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 Spotmatic SP1000 (1973) was the economy tier of the late Spotmatic lineup, introduced in the same year as the Spotmatic F. Where the SPF targeted advanced photographers with open-aperture metering, the SP1000 targeted buyers who wanted the Spotmatic name and M42 compatibility at minimum cost. Compared to the Spotmatic II, it drops the ISO 6400 ceiling back to 1600 and omits the self-timer on some production runs. The core proposition - mechanical horizontal-cloth shutter to 1/1000s, TTL stop-down CdS metering, fully mechanical fallback - is intact.
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
The stripped-down Spotmatic - economy entry to M42 TTL metering with a full 1/1000s shutter.
| Field | Value |
|---|
| Format | 35mm |
| Mount | M42 (Pentax universal screw mount) |
| Years | 1973-1976 |
| Shutter | 1s - 1/1000s, mechanical horizontal cloth |
| Flash sync | 1/60s |
| Meter | TTL stop-down CdS |
| Modes | Manual |
| ISO | 20-1600 |
| Battery | 1x PX625 mercury (meter only) |
The SP1000 appeared in 1973, three years after the Spotmatic II and in the same model year as the Spotmatic F. Pentax was simultaneously closing out the M42 platform (the K-mount was two years away) and milking it with a product ladder. The SP1000 sat at the base: less than the SP II, less than the SPF, more accessible than either. Production ended in 1976 alongside the rest of the Spotmatic line when Pentax launched the K bayonet system.
The SP500 was a related economy variant with a 1/500s maximum shutter speed; the SP1000 retained the full 1/1000s top speed while cutting other features. Both served as entry-level complements to the SP II and SPF above them.
For 2026 film shooters, the SP1000 is the most affordable path into the Spotmatic/M42 ecosystem. It shares the same M42 mount as every other Spotmatic, meaning all Takumar glass - Super Takumar, Super-Multi-Coated Takumar, SMC Takumar - mounts and meters via stop-down. The limitation is the same as on the original SP: you must press the stop-down lever to activate the meter, which makes lens-wide-open composition snappier than metering.
If the meter fails or drifts (CdS cells age), the shutter still fires mechanically across the full speed range. This makes the SP1000 viable with a hand-held meter or phone app.
M42 universal screw mount. Native Pentax glass runs from early uncoated Takumar through Super Takumar and the SMC Takumar line. All require stop-down metering on the SP1000 (as on all Spotmatics except the SPF with compatible lenses). Third-party M42 glass - Soviet Helios-44, Industar, Mir; Zeiss-Jena Pancolar and Tessar; Vivitar and Chinon M42 zooms - all mount and work.
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.
View profile →Pentax Spotmatic SP1000
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