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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The Pentax MX Black is the black-finish variant of the Pentax MX (1976), mechanically identical to the chrome-finished standard MX but with a matte-black painted body and black-trimmed controls. Pentax offered the MX in chrome and black throughout most of its production run (1976-1985). The black body was typically priced slightly higher at retail and appealed to photographers who preferred a less conspicuous instrument for street, documentary, and reportage work, or who simply wanted the aesthetic to match black-barreled SMC Pentax-M lenses. The camera is fully mechanical (battery runs only the 5-LED center-weighted meter), weighs 495 g, and has a 0.97x magnification viewfinder - one of the largest of any 35mm SLR.
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
The black MX has the same mechanical failure modes as the chrome version, plus finish-specific considerations.
About this camera
The Pentax MX in black body finish - same mechanical excellence, more discreet presence.
| Field | Value |
|---|
| Format | 35mm |
| Mount | Pentax K |
| Years | 1976-1985 |
| Shutter | 1s - 1/1000s + Bulb, mechanical horizontal cloth |
| Flash sync | 1/60s (X-sync) |
| Meter | TTL center-weighted GPD, 5-LED finder display |
| Modes | Manual |
| Weight | ~495 g |
| Battery | 2x SR44 / LR44 (meter only; shutter runs without) |
The MX launched in 1976 alongside the ME, positioning itself as the manual-control, mechanical-shutter option within Pentax's new M-series line. The chrome version was the default; the black version followed or was offered simultaneously and commanded a modest premium. This pricing premium for black cameras was common across the industry in the 1970s and 1980s - Nikon FM and F2 black bodies, Leica M bodies in black chrome or paint, and Olympus OM-1 black all carried higher retail prices than their chrome counterparts, partly reflecting the extra finishing steps involved and partly reflecting market positioning toward working professionals and serious amateurs who associated black bodies with a documentary or photojournalistic aesthetic.
The MX was produced continuously until 1985. Unlike later Pentax bodies that shifted toward program and shutter-priority automation (ME, ME Super, Super A, Program A), the MX was never updated with electronic exposure modes. This mechanical purity was deliberate.
The MX Black is not mechanically different from the chrome MX, but it occupies a distinct place in the used-camera market. Black-body cameras of this era typically show finish wear more dramatically - chrome under the black paint appears at all the typical contact points (strap lugs, film door edges, rewind knob base, hot shoe). Heavily brassed black-body cameras have their own collectors following; a fully intact black finish in excellent condition is rarer than a worn one.
For shooters, the black finish pairs naturally with the black-barreled SMC Pentax-M lenses that were released alongside the MX. The 50/1.4 M, 28/2.8 M, and 135/3.5 M in black barrels with a black MX body constitute one of the more elegant compact manual-focus SLR kits of the 1970s.
The MX's 0.97x viewfinder magnification remains exceptional by any standard. With a 50mm lens, the finder is large enough to use with both eyes open. The 5-LED exposure indicator (two over-arrows, one correct, two under-arrows) is simple and reliable. The mechanical shutter fires without battery at all speeds; the LEDs simply go dark.
Full Pentax K-mount compatibility. The SMC Pentax-M series (1976+) is the natural cosmetic match:
BW
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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