Another Pentax ME

The dumbest thing happened to my Pentax ME. The cap that holds the winding lever on unscrewed itself and disappeared.

That part turned out to be impossible to find, so I bought a battered body for parts. But then I couldn’t get that cap off it. The body seemed to work okay, so I just started using it.

But after shooting a few rolls I began to doubt the meter’s accuracy. So I started prowling eBay for another body, and soon enough I found a good one for just $16 shipped. Woot!

Pentax ME

Unlike my first ME, this one is stamped Asahi Opt. Co. Japan, meaning it was made in the land of the rising sun. I’m guessing that later MEs were made in China, and my first ME was among them. Pentax was known to sometimes shift production to China late in a camera’s run; it did that most famously with the seminal K1000.

Pentax ME

The ME is an aperture-priority camera: you set the aperture, and the ME chooses a shutter speed for right exposure. It has no manual mode, except for a 1/100 sec shutter setting meant to be used with a flash. I favor aperture-priority shooting, and I love the ME’s small size and relative light weight (for being a mostly metal camera). And with bodies being available for a pittance, I hardly worry about theft or damage. And so the Pentax ME has been my go-to camera for years.

I hadn’t shot my 28mm f/2.8 Pentax-M lens in ages, so I clipped it to this ME and loaded a roll of Fujicolor 200. As the sun set one unusually warm evening as winter faded, I walked along the main road outside my subdivision with this ME in my hands. I just love the rich tones the low sun created in this photograph.

Eastern Star Church

Whatever this is sits on the corner at the nearest crossroads. This property is a large, lush cemetery. The setting sun really warmed up the stone of which this is made.

On the corner

I faced the setting sun for this photo. One minute earlier and I could have captured the sun peeking through those trees; timing is everything. But doesn’t that 28mm lens deliver wonderful sharpness? I cropped this square to get rid of a bunch of church parking lot at the bottom of this shot.

Sunset in old suburbia

I spent an hour one Sunday afternoon walking with this ME through New Augusta, a mostly hidden, nearly forgotten former town in northwest Indianapolis. It lurks behind two very busy roads, 71st Street and Georgetown Road. A few houses from the 1800s front 71st Street, this Queen Anne the most conspicuous of them, but that’s the only clue anything is here. I’ll bet New Augusta’s residents think their town is Indy’s best-kept secret.

New Augusta house 3

I’ve shot New Augusta’s Salem Lutheran Church a number of times, but never before with a lens wide enough to get it all in. Still, I had to lie on my side in the road to make it work. I’m sure I was quite a sight.

Salem Lutheran

Here’s a closeup of the church’s red-orange doors.

Red church door

New Augusta was built in the 1850s to take advantage of this rail line. Somebody keeps its unused little depot fixed up and fresh.

New Augusta depot

To see more photos from my various Pentax MEs, see my Pentax ME gallery.

A Pentax ME was among the first cameras I shot after ending my Year of the Nikon F2 last year. I’d never had any complaints about the ME’s handling before, but compared to the F2 everything about the ME feels a little looser and rougher. There’s nothing wrong with the ME’s feel and handling; it’s just not as refined as a pro camera. And so whenever anybody asks me about getting started with film SLRs I direct them to the Pentax ME and the wonderful 50mm f/2 Pentax-M lens. You can buy them on eBay any day of the week for under $50. Just try that with any classic Nikon SLR body and lens.

If you like old film cameras, check out all of my reviews here!
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Comments

25 responses to “Another Pentax ME”

  1. Christopher Smith Avatar
    Christopher Smith

    I like your photos you have produced with the ME.
    I have the ME Super but the closest to ME I have is the MG and a MV1. I like Pentax camera’s they are good camera’s and as you say a good camera to start of with.

    1. Jim Grey Avatar

      I could shoot this camera exclusively for the rest of my life and be perfectly happy. Especially since I have a whole bunch of K-mount lenses. The ME, and I’m sure the ME Super, the MG, and the MV1, is/are wonderful and highly capable.

