Pentax LX

The Pentax LX is a professional 35mm single-lens reflex camera produced by Pentax in Japan. It was introduced in 1980 to commemorate the 60th anniversary of Asahi Optical Co. (hence the Roman numerals LX), and was produced until 2001. It is the top-of-the-line professional, or "system", camera in the Pentax manual focus range, with manual and aperture priority automatic exposure modes and an advanced light metering system. The LX uses the K mount, which is the Pentax proprietary bayonet lens mount, and has a large body of accessories. The camera has several unique or uncommon features, and compared with contemporary professional camera bodies from rival manufacturers, like the Canon New F-1 or Nikon F3, the LX body is smaller and lighter, weighing in at 570 grams (1.26 pounds) with its standard FA-1 finder. Due to the peculiar font used for the Pentax LX logo, the model is sometimes misspelled as 'ILX'. The LX is constructed of a solid metal alloy cast frame and metal covering plates, intended to be more durable than entry-level and mid-range cameras. Underneath the satin black finish is black chrome, meant to avoid a brassy look on the underlying metal as the surface finish wore through from use. All buttons and dials are fully weather and dust sealed, the LX being the first camera to have this feature, even among professional-grade contemporaries. This weather sealing made it suitable for photography in mechanically-difficult coastal environments with salt in the air.