[Ratmagiclady]

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Just a heads-up, it's not like they're hard or expensive to find, but for those liking pristine cameras and the MZ/ZX series, someone on Ebay has a number of them, ostensibly brand-new, for quite a reasonable price and shipping. (like, ten bucks) I'm trying on a ZX-5 from someone here and decided to check one out while I'm at it.

Incidentally, does anyone know how these are with the new rechargies? I've been thinking of recent Eneloops for my general flashey needs, and certainly wouldn't mind not using disposables for grips and winders if that'll fly.

[JeffJS]

Must be gone. I see them for $15, $39, and even $66 (OBO). There's a guy on the marketplace selling them for $25 shipped in the USA. I bought one from him a few days ago for my new ZX-L. $10 would have been a great price to pay for one on my MZ-M... Either way, even the $25 one will pay for itself if you use the camera enough to go through any batteries. I don't know about the FG but the rechargeable batteries (Energizer 2500 NiMh) are holding up pretty will in the BG-10 on my MZ-S.. They also hold up quite well in the BDG4 grip on my K7. Don't own any Eneloops as of yet. When my energizers will no longer charge, I'll give them a try.

[Ratmagiclady]

Must be gone. I see them for $15, $39, and even $66 (OBO).

Hrm. I really should ask if it's OK to put up specific links. It's not an endorsement: at this point I'm in the same boat as anyone who went for it..


Appreciated about the rechargies: whatever I go with, it'll probably be mostly that I want the best for flashes and the rest just needs to be compatible.


Also, come to think of it, this would be my first DX-reading camera. If I set the ISO manually, this will override any DX coding, yes? Or should I defeat the relevant contacts?

Also, come to think of it: do the date-backs write in the film margins or on the frame? Are they Y2K compatible? (The former just takes looking, I guess. The latter would take buying a battery.) (edit: actually looking. Yep. Right on the frame. As we said in the day, 'F that noise.' )

[Just1MoreDave]

Hrm. I really should ask if it's OK to put up specific links. It's not an endorsement: at this point I'm in the same boat as anyone who went for it..

I can't see why not:

Pentax AA Battery Pack FG for All ZX Cameras BRAND NEW - eBay (item 360221334147 end time Apr-26-10 22:20:55 PDT)

[JeffJS]

Hrm. I really should ask if it's OK to put up specific links. It's not an endorsement: at this point I'm in the same boat as anyone who went for it..

Can't say for sure. The only time I've had my hand slapped about it is when I posted one in somebody else's marketplace thread. I don't see anything wrong with posting in open forum though.. Might want to ask the mods though.

Appreciated about the rechargies: whatever I go with, it'll probably be mostly that I want the best for flashes and the rest just needs to be compatible.


Also, come to think of it, this would be my first DX-reading camera. If I set the ISO manually, this will override any DX coding, yes? Or should I defeat the relevant contacts?

I don't know if the ISO setting can manually over-ride the DX. I roll my own films so I don't use enough canned coded film to answer for sure.

Also, come to think of it: do the date-backs write in the film margins or on the frame? Are they Y2K compatible? (The former just takes looking, I guess. The latter would take buying a battery.) (edit: actually looking. Yep. Right on the frame. As we said in the day, 'F that noise.' )

Well, you've just within a few years told me what Your *day* was

On the ZX-L, the year is a 2 digit number. I think it would be a safe bet that no one was shooting 35mm in 1910.. Haven't put a back battery in the MZ-S yet...

[Ratmagiclady]

I don't know if the ISO setting can manually over-ride the DX. I roll my own films so I don't use enough canned coded film to answer for sure.

I guess I can probably just find out.

Well, you've just within a few years told me what Your *day* was

*creak.* A bit before this series of camera, but still knowing what DX is, yes.

On the ZX-L, the year is a 2 digit number. I think it would be a safe bet that no one was shooting 35mm in 1910.. Haven't put a back battery in the MZ-S yet...

Well, from the little windows in the pressure plate, it writes on the frame. I don't think a battery is going in there.

[jjdgti]

The grip, even a $20 is worth the try. The CR2 are expensive and last only a dozen or so rolls of film. I use it with the Energizer rechargables and they last a while. When depleted simply, recharch then ans continue shooting.

[Ratmagiclady]

The grip, even a $20 is worth the try. The CR2 are expensive and last only a dozen or so rolls of film. I use it with the Energizer rechargables and they last a while. When depleted simply, recharch then ans continue shooting.

