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100-409: KX and variants may refer to: Businesses and brands [ edit ] Pentax KX , a 35mm film SLR camera model Pentax K-x , a digital SLR camera model Cayman Airways (IATA code KX) KX Television, a network of four CBS affiliates under flagship KXMC-TV Kx Systems , a software company focused on real-time analytics KX 91.5. Philippines,

200-626: A DX encoding six-digit barcode pattern, which uses a DX number to identify the manufacturer and film type (and thus processing method), and the number of exposures, for the use of photofinishing laboratories. The cassettes are also manufactured with a Camera Auto Sensing code constructed as two rows of six rectangular areas on the metal cassette surface which are either conductive or insulating, representing 32 possible film speeds, eight possible film lengths, and four possible values of exposure tolerance or latitude. Conforming cameras detect at least some of these areas; only three contacts are needed to set

300-471: A Minolta patent, but utilised in the Olympus OM-2 in 1975. The selected aperture value and shutter speed are shown in the viewfinder. It had a large range of accessories which were mostly not interchangeable with other contemporary cameras. It remained in production for more than 20 years. The A series added fully programmed exposure control (adjusting both aperture and shutter speed automatically) to

400-529: A darkroom . The 335 was a daylight loading spool for the 24 × 23 mm stereo format. Reflex viewfinders, both twin-and single-lens , had been used with earlier cameras using plates and rollfilm. The first 35 mm single-lens reflex (SLR) was the Kine Exakta , introduced in 1936. World War II interrupted development of the type. After the war, Exakta resumed development and the Contax S model with

500-515: A 24×65 mm panoramic format with their XPan/TX-1 camera. There is also a 21×14 mm format used by Tessina subminiature camera. The film is available in lengths for varying numbers of exposures. The standard full-length roll has always been 36 exposures (assuming a standard 24×36 frame size). Through about 1980, 20 exposure rolls were the only shorter length with widespread availability. Since then, 20 exposure rolls have been largely discontinued in favour of 24- and 12-exposure rolls. The length of

600-431: A 40 megapixels , 44 mm × 33 mm CCD sensor . At the same time, a new series of lenses designated D FA 645 (featuring Weather Sealing on all such lenses) was also released. 135 film 135 film , more popularly referred to as 35 mm film or 35 mm , is a format of photographic film with a film gauge of 35 mm (1.4 in) loaded into a standardized type of magazine (also referred to as

700-600: A brand name for DXKX Other uses [ edit ] Family K , a large group of the New Testament manuscripts Kings Cross railway station , London k͡x, symbol for the voiceless velar affricate in the International Phonetic Alphabet See also [ edit ] 9945 Karinaxavier or 1990 KX, an asteroid Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with

800-432: A cassette or cartridge) for use in 135 film cameras . The term 135 was introduced by Kodak in 1934 as a designation for 35 mm film specifically for still photography, perforated with Kodak Standard perforations. It quickly grew in popularity, surpassing 120 film by the late 1960s to become the most popular photographic film size. Despite competition from formats such as 828 , 126 , 110 , and APS , it remains

900-465: A chemical process. For example Fuji Velvia film gave the photo a characteristic of saturated colours under daylight, high contrast, and exceptional sharpness. A true normal lens for 35 mm format would have a focal length of 43 mm, the diagonal measurement of the format. However, lenses of 43 mm to 60 mm are commonly considered normal lenses for the format, in mass production and popular use. Common focal lengths of lenses made for

1000-455: A default aspect ratio of 4:3 (crop factor of 1.33). Mimicking 35mm film in a smartphone requires cropping to a 3:2 aspect ratio (crop factor of 1.5-1.6). For an authentic homage, one can apply creative digital filters like the ones commonly used in Instagram that map the colour profile to a characteristic look. Different brands of 35mm film would achieve the creative colour profile through

1100-492: A light meter for the four most popular film speeds. The 135 film has been made in several emulsion types and sensitivities (film speeds) described by ISO standards. Since the introduction of digital cameras the most usual films have colour emulsions of ISO 100/21° to ISO 800/30°. Films of lower sensitivity (and better picture quality) and higher sensitivity (for low light) are for more specialist purposes. There are colour and monochrome films, negative and positive. Monochrome film

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1200-567: A major reason for the greater popularity of the rangefinder. With the IIB there emerged the first practical quick-return mirror, a vital innovation and one which was quickly adopted by other manufacturers. With the final model in the series, the IIA, the Asahiflex gained slow speeds from 1/25th of a second to 1/2 of a second. A recognized problem with the Asahiflex series was that, lacking a pentaprism, it

1300-631: A mechanical aperture ring in some lenses and these are fully compatible with both film and digital SLRs. SAFOX VIII are integrated into this camera series. In May 2006, Pentax announced a new line of Digital SLR cameras to replace Digital *ist series. The K100D and K110D replaced *ist DL2 and DS2, while incorporating in-body shake reduction in the K100D model. The Pentax K10D , a new flagship model in Digital K series replaced *ist D, adopted Sony 10-megapixel CCD sensor and weather-sealing construction,

