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05-07-2009, 10:30 AM   #1
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Pentax ZX-L

Am I the only forum owner of one? I searched through the forum and couldn't find any threads or posts at all about this camera. I picked it up cheap on ebay as another film body and haven't used it much yet. I was wondering if anyone has one and can comment on it's pluses/minuses. My main con about it is it's real tiny in my hands.

05-07-2009, 11:13 AM   #3
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I just got one the other day (MZ-6, so european ZX-L,) as evidenced by the second link k100d posted. I absolutely love it. It is one of the most perfect Pentax bodies I could imagine. Small body, full compatibility lens mount, DOF preview, body aperture control... pretty much every feature one could want. There are maybe two things one could reasonably ask for that this camera does not have: 1) mirror lockup and 2) a larger viewfinder. I don't mind.
05-07-2009, 11:38 AM   #4
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When I first got it, I was concerned about the odd sound of the shutter firing. Anyone else notice this? It seems like it's not changing speeds and sounds exactly the same at 1/30 as it does at 1/4000. The only sound change seems to be when you go really long like to one second. I confirmed that everything was OK when I had film developed and the exposures were fine, but it just seems that even at fast speeds, the shutter sounds like it is lagging or too slow, but it's not. Weird. Maybe I should test it at the top speed again, just to be sure.

05-07-2009, 01:46 PM   #5
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the sound you are hearing is probably the film winder and not the shutter
the shutter's on these things are super smooth, try bulb mode to check

Last edited by k100d; 05-07-2009 at 06:22 PM.
05-07-2009, 04:18 PM   #6
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My only complaint is that the viewfinder is tiny.
05-07-2009, 06:13 PM   #7
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QuoteOriginally posted by cousinsane Quote
My only complaint is that the viewfinder is tiny.
Same here. Especially put an ME Super w/ it side by side, the viewfinder on MZ-6 looks really tiny and dim. That's why I got the MZ-S back

05-07-2009, 08:44 PM   #8
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QuoteOriginally posted by k100d Quote
the sound you are hearing is probably the film winder and not the shutter
the shutter's on these things are super smooth, try bulb mode to check
I think you're right, and the shutter is so quiet, it gets lost in the film advance sound. I guess I'm just use to the PZ-1P, which is a lot different shutter snap and frame advance sound.
05-08-2009, 01:17 AM   #9
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QuoteOriginally posted by cousinsane Quote
My only complaint is that the viewfinder is tiny.
It could be better, but it is okay. Bigger than my K100D, and big enough to MF with some effort. Some people have apparently taken split screens intended for MZ-M and used them in this camera and it's supposed to work alright even with AF, anyone tried this?
05-10-2009, 09:08 PM   #10
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Count me too as another user. The Pentax ZX-L is a fine amateur / semi-pro 35mm AF SLR camera. But, try getting a ZX/MZ AA-Battery Grip Fg to save on batteries. I'll post more of my experiences with it later.
05-10-2009, 09:20 PM   #11
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ZX-L

I have used my ZX-L with the winder for almost a year. I find the Manual control to be spot on, while the Av a little overexposed. The mirror up is the same as the K-10, using the 2 second delay timer.

I really like the balance with the battery winder, and the enloops AA rechargeable batteries work great. As far as comments on size, I find it very useful to pack as a second body to use with my FF lenses.
05-10-2009, 09:24 PM   #12
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An owner and love it

Btw the ZX-L doesnt have a winder (the winder is built in), just a battery pack. If you get the battery pack the size should be more manageable for you.
05-13-2009, 08:02 AM   #13
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I like this body a lot too. The Fg grip (in addition to allowing use of cheap batteries) improves handling somewhat, particularly if your lens is anything but a tiny prime.

As much as people complain about the small VF in these things, to my eye they're nearly indistinguishable from the pentaprism-equipped D-SLRs. They're a little small for a film SLR but fairly bright for an autofocus film SLR.

Other than MLU, I would have preferred that spotmeter be available in manual exposure mode. As is, I think it can only be used in AE modes (with AE-L if enabled in 'pentax functions').
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