Chinon's budget K-mount manual SLR — 1-1/1000s metal shutter, LED metering, self-timer, early 1980s
The Chinon CM-4s was a manual-focus 35mm SLR from the early 1980s, a variant of the Chinon CM-4 that added a self-timer to the basic formula. Chinon positioned these K-mount bodies as affordable alternatives to cameras like the Pentax K1000, offering similar all-manual operation at a lower price, often bundled with a well-regarded Chinon 50mm f/1.9 or f/1.7 standard lens.
It uses the Pentax K bayonet, so the huge pool of K-mount manual lenses fits directly. The vertical-travel metal focal-plane shutter runs from 1 second to 1/1000, and exposure is guided by a three-LED match system in the finder showing under, over or correct exposure. Two LR44 or SR44 button cells power only the meter; the shutter is fully mechanical and fires without batteries. The body is plastic-shelled and was offered in black and dark titanium finishes.
As a learner's camera it makes a sound case: cheap, simple, mechanically independent of its batteries, and mounting the same lenses as far pricier Pentax bodies. Build is lighter and more plasticky than the metal classics, which keeps weight down but means it feels less durable in hand. A practical first film SLR rather than a collectable.
Check the meter responds with fresh LR44/SR44 cells, fire the shutter through all speeds listening for capping or hesitation, and confirm the self-timer completes its run, as neglected timers can jam the release. Inspect foam light seals and the mirror bumper, which are usually perished by now, and check the plastic top and bottom covers for cracks around the strap lugs.