Sears KS-1 & KS-2
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The KS-1 and KS-2 were sister autoexposure K-mount SLRs introduced by US retailer Sears in 1981.[1] These replaced the KSX and KS Auto while the KS 500 remained as the budget manual-exposure model.
As with other Sears SLRs of the era, these were rebadged Ricoh models, specifically the XR 6 and XR 7 respectively. New features include an electronic self-timer and a shutter release centered inside the shutter speed dial. The Sears branding has become even more discreet, moving to small lettering at the back top left of the body.
The KS-2 introduces a much wider range of electronically-timed shutter speeds (as long as 16 seconds) and an option for an f/1.4 normal lens. Meanwhile the KS-1 loses all manual selection of shutter speeds, with the exception of "B" and the X-sync speed. The viewfinder has simple "traffic lights" to indicate whether a suitable shutter speed is available given the scene lighting and chosen f/stop. This more simplified camera persisted through a series of feature-deletions as the KS Super and KS Super II for several more years.
The more full-featured KS-2 has a needle and shutter-speed scale in the viewfinder indicating the selected shutter speed with a press of the button below the self-timer LED. It also offers a depth-of-field preview button and a multiple exposure option. The relay window giving a direct view of the aperture ring setting is marginally clearer than that of the KS Auto, and moved to the bottom of the viewfinder; however the eyepiece shutter is gone, replaced by a simple plastic cap which the owner can thread onto the neckstrap for storage.
Notes
Links
- KS-1 and KS-2 owners manuals at Mike Butkus' OrphanCameras.com
- Manual for the KS Auto Winder to fit KS-1 and KS-2, also at OrphanCameras.com
- Another view of Jim Grey's KS-2 at his Flickr stream