K2

K2

General Description

When introduced in 1975, the beautiful K2 was one of the first cameras having the K-mount, and it was the one Pentax K-mount camera offering automatic (aperture prioroty) exposure.

4 years before, the screw mount Asahi Pentax Electrospotmatic was the first SLR camera to automatically select the correct shutter speed in accordance with the priorily selected aperture value. This “Automatic” or aperture priority mode became the backbone of many Pentax SLRs. The next ones – still with screw mount – were the ES and the ES II. Apart from the “Automatic” mode, manual operation was possible, too, however these cameras had a rather limited range of manual shutter speeds (1s/60 … 1s/1000, and B). For the K2, the manually selectable shutter speeds range from 1s to 1s/1000 (and B).

The K2 was also the first Pentax offering exposure factors (¼×, ¼×, 1×, 2×, 4×) to deliberately under- oder overexpose, or to correct the automatically selected shutter speed in accordnace with the brightness of the subject or with the lighting conditions. The exposure factor can be selected with a ring or wheel that encircles the bayonet mount – a construction that is found on the K2 and K2 DMD, only.

Product Variations
Exact Name K2 K2
Color silver-black black
Year of Introduction 1975 1975
Sales Variations
Description with microprism viewing screen with split-image viewing screen with microprism viewing screen with split-image viewing screen
Catalog Number 03000 03020 03010 03030
Sold with Case

Technical Specifications

General
Lens Mount K
Mount Limitations The lens must be set to a numerical aperture
Self-Timer 5 ~ 9 sec
Mirror Lock-Up yes
Cable Release mechanical
Infra-Red Release
Additional Features DOF preview
Width x Height x Depth 144 x 92 x 57 mm
Weight 680 g
Exposure System
Exposure Modes Av, M
Metering Modes with K and M Lenses center-weighted
Metering Modes with A and newer Lenses center-weighted
Meter Material SPD
Exposure Compensation (Step) +/-2 (1 EV steps)
Exposure Lock
Meter Range 1 ~ 18 EV
Manual ISO Range 8 ~ 6400 ASA
Shutter
Construction electronic (vertical)
Material metal
Shutter Speeds 8 ~ 1/1000, B
Mechanical Speeds 1/1000, X, B
Viewfinder
Magnification [Coverage] 0.88x [95%]
Aperture Indication
Shutter-Speed Indication needle
Interchangeable Screens
Power Source
Batteries 2 x 1.5 Volt silver-oxide (A76, SR44) or alkaline (LR44)
External
Continuous Shooting
Continuous Shooting manual wind lever
Flash System
Command Protocol(s) analog
Features
Synchronization Speed(s) 1/125 ~ 8, B
Built-In Flash
Accessories
Fitting Case(s) unknown