[jimhi]

Okay this is the first time I have posted in this forum so if I say or do something stupid please be nice. I have a pair of SF1n's that i have used for many years and really have come to love. The ergonomics, performance and lense choices are all I could ask for. They do have one issue though that has me wondering if it might be time to move forward. When the film advance in these babies kicks in they could raise the dead. Not normally a huge issue but I have a son getting married this fall and while I will not be the official photographer there are certain shots I would like to be in on. These shots are also ones that a noisy cameras could make me annoying. I have two thoughts on this. First one is finding a manual focus manual advance body and a decent 135 mm lense to suppliment my SF1n's. The second thought is to maybe upgrade to PZ1p's. My question is are the PZ1p's quiet enough to make this a thought?

[jimmm18]

Just pull out my PZ1p and I would not say the shutter is quiet. Not sure about the film rewind because I do not have film it at the moment.

[MarkJerling]

Welcome to the forum. The SF1n (or SFXn as it's named here by me) is a great camera. Most people find it ugly but I love it! So much so that I have several, one of them brand new.

The PZ1p is, indeed, a little quieter, certainly on rewind, and maybe a little for the focusing motor, but probably as noisy as the SFXn for shutter sound. Of course, the PZ1p is one of the most customizable Pentax cameras of that era.
The only negative, for me, with an "upgrade" from the SFXn to the PZ1p is that the SFXn can be had with an AA battery option, which makes it cheap to run, while the PZ1p needs those expensive 2CR5 batteries.

If I was you I'd spend the money on a good lens and keep the same body.

[AstroDave]

but I have a son getting married this fall

My wife and I have been the (non-offical!) backup/alternate photographers at three niece/nephew weddings. In two cases, I really was a backup (i.e. they knew what they were doing), but in the third, I think I was as good/prepared as the "official" photog was! And, your shots will be much different from the official ones, I made a point of shooting background and crowd/group pictures that might well have been overlooked by the official guys. I think it is many of these shots that will be appreciated/remembered long after the event.

If anything, I would suggest you get into digital, where you can shoot to your heart's content, withour worrying about film costs/printing.

[Bob 256]

I would second AstroDave's advice. You can still get a PZ1-p used but it will have use on it and the batteries (one time use) are getting a little harder to find these days. The sensors on most modern DSLRs will match or exceed film in sensitivity and as AstroDave alluded to, all you have to worry about is keeping the battery charged as a single SD card will hold many, many photos. You might have to ramp up to doing some digital processing on your own, but that gives you total control over the image and a lot less worry that your film processing service might not get it right. You can still provide your customers their photos in hard-copy, on disc, SD card, or on-line and the turn-around time is shorter than with film. Just something to think about. I still have my PZ-1p (x2) and it's a great camera, but most all of my shooting is with my DSLR these days.

[Joetitch]

Your wedding present for them is a K3iii with a full set of DA limiteds which you will need to extensively test out for the next 20 years to ensure that it works properly.😁

Hope it is a great day for all.

[Dipsoid]

The PZ1-P is a great camera, but very loud. I'd get something like a KX or MX and a Pentax-A 135mm 2.8 to use of you're worried about noise. Just mask the sure that your manual focus skills are sharp.

[jimhi]

Okay so I wasn't expecting the film Digital discussion here but real quick not an option. I do have a small digital point and shoot I grab for birthdays and other family events but that isn't how I personally do photography. I use film to help me slow down and actually look at the picture. My brother in law will be there with his whiz bang digital Nikon whatever it is and he will be holding down the shutter button and blazing away. Good just not me!I want to take the shot where I actually take the time to compose the photograph. This is why I didn't shoot anything for years, it was just too depressing. Rant over!

[DonV]

If you really want to shoot film, the MX is going to be the quiet option. JMHO.

I doubt anyone will notice the noise of your camera, well maybe the two or 3 people right next to you- but I assume (bad I know) you will not occupy a front and center position
for taking pictures.