1400-486: A mnemonic, due to the historic prevalence of the 35 mm format. This 'equivalent' is computed by multiplying (a) the true focal length of the lens by (b) the ratio of the diagonal measurement of the native format to that of the 35 mm format. As a result, a lens for an APS-C (18×24 mm) format camera body with a focal length of 40 mm, might be described as "60 mm (35 mm equivalent)". Although its true focal length remains 40 mm, its angle of view

1500-582: A new series of lenses that were designed only to cover the smaller sensor. These are the DA series for their digital SLRs, which still feature the K-mount but have a smaller back-focus element designed specifically for use with the Digital SLR lineup. The DA series lenses do not have a mechanical aperture ring and so are not backward compatible with some earlier film bodies. The later D-FA lens series re-introduces

1600-568: A non-interchangeable waist-level viewfinder, with a direct optical viewfinder for eye-level use. The Asahiflex I had a non-returning mirror and shutter speeds from 1/25 to 1/500. The camera used the M37 screw mount. It went through some minor modifications for flash use, resulting in the IA. With the IIB a key advance was made: the quick-return mirror. The problem of mirror black-out was one of the main problems with prior SLR designs, greatly reducing usability and

1700-451: A pentaprism viewfinder covering 100% of the frame, 720p video capture, a quieter and faster shutter mechanism, and the ability to apply automatic corrections for lens distortion and lateral chromatic aberration . This flagship model uses a 77 multi-zone metering system and updated focus - SAFOX VIII+. The K-7 was available from July 2009. In September 2009 the K-x , was introduced to replace

1800-411: A smaller format called Advanced Photo System (APS) was introduced by a consortium of photographic companies in an attempt to supersede 135 film. Due in part to its small negative size, APS was not taken seriously as a professional format, despite the production of APS SLRs. In the point-and-shoot markets at which the format was primarily aimed, it enjoyed moderate initial success, but still never rivalled

1900-410: A spotmeter, through the taking lens, an incredible innovation. The camera excited tremendous attention and in 1964 the first production Spotmatic (hyphen dropped) emerged. The Spotmatic was virtually identical to the prototype; however, the spotmeter was replaced with an all-over average-reading exposure meter in order to give more consistent results. The camera was an instant success and was snapped up by

2000-443: A thin polyester base, allowed 72 exposures in a single cassette. They produced special reels and tanks to allow this to be processed. Digital sensors are available in various sizes. Professional DSLR cameras usually use digital image sensors which approximate the dimensions of the 35 mm format, sometimes differing by fractions of a millimetre on one or both dimensions. Since 2007, Nikon has referred to their 35 mm format by

2100-402: Is clipped or taped to a spool and exits via a slot lined with flocking . The end of the film is cut on one side to form a leader. It has the same dimensions and perforation pitch as 35 mm movie print film (also called "long pitch", KS-1870 , whereas 35 mm professional motion picture camera films are always "short pitch", BH-1866 ). Most cameras require the film to be rewound before

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2200-524: Is common to higher-end digital image sensors , where it is typically referred to as full-frame format. On 135 film, the typical cameras produce a frame where the longer dimension of the 24×36 mm frame runs parallel to the length of the film. The perforation size and pitch are according to the standard specification KS-1870 . For each frame, the film advances 8 perforations. This is specified as 38.00 mm. This allows for 2 mm gaps between frames. Camera models typically have different locations for

2300-460: Is externally almost identical to the 1964 SV. However, by the 1960s the clamour for in-camera exposure metering was rising. It was possible to attach an external CdS ( Cadmium sulfide ) exposure meter to the later AP-derived models, but in 1960 the next breakthrough arrived. At the 1960 photokina camera show, Asahi exhibited the Spot-matic prototype. This camera took exposure measurements, via

2400-645: Is much larger than image sensors in most compact cameras and smartphone cameras. The engineering standard for this film is controlled by ISO 1007 titled '135-size film and magazine'. The 135 film size is derived from earlier still cameras using lengths of 35 mm movie film , which had the same size but with different perforations. The 35 mm film standard for motion picture film was established in Thomas Edison 's lab by William Kennedy Laurie Dickson . Dickson took 70 mm film stock supplied by George Eastman 's Eastman Kodak Company. The 70 mm film

2500-617: Is optional), while Pentax K-50 uses rechargeable Lithium battery. In October 2013 Pentax launched the successor to the K-5ii and K-5iis, the Pentax K-3 . The K-3 is the first DSLR to use its shake reduction system to function as an anti-aliasing filter. It has a 24.71 megapixel sensor and other improvements over the K-5 but maintains the rugged stainless steel frame and magnesium alloy body construction, complete with 92 body seals thereby rendering

