[Eyewanders]

I think the above, though I certainly understand the appeal of these, is why I personally don't care for the Z1's - just bit more tinkering than needed for me. That and I don't love the handling. The MZ-S does most of all of this, sans hyper modes or direct FA-J type, ringless aperture control. It does everything I want in a way that still feels rooted in more classic design and tactile. The PZ's really do feel like a DSLR, the MZ-S comes right up to the line but remains simpler. Exposure comp and program line shifting with auto-bracketing and the like are still available if wanted, but everything there in front of you and the VF has more information. Strangely, they're very much similar cameras, yet very distinct from one another. You really need to get your paws on both to decide, IMO.

A nice little breakdown for the MZ-S is here:
http://derrybryson.com/manuals/Pentax/Literature/MZS_Brochure.pdf

Not to sway you either way - just typing out my MZ-S love... it seems a tiny bit underrepresented here in this thread.

---------- Post added 06-01-18 at 12:51 PM ----------

Not sure if this was mentioned, but if you truly enjoy your ZX-5, the MZ-3 is virtually the same camera with an added stop of shutter speed. It, like all it's brethren, will at some point need the plastic mirror gear replaced with a metal version (well covered in the forum here), but as such it's a much cheaper option. Though at only an additional stop, might not be worth your trouble.

[Swift1]

the MZ-S has one of the best exposure comp dials on any of my cameras (easy to use and see at a quick glance) and when you use it whilst in Tv mode, you ARE adjusting aperture because that is the only part of the exposure the camera can adjust with shutter speed locked in Tv... so it's really no different.

I don't disagree with you regarding handling, as handling is fairly subjective. One person may love the way a camera handles, and someone else may not like it at all, and that is fine.

Your method of changing aperture in Tv mode with the MZ-S doesn't quite add up. By adjusting the exposure compensation you are effectively changing aperture, but you are also changing the overall exposure. Wouldn't it be simpler to adjust the shutter speed dial to get the aperture you want?

[Eyewanders]

I don't disagree with you regarding handling, as handling is fairly subjective. One person may love the way a camera handles, and someone else may not like it at all, and that is fine.

Your method of changing aperture in Tv mode with the MZ-S doesn't quite add up. By adjusting the exposure compensation you are effectively changing aperture, but you are also changing the overall exposure. Wouldn't it be simpler to adjust the shutter speed dial to get the aperture you want?

Exactly yes - in Tv if you lock the exposure they're tied to each other so if you raise/lower the shutter speed, you're changing the aperture value at the same time. Usually that's all it is. I only mean that if you're trying to adjust aperture for *exposure* only, the comp dial does that if it's locked in Tv. (that was convoluted, sorry). Most of the time, yeah, if you're after a particular aperture you just adjust the dial until you reach it. I suppose the greater point is there is not way to SET an aperture and have the camera AE on the fly by changing shutter only. That's a fact.

---------- Post added 06-01-18 at 02:57 PM ----------

Oh and my love for the MZ-S is still entirely the fault of @Swift1 Colton.

[wkraus]

Besides the base plate, what commonly breaks on the PZ?

I think this question remains unanswered. In my experience as a longtime user of two Z-1p bodies (European designation), the base plate tends to break next to the battery door which can render the door lock a bit unreliable (not that the battery would drop out however). And, as with the MZ series, the flash popup spring may break.

[johnha]

I think this question remains unanswered. In my experience as a longtime user of two Z-1p bodies (European designation), the base plate tends to break next to the battery door which can render the door lock a bit unreliable (not that the battery would drop out however). And, as with the MZ series, the flash popup spring may break.

My Z-1 has suffered a similar crack near the battery door - I keep the grip strap attached to protect the baseplate.

[redbirdpete]

One difference between the PZ-1 and the PZ-1p is that the internal LCD doesn't seem to fade in old age on the 1p as it does on the PZ-1 (and PZ-20). It's a slightly more informative display as well.

If you only have the crack on the baseplate and the small section hasn't yet broken off completely, carefully work some glue under the slightly more flexible part before you catch it on something and it breaks off. I used UHU.

They do feel more like a digital than a film camera.

[Sandy Hancock]

I have owned the MZ-S and PZ-1.

The MZ-S is built like a tank and is a nicer camera to handle, but it will NOT allow changing of aperture via the body, so modern lenses will be useless.

If that is important, you should definitely get the (P)Z-1(p) despite its lesser build quality and (in my opinion) ugliness.

[UncleVanya]

I have owned the MZ-S and PZ-1.

The MZ-S is built like a tank and is a nicer camera to handle, but it will NOT allow changing of aperture via the body, so modern lenses will be useless.

If that is important, you should definitely get the (P)Z-1(p) despite its lesser build quality and (in my opinion) ugliness.

Oh Sandy! You skewered my favorite camera. Lol. I think it's a beautiful camera not an ugly duckling.

[Eyewanders]

I have owned the MZ-S and PZ-1.

... but it will NOT [MZ-S] allow changing of aperture via the body, so modern lenses will be useless.

