SMC Pentax-M 40mm f/2.8, The Ride

Analog Diary: Film photography favorites, image making with an SMC Pentax-M 40mm f/2.8 and a Pentax MX, the LRT ride out of the city.

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Sans the hustle and bustle of the inner city, the grind, and whine of electric motors, the surge of acceleration as the train leaves the station, the rattle, and skittle as the track rises and falls, the rocking and swaying on the bends, the hushed dead stops less than a minute away, and you are taking the ride, virtually in a world of your own.

Pentax MX, SMC Pentax-M 40mm f/2.8

These images were of the receding cityscape viewed from the windscreen of a driverless LRT coach as I was heading home after the day out with the SMC Pentax-M 40mm f/2.8 and the Pentax MX. Again, sans all the clamor and the incessant assault on your physics and senses, a rail ride is always an experience to reflect upon and enjoy.

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SMC Pentax-M 40mm f/2.8, On The Street

Analog Diary: Film photography favorites, image making with an SMC Pentax-M 40mm f/2.8, sights and scenes on the streets.

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Continuing from where I left off with the earlier post, Street Squares, taken with the Pentax MX, an all-manual camera, mounted with the SMC Pentax-M 40mm f/2.8. The Pentax MX features a fully mechanical construction, including a horizontal travel cloth type mechanical shutter with a shutter speed range from 1 to 1/1000 second, plus B.

The MX does not have any autofocus or autoexposure modes such as aperture priority, shutter-speed priority, or any programming functionality. It is strictly manual, with a film ISO speed rating from 32 to 1600, and the light metering system is the only function that is dependent on batteries. Introduced in 1976, the camera was Pentax's flagship professional SLR until the introduction of the Pentax LX.

Pentax MX, SMC Pentax-M 40mm f/2.8

The camera is solidly built, very compact, and is smaller and lighter than the preceding K Series models, which, of course, include the much beloved and highly acknowledged K1000. It was designed as the mechanical twin sister of the remarkably successful entry-level Pentax ME.

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SMC Pentax-M 40mm f/2.8, Street Squares

Analog Diary: Film photography favorites, image making with an SMC Pentax-M 40mm f/2.8 mounted on a Pentax MX, square-cropped images.

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Had the Pentax MX mounted with an SMC Pentax-M 40mm f/2.8, and spent about an hour scouting this downtown area, with a limit set to half a roll of a 36-shot film canister. I already had my mind set on using the other half-roll of film on another camera.

The SMC Pentax-M 40mm f/2.8 is a marvel of a lens, actually, a full-frame lens that comes in an incredibly compact form factor with a depth of only 18mm. At 110 grams body weight, the lens is much lighter than other primes of that era. It is well made, with metal and glass throughout, with a well-damped focus throw, snappy aperture stops, with a very smooth focus ring.

Pentax MX, SMC Pentax-M 40mm f/2.8

With a 40mm focal length, the lens is a wider than a standard 50mm prime, and a little bit narrower than the wide-angle 35mm, and to me, is just about right for general-purpose photography and is equally suited for street photography where spaces are sometimes slightly tight and where your surrounding is rather confined.

Pentax MX, SMC Pentax-M 40mm f/2.8

Reportedly, the lens is not as sharp when shot wide open, with the tendency to show light fall-off and color-fringing toward the corners of the image. For my shoot, however, I was not bothered by the effects as I was on an aperture range between f/5.6 to f/11 on a beautiful, bright, and sunny day. Converting the images to black-and-white and the crop to a 1:1 image aspect ratio adds to the finesse of the images.

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