Pentax ME F
ME F with autofocus lens
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| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Maker | Asahi Optical Co., Ltd. |
| Type | SLR |
| Lens | |
| Lens mount | Pentax K-F mount |
| Sensor/Medium | |
| Recording medium | 135 film |
| Focusing | |
| Focus | Autofocus |
| Exposure/Metering | |
| Exposure | Aperture priority, manual |
| Flash | |
| Flash | Hot shoe |
| Shutter | |
| Shutter speeds | 4 – 1/2000 s, Bulb |
| General | |
| Dimensions | 132 × 87.5 × 49 mm |
| Weight | 480 g (1.06 lb) |
The Pentax ME F was an amateur level, interchangeable lens, 35 mm film, single-lens reflex (SLR) camera. It was manufactured by Asahi Optical Co., Ltd. (renamed Pentax Corporation in 2002; acquired by Hoya Corporation in 2008; and then resold to Ricoh in 2011) of Japan from November 1981 to 1984. The ME F was a heavily modified version of the Pentax ME-Super, and a member of the Pentax M-series family of SLRs (see List of Pentax products).
The camera used a Seikogab MFC-E2 vertical travel, metal bladed focal plane shutter with a speed range of 4 to 1/2000th second plus Bulb and flash X-sync of 1/125th second. It was 87.5 millimetres (3.44 in) high, 132 millimetres (5.2 in) wide, 49 millimetres (1.9 in) deep and weighed 480 grams (1.06 lb). It was finished in satin crome or black.
The introductory list price for the ME F body only (no lens) was $402 in the United States. The ME F with SMC Pentax AF 35mm-70mm f/2.8 Zoom Lens autofocus lens (required for autofocus operation; see below) had a list price of $994. Note that SLRs usually sold for 30 to 40 percent below list price.
The ME F is a historically significant camera. It was the first autofocus (AF) 35 mm SLR camera to reach production. It had a built-in through-the-lens (TTL) electronic contrast detection system to automatically determine proper subject focus and drive a lens to that focus point. Although it autofocused poorly and was a commercial failure, the pioneering ME F was a major milestone in the history of camera technology that pointed the way to all present day AF SLRs. Most new cameras today, whether film, video or digital, have some sort of autofocusing system.
Note that the ME F was not the first AF still camera, or even the first AF SLR camera, to reach consumers. Those honors go to the Konica C35 AF 35 mm point-and-shoot, with an electronic rangefinder system, of 1977 and the Polaroid SX-70 Sonar instant film SLR, with a sonar echo-ranging system, of 1978, respectively.
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