - 1976.
Image:electro spotmatic.jpg|thumb|right|Electro-Spotmatic with Super-Takumar 1:1.8 55mm lens
In 1966 Asahi Optical had produced one million SLR cameras since the first Asahiflex of 1962. It took them only another three years, until 1969, to reach two million. This period was a time of complete pre-eminence for Asahi Optical. During the Spotmatic era Asahi were manufacturing more SLRs per month than all the other camera manufacturers combined. One of the technological highlights was the Electro-Spotmatic of 1971. This camera was one of the first to incorporate automatic exposure. The series concluded in 1973 with the introduction of the Spotmatic F.
Image:sp f blk.jpg|thumb|right|Spotmatic F with SMC Takumar 1:1.4 50mm lens
However, by the mid-1970s the limitations of the M42 mount were being felt. By this time most other manufacturers had opted for a bayonet lens mount. It was a great step for Asahi Optical to take but the M42 screw mount, by now widely known as 'Pentax screw mount', had reached the end of its useful life. Pentax were now to adopt the K-mount that would see them through the next 40 years.