Pentax Spotmatic F / Kentmere Pan 200 / Fomadon R09
Camera and lenses: The Spotmatic F is a true classic. When I reviewed the camera here, I didn’t fit the lovely little 28mm f/2.8 SMC Takumar that I got with the camera – I think I’ve made up for that with this film: I think pretty much the whole roll was shot with that lens.
Film and processing: The film was Kentmere Pan 200 (K200). After processing my first roll of K200 in 1:50 R09 for over 16 minutes, I decided to reduce development down closer to 10 minutes to see if I got a less grainy result. I decided to use process times for Kentmere Pan 400 (K400) but as if it was pulled by two stops (exposed at ISO 100) – this gave me a 20 degree development time of 11:15, which seemed reasonable. In current British summer temperatures (28 c) the development time came down to 7:15. The resulting negative strips were scanned as TIFF files by a Plustek OpticFilm 135i scanner and processed and output as web-sized JPGs in DXO PL 7 with a final tweak in PSP.
Locations: Shots were taken on a walk through docklands and a visit to HMS Belfast.
Pictures (12 of 36)
Closing thoughts
The Spotmatic F is great to use. It is easy to forgive it the lack of information in the viewfinder. It just fits in the hand and is a wonderful (and rather elegant) photographic tool. The wind-on lever is close to perfect. I should seek out some more SMC Takumar lenses as they are little packages of joy and extremely versatile.
I was reasonably happy with the reduced R09 development time results – grain is far less significant than with the longer development I used for the roll in the Konica Autoreflex T3 and isn’t far off what I have seen from K200 developed in Perceptol.
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Tony Warren on A third of a roll with a Pentax Spotmatic F and Kentmere Pan 200
Comment posted: 16/09/2025
Comment posted: 16/09/2025
Comment posted: 16/09/2025
Comment posted: 16/09/2025
Scott Bassett on A third of a roll with a Pentax Spotmatic F and Kentmere Pan 200
Comment posted: 16/09/2025
Adrien Grelet on A third of a roll with a Pentax Spotmatic F and Kentmere Pan 200
Comment posted: 16/09/2025
Comment posted: 16/09/2025
Lance Rowley on A third of a roll with a Pentax Spotmatic F and Kentmere Pan 200
Comment posted: 16/09/2025
Do you recommend shooting K200 @100 ISO and then pulling development? I bought a couple rolls of K200 recently but haven’t shot them yet.
Also wondering what you meant in the first paragraph when you said that you didn’t fit the 28mm lens?
Comment posted: 16/09/2025
Eric Rose on A third of a roll with a Pentax Spotmatic F and Kentmere Pan 200
Comment posted: 16/09/2025
Comment posted: 16/09/2025
Jeffery Luhn on A third of a roll with a Pentax Spotmatic F and Kentmere Pan 200
Comment posted: 16/09/2025
I recently bought a Pentax 645N with three lenses. My intention was to get a Hasselblad kit like I used to own, but after doing research, the Pentax 645N had many positive reviews, so I made the plunge. If you want a medium format at a bargain price, that Pentax will please you. I tested the 30mm wide angle against a Hasselblad Super Wide with a 38mm Biogon, and did not find any significant differences in sharpness or contrast. Pentax is a dependable name and their cameras still perform well!
Curtis Heikkinen on A third of a roll with a Pentax Spotmatic F and Kentmere Pan 200
Comment posted: 16/09/2025
Ibraar Hussain on A third of a roll with a Pentax Spotmatic F and Kentmere Pan 200
Comment posted: 16/09/2025
Such a sweet looking camera and you've used it to capture timeless looking photos, so in tune with the camera itself.
Superb!
My favourite is the Aircraft from City Airport overflying the Transporter Bridge over the Royal Victoria Dock, has that look which seems as if it's a reportage shot from the 70ies!
Jeffery Luhn on A third of a roll with a Pentax Spotmatic F and Kentmere Pan 200
Comment posted: 16/09/2025
Bob, great photos. Nice compositions and tones. Creative angles!
Michael Jardine on A third of a roll with a Pentax Spotmatic F and Kentmere Pan 200
Comment posted: 17/09/2025
I lived nearby too- I seem to recall my Pentax ME Super came from a little camera shop at the bottom of Burdett Road in about '98 or '99. I've never got around to using a Spotmatic but one day I'll pick one up from somewhere. Great series of photos, which has very much taken me back to a mis-spent (relative) youth.
Graham Line on A third of a roll with a Pentax Spotmatic F and Kentmere Pan 200
Comment posted: 17/09/2025
Michael Zwicky-Ross on A third of a roll with a Pentax Spotmatic F and Kentmere Pan 200
Comment posted: 18/09/2025
Gary Smith on A third of a roll with a Pentax Spotmatic F and Kentmere Pan 200
Comment posted: 19/09/2025
Do foot tunnels in the UK have the same distinctive odor as they do here in the States?