Manual for K1000

Pentax K1000 Operation

The Pentax K1000 features full-aperture metering with semi-automatic control. The exposure meter needle is visible in the viewfinder. Adjust the shutter speed or f/stop until the needle is centered in the focusing-screen mask for proper exposure.

Changing the light through the lens will cause the needle to move. Similarly, adjusting the shutter speed knob affects the needle's position: slower speeds move it up, faster speeds move it down. Adjusting the diaphragm-setting ring also affects the needle: larger f/stops move it up, smaller f/stops move it down.

The K1000's exposure meter is automatically controlled by light levels, turning off when light is very low. It uses a 1.5V silver-oxide battery. To replace the battery, unscrew the compartment cover at the bottom of the camera. The negative terminal connects down, and the positive terminal makes ground contact.

The camera uses an electrically cross-coupled exposure meter. Shutter speed, film speed, and diaphragm settings program resistance values into the system. The speed knob adjusts a variable resistor for shutter speed and film speed. A separate resistor ring behind the lens mount handles diaphragm settings.

To replace a lens, align the red dot on the lens with the red dot on the camera's mounting ring, then turn the lens clockwise until it latches. The lens-alignment dome aids in lens changes.