Why the world’s simplest SLR camera became its greatest (and is still in demand 50 years later)

Line drawing of Pentax K1000.

The legend of the Pentax K1000 is rooted in it’s simplicity, reliability and affordability. Introduced in 1976, just a year after Pentax replaced their Spotmatic series of M42 screw mount cameras with the new K bayonet models, the K1000 was aimed at students.

It was a stripped-down model of the upscale KM and K2 models, lacking a self-timer and a depth-of-field preview button. But it had the basics.... a mechanically governed shutter with speeds to 1/1000sec down to a full second, a bright, clear pentaprism viewfinder and good TTL metering (which like the Spotmatics, was an averaging meter). And all powered by a single SR44 battery meaning if the battery fails, you can still use the camera. Even better, unlike the Spotmatic series which used mercury button cells, the Silver Oxide SR44s are still readily available. 

It all came in a sturdy, reliable, inexpensive, all-metal body and thus became extremely popular with amateurs and students alike.  It’s original price was just $299 with a 55mm f/2 lens.

The 50mm and 55mm f/2 lenses have stories in themselves. The 55mm lens was made for the K1000 as at 55mm the rear element easily clears the mirror. (Many early SLRs used 55mm and 58mm lenses as standard lenses for this reason.) 50mm lenses require fancier (read “more expensive”) designs to clear the mirror when it flips up.  And the fancier the design, the larger the percentage of lenses that won’t quite “cut the mustard” when going through Quality Control.