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 SPF Black is a black-finish variant of the Spotmatic SPF (1973), sharing every functional specification with the standard chrome SPF but finished in black paint over brass. Like the chrome model, it introduced open-aperture metering and a silicon photo-diode cell to the Spotmatic line - the most capable M42 body Asahi Pentax produced. Black Pentax Spotmatic variants were produced in smaller quantities than chrome throughout the Spotmatic era and command a significant premium on the used market. The black finish was marketed toward professional and advanced-amateur photographers who preferred the lower visual profile.
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.
View profile →BW
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 rarest Spotmatic: open-aperture metering and silicon meter dressed in black paint.
| 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 open-aperture silicon (with SMC Takumar) |
| Modes | Manual |
| Battery | 2x SR44 / LR44 (1.5V) |
| ISO range | 20-3200 |
| Finish | Black paint over brass |
The SPF appeared in 1973 as the culmination of the Spotmatic line, introducing open-aperture metering via a coupling tab on the new SMC Takumar lenses. It replaced the CdS cell of earlier Spotmatics with a silicon photo-diode, improving low-light response and long-term stability. The black variant was offered alongside the chrome from the start of production, following Pentax's established practice with earlier Spotmatic models - black versions of the original Spotmatic, SPII, and SP500 had all preceded it.
Production of the entire Spotmatic M42 family ended in 1976 when Pentax introduced the K bayonet mount with the KX, KM, and K2. The black SPF's short three-year window and lower production volume make it among the least common Spotmatic variants.
The SPF Black combines the best technical specifications of the Spotmatic line with the most desirable cosmetic finish. For photographers who want to shoot SMC Takumar lenses with open-aperture metering - the intended workflow - this is functionally identical to the chrome SPF. The black finish is the draw for collectors and aesthetically minded shooters; the silicon meter is the draw for practical shooters.
The silicon cell gives this body better odds of a still-accurate meter than same-era CdS Spotmatics. Black paint on brass wears to show brass highlights at the edges and on the vulcanite at high-wear points, which many collectors consider characterful rather than damaged.
M42 screw mount. Open-aperture metering functions only with SMC Takumar lenses carrying the mechanical coupling tab. Super Takumar and plain Takumar lenses work in stop-down mode (the SPF meters correctly but requires manual stop-down before reading). All third-party M42 glass - Helios-44, Carl Zeiss Jena Pancolar, Flektogon, Mir, Industar series - works stop-down.
Natural partners for the black body:
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 SPF Black
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