Pentax Super Program / Super A

Not to be left behind in the electronic cameras race, in 1983 Pentax introduced the Super Program, also sold as Super A. A neat camera, but one needs to speak Pentaxian or read the manual which is rarely done. It carried over the ME Super control panel, rather than using civilized selector dials. New for this camera are the depth of field lever and the electronic self-timer, where the self-timer looks like a DOF lever and the DOF looks like a lens release lever. To select the settings, it takes looking into the bright and large viewer, and to hunt for the settings display windows. They are visible only at a certain angle, which requires looking down, deep down the viewer, so you cannot see the frame and the settings displayed at the same time. To make up for that there is a tiny display on the top cover between the winding lever and the selector dial, which shows shutter speed. Setting the selector dial is as arduous as in the ME Super.

Although named ‘Program’ it also offers full manual, shutter priority, and aperture priority with the auto as default. Here ‘auto’ and ‘program’ mean the same, not to be confused with modern digital cameras where ‘program’ could also mean scene settings.

To the bolts and nuts. While settings at traditional SLRs at the time were via dials, here the designers took a futuristic approach. It is a harbinger of settings of early digital cameras where nothing is intuitive.

The lens barrel is a typical Pentax, with an added setting for auto, marked in green ‘A’ and reached by turning the dial while pressing a tiny button by it. Else it is a tried and true Pentax barrel. Extra levers at the right of the barrel are an array of confusing use, being the lens release, depth of field, and electronic timer. Nice finger rest is attached to the front body, with matching thumb rest, so the camera could be held with one hand while the other fiddles with the lens. The back thumb rest includes a memo slide for a film box cut, as a film type reminder.

From here it gets complex, similar to the ME Super, but more so. On top of the body, at the right hand are most of the camera controls. The winding lever needs to be pulled out halfway so will allow access to the selector dial, and pushed back to the body so will not be in the way for storing or carrying. In front of it is the frame counter that reset itself with a new film cartridge. The cluster of controls, dials, and displays need good memory and practice to operate, for sure not on the fly for a first-time user. The shutter trigger is surrounded by a black dial, having grey and red markings. In the default position, the red dot points to ‘L’, for Lock.  Here the camera hibernates. A slight turn to the left points to Auto, which is about the only self-explanatory marking on the camera.

With both lens and selector set to Auto, the camera enters Program mode. The letter ‘P’ showed on the tiny external display as well as on the left window in the viewfinder. As mentioned, you cannot look at the frame and the display at one time, it takes looking down to the display and up for the target.

A further left turn of the dial points to ‘M’ for manual. But not so fast. It takes pressing the grey lip on the dial while turning it. I couldn’t do it with my fingertip so had to press with my nail. This rules it out camera use by any well-manicured person. Once dial in place, toggle the two little (what is wrong with Pentax, couldn’t do adult size controls?) black dimples to set the shutter speed. Front dimple increases and back dimple decreases. Selected speed is marked in the tiny displays both on top and within the viewer.

Apparently, the use of aperture or shutter priority mode is restricted to a specific lens type, so will not elaborate on that.

Further left turn of the selector dial points to 125, which allows the camera to operate with a dead battery at a single speed, as well as the flash X sync speed. The next dial stop is B.

At the left, around the film rewind lever is the film speed selector, in turn, surrounded by exposure compensation dial. Settings are from 1/4 to 4.

On the top bulge, pointing forward, just above the Pentax logo there is a rectangular milky glass pane. Same as in the ME this is meant to get outside light for the LED displays. In the dark, there is a round button at the left of the camera barrel base, that will switch on the displays. Above that is a PC port.

The camera is power handle ready to be mounted at the bottom.

Pentax Super Program manual

Pentax Super Program / Super A current value