How could this happen? Don't I already have a lot of cameras?
Well, I needed a fully manual SLR to carry around on my neck for on-the-spot photography. As nice as my A2 or C220 is, I don't like carrying them too long on my neck because of the strain they put on me. Same goes for my 5D, which is gigantic and manages to dwarf my A2.
I would go for a rangefinder, but I hate them, and I actually have a couple. One is a mint Futura-S with a 50mm f1.5 lens (among two others I have) that needs a CLA on the leaf shutter, the other is a meh-tier Argus with a pathetically slow f3.5 50mm lens. I actually really want to use the Futura-S, but I don't have the funds to toss at a professional repair, and there's no way in hell I'm fixing that myself.
On top of that, I actually have a full manual SLR. It's a Pentax Spotmatic with a 50mm lens that's so fast it's radioactive. Sadly, this camera isn't what I was looking for because it has a somewhat clumsy metering system that hasn't aged well at all. A small complaint, but it also doesn't have the option to throw it into aperture-priority for when I really don't care, and it lacks a hot shoe. I also possess a Nikon EM which is just a plasticy version of my godly Canon AV-1.
Were those all my cameras? Probably not, there's always one that seems to pop up out of nowhere.
But moving on...
Like I said, I wanted something small that allowed full manual shots. After I came across a K mount Vivitar 28mm f2.8 that was given to me a few years ago, I began to look for various compatible Pentaxes that would fit the bill. I considered the K1000 and similar cameras, but they're over $100 for a body because hipsters. Eventually though, I came across a Pentax that suited my needs. It was a P3n on eBay for $25 shipped that included the camera, a 50mm f2 lens, a flash, and all the applicable manuals. After some research, I bought it and in two days I had my prize.
Upon receiving it, I immediately found that I hated the 50mm on it. Compared to other manual focus 50s it felt cheap and the fact that it was f2 made me cringe, so I ordered a M42 to K mount adapter to use my radioactively fast 50mm with it. The flash didn't really work all that well (the listing said it didn't so I was unsurprised) but the rest of the camera and manuals were good.
The camera feels kinda cheap with a lot of plastic, but that's what makes it so lightweight. It has a depth-of-field preview as well as an aperture-priority setting. One really annoying thing is that the camera reads the DX code of the speed of your film and sets the meter appropriately. Kinda annoying if you're going to push or pull the film in development. Other than that though, it's not a bad camera, especially for $25. I'll put a roll through it and make a follow up review in the near future.
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