Thank you, JJ. At peril of repeating questions that are doubtless well-answered everywhere, are these chargers and all that stuff compatible with Eneloops and all? Or do they tend to be proprietary? This circumstance got a bit ahead of some research and planning I know I need to do for when it comes to powering flashes: I'd prefer it all fits together later.

[noblepa]

I have a ZX-60 with the FG grip.

I have never bothered with rechargeables, since I don't use the camera much, but I don't see any reason why they wouldn't work.

On my ZX-60, you can override the ISO speed, I believe. I'm not at home, so I'd have to look. It may depend on the camera. I also have an older Pentax P5. I don't think it is possible to override the DX encoding on that one, so it may depend on your camera.

On the ZX-60, it writes the date in the corner of the frame. It is visible in an uncropped print. As for being Y2K compatible, I'm pretty sure that it is, since they made the ZX-60 until about 2005. I do remember from the manual that it only goes up to about 2019 or so. On the ZX-60, the date option is standard, so no optional data back is necessary. On some models it is necessary.

The battery grip adds a little bulk to the very light ZX-60 and makes it more comfortable (at least for my big hands) to hold. I just wish it had camera controls, such as the shutter release and mode settings, like my K10D's grip does.

[Ratmagiclady]

Hey, quick question, now that the grip has arrived, I realize this camera does not have any kind of loading controls I can touch... If I pull the batteries to try this grip on, does the camera forget there is film in there?

I can always unload and yank the leader, but while the problem presents, I thought I'd ask.

[JeffJS]

Hey, quick question, now that the grip has arrived, I realize this camera does not have any kind of loading controls I can touch... If I pull the batteries to try this grip on, does the camera forget there is film in there?

I can always unload and yank the leader, but while the problem presents, I thought I'd ask.

Interestingly, someone on the forum just gave me a PZ-20 and a ZX-10. Both had film in them (that he says was there when He got the cameras). I pulled the battery on the PZ-20 and it does appear that the counter reset to 1. It Was at 19. The ZX-10 didn't have batteries in it so I haven't tried it yet to see. It would seem though that these cameras do not have keep alive memory (or at least the PZ-20 doesn't).

[Ratmagiclady]

Thank you, Jeff.


I have to admit, this is one thing about an electronic *film* camera: How are you supposed to feel it feeding properly? Old habits, maybe, but even before I try putting this grip on, I've felt totally at loose ends.

It's like. (looking for rewind crank) 'Did that feed? What am I supposed to do, look at it real hard?'

(seriously: I basically skipped right over the autofocus film camera decades and ended up square in the middle of digital. This is a clever machine, and yet.. Hey. Are exposures happening in there?

[JeffJS]

So did I. I went from an Olympus OM4 to a Panasonic FZ20 to a K10d. My first electronic film camera was the MZ-S I bought last month. Funny thing is, I keep looking at the back of that camera to see the picture. I can only assume by the Whirrrr sound that the film did advance.... I had a 645Nii for a while but that's as advanced as my MF film cameras have ever been save for the Mamiya 7 (but that is a different thing all together)..

[Ratmagiclady]

So did I. I went from an Olympus OM4 to a Panasonic FZ20 to a K10d. My first electronic film camera was the MZ-S I bought last month. Funny thing is, I keep looking at the back of that camera to see the picture.

I don't have *that* problem, but I'm still used to ....like... physically feeling the film. I was thinking, "You know, for the same reason I always thought the little window with a jiggly bunch of red stripes was the most 'redundant' camera feature ever, when you could just feel it, *now* would be the time to put the jiggly little thingie in there.

I can only assume by the Whirrrr sound that the film did advance.... I had a 645Nii for a while but that's as advanced as my MF film cameras have ever been save for the Mamiya 7 (but that is a different thing all together)..

I may well learn the sound. Actually, I felt totally helpless when a truck drove by just as I closed the back and there was some sort of whirry sound, and then I was like, "OK... You're suppposed to learn to trust this? "


Freaky. That's what I say.

I suspect the only thing for it is to just rewind and extract, anyway. (Hey, is there a leader-out rewind hack for the ZX-5, anyone? I can see this becoming inconvenient. )


So, hey, it works out to be a nice-sized package, but there's a snag. It would seem this camera has a totally-unacceptable way of refusing to fire without a focus lock when in AF mode... Time to look up the manual, but can that be defeated?

[little laker]

(Hey, is there a leader-out rewind hack for the ZX-5, anyone? I can see this becoming inconvenient. )

On my PZ-20 I believe that you only have to turn the power off when it's rewinding the film, for it to leave the tail out. Your camera may be the same.
As long as it's quiet you should have a good idea if it's still rewinding after you turn the power off. If it stops instantly you know to turn it back on and press the rewind button.