2600-416: Is usually panchromatic ; orthochromatic has fallen out of use. Film designed to be sensitive to infrared radiation can be obtained, both monochrome and with false-colour (or pseudocolour) rendition. More exotic emulsions have been available in 135 than other roll-film sizes. The term 135 format usually refers to a 24×36 mm film format , commonly known as 35 mm format. The 24×36 mm format

2700-550: The Nikon F6 (discontinued in 2020). Introductory 35 mm SLRs, compact film point-and-shoot cameras, and single-use cameras continue to be built and sold by a number of makers. Leica introduced the digital Leica M8 rangefinder in 2007, but continues to make its M series rangefinder film cameras and lenses. A digital camera back for the Leica R9 SLR camera was discontinued in 2007. On March 25, 2009, Leica discontinued

2800-445: The trade mark FX. Other makers of 35 mm format digital cameras, including Leica , Sony , and Canon , refer to their 35 mm sensors simply as full frame. Most consumer DSLR cameras use smaller sensors, with the most popular size being APS-C which measures around 23×15 mm (giving it a crop factor of 1.5–1.6). Compact cameras have smaller sensors with a crop factor of around 3 to 6. Most smartphones (as of 2024) have

2900-630: The " Cent-Vues  [ fr ] ", which used the 35 mm perforated film to take consecutive hundred views in 18×24 mm. He manufactured it, won the gold medal in the Concours Lépine , and in 1910 sold at a small scale and without much success. The first big-selling 35 mm still camera was the American Tourist Multiple, which also appeared in 1913, at a cost of $ 175 (~5,600 2024 US Dollars) The first camera to take full-frame 24×36 mm exposures seems to be

3000-409: The Asahiflex. This is, however not very likely, since the cameras are very different in mechanical construction and form, although the specifications show many similarities. According to other sources, it was a pre-war Reflex Corelle, owned by president Mr. Matsumoto, that inspired the Asahiflex. The camera was designed by two engineers who had previously worked at Konishi (Konica). The Asahiflex I had

3100-552: The Contax D, were products of the East German branch of Zeiss Ikon, circa 1949. There are other stories, too. The word PEN in Japanese actually means small, so you might think that this is the explanation, but it is not. In fact the name Pentax comes from a contraction of PENTAprism and AsahifleX. This was confirmed by the international sales department of Asahi Optical Co. in 1999. The Asahi Pentax of 1957 featured: Moreover,

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3200-606: The ES series, only had manual shutter speeds from 1/60 upwards. The K2 DMD was a special version of the K2 that could use a data back and motor drive (hence "DMD"), together with other enhancements that aimed it at the professional market. The K1000 was the KM without the self-timer, depth of field preview and some other facilities, and was aimed at the lower end of the market in which it was very successful and continued in production until 1997, helped by

3300-823: The K10D, among other improvements, while retaining the smaller body size of the K100D Super . The K-m / K2000 for US was announced on September 22, 2008 at the 2008 photokina trade show along with the DA-L series of lightweight, inexpensive lenses. On May 20, 2009, Pentax announced the K-7 as a replacement for the K20D . It introduced an updated version of the Samsung CMOS sensor, but with an entirely new compact design. Notable new features included full metal body construction,

3400-626: The K2 DMD as the Pentax 35mm flagship. It is rugged, weatherised and sealed against dust, yet compact and light. It has interchangeable viewfinders (more than any of its rivals) and focusing screens ; the S69 screen being particularly bright. The LX uses an advanced metering system that also reads the light falling on the film and the first shutter curtain during exposure, the TTL OTF (off the film) feature,

3500-479: The K2, KX and KM. The K2 DMD and K1000 followed in 1976. What set these cameras apart from earlier Pentax ones was the replacement of the M42 "universal" screw-lens mount with a proprietary bayonet mount system, known as the K mount. Still the basis for Pentax lenses and cameras today, the K mount offered greater convenience and enabled the production of faster lenses such as the 50 mm f /1.2 . To keep M42 users in

3600-464: The KA and K mounts: MZ-S (Flagship model) MZ-3 MZ-5 MZ-5n MZ-10 MZ-7 MZ-6/ZX-L MZ-M (manual focus version and no built in flash) Models which were backward compatible with the KA mount but not the K mount: MZ50 MZ30 MZ60 *ist (2003–2006) A full complement of exposure modes, Av, Tv, Program, Bulb and Manual, plus a few "scene" modes. Auto-exposure backward compatible with

3700-473: The KA mount but not the K mount. K mount lenses can be used in Manual mode, but the metering needs to be made separately and applied manually, with no indication of aperture in the viewfinder. Can also use M42 screw-mount lenses in aperture priority (Av) with stop-down metering with the appropriate M42-PK adaptor fitted. Auto-focus available for all "screw-drive" lenses, but no power contacts for power zoom or

