Pentax History [Explore 18.09.2025] - a photo on Flickriver

Pentax History [Explore 18.09.2025]

            Honeywell Pentax H3 (1960) and its clip-on light meter.

I bought the Pentax H3 in the  1990s at the 34th Street Camera Shop in New York. On the same day I found the Auto-Takumar 1:1.8/55 (actually it*s really already a Super-Takumar, but with a reversed aperture ring) at the Wall Street Camera Shop, together with a Honeywell Pentax lens cap.  Some time later I found the light-meter in Salzburg, Austria, and I found its dedicated case (on the left in the picture) in a rummage box at Foto City (alas long gone) on Kärntner Straße, Vienna's main central shopping street. On a visit to London, on Charing Cross Road I found an original leather case in perfect condition for both the camera and the light-meter. The joys of collecting in the old days before E-Bay!

The light-meter clips on to the eye-piece and links to a notch in the shutter-speed dial. Set the film-speed on the meter and read off the aperture-setting suited to the shutter-speed. Change the shutter-speed if necessary and change the aperture appropriately.

The book shown here belonged to my father, a professional photographer. It was first published in 1962, and is interesting, because it marks several transitions in the Pentax  history..This is the third revised edition from 1965, i.e. published one year after the Spotmatic came on the market.
The cover shows a Honeywell Pentax, but the same photo is inside the book as a Heiland Pentax. The cover has been retouched to bring it (somewhat) up to date.
The book also marks the transition from the Auto-Takumars to the Super-Takumars, but stops short of mentioning the Spotmatic. The last camera it refers to is the Honeywell Pentax H3v ( = Asahi Pentax SV, 1963), whereby the "V" stands for the German word "Vorlaufwerk", i.e. self-timer. It is an excellent little book on photography in general, written at a time when the battle between SLR and range-finder was still not finally decided..

PENTAX K-1
Auto-Takumar 1:1.8/55 (earliest "Super-Takumar" type - with reversed aperture ring and meter scale in red)
   

Taken on: August 30, 2025

Tags:

PENTAX K-1

Pentax H3

AMPHOTO

Vintage camera

Vintage Lens

Vintage glass

Vintage Prime

Vintage

Legacy Glass

Legacy Lens

Camera history

Pentax history

Book

Honeywell

Heiland

Asahi Optical Company

Asahi Pentax

SLR

Pentaprism

Spotmatic

Spotmatic era

Auto-Takumar 1:1.8/55

Pentaxlife

Gear

Gear portrait

Black in the back

'EXPLORE'

1000+ views

232

70+ faves

2000+ views

3000+ views

4000+ views

100+ faves « less

Sets appears in: • "Explored" • Tools of the trade more » • My Takumars • Auto-(Super)-Takumar 55mm f:1.8 (1960) « less

Groups appears in: • ~ PENTAX Cameras ~ • Your Camera Collection more » • Pentax • Pentax Ricoh K-Mount Digital Camera Users • M42 • Camera Appreciation (Pictures of cameras) • PENTAX - All Genuine Lenses • M42 Lenses and DSLR's • Team Pentax DSLR • ~ Flickr's Finest (100+ Faves Only) ~ • Pentax DSLR & Takumar lenses • Pentaxians • ★★★ Pentax Life ★★★ • Pentax Primes • Black in the Back • M42 + DSLR • Pentax Pictures • M42 Lens World • The world M42 • Vintage lenses on DSLR(including mirrorless cameras) • 1,000 Views Unlimited 1000 • 2,000 Views Unlimited 2000 • 4,000 Views Unlimited 4000 • 3,000 Views Unlimited 3000 • Pentax / Ricoh K, Q, Z & GR series, only the best shoots ... • 70 faves or more - no 30/60 - no SL - no people • Pentax K1 photos • Shots with a Pentax (No 30/60 Limit) • Takumar m42 and m37 lenses • MATOS (PdF) • 100 faves minimum - no 30/60 - no SL • vintage optics • CAMERA & GEAR PORTRAITS • My Pentax Gear « less

Camera: RICOH IMAGING COMPANY, LTD. PENTAX K-1, f/11.0, 83.3 sec, 55mm, ISO 100 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	RICOH IMAGING COMPANY, LTD. PENTAX K-1
Lens:	Auto-Takumar 55mm f:1.8 (ST old version)
Aperture:	f/11.0
Exposure Time:	83.3
Focal Length:	55mm
ISO:	100
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	Off, Did not fire
Exposure Program:	Manual
Exposure Mode:	Manual
Metering Mode:	Center-weighted average
Color Space:	sRGB
Software:	SILKYPIX Developer Studio Pro 9
Show full info

Stats: 4,903 views / 14 comments

go back

Link to this photo view:
Link to this photo large view: