[gabriel_bc]

Ahem!

whoops! my bad. consider it a +1

[pickles]

Super A vote here....one of the most under rated Pentax items ever....a great little camera with a large range of features, and invariably available for a very reasonable price, dare I say...cheap!
Cheers, Pickles.

[Blue]

If you like well constructed manual cameras then I recommend you keep an eye out for the MX, LX and the K2

+2. With the K-2, I don't feel the need to use my SuperProgram very often.

If you want an AF Pentax body, the MZ-S is the bling but expensive. The MZ-3, ZX-L, ZX-5n and Pz-1p are some good options.

Don't rule out the possibility of a nice m42 body. The Spotmatic F doesn't get any love but does open aperture metering with certain lenses. The SV bodies while lacking meters are very small and sleek. If you want a head turner, get yourself a K or AP.

[Sluggo]

Smart suggestions here. If you are used to manual focus and have enjoyed shooting with a P30, you'll also like the Super Program, Program Plus, or ME Super.

The ME Super's advantages over the Program series are a quieter shutter, more compact dimensions, and a slightly nicer viewfinder. (Not only larger, but easier to read in my opinion - give me a few LED dots over an LCD with or without dodgy backlighting any day.)

For reasons of reliability, you might want to avoid the MZ/ZX series.

With all that said, my P30n really is a fave. In practice, I don't miss the ISO control. I seldom push or pull films, and when I bulk load it's usually the default ISO100 anyway. And the back of mine never pops open when it shouldn't!

[rvannatta]

The MZ50 has the crippled mount and the M lenses won't work. It's the same for the MZ30, the MZ60 and the *ist.

They will work with the P series and the MZ3, MZ5, MZ6, MZ7, MZ10 and the MZ-S.

The MZ3 and MZ5 have the feel and look of a "classic" film camera but with AF

Kim

Indeed, in the US the MZ's were the ZX series. they will read the ISO right off
the film canister and auto set it, and have power feed, and power rewind.
Except on the low end modelsl mentioned they fully support the 'M' and older lenses as they are not crippled. and if you happen to end up with an auto focus lens they will work on it as well.

[gabriel_bc]

1+ for both!!!

Throw in the various XR Ricohs for fun!


Steve

The Chinon CE-4s is the camera the ME Super should have been - Av mode/LED shutter speed in the viewfinder, just like the Super, but also with a Judas window for aperture info, a shutter speed dial instead of the buttons, and a DOF preview lever and easy-to-use multiple exposure lever. Plus it only comes in black.

The build quality isn't quite to Asahi standards, though, especially compared to the higher-end cameras like the K2, MX and LX.