3800-509: The Leica did not begin until 1925. While by that time, there were at least a dozen other 35 mm cameras available, the Leica was a success. It came to be associated with the format, mostly because of this 35 mm popularity, as well as the entire company legacy. Early Leica cameras are considered highly collectable items. The original Leica prototype holds the record as being the world's most expensive camera, selling for €2.16 million in 2012. In

3900-579: The Leica was introduced in the 1920s. The first patent for one was issued to Leo, Audobard, and Baradat in England in 1908. The first full-scale production camera was the Homéos, a stereo camera produced by Jules Richard in 1913 and sold until 1920. It took 18x24 mm stereo pairs and used two Tessar lenses. In 1909, the French Étienne Mollier  [ fr ] designed a device for small-format photography,

4000-399: The M series. To enable control of the lens aperture by the camera body, it used the new KA-mount, a backward-compatible modification that also allowed the array of standard K-mount lenses to be used in manual and aperture-priority exposure modes. The A series were the first cameras from Pentax to use LCD digital displays for exposure information in the viewfinder. The super A / super PROGRAM and

4100-619: The ME, the MX was designed as a manual-only SLR system targeted to the advanced amateur or professional photographer, and had its own set of accessories that were mostly incompatible with the other M series cameras. Conversely, the other M-series cameras were targeted squarely at casual users. None of the M-series, with the exception of the MX, featured a depth of field preview. The ME featured aperture-priority only automation with no manual override. The MX

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4200-860: The P3/P30 also offered Av mode , and the P5/P50 offered exposure compensation of ±3 EV. The SFX (called the SF1 in the US) was the world's first AF SLR with built-in TTL auto flash, which is retractable. Pentax has referred to the built-in flash as "RTF" (Retractable TTL Flash) ever since then. Pentax SAFOX I (Sensor Ability Fortifying Optical Correction System) autofocus module was integrated to these series. The second generation of autofocus cameras from Pentax. They are equipped with new SAFOX II autofocus module and power contact to enable power zoom function in power zoom FA lenses. In

4300-526: The Pentax placed controls in locations that would become standard on 35 mm SLRs from all manufacturers, such as the right-handed rapid wind lever, the bottom right mounted rewind release, and film speed reminder around the film rewind crank. The photographic giants Canon & Nikon , did not introduce their own SLR cameras until 1959 with the Canonflex and the F-series respectively. By contrast,

4400-399: The Pentax series offered these features at a relatively low price, introducing many photographers to 35 mm SLR photography. The Asahi Pentax series went through various iterations until 1964. Each successive model incorporated minor improvements, the most noticeable being the incorporation of the two shutter speed dials (one for high speeds and one for low speeds) into one. The AP of 1957

4500-451: The Pentax system, an M42-K Mount adaptor was offered, enabling them to continue to use their existing lenses, albeit with the loss of automation and needing to accept "stop-down" metering, which causes the viewfinder's image to brighten or darken whenever the aperture's f/stop is changed. The K series cameras followed the design ethos of the previous Pentax Spotmatic series cameras, which were large and heavy, although rugged. But by 1975 there

4600-541: The R9 SLR and R-series lenses. By the early 2020s, film photography, particularly 35 mm photography, was experiencing a resurgence in popularity. In a 2021 PetaPixel survey, 75% of respondents expressed interest in newly manufactured analog cameras. Kodak reported in 2022 that it was having trouble keeping up with demand for 35 mm film. In 2024, the Pentax 17 and the Aflie TYCH+ 35 mm cameras were released, both using

4700-532: The Retina. Argus , too, made a long-lived range of 35 mm cameras; notably the Argus C3 . Kodak launched 135-format Kodachrome colour film in 1936. AGFA followed with the introduction of Agfacolor Neu later in the same year. The designations 235 and 435 refer to 35 mm film in daylight-loading spools, that could be loaded into Contax or Leica style reusable cassettes, respectively, without need of

4800-683: The Simplex, introduced in the U.S. in 1914. It took either 800 half-frame or 400 full-frame shots on 50 ft (15.2 m) rolls. The Minigraph, by Levy-Roth of Berlin, another half-frame small camera was sold in Germany in 1915. The patent for the Debrie Sept camera, a combination 35 mm still and movie camera was issued in 1918; the camera sold from 1922. The Furet camera made and sold in France in 1923 took full-frame 24x36 mm negatives, and

4900-590: The Spotmatic F except for the K mount and the top plate cosmetics. It used a rather dated and slow CdS (cadmium sulfide) photocell for metering. The KX featured a better light meter using SPD (silicon photodiodes), visible aperture and shutter speeds in the viewfinder, and a mirror lock-up mechanism. The K2, the original flagship model, incorporated aperture-priority autoexposure with a fully manually selectable range of shutter speeds from 8s to 1/1000. The only other aperture priority camera Pentax had made up to this point,

5000-666: The United States the series was called PZ , while in the rest of the world it was called Z . This innovative series brought the "small and light" concept back from previous generation manual focus cameras. This series known as MZ models elsewhere were named ZX models in the USA except MZ-S, the MZ-5 being known as the ZX-5 in the USA. The exception to this rule was the MZ-6 which was known as

