Last week I mentioned that a dear friend had given me a Pentax MV and shared some photo's with you from my first outing with it. This week I talk about how it compares to another camera with Auto Exposure, my Olympus OM-2. I loaded a roll of Kentmere 400 into each camera, fitted a Hoya 28mm f/2.8 to the Pentax and my trusty Zuiko 28mm f/3.5 to the Olympus and off I went for a wander along the local farm roads on a sunny afternoon.
Holding both camera's it is easy to see the effect the Olympous OM series had on the world of 35mm photography. The OM-1 changed everything. Camera's got smaller, lighter and easier to use with new tech such as auto exposure being packaged into the now obligatory compact body. The Pentax MV was Pentax's attempt at an entry level auto exposure 35mm SLR to compete with the Olympus OM-10 and OM-20. As I don't own either of those I set my OM-2 to auto exposure and didn't use any setting the Pentax MV doesn't have to make them as equal as possible.
I can see why Pentax pitched this automatic camera to folks trying a 35mm slr for the first time. It is so easy to use. Its built in light meter uses a traffic light system to tell you when the aperture you choose is worthy of a shutter speed. A set of red, yellow and green led lights visible in the viewfinder is all the info you need, Red means no shutter speed available for the aperture you chose so you adjust it open or closed until you get a green light. It's simple and the range of shutter speeds available in auto is 1 second to 1/1000th of a second. A 1/100th setting for manual use should your batteries die or flash sync and bulb is also available.
The Hoya HMC 28mm f/2.8 is a hidden gem amongst lenses. It was brought out as Hoya sought to take advantage of the 3rd party lens market in the late 1970's and early 80's to compliment their very popular filters. Hoya lenses are well built and although the optics are not as pin sharp as the Zuiko 28mm I compared it with, they aren't too far behind and are well worth considering if your budget wont quite stretch to an SMC Pentax.
As always when I am having fun, I soon used 2 rolls of Kentmere 400 and headed home to develop them. As it was a beautiful day I decided to wait until the temperature had cooled down before I develped my film, I have had trouble in the past loading reels when it is hot and humid. Later that evening I developed both rolls in HC-110 dilution B for 5 1/2 minutes and left them hanging in my bathroom to dry.
I am very pleased with how the Pentax MV performed against the OM-2, I got bright, well exposed images and found the MV a pleasure to use. I know we all say a beginner to film photography should use a fully manual camera to learn the shutter triangle etc, but for folks who want a little automation in their photography, the MV is well worth considering. It is a very capable camera for all levels of ability. I have put both rolls in albums on my Flickr account so you can see them in full resolution. Here's a few to whet your appetite, I hope you enjoy them.
Pentax MV Kentmere 400
Olympus OM-2 Kentmere 400
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Pentax MV
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Pentax MV
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Pentax MV
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Pentax MV
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Olympus OM-2
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Olympus OM-2
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Olympus OM-2
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Olympus OM-2
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