Spotmatic II - SP II Joy

 Out and About With A Spotmatic II

The SP II

I have always loved Pentax Spotmatic SLRs.  I was able to borrow one in college (late 1970s) which I used on a research trip to the SW in 1980, and before that, used it with extension tubes to shoot macro of the wasps that I was working with for my thesis.  My own SLR at the time was an Exakta Exa 1a which lacked so many features that the Spotmatic had.  By the time I was working and needed to buy a new SLR, I bought a Pentax MG, which is pretty much the same camera as the Pentax ME.  Had I thought about it, I should have purchased a used Spotmatic F or Spotmatic II, which although they were M-42 mount bodies, were superior to the MG in build and had match-needle metering.

This Spotmatic II (SP II) came to me recently to sell, and it is in wonderful condition.  So good, I should have bought it for myself, but I already have the better camera in the Spotmatic F.  The Spotmatic F features open-aperture metering with SMC-Takumar lenses, whereas the SP II still uses stop-down metering.  Not really a big deal, but I do like the open-aperture metering.  I decided to test the camera out and shot a roll of the FPP 200 BW film - now known as FPP LOVE BW.  

First of all, the SP II was produced from 1971-1977, and based on the serial number of this one (5407261), it was probably made between 1971-73.  So, it's about 50 years old.It is in excellent condition. I have seen very few Spotmatics that look as minty as this one, which is probably because it was kept in a never-ready case. The SP II is as elegant and as simple in operation as metal-bodied SLR can get Everything about it seems precise and ergonomically correct. The shutter is fairly quiet, and advancing the film is easily done.  The camera came with the typical 55mm f/1.8 Super Multi-Coated Takumar (SMC Tak), which is a great lens, and one of the best in the M-42 mount.

A thing of beauty

I took the camera around the River Arts District in Asheville, and also on a short trip into Pisgah national Forest near Barnardsville, NC. I also had my Spotmatic F along loaded with color film.  

I processed the FPP 200 in D-96 for 8 minutes.  The results were pretty much as I expected. The meter works well, and for a 50-year old SLR, it works as good as it did on the sday it was made. Not too big of a surprise, really, but the camera confirmed why I like Spotmatics.  They are great to work with, and while some people don't like the screw-mount lens system, I don't feel it ever hindered me.

Of course, there are other places on the web with far more information on Spotmatics than I am going to give here, Casual Photophile's blog is a good place to start, and the Camera Wiki has more information.  I just don't understand how the Pentax K1000 gets all the attention, while the more refined Spotmatic F is a far better body. Pricewise, you can pick up the SP II for less than $50, and M-42 lenses are similarly inexpensive.  

A few images: