Film cameras
Pentax KX User manual
User manual for Pentax KX. 38 pages in English. Read the original PDF, download or print a copy without registration.
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Document details
- Brand
- Pentax
- Model / document
- Pentax KX
- Document type
- User manual
- Language
- English
- Pages
- 38
- File size
- 3.4 MB
- Category
- Film cameras
- Document date
- Not specified in catalog
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Page 3 · Read text
INDEX
Nomenclature 1
Specifications 4
o
Lens Mounting 6
Battery 7
BasicOperating Instructions I
Film Loadingand Winding 1 0
Setting ASA Film Speed 1 1
Compose and Focus 1 2
Sh u tter 1 3
o
Camera Holding 1 4
Film Unloading 1 5
Flash Synchronization 1 6
Depth-of-field Preview Button and Guide 1 8
Depth-of-field Table: SMC Pentax Somm Lens ......... 1 9
Helpful Hints on Exposure Problems 20
Dual Preference Exposure System 2 1 SMC Pentax lenses and Pentax
Activati ng Exposu re Meter 22 accessoriesare engineered and
Shutter Button Lock 22 produced meticulously to precise
Range of Light Measurement 23 Asahi Pentax specifications.
Manual Shutter Operation 24 Lensesand accessoriesfrom
self-timer 24 other manufacturers are not
Mirror Lock-up 25 produced to these precise
lnfra-red Photography 26 specifications and, therefore,
Multiple Exposure 27 may cause difficulties with - or
Using Conventional Screw-mount Takumar Lenses 28 actual damage to - a Pentax
Open-aperture or Stopdown Metering 30 camera. Asahi Pentax cannot
Resistanceto Temperature Extremes and Changes 31 assumeany responsibility or
Camera Maintenance 32 liability for diff iculties resulting
from the use of any other brand o
Warranty Policy 34 of lenses or accessorieswith
Memo 36 an Asahi Pentax camera.
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NOMENCLATURE
@ Exposurecounter
@ "Cocked" indicator
O Rapid-wind lever @ Strutter button lock lever
O Shutter speed dial @ Strutter releasebutton
@ Shutter speed index @ Mirror lock-up lever
O X contact hot shoe @ Depth-of-fieldpreview button
O Accessory shoe @ Lens releaselever
@ Battery check button @ Lens mounting guide bump
O f itm speed indicator @ Deptn-of-field guide
@ f ilm rewind knob @ Ditt"nce scale
g film rewind crank @ Diapnragm/distanceindex
@ Film speed indicator pin @ Dlapnragmring
o 1View original page 4Page 5 · Read text
@ Strap ring lug @ f itm guide rails @ fitm rewind button
@ Sett-timerlever (Start leverunderneathl @ Fitm rails @ Sprocket
@ Fo"rting ring @ Vle*f inder eyepiece @ f itm take-upspool
@ Ap.rture-readerwindow @ rirm chamber @ fitm roller
@ x flash terminal @ B.tt.ry chamber (D Back cover
@ fP flashterminal @ tripod receptacle @ fitm pressureplate
@ A..trsory fitting groove @ St rtter curtains
2 .
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SPECIFICATIONS
Type 35mm SLR with built-in through-the-lens light
meter.
Film and Picture Size 35mm film.24mm x 36mm.
Standard lenses SMG Pentax Somm t11.2,50mm f 11.4 and
55mm f/l.8 with fully-automatic diaphragm.
Fifter size: 52mm. Minimum aperture: t122.
Focusing: 0.45m (1.5 ft.) to infinity.
Shutter Horizontal run, focal-plane shutter of
rubberized silk curtains. Speeds: B, 1 -
1/10OO sec. Shutter button lock provided.
Self-timer Built-in self-timer with interrupt function.
Releasesshutter in 5 - 13 sec.
Viewfinder Pentaprism finder with cross-microprism or
split-image focusing screen. Aperture setting
on lens visible in viewfinder. Shutter speed
setting indicated by blue needle. 0.88x
magnification with 50mm lenses (life-size with
55mm lens). Dioptry -0.8. 93% field of view.
Focusing Microprism and split-image screensstandard
plus custom screens.
Rgflex Mirror Instant-return type with mirror lock-up device
and special shock absorbers for minimum
vibration.
4 o
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Lens Mount Pentax bayonet-mount.
Film Advance Ratchet-type rapid-wind lever. 20" pre'advance
and 160" advance angle. "Cocked" indicator
alongside shutter releasebutton.
Exposure Counter Automatic re-set.
Film Rewind Rapid-rewind crank for speedy film take-up.
Fladr Sync*rronization X contact hot shoe for cordless flash connection.
FP + X contacts for conventional flash cord
connection. X synchronization at 1/60 sec.
