Pentax's affordable program SLR — the Program Plus, program and aperture-priority, K mount, 1984.
The Pentax Program Plus is a 35mm film SLR from 1984, sold in Europe and Japan as the Program A and in North America as the Program Plus. It sat just below the Super Program in the compact M-series-derived range, offering program automation for less money by dropping some of the flagship's features. It uses the Pentax K bayonet and the A-series lenses that allow the body to set the aperture, and it was marketed under the Pentax name in the UK.
It is a 35mm single-lens-reflex camera taking Pentax K-mount lenses, with through-the-lens metering and an electronically-timed vertical focal-plane shutter. It offers program, aperture-priority and metered manual exposure; unlike the Super Program it omits shutter-priority. The top shutter speed is 1/1000 with flash sync at 1/100. Exposure information appears in the viewfinder, and shutter speeds are set with push-buttons rather than a dial. The camera depends on its battery for metering and shutter operation.
The Program Plus suits beginners and students who want simple program shooting with the option of aperture-priority or manual, in a light compact body good for travel and everyday use. It gives most of the Super Program experience at lower cost, the main sacrifices being the lower top speed and the missing shutter-priority mode, which few casual users miss.
As a used buy, inspect the foam light seals and mirror-damper foam, which perish with age and cause leaks or mirror lag. Check the viewfinder readout is legible and the meter responds to changing light, since the electronic shutter needs a healthy battery to time correctly. Test program, aperture-priority and manual modes, look for even shutter exposure without capping, and work the film advance and rewind for smoothness. Check the prism for haze, and confirm A-series lenses enable the program mode.