After getting my wheelchair camera mount all set up, and putting together a good camera kit for it, I thought it might be wise to keep an eye out for an inexpensive back-up camera body, just in case I should need it. Plus, who doesn’t “need” another camera, right? I started looking at various autofocus Pentax bodies that would work with my lenses as well as the right angle finder and electronic cable release I use, and decided I would like to find a nice Pentax SF1 or SF1N. The SF1 was the first proper autofocus SLR that Pentax made, and the SF1N replaced it as the flagship Pentax. Both these cameras are also currently one of the best deals in film cameras. They are well built, and full of great features. They’re also a bit big, heavy, maybe kinda ugly (depending on ones personal taste), and nobody wants them. After a bit of looking, I found a nice looking SF1N, bid on it, and ended up winning it for a whopping $9. I had to pay more than that for shipping!
After waiting about a week, the camera arrived just as we were leaving for a few days in Portland. After arriving in Portland, we opened the package and checked out what my $9 had got me. The camera looked like it hardly been used, and to make the deal even sweeter, it came with a good working 2CR5 battery which is worth nearly what I paid for camera. With my brother’s help, we tested all the basic camera functions and it seemed to be working perfectly, so we decided to load a test roll of film. The only film I had with me was a 36 frame roll of slightly rare “pre-aged” Lomo F²/400 Color Negative film. I wouldn’t normally use this film for testing a camera (I usually use something less expensive and also 24 frames), but the camera really seemed fine so I decided to go for it. You can read my review of the film here

Over the few days in we were in Portland, I managed to shoot most of the roll, then finished it off after getting home. The camera performed flawlessly. All in all a great camera for the money.

Here’s a photo of the camera,

And here are some of the photos from the roll,