LX (late version)
General Description
During its long production rung, the Pentax LX was updated at least three times. The latest camera revision has three visible differences compared to the earliest: there are two white points missing on the front of the first shutter curtain; pressing the button that releases the viewfinder causes the light meter to turn on, and the shutter-lock switch features a new design. Severals attempts to gather information about camera serial numbers and design variations have failed due to inconclusive data.
The titanium LX is a special edition body celebrating the 75th anniversary of Asahi Opt. Co. Only one thousand of these bodies were manufactured. Each one features titanium top and bottom plates. The LX limited is a special edition body celebrating 15 years of LX production. The body features a titanium top and bottom plates which are painted in black, and carries the inscription “titanium”. The LX 2000 is a special edition body celebrating LX production in the year 2000. The body was sold in a set with the SMC-A 50/1.2 Special lens. This body comes with the FF-60 viewing scren, and not with the “standard” SC-21.
| Product Variations | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Exact Name | LX | LX (Titanium) | LX (Limited) | LX 2000 |
| Color | black | titanium-black | titanium-black | silver-black |
| Year of Introduction | unknown ~ 2001 | 1994 | 1994 | 2000 |
| Catalog Number | 09010 | unknown | unknown | unknown |
| Sold with Case | — | — | — | — |
Technical Specifications
| General | |
|---|---|
| Lens Mount | K |
| Mount Limitations | The lens must be set to a numerical aperture |
| Self-Timer | 4 ~ 10 sec |
| Mirror Lock-Up | yes |
| Cable Release | mechanical |
| Infra-Red Release | — |
| Additional Features | weather sealed, DOF preview, mirror lock-up |
| Width x Height x Depth | 144.5 x 90.5 x 50 mm |
| Weight | 570 g |
| Exposure System | |
| Exposure Modes | Av, M |
| Metering Modes with K and M Lenses | off-the-film |
| Metering Modes with A and newer Lenses | off-the-film |
| Meter Material | SPD |
| Exposure Compensation (Step) | +/-2 (1/3 EV steps) |
| Exposure Lock | — |
| Meter Range | -6.5 ~ 20 EV |
| Manual ISO Range | 6 ~ 3200 ASA |
| Shutter | |
| Construction | hybrid (horizontal) |
| Material | titanium |
| Shutter Speeds | 125 ~ 1/2000, B |
| Mechanical Speeds | X ~ 1/2000 |
| Viewfinder | |
| Magnification [Coverage] | 0.00x [98%] |
| Aperture Indication | optical |
| Shutter-Speed Indication | LED |
| Interchangeable Viewfinders | yes |
| Interchangeable Screens | yes |
| Power Source | |
| Batteries | 2 x 1.5 Volt silver-oxide (A76, SR44) or alkaline (LR44) |
| External | — |
| Continuous Shooting | |
| Continuous Shooting | manual wind lever |
| Compatible with Motor Drive(s) | LX |
| Compatible with Winder(s) | LX |
| Flash System | |
| Command Protocol(s) | analog |
| Features | TTL, S |
| Synchronization Speed(s) | 1/75 |
| Built-In Flash | — |
| Accessories | |
| Fitting Case(s) | soft case: LX Soft Case |
Subjective Evaluation
Contrarary to expectations, with increasing age even the newest-design LX bodies develop the “sticky-mirror syndrome.” Regardless, like discussed here, the LX is still a very desirable camera to own, and certainly worth having cleaned-up, adjusted or repaired.