5100-940: The ZX-L in the USA. Models shown on the same row are model replacements/upgrades in the range, so the MZ-10 was replaced by the MZ-7 which was subsequently replaced by the MZ-6. All members of this series are compact autofocus SLRs except the MZ-M. The flagship model in this series is the MZ-S which body materials are metal, faster film drive and higher flash sync speed. Only MZ-S and MZ-6 are compatible with newly introduced P-TTL flash system. Both models can control remote flash wirelessly by popup flash commander mode in normal or high-speed flash sync. SAFOX IV/V autofocus module are integrated into this series. Models which were also backward compatible with both

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5200-530: The aperture set. With these innovative developments, the Metallica pioneered features that would not surface on Pentax production cameras until the Electro-Spotmatic (ES) (automatic aperture-priority exposure) in 1971, ES II in 1973 and K2 (vertical metal shutter, bayonet lens mount, automatic aperture-priority exposure) in 1975. (Cecchi 1991:80-86) Three new models were introduced at once in 1975:

5300-594: The camera cold-proof and water resistant. In March 2010 Pentax announced its first medium format digital camera, the Pentax 645D . The camera has been in and out of development since 2003 and went on sale in Japan in May 2010 at RRP of ¥850,000, with supplies to the rest of the world expected to start soon after. It is targeted at professionals doing outdoor photography—camera body features very high level of airtightness. It uses

5400-450: The camera is opened. Some motorized cameras unwind the film fully upon loading and then expose the images in reverse order, returning the film to the cassette; this protects all exposed frames (except the last one or two), should the camera back be accidentally opened; unexposed film gets spoiled, however. Disposable cameras use the same technique so that the user does not have to rewind. Since 1983, most film cassettes have been marked with

5500-714: The camera without an anti-aliasing filter would be sold as the K-5 IIs. Both cameras were released in October 2012. In June 2013 Pentax announced the successors to the K-30, the K-50 and K-500 . Both are mid-level DSLRs, the K-500 being a stripped-down version of the K-50, having no weather seals and less-advanced electronics. Pentax K-500 uses 4 AA batteries (rechargeable Lithium battery

5600-411: The competition was the clarity and high magnification provided by their pentaprism viewfinders, a very useful feature considering the support for legacy manual focus lenses. In 2005 Pentax released the Pentax *ist DL , a model with fewer features than the D and DS with a lower price. All Pentax's digital SLRs are compatible with K-mount lenses, and M42 (42 mm screw mount) lenses (with adaptor). Due to

5700-470: The dark. Other, mostly shorter, lengths have been manufactured. There have been some 6-, 8-, 10-, and 15-exposure rolls given away as samples, sometimes in disposable cameras, or used by insurance adjusters to document damage claims. Twelve-exposure rolls have been used widely in the daily press. Photographers who load their own cassettes can use any length of film – with a thinner film base, up to 45 exposures will fit. The Ilford HP black-and-white film, on

5800-410: The design of 35 mm SLRs worldwide for years to come. The Pentax and its later development and likewise classic 1964 Pentax Spotmatic spurred the development of Asahi into a photographic multinational company , eventually renaming itself "Pentax" after its seminal product. The Pentax series remains pivotal in the development of modern SLR photography. There is some confusion about the etymology of

5900-508: The earliest days, the photographer had to load the film into reusable cassettes and, at least for some cameras, cut the film leader. In 1934, Kodak introduced a 135 daylight-loading single-use cassette. This cassette was engineered so that it could be used in both Leica and Zeiss Ikon Contax cameras along with the camera for which it was invented, namely the Kodak Retina camera. The Retina camera and this daylight loading cassette were

6000-605: The entry level K-m / K2000 (US) . A review by Imaging Resource emphasised its "excellent high ISO performance" and "excellent print quality". In September 2010 Pentax announced the K-r , a 6 frames per second 12.4 megapixel camera and the K-5 , a 7 frames per second 16.3 megapixel camera. These cameras use a new, faster autofocus system, SAFOX IX. In February 2012 information about the Pentax K-01 Mirrorless camera

6100-453: The fact that for many years it was the camera usually recommended for students starting photographic or art courses. The M series cameras were noted for their compact size, and are among the smallest 35 mm SLRs ever made, though they are quite heavy when compared to the plastic SLRs of the 1990s. Except for the MX, all were based on the same basic camera body, and featured aperture-priority exposure automation. While superficially resembling

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6200-406: The film after being closed don't spoil the additional length provided for conventional loading and can make that additional length available for two or three additional exposures. The same length can be available for exposure in any camera if it is loaded without exposing the film to light, e.g. in a dark room or a dark bag. A 27-exposure disposable camera uses a standard 24-exposure cassette loaded in