Modern lenses are not useless, just limited; you can still use them in Program and Tv mode.
I stick my DA*300 on the MZ-S frequently. I'm usually shooting bird life with that combo, aperture priority is much less important than shutter, so it's more than fine.

[Sandy Hancock]

Modern lenses are not useless, just limited; you can still use them in Program and Tv mode.
I stick my DA*300 on the MZ-S frequently. I'm usually shooting bird life with that combo, aperture priority is much less important than shutter, so it's more than fine.

Thanks for the clarification. I'm an aperture priority kind of guy, so never thought to try the other modes on the MZ-S.

[twilhelm]

Have you considered the *ist? It's built nearly exactly like the *ist DL with a top shutter speed of 1/4000, and has more features than the MZ-S or PZ-1(p). They don't come up for sale often, but tend to be cheaper than either other camera. I picked one up from a forum member here (I had been looking for one) and then picked up a new in box AA battery grip from a camera shop off ebay for $49.

[Eyewanders]

Thanks for the clarification. I'm an aperture priority kind of guy, so never thought to try the other modes on the MZ-S.

As always was I, or just manual. Only in the last year have I begun to use Tv more often and been appreciating it more.

When you mount one of those newer lenses the camera will default to Program and if you change the shutter from where it meters it enters (and stays in) Tv mode unless you press the Green Button again which moves it back to full Program. I still use Av and manual more often (only two of my lenses don't have a ring) but after getting used to it I really don't find it limiting.

[leekil]

Have you considered the *ist? It's built nearly exactly like the *ist DL with a top shutter speed of 1/4000, and has more features than the MZ-S or PZ-1(p). They don't come up for sale often, but tend to be cheaper than either other camera. I picked one up from a forum member here (I had been looking for one) and then picked up a new in box AA battery grip from a camera shop off ebay for $49.

I have one that I haven't used a lot, and though it does allow you to change the aperture, the size & position of the Av button to do so seem kind of awkward to me. But it is very small and light!

[cooltouch]

Problem is I usually like to shoot cars and that means a CPL is pretty much always on the lens. Stacking a CPL and an ND filter and trying to make sure I nailed focus is not too easy of a thing to do. I would prefer to just have the shutter make up it up for me. I honestly really do not like using filters and step up rings.

I used to freelance as a motorsports photographer back in my film days. Mostly I shot Kodachrome 64 and Fujichrome 100. Getting good shots of moving cars is tricky. To reduce the amount of out-of-focus images I'd get, whenever possible, I would prefocus on a section of the track, and then shoot the car as it rolled over that exact spot on the track. One thing you don't want to do is to shoot at high shutter speeds. 1/250 second is just about the fastest you can get. If you shoot with a shutter speed any faster than that, you've lost the wheel blur and your car looks like it's standing still. If you're going for static shots, fast shutter speeds are fine. But if you're going for dynamic shots which illustrate the car in motion, wheel blur is essential. And if you're trying for shots where the background's nothing but soft bokeh, then really your only option is to use ND filters. Even though Kodachrome 64 was considered a slow film, when using fast lenses wide open on a sunny day, you were looking at high shutter speeds. E.g., using the Sunny f/16 Rule, where 1/60 @ f/16 is correct exposure, this translates into 1/2000 second at f/2.8.

Most of the time I was shooting at 1/125 or 1/60 and using a monopod when necessary to stabilize my gear. I found that, if shooting a fast car at these shutter speeds, as you pan while the car goes by, all the background will be blurred nicely, so the bokeh you get from a wide-open lens isn't necessary. The motion blur is a good substitute for it.

[UncleVanya]

I used to freelance as a motorsports photographer back in my film days. Mostly I shot Kodachrome 64 and Fujichrome 100. Getting good shots of moving cars is tricky. To reduce the amount of out-of-focus images I'd get, whenever possible, I would prefocus on a section of the track, and then shoot the car as it rolled over that exact spot on the track. One thing you don't want to do is to shoot at high shutter speeds. 1/250 second is just about the fastest you can get. If you shoot with a shutter speed any faster than that, you've lost the wheel blur and your car looks like it's standing still. If you're going for static shots, fast shutter speeds are fine. But if you're going for dynamic shots which illustrate the car in motion, wheel blur is essential. And if you're trying for shots where the background's nothing but soft bokeh, then really your only option is to use ND filters. Even though Kodachrome 64 was considered a slow film, when using fast lenses wide open on a sunny day, you were looking at high shutter speeds. E.g., using the Sunny f/16 Rule, where 1/60 @ f/16 is correct exposure, this translates into 1/2000 second at f/2.8.

Most of the time I was shooting at 1/125 or 1/60 and using a monopod when necessary to stabilize my gear. I found that, if shooting a fast car at these shutter speeds, as you pan while the car goes by, all the background will be blurred nicely, so the bokeh you get from a wide-open lens isn't necessary. The motion blur is a good substitute for it.

Nice to hear from someone who has done it already and get some practical input. This surprised me a little as I didn't think about wheel blur.