[jimhi]

Real quick before I head out the door. Sorry to the guy's with the advice about digital, I know you meant well just my preference. The MX is one I hadn't considered, I was thinking maybe a Super Program but I will consider that. You are right father of the Groom is pretty much a stand in line and smile thing. Thanks to all.

[gofour3]

Okay this is the first time I have posted in this forum so if I say or do something stupid please be nice. I have a pair of SF1n's that i have used for many years and really have come to love. The ergonomics, performance and lense choices are all I could ask for. They do have one issue though that has me wondering if it might be time to move forward. When the film advance in these babies kicks in they could raise the dead. Not normally a huge issue but I have a son getting married this fall and while I will not be the official photographer there are certain shots I would like to be in on. These shots are also ones that a noisy cameras could make me annoying. I have two thoughts on this. First one is finding a manual focus manual advance body and a decent 135 mm lense to suppliment my SF1n's. The second thought is to maybe upgrade to PZ1p's. My question is are the PZ1p's quiet enough to make this a thought?

Another option would be the MZ-S, it's a little quieter rewinding than the SF1n or Z-1p.

Also since you have to initiate the film rewinding in your SF1n, take both bodies and do the rewinding for both at the same time after you have shot the two rolls of film. Just excuse yourself for a few minutes, as you have to change the film anyways.

Phil.

[AfterPentax Mark II]

Okay this is the first time I have posted in this forum so if I say or do something stupid please be nice. I have a pair of SF1n's that i have used for many years and really have come to love. The ergonomics, performance and lense choices are all I could ask for. They do have one issue though that has me wondering if it might be time to move forward. When the film advance in these babies kicks in they could raise the dead. Not normally a huge issue but I have a son getting married this fall and while I will not be the official photographer there are certain shots I would like to be in on. These shots are also ones that a noisy cameras could make me annoying. I have two thoughts on this. First one is finding a manual focus manual advance body and a decent 135 mm lense to suppliment my SF1n's. The second thought is to maybe upgrade to PZ1p's. My question is are the PZ1p's quiet enough to make this a thought?

The SFXn/SF1n is a great camera, but buying a PZ1P is not exactly moving forward. It is an oldfashioned film camera and moving forward, well, to me that is enter the digital galaxy. That said, I have the SFX and the SFXn and they may be a bit noisy, but that is because that camera is just in front of your face. I guess that out in the open and with a lot of people attending to ceremony and feast I would not worry about the sound the SFXn makes. I never thought it was to noisy to shoot in any circumstance. Take the SFXn, it is a camera that you are familiar with, you know the ins and outs so why taking a new camera that you do not know so well and having the risk that you spoil something that is only to capture once in a lifetime, due to not knowing that new camera. If I were you, I take the familiar camera's that have proven to be trustworthy to you. I once made pictures at a friends wedding and no one had a clue that I had been taken pictures with my SFXn. That was in 1992. So I had a noisy camera, with a non silent screwdrive AF and the people were so focused on the couple, that maybe they heard a noise but had no idea it was me taking a picture.

[ChrisPlatt]

A manual focus film SLR with non-motorized advance is a great idea.
They are indeed quieter than later models, including many dSLRS.

An 85 or 100 or 105mm lens will give you more flattering portraits than a 135mm lens.

There were 20 photographers at my sister's wedding in around 1980. Many in the groom's family owned a Canon SLR; that was the brand sold at his father's camera store.
My portrait of the newlyweds made with my trusty old Nikon F with 105/2.5 Nikkor lens shot on Kodak Vericolor III film was the wedding album cover shot.

Chris

[tonyzoc]

I have the SF1N and PZ-1p and the PZ-1p is a major step up from the SF1N. For wedding photography you'll have higher flash sync speed and hight motor frame rate. That said...getting a 645 with a 280T flash would be a better choice and not that much more.

[ffking]

I don't have either now, but I owned both back in the 90s. I definitely found the Z-1 to be an upgrade in every way. I don't think that the winder is so much quieter as faster, so higher pitched and over sooner! The only downside with the Z-1 compared to the SFXn (for me) was I found the body if anything too small - the old left-over finger problem