6300-472: The film provided includes the length required for the indicated number of exposures plus sufficient additional length for the film spoiled by being exposed to ambient light when it is drawn out of the canister, across the back of the camera, and securely engaged with the film advancing spool before the camera back is closed. A camera that uses less than the maximum distance between the spools may be able to make one additional exposure. Self-loading cameras that load

6400-806: The film was wound on. Nikon 's F model, introduced in March 1959, was a system camera that greatly improved the quality and utility of 35 mm format cameras, encouraging professionals (especially photojournalists) to switch from larger format cameras to the versatile, rugged, and fast SLR design. Numerous other film formats waxed and waned in popularity, but by the 1970s, interchangeable-lens SLR cameras and smaller rangefinders, from expensive Leicas to "point-and-shoot" pocket cameras, were all using 35 mm film, and manufacturers had proliferated. Colour films improved, both for print negatives and reversal slides, while black-and-white films offered smoother grain and faster speeds than previously available. Since 35 mm

6500-412: The first " Asahiflex " models in 1952 and their successor, the pivotal "Asahi Pentax" single-lens reflex camera , last made in 1997, to the present time known as "Pentax" first made in 1981. The period around 1950 marked the return of the Japanese photographic industry to the vigorous level of the early 1940s, and its emergence as a major exporter. The newly reborn industry had sold many of its cameras to

6600-448: The first flagship model, the Pentax *ist D which uses a Sony 6 megapixel CCD . Since 2003, the *ist D is the only digital SLR that can control HS wireless P-TTL from its pop-up flash and has many advanced features for professional applications. In 2004 Pentax released the second member in the digital *ist line, the Pentax *ist DS which is the first real consumer model (retailing under US$ 1,000). What set Pentax D and DS DSLRs apart from

6700-737: The format include 24, 28, 35, 50, 85, 105, and 135 mm. Most commonly, a 50 mm lens is the one considered normal ; any lens shorter than this is considered a wide angle lens and anything above is considered a telephoto lens. Even then, wide angles shorter than 24 mm is called an extreme wide angle . Lenses above 50 mm but up to about 100 mm are called short telephoto or sometimes, as portrait telephotos , from 100 mm to about 200 mm are called medium telephotos, and above 300 mm are called long telephotos. With many smaller formats now common (such as APS-C ), lenses are often advertised or marked with their "35 mm equivalent" or "full-frame equivalent" focal length as

6800-654: The half-frame format to conserve film. Retrospekt and Mattel put out the Malibu Barbie FC-11 35 mm camera. In September 2024, MiNT Camera took pre-orders for the Rollei 35AF, an update of the Rollei 35. Kodak offered six 35 mm film cameras for sale as of October 2024, including the Ektar H35N, another half-frame camera. Individual rolls of 135 film are enclosed in single-spool, light-tight, metal cassettes to allow cameras to be loaded in daylight. The film

6900-590: The invention of Dr. August Nagel of the Kodak AG Dr. Nagel Werk in Stuttgart. Kodak bought Dr. August Nagel's company in December, 1931, and began marketing the Kodak Retina in the summer of 1934. The first Kodak Retina camera was a Typ 117. The 35 mm Kodak Retina camera line remained in production until 1969. Kodak also introduced a line of American made cameras that were simpler and more economical than

7000-430: The later lenses with built-in focus motors. Aperture and shutter information visible in the viewfinder. Focus confirmation in the viewfinder for all lenses of f/5.6 or wider. 17 Custom Functions to help configure the camera to individual preferences. Uses an infra-red sensor for film transport, making the camera unsuitable for infra-red photography. The Pentax MZ-D , also known by its internal code name of MR-52 ,

7100-492: The market penetration of 135. Within five years of its launch, cheap digital compact cameras started becoming widely available, and APS sales plummeted. While they have shifted the vast majority of their product lines to digital, major camera manufacturers such as Canon and Nikon continued to make expensive professional-grade 35 mm film SLRs until relatively recently (such as the Canon EOS-1V (discontinued in 2018) and

7200-416: The most popular film size today. The size of the 135 film frame with its frame's aspect ratio of 1:1.50 has been adopted by many high-end digital single-lens reflex and digital mirrorless cameras, commonly referred to as " full frame ". Even though the format is much smaller than historical medium format and large format film, being historically referred to as miniature format or small format , it

7300-432: The name. Most sources claim it was licensed from VEB Pentacon the East German successor to Zeiss Ikon, and is derived from the combination " PENT aprism" and "cont AX ", in the same way that "Pentacon" was taken from " PENTA prism" and " CON tax". It's known that the "Pentax" name was originally registered as a trademark by VEB Pentacon, duly noting that both the M42 lens mount and the first recognizably modern 35mm SLR camera,

7400-478: The next 40 years. In 1960, the same year that Asahi Optical introduced the Spot-matic prototype at photokina, they also showed another SLR prototype which they called the Metallica. The Metallica gave a glimpse into the future direction of Pentax cameras; it featured a prototype bayonet lens mount, a vertical-traveling, metallic Copal-type focal plane shutter (from which the camera drew its name), and an already obsolescent coupled selenium light meter . The light meter

