mawz Posted November 5, 2005 Share Posted November 5, 2005 Just a note, but the 40mm DA and the 18-55 DA will work on 35mm bodies that can set aperture on the body (If an FA J lens will work, a DA will to). The 40 is just barely full frame, and the 18-55 is full-frame from 24-35mm. I'd heartily recommend getting a film body as a complement to the DSLR. I crrently shoto both myself, with an *istD and a Ricoh KR-5sv being my K-Mount bodies. I rarely shoot anything other than B&W in the Ricoh, but I wasn't shooting much in the way of colour before I bought the D, and it simply replaced slide film in my repertoire. I shoot a lot of B&W with it as well, a good ISO3200 conversion looks a lot like Tri-X at EI800 in Rodinal, and the two extra stops are just a bonus. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andrew robertson Posted November 5, 2005 Share Posted November 5, 2005 Really, the MZ-S is a nice camera but it's not a F6 or EOS 1v. It's more like an Elan or an N80. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alan_chan4 Posted November 7, 2005 Share Posted November 7, 2005 Quite true. Despite the magnesium alloy shell, it is still a plastic core camera. The camera mount is fastened on a plastic structure. This explans its super light weight. Z-1p is a more rigid camera but deceived by its plastic shell, and its AF technology is old, but still fast for static subject. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dg1 Posted November 7, 2005 Author Share Posted November 7, 2005 Wouldn't the MZ-S magnesium die cast shell over plastic, if that's the case (how do you know this, BTW?) result in a rather tough body? There's plastic, and then there's plastic. It's not all the same, many types of plastic are extremely rugged. I haven't decided yet what Pentax film body I will get, but I keep coming back to the MZ-S, because small size and light weight are very important to me. Which is why I now have the DS instead of the Canon 10D. I've never regretted that decision. The Pentax DS feels very well made, albeit not as robust as the 10D. I can't really see any non-pro suffering with carrying around something like and EOS 1v, or let's just say I can't see myself doing that. I want a film body that will be compact and light, as close to a RF as possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dg1 Posted November 7, 2005 Author Share Posted November 7, 2005 One thing I don't like about the MZ-S is the small 92% frame coverage of the veiwfinder. The DS has 95%, which is nice, but I'd like 100%. There doesn't seem to be any contemporary Pentax film bodies that provide 100% coverage, which is somewhat disappointing. Particularly in a film camera for slides. Does anyone know how the MZ-S viewfinder compares to some of the earlier Pentax SLRs as far as brightness and frame coverage goes? Are some of the earlier manual focus bodies like the ME-super better in this regard? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alan_gage Posted November 7, 2005 Share Posted November 7, 2005 In Mikes excellent SMP article on viewfinders he mentions a few Pentaxes in his comparisons- http://www.photo.net/mjohnston/column6/ Alan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alan_chan4 Posted November 7, 2005 Share Posted November 7, 2005 >Wouldn't the MZ-S magnesium die cast shell over plastic, if that's the case (how do you know this, BTW?) result in a rather tough body? There's plastic, and then there's plastic. It's not all the same, many types of plastic are extremely rugged. Plastic structure can be nice. However, if the camera mount has been mounted on a plastic structure, there is only so much stress the plastic threads can handle. There have been camera mounts being ripped by heavy lenses (Pentax, Canon, Nikon etc). I must emphasis it has nothing to do with the mount itself, but the structural material underneath. How do I know it's plastic? Just extract the camera mount (held by 5 screws) and you will see. However, if you are not a big fan of heavy lenses like 80-200/2.8, they are perfectly fine. >Does anyone know how the MZ-S viewfinder compares to some of the earlier Pentax SLRs as far as brightness and frame coverage goes? >Are some of the earlier manual focus bodies like the ME-super better in this regard? There is no comparsion. The old ME Super & MX has the brightest, sharpest and highest magnification viewfinder by Pentax (their limiting factor was the focus screen). The viewfinder of MZ-S is tiny (0.75x) even compared to Z-1p (0.8x). It is difficult to describe but most visible when you try manual focus with wide angles. However, the outer eyepiece of MZ-S is coated glass while all other Pentax 135 AF bodies have uncoated plastic outer eyepieces which are prone to flare and scratch (except SF-X/1). