Pentax ME

In about 2010 I bought a Pentax ME on eBay. I’d never seen one before, and it was affordable at about 20 bucks. And then it turned out to be small and light, something I could easily carry all day. I loved it instantly, and it became one of a small number of cameras I use most. I didn’t understand then that I wasn’t falling for the Pentax ME specifically. Rather, I fell for small, light, aperture-priority 35mm SLRs. The ME was just the first one I found. I figured this out when a reader gave me an Olympus OM-2n, which does the same job, just a little bit better. And yet, all these years on, I still reach for the ME first. It’s my first SLR love. First impressions The first thing you notice about the Pentax ME is how little there is to it. It’s light enough that you barely notice it hanging from your shoulder. The body is clean and uncluttered. Out front is a self-timer and a socket for X-sync flash. The finish is good, not great — brushed metal over a compact frame wrapped in a black…