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Chinon CP-9AF
Jörg Krüger posted a photo:
Chinon CP-9AF Multi-Program
with Chinon AF Zoom Lens 3.5-4-5/28-70
I left the lens unmounted for a straight view on the bayonet mount. Yes, it's a Pentax K-mount, but with electric contacts inside the bayonet instead on it, only one contact like on the KA-mount, it's an AF camera, but there's no mechanical connection for that between body and lens, so the AF drive must be in the lens. This camera was introduced in 1988 - bang! Pentax introduced its first AF-SLR in 1987 (SFX) and the first lens with built-in AF drive was available late in the digital era (Supersonic Drive Motor).
So Chinon followed rather Canon (AF drive in lens, Canon EOS 650, 1987) than Minolta (AF drive in body, Minolta 7000 AF, 1985). The CP-9AF is an advanced camera with nice features, but it can't compete with the EOS 650. The AF is slow and very loud and the viewfinder not very bright.
Some specs and nice features:
* Exposure modes: P, A and M, the program mode P can be tweaked to PA ("action", faster shutter speed) or PC ("creative", smaller aperture).
* Shutter speeds from 8 to 1/2000 and B. The camera features a clock which indicates the elapsed time in B-mode, in 1 s increments up to 60 s, then in 1 min increments up to 90 min. The exposure time in B-mode can also be preset.
The clock can also be used as interval timer, then a common, lockable cable release is required.
* Film speed range from 25 to 5000 ISO. Automatic setting for DX films, if you load a non-DX film the camera prompts you to set the desired film speed. For DX-coded films the ISO setting can be overridden with the exposure compensation up to 4 EV.
* usual suspects: multiple exposure, continuous or single film advance, exposure bracketing, AE-lock, self-timer (combined with clock up to 90 min delay), single AF, continuous AF, catch-in-focus, manual focus with focusing aid (works with every lens)
* No DOF-preview
* The battery compartment accepts four 1.5 V AA batteries or one 6 V 2CR5 battery, without adapter
So the clarification of lens compatibility can be somewhat sophisticated.
* Pentax K and M-lenses can be used in A and M-mode, the camera can read off the f-stop set on the aperture ring. The f-stop is not shown on the display nor in the viewer. In A-mode the metered shutter speed is displayed, in M-mode display and viewer show the set shutter speed and in addition the metered speed is visible in the viewer.
* Pentax KA-lenses behave like K and M-lenses, but the camera can detect, when the f-stop ring is set to A. I think that is done with the single contact on the rim of the bayonet. If the aperture ring is set to A, only P-mode is available. It is the same for Pentax lenses without aperture ring, e.g. some DFA-lenses.
* Pentax KAF-lenses don't have AF function on the CP-9AF of course, they behave like KA-lenses
* Ricoh lenses with pin can be mounted and unmounted, at least my Rikenon 1.7/50. Setting the aperture ring to P has no effect, Ricoh lenses behave like K or M-lenses.
* Chinon AF lenses are naturally fully compatible. Of course only the three made for that CP9-AF: 3.5-4.5/28-70, 4.5/70-210 and 3.5-4.5/35-135, not the AF-lenses of the early eighties with built-in AF-system, e.g. the 3.3-4.5/35-70. Those lenses has no aperture ring, so now you can set the f-stop in A and M-mode on the camera, and it is shown on the display.
* Vice versa, it's pointless to mount those Chinon lenses on any Pentax camera. They lack an aperture ring and they don't have the contact for the A-mode, so the aperture always will be fully closed, to perhaps f22.
On the lens here the focus ring is missing.
