Replies

Looks like a fine camera you got for $5 and a little TLC. Does the K1000 use one of those mercury batteries that's not sold in the US anymore? My Spotmatic (circa 1968) does and the only cheap substitute is hearing aid batteries that put out ~1.3 volts. You have to use O-rings to make them fit the battery compartment and fudge the ASA by half or double (it's been a while since I've used it, obviously) to get a good reading.

And since these are air-activated batteries they'll go dead within a month even with the meter turned off. So I usually rely on an old hand-held light meter or just bracket my exposures on the rare occasions I use the camera. Digital is so much more convenient--not to mention economical--it's no wonder people donate their film cameras to charities. I only wish the garden-variety digicams had the quality lenses Pentax and their competition made in the '60s and '70s.

It uses one LR44, 1.5V, easy to find. Both my manual focus Minoltas use the same so I've always got batteries around.

There is no switch on the K1000, if you forget to cap the lens the meter will kill the battery.