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dg1 Posted November 8, 2005 Author Share Posted November 8, 2005 Well thanks everyone. I came across what I think, or hope, is a good price for the Pentax PZ-1. $275.00 for the body and an F 35-70mm f/3.5-f/5.6 zoom, that I can also get some use from on my DS. Looking forward to learning about the PZ-1. Any tips or links to more information appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dg1 Posted November 10, 2005 Author Share Posted November 10, 2005 You know a thread's dead when you find yourself having your own private dialog with yourself. But in the interest of closure.. the more I thought about the PZ-1, especially after realizing the PZ-1 lacks many of the features of the PZ-1p I'd been reading about ( I hadn't noticed the difference, doh..) I decided to cancel that purchase. I went back to my original idea and got the camera I wanted to begin with, which is the MZ-S. Still keeping the DS too. The small size and light weight of the MZ-S will be in keeping with why I got the DS and should make a great film compliment to the digital. In case anyone stumbles on this thread again, I just want to set the record straight! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
p_l_jensen Posted November 15, 2005 Share Posted November 15, 2005 "Quite true. Despite the magnesium alloy shell, it is still a plastic core camera. The camera mount is fastened on a plastic structure. This explans its super light weight. Z-1p is a more rigid camera but deceived by its plastic shell," This is completely false. The camera has a outer rigid shell of magnesium. The lens mount is screwed to metal. It has internal steel reinforcements as well. The camera according to Pentax is the most rigid Pentax ever (including the LX) and built to semi-pro standards. Pentax engineers claimed the Nikon F100 and EOS3 as benchmarks. It is way ahead of the Z-1p which is obvious if you just handle one. You can mount a 7kg 600/4 lens on the camera and hold it by the camera with no support of the lens with no flexing whatsoever at the mount (I've tried). Theres one "pro" camera that flex even with a 80-200/2.8 lens...Incidentally, it uses an 1/8000s shutter detuned to 1/6000s max shutter speed in order to increase durability. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
p_l_jensen Posted November 15, 2005 Share Posted November 15, 2005 "Does anyone know how the MZ-S viewfinder compares to some of the earlier Pentax SLRs as far as brightness and frame coverage goes?" It uses the same type of screen as the screen introduced for the LX in 2000. It is better than almost anything else. It has a smaller viewfinder image than many other Pentaxes like the MX and LX but personally I actually prefer that as I find it easier to compose with such a screen.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandeha Lynch Posted November 15, 2005 Share Posted November 15, 2005 You did well! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dg1 Posted November 16, 2005 Author Share Posted November 16, 2005 I have received the MZ-S, and I am dumbfounded by the handling and build quality. Absolutely fantastic. I have few concerns about the plastic vs metal debate. It feels like a little tank, and I just use small primes anyway. This is the best camera I've ever had the good fortune to own. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeff_drew4 Posted November 19, 2005 Share Posted November 19, 2005 Attaboy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dg1 Posted November 21, 2005 Author Share Posted November 21, 2005 Yeah Jeff, thanks for the nudge. And you also Sandhea. Just needed a bit of encouragement. The MZ-S is only about the size and weight of a Leica M, especially compact with the 40mm pancake lens. A lot of fun, and I've gotten some great results so far. The exposure system is amazing. I could start raving but I won't. Time will tell what the future holds for the DS. It is getting little attention these days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ricdphoto Posted November 27, 2005 Share Posted November 27, 2005 Just noticing this post - wanted to thank everyone for convincing me to stick with my ist, ist-DS, PZ-1p and Super Program. I was looking at the MZ-S because I wanted a modern film camera to go with my ist-DS, but it appears the MZ-S, while an excellent camera and it would be a great choice, would not set me any better off than my PZ-1p (with the other cameras I already own). In case anyone cares, I keep the Super Program because it's the ultimate do all camera and an excellent backup to everything. I bought the ist to get an autofocusing, auto film advance Super Program, and it beats the auto-focus on my PZ-1p in the dark. I keep the PZ-1p because it works great for weddings - I can override everything in any case and make great shots quickly. The ist-DS is my first step into DSLR. I will buy another DSLR when Pentax goes full frame CCD or CMOS (ya never know). I read lots of good advice and there is none I would have gone against. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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