[Jonathan Mac]

A few months ago I bought a Z-70 cheap to use as a travel AF camera because it's lighter than the SFXn and Z1 camera's I'd usually use when I want AF and film. It allows Av mode and goes to 1/2000s, which isn't bad.

I haven't used it yet and we're going away on Saturday so I took it out this morning to check it's working, check the battery, replace the small areas of light seals etc, and it occurred to me that I don't know if this camera uses the same mirror movement mechanism as the newer MZ/ZX film cameras. If it does then that would make it unreliable due to the well-known and very common problem of a plastic cog in the mirror movement mechanism breaking. I think it's just the MZ/ZX cameras that suffer from this but the Z-70 came out in '95 and the MZs appeared in '96 so maybe they share some parts as the camera feels like something half-way between the Z-1 and the MZ/ZX series.

Does anyone know?

This camera seems to be far less common than the MZ cameras and I haven't read any reports of failure but I think there are very, very few people still using this model. I want something light with AF that goes to more than 1/1000s but I don't want to be caught out with a broken camera when I don't have another film one to hand (though of course there's always some risk of this, film or digital).

[gofour3]

A few months ago I bought a Z-70 cheap to use as a travel AF camera because it's lighter than the SFXn and Z1 camera's I'd usually use when I want AF and film. It allows Av mode and goes to 1/2000s, which isn't bad.

I haven't used it yet and we're going away on Saturday so I took it out this morning to check it's working, check the battery, replace the small areas of light seals etc, and it occurred to me that I don't know if this camera uses the same mirror movement mechanism as the newer MZ/ZX film cameras. If it does then that would make it unreliable due to the well-known and very common problem of a plastic cog in the mirror movement mechanism breaking. I think it's just the MZ/ZX cameras that suffer from this but the Z-70 came out in '95 and the MZs appeared in '96 so maybe they share some parts as the camera feels like something half-way between the Z-1 and the MZ/ZX series.

Does anyone know?

This camera seems to be far less common than the MZ cameras and I haven't read any reports of failure but I think there are very, very few people still using this model. I want something light with AF that goes to more than 1/1000s but I don't want to be caught out with a broken camera when I don't have another film one to hand (though of course there's always some risk of this, film or digital).

I've not heard of any Z/PZ Series cameras having the mirror clog issues like the MZ/ZX series.

Phil.

[Jonathan Mac]

I've not heard of any Z/PZ Series cameras having the mirror clog issues like the MZ/ZX series.

Phil.

Me neither. It's just that it's nice and light (though not with the might-fall-apart-in-your-hands feel of the MZs) and the sound when shooting is much more akin to that made by an MZ than an SF or other older AF camera.

[gofour3]

My Z-1p is now my main travel camera after I finally found the OEM case for it.

Perfect so far, but I always make sure I have a spare battery on hand or install a fresh one before I leave for the trip..

Phil.

[Jonathan Mac]

Well I took the Z70 and the mirror cog didn't fail... but the electronics did. I took about six shots on one day and the next time I took it out to use the shot count had gone up to about a dozen. I turned it on and it soon became apparent that pressing just about any button on it fired off a shot - adjust aperture: shot, change exposure mode: shot, etc etc. I messed arounda little but when it got to about 22 I gave up and removed the roll to avoid wasting one of my last rolls of the original Acros.

I haven't gone back to it. I suppose it could be a low battery but I'm hesitant to risk wasting anything else in it now, and I need a film-end retriever to be able to use the rest of that roll in another camera.

[stevebrot]

I gave up and removed the roll to avoid wasting one of my last rolls of the original Acros.

Wise move. I have a stash that I am metering out as well.


Steve

[TwoUptons]

Well I took the Z70 and the mirror cog didn't fail... but the electronics did. I took about six shots on one day and the next time I took it out to use the shot count had gone up to about a dozen. I turned it on and it soon became apparent that pressing just about any button on it fired off a shot - adjust aperture: shot, change exposure mode: shot, etc etc. I messed arounda little but when it got to about 22 I gave up and removed the roll to avoid wasting one of my last rolls of the original Acros.

I haven't gone back to it. I suppose it could be a low battery but I'm hesitant to risk wasting anything else in it now, and I need a film-end retriever to be able to use the rest of that roll in another camera.

You can also run it by the local lab... they'll usually be happy to pull it for you...

-Eric