Exposure Meter Silicon-Photo-Diode meter measuresthe entire area
of ground glasswith emphasison central portion at
full aperture. Couples directly to shutter, aperture
and film speed settings. Mach needlesfor correct
exposure. EV 1 - 18 for ASA 100 film with 50mm
lens. Film speed from 8 to 6400 ASA. Powered by
two 1.5 V silver oxide batteries.
Memo Holder Square metal sleeve for holding type/speed tab
from top of film box.
Dimensions With 50mm f/1.4 lens: width 143mm (5.6")
x height 91.4mm (3.6") x depth 94mm (3.7").
Weight 896g (31.4 ozs.) with 50mm f/1.4 lens.
6315 122.1 ozs) with no lens.t
[ . 5View original page 8Page 9 · Read text
LENS MOUNTING
1 .
Remove the rear lens and
body caps.
2.
Match the red dot O on the
camera body with the red dot
@ on the lens. Insert the
lens into the body and turn it
clockwise until the lens locks
with a click.
3.
In the dark, when the red dots
are diff icult to see,align the
white plastic bump O on the
lens barrel with the lens
releaselever O by touch.
Then turn and lock as above.
4.
CAUTIONTo detach, hold the camera
with your left hand. Depress l f y o u h a v e t o p u t t h e l e n s d o w n
the lens releaselever O while w i t h o u t t h e r e a r l e n s c a p , p l a c e
turning the lens counter i t o n l y o n i t s f r o n t e n d , n e v e r o n
clockwise with your right t h e r e a r .
hand. W h e n c h a n g i n g l e n s e so u t d o o r s
w i t h f i l m i n t h e c a m e r a , a v o i d
d i r e c t s u n l i g h t .
6 o
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BATTERY
Two silver oxide batteries are
packed separately. Be sure to
insert them into the batterY
chamber before operating the
camera.
INSERTION
Open the battery chamber cover with a coin. Insert the two
batteries into the battery holder of the cover as shown
above, each with (+) side facing up. For replacement,use
EvereadyS76E or Mallory MS76H or equivalent.
CHECK
Under normal conditions, one set of batteries will last about one
year, or permit about 10,000 shutter releases.To check the life,
CAUTIOil push the battery check button next to the pentaprism, while
D o n o t p u s h t h e c h e c k b u t t o n viewing through the viewfinder. lf the black meter needle drops
t o o o f t e n , a s i t w i l l e x h a u s t t h e to 125 or lower, the batteries have sufficient capacity. lf it does
b a t t e r i e s . T h e b a t t e r Y i s l i k e a not, replace the two batteries.
phonograph record. lt can be
d a m a g e d b y s k i n a c i d s . H a n d l e
b y t h e e d g e s w i t h a d r Y c l o t hb e f o r e i n s e r t i o n i n t o t h e c a m e r a . ',aN
The battery is not rechargeable. (o),= uDo not throw a dead batterY i n t o f i r e , a s i t m a y e x P l o d e . ,Y4 j
Also, keep it beyond the reach
o f s m a I I c h i l d r e n .
o 7View original page 10Page 11 · Read text
BASIC OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS
1 . S E T F I L M S P E E D
While depressingthe pin alongsidethe film rewind knob, turn the
t238 outer ring of the film speed indicator untal the ASA number of the
f ilm you're u sing matches the index mark.
2 . C O C K R A P I D . W I N D L E V E R
Cock the rapid-wind lever all the way until it stops. The "Cocked"
indicator will turn red, showing that the shutter is cocked.
3 . S E T S H U T T E R S P E E D
Turn the shutter speed dial until the speed you want to use is
opposite the index mark. The blue needle in the viewf inder
indicates the shutter speed you have selected.Generally, you should
use the fastest possible shutter speed to avoid blurred pictures
caused by camera movement. Try starting with 11125 sec. outdoors
in daylight and 1/30 sec. indoors.
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4. COMPOSE AND FOCUS While viewing through the f inder, turn the focusing ring until your subject comes into sharp focus. 5 . T U R N O N L I G H T M E T E R A N D R O T A T E D I A P H R A G M R I N G Make sure that the rapid-wind lever is at its pre- advanceangle, not at its completely closed position. As you depressthe shutter button halfway, the light meter turns on, and the black meter needle matches the blue one. When the needles match, you have the correct exposure. (The f-stop you have selected is also visible in the small window above the viewf inder.) lf the black needle does not match the blue one no matter how far you turn the diaphragm ring, change the shutter speed. 6. R E LEASE SHUTTE R Hold your camera firmly and trip the shutter. Then cock the rapid-wind lever for the nextpicture. (As long as the lever is at its pre- "$ advance angle, the light meter stays ON. lf you push it back to the completely closed position, the meter is turned O F F. ) o 9View original page 12
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5q)o 40oo 25oo 20@ 1250r0@ alo 5q) 320 250 160 r25 80 50 40 25 20 12 lO
O . ; O o o O . r O . . O . . O . . O o f . . O ' . O . ' O
iloo 32oo 1600 8(}0 /roo 2('o 100 64 32 16 I
The ASA film speed rating of all 35mm films is given in the data
sheet packed with each roll of film. The higher the ASA number,
the more sensitivethe film is to light. While depressingthe film
speed indicator pin 6, turn the outer ring @ of the film speed
indicator until the ASA number of your film matches the index
mark.
