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 F (1973) is the final M42-mount Spotmatic, and the only one to support **open-aperture metering** with the new SMC Takumar lens line. Earlier Spotmatics (SP, SPII) required stop-down metering — you pressed a button to close the aperture for a meter reading. The SPF, with SMC Takumar lenses, transmits aperture data through the lens mount (via a small lever on the lens) to the body, allowing wide-open metering for easier composition.
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 Spotmatic that finally meters open-aperture. The last M42 Spotmatic before Pentax moved to K-mount.
| Field | Value |
|---|
| Format | 35mm |
| Mount | M42 (Pentax) |
| Years | 1973–1976 |
| Shutter | 1s – 1/1000s, mechanical horizontal cloth |
| Flash sync | 1/60s |
| Meter | TTL open-aperture CdS (with SMC Takumar) or stop-down (older Takumars) |
| Modes | Manual |
| Weight | 620 g |
| Battery | 1× PX625 mercury (meter only) |
Released 1973 alongside Pentax's introduction of SMC (Super-Multi-Coated) Takumar lenses with the additional aperture-coupling tab. The SPF ended Pentax's M42 Spotmatic line in 1976 when the K1000, MX, ME, and KX launched with the new K bayonet mount.
The SPF is the "best Spotmatic" for users in 2026. Open-aperture metering means you compose at the widest aperture (brightest finder), then the camera meters at that aperture without a stop-down step. The SMC Takumar 50/1.4 — among the sharpest 50mm lenses ever made for any 35mm SLR system — pairs naturally with the SPF.
For 2026 buyers, an SPF + SMC Takumar 50/1.4 at $200–300 is one of the best-value film camera kits available. The trade-off vs the K-mount K1000 is the mercury battery dependency (the SPF's CdS meter is voltage-sensitive); the upside is the SMC Takumar lens line is sharper than the K-mount SMC Pentax-M line of equivalent focal lengths.
M42 mount. SMC Takumar lenses (1971+) for full open-aperture metering: 50/1.4 SMC, 50/1.7 SMC, 35/2 SMC, 28/3.5 SMC, 105/2.8 SMC, 135/3.5 SMC. Older Super-Multi-Coated Takumar and Super Takumar lenses mount with stop-down metering only. M42 lenses from any maker (Industar, Helios, Carl Zeiss-Jena Pancolar) work with stop-down metering.
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 F
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