  2. Ani Trone Avatar

    Just lovely, really love the color and tones

    1. Jim Grey Avatar

      Thanks! It’s hard to go wrong as the sun sets.

  3. bodegabayf2 Avatar

    As you know, I’ve come to the party late with regards to these little Pentax SLRs. My recently acquired ME Super is a faithful shooter. To your point, they aren’t as robust as the pro level bodies, but Pentax has a shutter sound I just can’t get enough of!

    1. Jim Grey Avatar

      Oh, you’re so right about that shutter sound. And the Pentax glass is so sweet. I swear, the 50mm f/2 is about my favorite lens of all time.

  4. traveller858 Avatar

    Great shots Jim. The ME Super was my first SLR so yes I would agree with your sentiments about advising new users to try one out.
    Barry

    1. Jim Grey Avatar

      I’ve never shot an ME Super. Except for manual mode, it seems similar enough to the ME that I haven’t gone looking to buy a body. I have to think it handles identically in aperture-priority mode. But anyway: they’re compact and relatively light, and the prices are right. So they’re great first film SLRs.

  5. Joshua Fast Avatar

    my fiancé wanted an slr to start learning on, while she ended up with a super program we started shopping for MEs. Great camera! If anyone is interested I just saw one at Main Street shoppes in Westfield (2nd floor) to the right as you walk up the stairs. 20$ I believe with the 50mm f/2 lens and a working battery in it. I almost snagged it but I just aquired an argus c33 with my free camera funds.

    1. Jim Grey Avatar

      Twenty bucks?!!? If I didn’t already have three bodies I’d race up there after work and snag it.

      1. Joshua Fast Avatar

        Even better..19.99! Most of their prices were high, but that one surprised me. I almost grabbed it myself.

        1. Jim Grey Avatar

          If it’s still there the next time you have $19.99 in your pocket, do get it. The 50mm f/2 lens is wonderful, and the ME is a great little body for it. I can’t imagine that you wouldn’t enjoy this combo.

  6. hectornic Avatar

    Really good set of images!. A ME Super was my first “serious” camera back in the 80’s. Small is beautiful.
    Regards.

    1. Jim Grey Avatar

      Seems like the ME Super found a lot of hands back in the day!

  7. ambaker49 Avatar
    ambaker49

    The golden hour does wonders for most subjects. I imagine the one at sunrise does as well, but I am never up that early unless I have to be. And never early enough that there is extra time to stop for photos.

    1. Jim Grey Avatar

      I’ve gotten shots at sunrise a time or two. I’m usually up then. But I am still working on my usual three cups of coffee before I set foot out of my house.

  8. Gerald Avatar

    Your colour shots are always really great. The Queen Anne style house and the railway are cracking!

    1. Jim Grey Avatar

      Thank you! Good old Fujicolor 200.

  9. Mark Avatar
    Mark

    I have always had a soft spot for the Pentax ME — it’s compact, and as you indicate, aperture-priority is a great way to work. I think the results speak well of you and the camera. I have had several MEs over the years, and after having problems with the last few, I decided I would not buy another. I found its replacement in the Pentax ZX-M. Plastic-bodied, but light, compact, and reliable (so far). Of course, if I stumble on another ME for a good price, I am sure I will relent and buy it. :D

    1. Jim Grey Avatar

      I’ve seen ZX-Ms go for super cheap but have never felt the urge to drop the nickel on one. Maybe I will now. Thanks for the tip!

  10. Bob Dungan Avatar
    Bob Dungan

    The ME sounds like a great little camera for the price.

    1. Jim Grey Avatar

      It is! Highly recommended.

  11. Jason Avatar

    I just bought one of these cameras and began doing a search for blogs about it. I come across your blog and find images you’ve taken with it right down the road from where I live. I’m enjoying using it and can’t wait to see what kind of results I end up with.

    1. Jim Grey Avatar

      Well how cool is that! Enjoy your ME!

  12. […] several posts he talks about his fun and fascination with this camera. In posts like Pentax ME or Another Pentax ME I learned a lot about what to like using this […]

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