Be sure to set your speed on the camera because it is
connected to the exposure meter system.
As a reminder of what type of
film is in your camera, tear off
the top of the film box and
insert it into the Memo Holder
on the back cover of the
camera.
r 1 1View original page 14Page 16 · Read text
Turn the shutter speed dial clockwise or counter- clockwise to the shutter speed desired. The shutter speed may be set either before or after cocking the rapid-wind lever. As you cock the shutter by turning the rapid-wind lever, the "cocked" indicator turns to red showing that the shutter is cocked. The indicator blacks out as you trip the shutter button. For use of the X setting on the shutter speed dial, refer to page 16. With the shutter speed dial set on B (bulb), the shutter will stay open as long as you depress the shutter button. As you releaseyour finger from the shutter button, the shutter closes. When a long exposure is desired while using the B setting, set the shutter button lock by moving the lever to the left (an "L" becomes visible) while depressingthe shutter button. Alternately, use a cable release with a locking device for a time exposure. At slow speeds- slower than 1/30 - support your camera rigidly to prevent camera movement. To protect the shutter mechanism, trip the shutter releasebefore putting the camera away for any extended period. o13View original page 16
Page 17 · Read text
As a general rule, your camera should be held more firmly in the
left hand, which does not releasethe shutter. lf you hold your
camera with the right hand - the hand that releasesthe shutter
- it may cause camera movement. Often, blurred pictures are due
to camera movement.
Horizontal position A Vertical position B. Vertical position G.
Hold the camera f irmly with Hold your camera tightly to Hold your camera tightly to
your left hand, and draw your your forehead with your left your forehead with your left
arms close to your body. hand, and draw your right hand, raise your right arm
arm close to your body. and draw your left arm to
your body.
14.
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FILM UNLOADING
After the final picture on the roll has been taken, the rapid-wind
lever will not turn (Caution: do not try to force the lever),indicating
that the film must be rewound. Lift up the rewind crank. Depressthe
film rewind releasebutton and turn the rewind crank as indicated to
rewind the film into its cassette.Rewind until the tension on the
crank lessens,indicatingthat the leaderend of the film has been
releasedfrom the take-up spool. Pull out the film rewind knob (the
back will open automatically),and remove the film cassette.
A V O I D D I R E C T L I G H T W H E N L O A D I N G T H E F I L M .
o 1 5View original page 18Page 19 · Read text
FLASH SYNCHRONIZATION
The KX has FP and X terminals on the front of
the camera body, ?nd a separateX contact on
the built-in hot shoe. The table on the next page
shows which flash contact, which shutter speed and
which flash bulb may be combined for maximum
lamp efficiency. Unless these combinations are
rigidly followed, there will be a failure in flash
synchronization. Note the "X" setting is exactly
at the 60 mark on the speed dial. This indicates
the highest shutter speed at which electronic
flash units may be used.
Use the hot shoe flash contact when using a
shoe-mount electronic flash like the Pentax
Autorobo which has a flash contact on the
shoe bracket. When using the hot shoe, there
is no need to plug the flash cord into the
X terminal on the body front. The hot shoe
flash contact turns to "hot" (switched on) only
when you insert a shoe-mount electronic flash.
It remains "cold" (disconnectd) even when
using an electronic flash with its cord plugged
into the X terminal on the body front. This
eliminates the danger of electric shocks.
1 6 0
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There are basicallytwo types of f lash bulb' attachmentson the market: clip-on types and
bracket types. Either can be used with your
camera.The clip-on types are attached to the
' hot shoe and the bracket types are screwed
into the tripod screw hole.
Useone of thesethree bulb types: M, MF or
FP.The correct terminal and the correct
shutter speedto use for each of these three
types are outlined in the table below.
Before attaching the f lash unit to the camera,
you must remove the protective plug
from the proper terminal.
