Jump to content

which Pentax camera?


jlemire

Recommended Posts

Is there a Pentax 35mm SLR model out there that has the following

features:<br>

<br>

Spot metering<br>

DOF preview<br>

Mirror lock-up<br>

Auto-focus<br>

<br>

I am guessing no, but thought I would post anyways.<br>

<br>

If no model has these 4 features, which ones have the spot metering

feature?<br>

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The MZ-5n should have all of these, except MLU. Not sure about

DOF-preview though. Personally, I have a MZ-5, which lacks DOF

preview, MLU and exposure locking (which you probably would like to

have as well). For the rest, these cameras are a joy to work with,

the interface is brilliantly straightforward, manuals are definitely

not needed.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

i have the MZ-S, the MZ-5n, and the LX.

the MZ-S has all the functions except the mirror locks up automatically using the 2 second self timer delay. i prefer this to traditional mirror lock up because it becomes two functions within one action. otherwise you'd have to do the mirror lock up and the self timer separately. another thing to note is that when i did a vibration test between these three cameras using an FA100mm f/2.8 1:1 macro, i found:

 

-the LX had the most vibration without MLU and very little with MLU

 

-the MZ-5n had very little vibration... a tiny bit more than the LX with the MLU activated. (there is no MLU on the MZ-5n)

 

-the MZ-S had extremely low levels of vibration even without the MLU. with the MLU, the difference was hardly noticable because there was no vibration to begin with.

 

the MZ-5n lacks the mirror lock up. but because of its low weight, it had more of a vibrating tendancy than the MZ-S. i use the MZ-S with the battery grip and it makes it more solid.

 

the LX is an amazing camera even with just having center weighted metering. because of its IDM (OTF) metering system and extreme sensitivity to light (-6 EV), it has excellent metering results... especially in low light situations.

 

i love both my MZ-S and LX like crazy. if i had to choose between the two, i wouldnt be able to.

 

hope this helps.

asim

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I apologize for going off topic but Asim's coments about the LX made me wish to offer this caution. I used LX cameras at home and work from the time they were introduced and hoped they would get a digital back. For Pentax it obviously made more sense to modify the ist for digital use. I purchased one when they were introduced. Its a wonderfull point and shoot but the lack of a suitable viewfinder prevents me from recomending it. If you are using 35mm and thinking about digital, buy or borrow a cheap little camera with an eyelevel viewfinder untill you decide it is comfortable. D.D.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

hi don,

 

are you sure youre not mixing the LX with another camera? the LX is a serious professional camera of its time. its far from a point and shoot. also, the LX has an eye level viewfinder, and an excellent one as well. the viewfinder it comes with is a split image screen with 97/93% coverage and a magnification of 0.9. additionally, it is the only pentax camera that has interchangeable viewfinders. are you sure you aren't only using the waistlevel or angle finder? you know you can always purchase an eye level finder used in great condition.... not cheap though. which reminds me, the viewfinder of the LX is much bigger than the MZ-S. :)

 

cheers

asim

Link to comment
Share on other sites

For the sake of argument, I have & use P67, P645, MZS & ZX-5n. NONE have "mirror

lock-up" technically. The P67 mirror CAN "pre-fire" and raise the mirror prior to

shutter release and/or make the the process as 2 seperate steps. The MZS and ZX-5n

can do the same IF you choose to use the self-timer. I do the same 2 step exposures

with my old Konica SLRs . The MZS & ZX-5n offer spot metering as well as other

choices and are robust, full-featured bodies. The P67II with TTL meter and the P645

series can do spot metering.The P67 series is nix on auto-focus and the P645N & NII

and MZS & ZX-5n are autofocus bodies. Yes they have DOF preview too. One thing to

remember, all P67 & P645 lenses fit the 35mm bodies with the Pentax precision

adapters.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...