rico wrote:
Desmolicious wrote
For me, the advantages of the old AE head by far outway those of the AE-S head. I agree the AE head gives the XK a special impact, but didn't realize the superior analog readout. Rumor says the XK meters have suffered the ravages of time. Are working samples hard to find?
I haven't seen any issues with the meters, I have always had accurate exposures in all conditions. The problems I have seen have been with the bodies, those can go flaky and have inaccurate shutters. As those are controlled electronically it is a very hard fix if you can find anyone to do the work. It seems that the flaky cameras may have been miss-treated/improperly stored/got wet. The one I tried to fix I could not budge the screws on the body, nor could the repair shop! Signs of internal corrosion due to the camera having become wet.
Forgot to address this bit:
"Are working samples hard to find?"
These are old cameras but very well made. If it works, it works so make sure you have a return policy if you get one. Many sellers, as with all old gear, will claim they don't know if it works/do not have a battery (they use regular 1.5v button cells!) etc etc. The risk is the same as with any old gear.