C41
Kodak Portra 400
Kodak Portra 400 is a professional C-41 color negative film known for flexible exposure latitude, natural skin tones, and fine grain.
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slr-35mm
The Chinon CE-4 (1977) is a Japanese aperture-priority SLR using the Pentax K bayonet mount, manufactured by Chinon Industries of Suwa, Nagano. Chinon was one of several Japanese optical companies (alongside Cosina and Ricoh) that produced K-mount bodies to capitalise on Pentax's open licensing of the K bayonet after 1975. The CE-4 offers aperture-priority autoexposure and full manual control with a match-needle (LED indicator) meter, a vertical metal shutter syncing at 1/125s, and a 0.87× pentaprism viewfinder. It was sold under its own name and rebadged for department-store camera brands in the United States and Europe.
Reference
Recommended film stocks for the 35mm format your camera takes.
C41
Kodak Portra 400 is a professional C-41 color negative film known for flexible exposure latitude, natural skin tones, and fine grain.
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Kodak Tri-X 400 is a classic black-and-white film known for strong tonality, visible grain, and documentary character.
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Kodak Gold 200 is a daylight-balanced C-41 color negative film with warm color, moderate grain, and a classic consumer-film look.
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Before you buy used
About this camera
Chinon's aperture-priority K-mount SLR — a sensible, inexpensive body that opens the door to the massive Pentax K-mount lens ecosystem at a fraction of the cost of a Pentax body.
| Field | Value |
|---|
| Format | 35mm |
| Mount | Pentax K bayonet |
| Years | 1977–1982 |
| Shutter | 8s – 1/1000s + B, vertical metal |
| Flash sync | 1/125s |
| Meter | TTL silicon center-weighted, EV 2–18 |
| Modes | Aperture-priority, Manual |
| Viewfinder | 92% coverage, 0.87× |
| Battery | 2× LR44 / SR44 |
| Weight | 490 g |
Chinon Industries was founded in 1948 as a manufacturer of precision optical and mechanical products. They entered the SLR market in the late 1960s with M42 bodies and transitioned to the Pentax K mount after its 1975 introduction. The CE-4 was one of their more capable K-mount bodies, sitting above the basic CE-II in the lineup. Chinon later became an OEM manufacturer for Kodak (producing the Kodak S-Series SLR bodies in the 1990s under Chinon-parent-company relationships). The company was eventually absorbed into Minolta's industrial optics division.
The CE-4 is a textbook example of the "budget K-mount" category — cameras that give access to Pentax's excellent K-mount lens family at prices well below a Pentax ME Super or K1000. SMC Pentax lenses — 50mm f/1.4, 28mm f/2.8, 135mm f/3.5, 50mm f/1.2 — are plentiful and very good, and they all work with full aperture-priority AE on the CE-4. The body itself is lightweight (490 g), reliable if serviced, and entirely unimpressive in a way that encourages focus on the lens and light rather than camera pride. For photographers who want K-mount lens access without the Pentax name tax, the CE-4 is one of the cheapest and most functional options.
Pentax K bayonet — full compatibility with all K-mount lenses (SMC Pentax, Pentax-A, Pentax-FA in stop-down mode, Sigma, Tamron Adaptall K, Vivitar K). Best companions: SMC Pentax 50mm f/1.4, SMC Pentax 28mm f/2.8, SMC Pentax-M 50mm f/1.7, Rikenon P 50mm f/2, Sigma 24mm f/2.8.
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Ilford HP5 Plus is a flexible ISO 400 black-and-white film with classic grain and strong push-processing tolerance.
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Kodak Ektar 100 is a fine-grain C-41 color negative film with saturated color and high sharpness.
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