7500-456: The now familiar pentaprism viewing feature was introduced in 1949. In the 1950s, the SLR also began to be produced in Japan by such companies as Asahi and Miranda . Asahi's Pentax introduced the instant-return mirror , important for the popularity of SLRs; until then, the viewfinder on an SLR camera blanked as the mirror sprang out of the optical path just before taking the picture, returning when

7600-544: The occupation forces (with hugely more disposable income than the Japanese) and they were well received. The Korean War saw a huge influx of journalists and photographers to the Far East , where they were impressed by lenses from companies such as Nikon and Canon for their Leica rangefinder cameras, and also by bodies by these and other companies to supplement and replace the Leica and Contax cameras they were using. This

7700-489: The power zoom function as the K10D. On January 23, 2008, Pentax announced the K20D and K200D , which replaced the K10D and K100D series respectively. The K20D featured a Samsung 14.6 megapixel CMOS APS-C sized sensor, a special 21  frame/s burst mode , live preview on the LCD display, and an increased sensitivity range extending to ISO 3200. The K200D adopted the 10 megapixel sensor and weather sealing of

7800-553: The power zoom function in some FA lens that Pentax introduced in the 1990s. In addition, the K10D could write JPEGs and two versions of RAW files (PEF, and the Adobe specification DNG ). The K100D Super was a slight upgrade to the K100D announced in June 2007. The upgrade included some features from the K10D, such as an improved shake reduction (SR) system, a dust removal system, and power contacts for SDM lenses, but which could not enable

7900-456: The program A / program PLUS both used a translucent white window on the front of the pentaprism to provide backlight to the LCD display without having to use the battery for illumination. The P series featured fully programmed exposure control (in addition to manual mode), DX-code film speed setting (defaulting to 100 if the code couldn't be read), exposure lock and depth of field preview. All but

8000-596: The retail price had dropped by 50% and after a year the model was discontinued. Pentax announced a new mid-level DSLR, the K-30 , in May 2012. It has the same APS-C sensor and processor as the K-01, and is fully weather-sealed. In September 2012, Pentax announced the successor to the K-5, the K-5 II . It has the same APS-C sensor as the K-5, but has an improved autofocus sensor and a redesigned rear LCD with no air gap. A version of

8100-556: The smaller half-frame size, allowing the design of a very compact SLR camera. Unusual formats include the 24×32 mm and 24×34 mm on the early Nikon rangefinders , and 24×23 mm for use with some stereo cameras . In 1967, the Soviet KMZ factory introduced a 24×58 mm panoramic format with its Horizont camera (descendants of which are called, in the Roman alphabet, Horizon ). In 1998, Hasselblad and Fuji introduced

8200-456: The smaller size of the CCD, lenses have an effective field of view of 1.5 × times the same lens in 35 mm format. So, where a 50 mm lens was considered a "normal" lens on 35 mm film, that same lens on a 1.5× "crop factor" camera has the field of view of a 75 mm lens on film. This only uses the center of the lens' projected image. To address this "crop factor," Pentax created

8300-470: The sprocket which advances the film. Therefore, each camera model's frame may vary in position relative to the perforations. The film is approximately 0.14 mm thick. Other image formats have been applied to 135 film, such as the half-frame format of 18×24 mm which earned some popularity in the 1960s, and the 24×24 mm of the Robot cameras . The successful range of Olympus Pen F cameras utilized

8400-475: The stop-down metering of the early models). However, by the mid-1970s the limitations of the M42 mount were being felt. By this time most other manufacturers had opted for a bayonet lens mount. It was a great step for Asahi Optical to take but the M42 screw mount, by now widely known as ' Pentax screw mount ', had reached the end of its useful life. Pentax were now to adopt the K-mount that would see them through

8500-677: The thousands, although Asahi had been beaten into production by the Topcon RE Super which went on sale in April 1963; the Topcon failed to attract the same degree of commercial success. The Spotmatic was replaced by the Spotmatic II with many upgrades 1971 - 1976. In 1966 Asahi Optical had produced one million SLR cameras since the first Asahiflex of 1962. It took them only another three years, until 1969, to reach two million. This period

8600-447: The title KX . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=KX&oldid=1148647420 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Pentax KX It covers from

8700-669: Was a prototype digital single-lens reflex camera . It was announced at photokina in September 2000 and was demonstrated to the press at the Photo Marketing Association (PMA) show in January 2001. In October 2003, Pentax canceled the camera, stating "The cost of manufacturing the prototype SLR 6-megapixel digital camera meant it was not a viable product for our target market." In 2003 Pentax introduced their first Digital SLR under Digital *ist series and released

