Pentax Spotmatic II Speed Dial. Photo by Leo Reynolds.
When I was in high school, my dad gave me his old Pentax Spotmatic II 35mm SLR camera. It was built years before I was born. It was 100% manual. Manual focus. Manual aperture selection. Manual shutter speed selection. Manual film advancement. It had a few lenses, and the telephoto literally had some screws lose and leaked light to marvelous effect. It had been abused, having traveled much of the world between my dad and my uncle. When I first got it, all the nooks and crannies were filled with mud and I spent ages cleaning it.
In the (too) few years I had it, I bonded with the camera. My fingers just knew exactly what to do to get the shot I wanted without much interference from my brain. I shot countless rolls of B&W negative film, even learned to develop my own prints, and I never had to change the battery once.
It was: The Best Camera Ever.
I feel sorry for all the other cameras I’ve owned (both digital and film), because none have lived up to my old, crusty, hand-me-down Pentax Spotmatic II.
Where is this most perfect camera now? I’m mortified to admit that I lost it. Well, to be more precise, I left it behind. I went to university in Ireland with plans of getting a three-year B.A. degree. When I came home to the States for my first summer break, I left most of my belongings behind with every intention of returning. But I never did go back. I asked my flatmates to ship my things to me, but I never received them. Of all the things I lost (and I lost many precious things), I miss that camera the most.
I like to imagine that someone in Ireland now has it. Maybe a teen or college-age girl. Maybe it has instilled in her a life-long love of photography. And when she decides to abandon film and go digital, as she will, I hope she will hand the camera to someone else and the process will repeat.
Wendt Where? 
Olivia Halvorsen
June 25, 2011
Sounds great! I recently posted on the same camera – I bought one!!! (Havent used it yet as its been sent to my home in Scotland, am currently in florence!) Am SO excited! Do you have any advice for me!? Tips are much appreciated! xx
Shannon Wendt
June 25, 2011
My advice: Buy loads of film (since you can only get 36 photos per roll, instead of the thousands you can fit on an SD card). Get back to basics: aperture and shutter speed–that’s all you need (and of course ISO is set by the film). Have loads of fun with it! I have to admit that I’m a bit jealous. No other camera has been as intuitive to me as that one. I hope someday someone makes a digital equivalent. That would be my dream camera. Best of luck to you, and let me know how you like it.