When not usingthe terminals,keep the
plugs inserted.
sHUTTERSPEED 'oooa# # # .b # + + + + i B
E LECTRONIC F LASH X
FP FP CLASS F L A S H B U L B
X M . MF . FP CLASS
o17View original page 20Page 21 · Read text
DEPTH.OF-FIELDPREVIEWBUTTON AND GUIDE
Depth of field is the range between the nearest and farthest
distances which are in focus at a given lens aperture.
lf you want to know how great the depth of field is at a certain
aperture, focus on a subject and see through the viewfinder while
depressing the depth-of-f ield preview button O . Or, after focusing,
look at the depth-of-field guide on the lens. In the photograph
below, the distance scale is set at 5 meters . the lens is focused
on a subject 5 meters away. The calibrations on each side of the
distance index correspond to the diaphragm setting and indicate
the range of in-focus distance for different lens apertures. For
example, if a lens opening of f 14 is to be used, the range on the
distance scale ring covered within the figure 4 on tlre depth-of-
field guide indicates the area in focus at that lens opening. You
will note from the depth-of-field guide in the photograph that the
range from approximately 4 to 7 m is in focus. Note that as
the lens apertures change, the effective depth of f ield also
changes. For the depths of f ield at different apertures and
distances, refer to the next page.
6 5 0
D i s t a n c e ( m )
1 8 0
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HELPFULHINTSON EXPOSUREPROBLEMS
The light meter built into your KX correctly reads As a general rule, when the subject is darker than
the averageof the light reflected from the entire the background, you compensate by opening
scene as seen through the viewfinder - with a your aperture 1 or 2 steps further. For example:
little extra importance, or weight, given to what is on a bright day, when your subject has his back
in the center. Sometimes, however, there is a to the sun and you are shooting directly toward
great difference between the light reflected from the sun . or when you are shooting a subject
the background and the light reflected from the against snow or light-colored sand or when
subject. In such a case,to achieve a really good you are copying a page of black letters on white
photo, you must compensate for the difference paper, increasethe size of the aperture
by opening or closing down the aperture 1 or somewhat.
2 steps. When your sublect is brighter than the background
- if he is standing in a spotlight, for example -
you make the aperture 1 or 2 steps smaller to
compensate.
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DUAL PREFERENCEEXPOSURESYSTEM
The exposure system built into the KX is called a When the aperture size is the most important
"needle-matchingsystem" becausethe correct factor, set the aperture desired by turning the
exposure for any given situation is determined by diaphragm ring. Then adjust the shutter speed dial
matching the two needles- blue and black - seen until the blue needle in the viewf inder matches
in the viewf inder. This system is most convenient up with the black needle.
becauseit allows you to give preference to either When shutter speed is the more important factor,
aperture or shutter speed. turn the dial till the blue needle reachesthe
speed you desire. Then adjust the diaphragm
ring to align the black needlewith the blue one.
o21View original page 24Page 25 · Read text
ACTIVATINGEXPOSUREMETER SHUTTERBUTTONLOCK
The exposure meter of the KX is switched on by The shutter button lock lever is for your
moving the rapid-wind lever f rom its closed conveniencewhile you are making a particularly
position to a slightly open position, which is called long exposure using the B shutter speed setting.
the pre-advanceangle. With the rapid-wind lever After depressingthe shutter button, turn the
at the pre-advanceangle, as soon as the shutter lock lever (which is on the collar at the base
releasebutton is depressedslightly, the black of the shutter button) so that the letter "L"
needle in the viewf inder will move according to is visible.When the exposure time is up, move
the amount of light coming in through the lens. the lock lever back to its original position. This
The exposure meter will remain switched on automatically releasesthe shutter button. Use
until the rapid-wind lever has been returned to of the shutter button lock lever also savesyour
its fully-closedposition. battery as the exposure meter is switched off
as soon as this lever is locked-in.
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RANGEOF LIGHT MEASUREMENT
The exposure meter of the KX measuresthe
brightnessof the ground glass.Therefore, the
meter needlesshould be matched after you
have focused your subject on the ground glass.
The area (A) in the table indicates the reading
rangeof the meter, and should not be
interpreted as the camera's total range of 1
f/stop-shutter speed combinations. As you will 2
note f rom the table , with an ASA 100
f ilm, you may use any shutter speed from 1 1
4sec.to 1/1000 sec. in combination with any
aperture that will match the two needles 1-rin the viewfinder.
1
1 5
1 A 30
1
The total range of aperture settings is, of 60
course,determined by the minimum and
maximum apertures of the lens being used. 1
For example, with the 5Omm f 11.4lens and 125
ASA 100 film, any aperture from t11.4 (the 1
maximum aperture of this lens) to tl16 may be 250
used with any shutter speed from 1 sec. to
1/1000 sec. However, the combination of f 122 1
(minimum aperture) and 1 /1000 sec. is beyond 500
the measurabilityrange (B), as shown in the 1table. As the ASA film speed changes,the 1000 B
measurabilityrange varies.
o23View original page 26From the M. Butkus archive. Original publisher and archive notices are retained.
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PDF verified 2026-10-10.