8800-437: Was a time of complete pre-eminence for Asahi Optical. During the Spotmatic era Asahi were manufacturing more SLRs per month than all the other camera manufacturers combined. One of the technological highlights was the Electro-Spotmatic of 1971. This camera was one of the first to incorporate automatic exposure. The series concluded in 1973 with the introduction of the Spotmatic F (now incorporating open-aperture metering rather than

8900-513: Was already a general move to smaller 35mm cameras, led by the Olympus OM-1 , so even as the K series was introduced Pentax were working on a new camera line, the M Series which started to appear in 1976. All except the K1000 therefore had relatively short production lives as the M Series took over the Pentax mid-range. The KM, the cheapest of the original three cameras, was almost identical to

9000-465: Was also the first Japanese 35mm SLR. There has always been a close design relationship between the products of Asahi, and those made in Germany (and later East Germany) by a variety of manufacturers, most notably Zeiss Ikon. In the case of the Asahiflex, study should be made of the immediate pre-war and immediate post-war models of the Praktiflex, which could be properly called the inspiration for

9100-521: Was announced on 14 September 2006. The K10D featured a pentaprism viewfinder (instead of the slightly dimmer pentamirror on some previous models), full programmed, aperture and shutter priority modes, and a new Sensitivity-priority mode where the rear dial adjusts light sensitivity and the camera adjusts shutter speed and aperture to maintain correct exposure. Power contacts on the lens mount were introduced to enable Pentax's SDM (Supersonic Drive Motor) for silent focusing. The power contacts also provide

9200-470: Was cut lengthwise into two equal width (35 mm) strips, spliced together end to end, and then perforated along both edges. The original picture size was 18×24 mm (half the full frame size later used in still photography). There were four perforations on each side of a motion picture frame. While the Leica camera popularized the format, several 35 mm still cameras used perforated movie film before

9300-564: Was entirely manual and resembled the earlier KX in features. The ME Super was an ME with a manual mode. The MG, MV, and MV1 were even simpler versions of the original ME. The ME-F was an early attempt at an autofocus SLR using a special 35-70mm zoom with a motor built into the lens. The Pentax LX model was a tough, professional-grade competitor to the Nikon F3 , the Canon New F-1 , Olympus OM-2 , and Contax RTS cameras. It replaced

9400-471: Was not TTL, but instead featured the typical large selenium mini-lens pattern on the front of the pentaprism. Otherwise the camera resembled the Spot-matic in appearance. While Asahi Optical didn't put the Metallica into production, the concepts of a bayonet lens mount and a metal focal plane shutter were already being discussed internally at the company. In 1966 Asahi Optical showed another prototype called Metallica, sometimes referred to as Metallica II. Gone

9500-682: Was preferred by both amateur and professional photographers, makers of film stock have long offered the widest range of different film speeds and types in the format. The DX film-speed encoding system was introduced in the 1980s, as were single-use cameras pre-loaded with 35 mm film and using plastic lenses of reasonable enough quality to produce acceptable snapshots. Automated all-in-one processing and printing machines made 35 mm developing easier and less expensive, so that quality colour prints became available not only from photographic specialty stores, but also from supermarkets, drugstores, and big box retailers, often in less than an hour. In 1996,

9600-417: Was released. It still uses the standard K mount but lacks an optical reflex viewfinder. The K-01 quickly became one of the most controversial Pentax offerings, with criticism focusing on the innovative Marc Newson design, which many considered made the camera uncomfortable to hold, with poorly-placed controls, while acknowledging its strong image quality and low-light / high ISO performance. Within months,

9700-456: Was the background to the development of Asahi Optical's first camera. Asahi Optical introduced its first 35 mm camera in 1952. Asahi was unusual in deciding to start with a high-quality 35mm camera that was not a copy of something else. Its designers were convinced of the inherent superiority of the SLR and so proceeded along these lines. This effort resulted in the Asahiflex I , which

9800-469: Was the cumbersome selenium light meter, replaced with a now standard internal CdS meter. Like the 1960 prototype, the Metallica had a bayonet lens mount, and also featured an improved Copal-square metallic shutter. But the biggest innovation was the fully automatic shutter operation coupled to the TTL meter. The metering system, for the first time in a 35mm SLR, controlled the shutter speed automatically based on

9900-451: Was the first cheap small 35 mm camera of similar appearance to more modern models. The Leica Camera designed by Oskar Barnack used 35 mm film, and proved that a format as small as 24 mm × 36 mm was suitable for professional photography. Although Barnack designed his prototype camera around 1913, the first experimental production run of ur-Leicas (Serial No. 100 to 130) did not occur until 1923. Full-scale production of

10000-437: Was very difficult to use the camera in a vertical position and taking pictures of moving objects was almost impossible. The small viewfinder on top of the camera was of little use when the photographer wanted to use a 135 mm or 500 mm lens. The problem was recognized by Asahi. In 1957, Asahi introduced the Pentax series, a 35 mm single-lens reflex camera (SLR) camera which was so well received that it influenced

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