[Duncan J Murray]

I remember comparing the F100 and a Canon 1v in a store - I was genuinely surprised how awful the top-of-the-range Canon felt and operated. Sometimes I think these things are a bit silly to care about, but it felt unbalanced, lightweight (I suppose that's really an advantage), and had a horrible clacking sound for a shutter! Not to mention I couldn't fathom why the controls were placed where they were. On the other hand, I am impressed with the canon mount and the whole fully-electronic idea. Nikon's mount is a hodge-podge of systems tacked together!

I have lusted for an MZ-S for a while - but can't really justify it!

D

[séamuis]

Nikon's mount is a hodge-podge of systems tacked together!

I think thats a bit unfair really. instead of completely abandoning a mount, and its complete user base nikon took the route of simply updating and modernizing the existing mount. Pentax of course did the same. now we can argue the merits of such a decision vs a completely new mount, but calling it a hodgepodge thing tacked together is just plain wrong. what it really is, in all honesty, is a proper follow through of a perfectly useable and long established technology. by that same logic, all modern cars are simply a hodgepodge of antiquated design and parts and modern pieces tacked on. yet, I bet you wouldn't discount the engineering that goes into a modern automobile. give nikon and pentax some credit for sticking with what works.

[Michaelina2]

I have lusted for an MZ-S for a while - but can't really justify it!

Me too... Got a gripped one, anyway!

Sweet camera... M

[Hertizel]

MZ-S, specially with grip, is a joy to hold and use... it feels just right (right size, right weight, right controls) and solid.

However, i do prefer using the Z1-p. It feels more like a dirty user camera, not a fancy display object. Bigger, faster, noisier, cheaper, and the double inbody control wheels allow it to use more modern lens, without aperture control ring, like my Tamron 70-200/2.8. I guess in the end, it all comes down to personal preference.

[Jazz28]

I love my MZ-S (with BG10), use it all the time but do give my LX a day out now and then.
Has everything you could want from a film camera.

[Todd Adamson]

MZ-S just arrived from KEH. It seems.....well, OK. Obviously I can't say too much about it, having just pulled it out of the box 5 minutes ago. It's clean.....looks brand new, which is nice. The "feel" of it, which was my main concern with this thread, is pretty good. Definitely feels more like a quality piece of gear than the PZ-1. However, the plastic back is once again ridiculous. I just can't believe anyone would equip a "flagship" product with plastic that's not much sturdier than the blister pack on the CR2 batteries I just opened. LOL. The back on the PZ-1 now feels stout by comparison, so I guess there's that. :P

Maybe I just need a little time for Confirmation Bias to kick in.

Other than the back, I like the feeling of it. A teeny bit too small, but I got used to the K-5, so I can get used to this. I'll be giving it a good chance before I decide if I like it or love it.

[eddie1960]

. I'll be giving it a good chance before I decide if I like it or love it.

LOL so at least you already know you don't hate it

[Todd Adamson]

LOL so at least you already know you don't hate it

Ugh...not so fast. This camera is an ergonomic nightmare! My fingers are sore from messing with those hard-to-turn dials. The dials are awful. You really can't turn them with one finger. So basically, the camera forces me to shoot in aperture priority, because quick, intuitive changing of shutter speed, which I have come to depend on because I prefer to shoot in Manual, isn't possible.

OK, whatever. Almost everyone uses some AE mode these days, so maybe it's time I get used to it. Obviously if I'm going to shoot Av, I need to use the exposure lock. Too bad it's horribly-positioned so that my thumb has to go into a weird cramped state to press it, and also it tends to make me want to press down with my index finger, so I'm anticipating lots of accidental shutter clicks.

Also, the AF button on the back of the camera? Dumb. I was happy to see it, because that's how I focus with my Nikons. But that button is completely inaccessible to my thumb when I have my eye to the viewfinder.

And what the hell is custom function #6?? It leads me to believe I can focus and set (lock) the exposure simultaneously, but it doesn't seem to work. Maybe I'm missing something, or maybe the camera is defective, I don't know.

I still intend to run a roll or two through it, but I'm already leaning toward sending it back. Duncan, I think you can stop lusting for an MZ-S, LOL.

[séamuis]

Ugh...not so fast. This camera is an ergonomic nightmare! My fingers are sore from messing with those hard-to-turn dials. The dials are awful. You really can't turn them with one finger. So basically, the camera forces me to shoot in aperture priority, because quick, intuitive changing of shutter speed, which I have come to depend on because I prefer to shoot in Manual, isn't possible.

