There are days you collect something so wonderful your heart almost swells to bursting. This was the case when I came across this black Pentax Spotmatic F with a Super-Multi-Coated Takumar 28mm f/3.5.
Add the case and a Pentax Polarizing filter in its own case and you have a wonderful toy to play with. When I tell you I bought it for $4.50, maybe you will understand my bursting heart!
Were there any downsides? Yes. It had a Kodak neck strap. (Sorry Al)
It was missing two screws from the baseplate.
It has a curious gap in the mirror’s resting position (that doesn’t seem to show up in the viewfinder, so may not show up in photographs). (above, at arrow)
On the plus side the 28mm lens is the most current of the four versions they made at the time this camera was made. Both the Spotmatic F and the Super-Multi-Coated Takumar 28mm f/3.5 were introduced in 1974.
A curious difference of the SMC Takumars are two additional registration projections on the lens mount that allow full aperture metering with just three cameras—
the Pentax F, ES and ESII.
Something I hadn’t ever noticed before is a small switch pin (at arrow) at the bottom right near one of the aforementioned projections. This pin locks the Manual/Auto switch in the Auto position when the lens is mounted on a Spotmatic F, ES and ESII. At least I think this is how it works. Very few Pentax screw-mount lenses have this small pin switch.
If you think it will make the camera run better, I will trade you a Pentax strap for the Kodak one...