Pentax ES

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Well-used ES with 105 mm f/2.8 Takumar image by csaveanu (Image rights)

The Pentax ES was announced by Asahi in 1971, as the world's first SLR with 'fully-automatic electronic shutter'. It offers what has since become familiar as aperture priority automatic exposure (shutter priority AE was already possible with other cameras, such as the Canon F-1, at this time). Electronic shutter timing makes aperture-priority AE possible because it allows the shutter speed to be essentially continuously variable, not restricted to stop or half-stop values. Manually-set shutter speeds are mechanically timed, however, and so not dependent on the camera battery. The camera also makes an early use of a memory circuit in exposure control, to store the exposure setting in the brief period of 'blackout' when the mirror is moved to allow exposure.

Asahi's literature emphasises the advantage that, since the mechanisms involved in this mode of AE were in the camera body, not the lens, the camera could be used, in AE, with almost all existing Takumar lenses.

Specifications

Camera type: 35 mm SLR camera Standard lens: 55 mm f/1.8 or 50 mm f/1.4 SMC Takumar.

Shutter:

• Horizontally-running focal plane shutter with electronic or mechanical timing
• In AE, shutter speed is continuously variable from 8 - 1/1000 second
• Mechanically timed shutter speeds 1/60 - 1/1000 second and 'B' can also be set manually
• No delayed action
• Shutter cocked by advancing the film (shutter-cocked indicator: red dot in window next to shutter release)

Flash synchronisation: Hot shoe (synchronised for X-synch. at 1/60 sec) and separate PC sockets beside lens mount for X- and FP-synch.

Viewfinder: Pentaprism viewfinder. Fresnel focusing screen has a central microprism focusing aid.

Film advance: Single-stroke winding lever.

Film rewind: folding crank; rewind release button on base.

Pentax ES, advertised April 1973 image by Nesster (Image rights)

Links

• History of Early Pentax Cameras at Nanites Camera Services