The Pentax K1000 has not been produced since 1997 but is still popular in the aftermarket. This single-lens camera was produced for a full 21 years (starting in 1976) and became popular because of its low price and ease of use.
These factors made the Pentax K1000 a very popular camera. During those 21 years, about 3.5 million copies were sold. So aspiring photographers are still using this camera.
The only problem is that it requires a battery to work, and given that the camera hasn’t been manufactured in almost 25 years, finding a battery can be a problem. In this article, I’ll tell you what kind of camera the Pentax K1000 uses.
Key tech specs of Pentax K1000
Regardless of the exhaustive automation of today’s photographic process and the ongoing, but fortunately unsuccessful, displacement by digital substitutes, a niche for this kind of simple handheld camera will remain for a long time. These “dinosaurs” have quite a few fans, both among beginners and established masters. Besides, such a tool is the only means to really learn photo wisdom.
- Type – 35 mm. mechanical SLR camera, with TTL metering at open aperture.
- Frame format – 24 x 36 mm.
- Standard lens – SMC Pentax-M 50mm f/2. K mount – Pentax.
- The shutter is a curtain-slide shutter with horizontal movement of cloth (rubberized silk) shutters in the focal plane.
- Shutter speeds: B, 1 sec. – 1/1000 sec.
- Viewfinder – Non-removable pentaprism. Non-removable viewfinder screen combining a frosted Fresnel lens and a circle of microprisms 3 mm in diameter in the center. Magnification of 0.88x with a 50mm lens set to infinity.
- Information in the viewfinder – Arrow indicator TTL – metering.
- Focus – Manual, on the focusing screen.
- Exposure metering – Center-weighted TTL metering.
- Exposure modes – Setting the shutter speed – aperture, manually by an arrow indicator in the viewfinder.
- Metering range – +3 to 18 EV (at normal temperature with a 50mm/2 lens for ISO 100).
- Flash photography – Flash sync for shutter speeds up to 1/60 sec., no TTL control.
- Film sensitivity range – ISO 20 to 3200, manual setting.
- Film feed – Manual charging, single-frame feed with trigger. Rewind manually.
- Power – 1 cell 1,55.V SR-44 (LR-44).
- Dimensions – 143 х 91,4 х 83 mm.
- Weight – 620 g. (housing only). With the lens 50mm/2 – 790g.
- Frame counter – Resettable, when the cover is opened.
What battery does Pentax K1000 need
The Pentax K1000 is a fairly old camera (and it’s a film camera), so it uses a minimal amount of power. For example, it has a manual shutter release and mechanically moves the film.
So a 1.5V battery is sufficient for the Pentax K1000. The best batteries for the Pentax K1000 are SR44 or LR44.
These batteries are made by Duracell, Panasonic, and others.
Modern batteries may have a different designation, but the packaging will indicate that such a battery is compatible with SR44 or LR44.
In order to install you need to do the following:
- Turn the camera upside down
- Locate the battery compartment
- Use a coin or other small, non-sharp object to open it
- Insert the LR44 or SR44 battery
- Note that the plus sign with the “+” must point upwards (this is the tip of the battery with the protrusion)
- Close the battery compartment
To check if the battery is working do the following:
- Set the ASA/ISO dial to 100
- Set the shutter speed dial to B
- Look through the camera viewfinder
- The Exposure meter is pointing up and this indicates that the battery is working
Can Pentax K1000 work without battery
Yes! This camera will work even without a battery. If you don’t have a battery, you can still take pictures.
The only thing you have to remember is that you will not have a working exposure meter, so you will have to use a separate exposure meter to control the exposure.