OK, whatever. Almost everyone uses some AE mode these days, so maybe it's time I get used to it. Obviously if I'm going to shoot Av, I need to use the exposure lock. Too bad it's horribly-positioned so that my thumb has to go into a weird cramped state to press it, and also it tends to make me want to press down with my index finger, so I'm anticipating lots of accidental shutter clicks.

Also, the AF button on the back of the camera? Dumb. I was happy to see it, because that's how I focus with my Nikons. But that button is completely inaccessible to my thumb when I have my eye to the viewfinder.

And what the hell is custom function #6?? It leads me to believe I can focus and set (lock) the exposure simultaneously, but it doesn't seem to work. Maybe I'm missing something, or maybe the camera is defective, I don't know.

I still intend to run a roll or two through it, but I'm already leaning toward sending it back. Duncan, I think you can stop lusting for an MZ-S, LOL.

id like to say "I told you so." but at least you got to try it first hand.

[Todd Adamson]

id like to say "I told you so." but at least you got to try it first hand.

No, no, feel free. You were exactly right, I'm afraid. But like most things, I just had to see for myself.

It's still marginally possible I'll warm up to it, but not very likely at this point. I think the PZ-1 is going to end up being my best bet for an AF film camera from Pentax. It's not perfect, but my complaints about it are pretty minor compared with the MZ-S.

[aurele]

I'm going to ask somathing, and i'm almost sure the answer is "Nop" but ... Does the MZ-S can handle sdm autofocus ?

Just got my new DA*55 and i planned to use it on film today

[LaurenOE]

I'm sad that someone is disappointed in the MZ-S. I love it. Since "love" is a personal thing, and I also love my K-5, I guess I'm at least "bi" in sharing that love. At least someone tried it out.

[Todd Adamson]

I'm sad that someone is disappointed in the MZ-S. I love it. Since "love" is a personal thing, and I also love my K-5, I guess I'm at least "bi" in sharing that love. At least someone tried it out.

Sorry to disappoint!

I do love the K-5. And I totally love my Pentax lenses. SO I'm certainly not racist against Pentax. And I understand people have different things that make them love a camera. For me, though, I'm afraid this is a no-go. It's not just that I was less impressed than I expected to be. The more I handled the camera and tweaked settings, etc., the more I hated it. Initially, I was fully ready to spend a bit of time with it, give it a chance to grow on me. But within a couple of hours, I was certain it could never grow on me.

[Michaelina2]

Sorry to disappoint!

I'm afraid this is a no-go.

Too bad... I've not experienced any of the woes you seem to have uncovered. While its weight and size are similar, the MZ-S NOT a K-5. For film, though, it's a HUGE improvement over my never say die Asahi S1a and Spotmatics. Like them, nothing about it seems flimsy and it fits me comfortably.

Also... did you NOT also get the battery grip (BG-10)? I see KEH has one available...

The grip makes a huge (+++++) difference in satisfaction.

Cheers... M

[Todd Adamson]

I figured I would have to get a grip if I kept the camera, and I was planning on it. I'm sure it would help the feel and balance of the camera in my hand. But it would do nothing for the cheap plastic door, the hard-to-turn dials, and the egregiously-placed AF button. For better or worse, Nikon has indoctrinated me to the dual control wheel paradigm. Also, since I use my gear professionally, it just can't be fragile. I don't abuse gear, I take good care of it...but things happen. A couple of years ago my D3, with 70-200 lens attached fell about 6 feet and landed directly on the corner of a concrete step. The magnesium alloy body actually cracked open. A year before that, it was riding shotgun in the front seat when I hit a deer squarely at 60mph. Camera and lens were slammed against the glove box and wound up on the car floor among shattered windshield glass. In both cases, I shot sessions with the camera the following day, because it was my busy season and I couldn't afford to send it off repair until later. Handling the MZ-S, I feel like it would have been in a hundred pieces after either one of those incidents.

OK, no, I don't generally shoot film for my pro work (though sometimes I do). It's just a level of ruggedness I've been spoiled with, I suppose. Lightweight plastic doesn't inspire confidence.

Ultimately, though, it's ergonomic concerns more than durability that make the MZ-S unattractive to me. While I don't think the PZ-1 is all that much more stout than the MZ-S, I can't complain at all about the ergo factor. It's really enjoyable to shoot, and the adjustments come easily and naturally, without conscious thought. I daresay i prefer the subtle differences in the PZ-1's control wheel placement over that of the F100.