RE: MZ-S Is It Worth It !

[Jens Bladt]

Hi Paul and all I think the question should be: Are your pictures worth it? Are your lenses worth it?(!) First: Our slides and prints cost the same either you make them with a 10$ P&S or a 1000$ SLR. The cost of the camera is a smal percentage anyway (that is if you take more tahn just a few).  All well known cameras are very good. It doesn't matter if it's a Canon, Nikon, Minolta, Leica, Contax, Sigma or Pentax. All of them can produce excellent pictures. It is done every day. What matters is that you like the product philosophy, the design, user interface, accessories, lenses, corperate policy etc., etc. Most Pentax cameras will last 10, 20, 30 years. If you like Pentax gear - use it, buy it. A MZ-S will cost less than two colorprints a day!  Second: I think Pål has a point. If you allready own lenses worth 10 times the cost of a the new body, it is good economic sense to upgrade the body once in a while. Buying a new body will not only increase the value of your lenses for you, but also the market value. (That's probably one of the reasons we all want Pentax to make a new killer body - even if we don't buy one. It will help sustain the market value of all our lenses and accessories in general). If no one is buying the new bodies, the value of our lenses will decrease rapidly (we can buy cheap lenses for a few years, but then what?) If you don't like your Pentax lenses, don't wait for a new body to make up for it  -  change brand now! If you like them, buy a new body from time to time. Third: I think the MZ-S is going to be a succes. It completes the current, best selling MZ line-up. It improves the PZ-1p user interfase by simplifying some of the best PZ-1p features as well as adding others (like 6 point AF). It has improved durability. It may not have the versatility of the LX or the PZ1-p but it will be a nice analog match to the new digital version. It's a compromise, yes. But isn't it a clever one? It is not what some of us hoped for - a new come-back to the "35mm pro scene". Those days are gone, I'm afraid. The "pro-scene" is going to be digital and MF. But it sure is a nice gesture to all of us who like/use the "35mm" lenses. It's an offer to those, who want to use the lenses for Full Frame Digital Photography. (It is also sustaining the 35mm lens market, in case the digital version doesn't sell). It's like a bridge (as well as an insurance) between history and the future. I still think the MZ-S makes perfect sence. I'll buy one, it'll be worth it! Best Regards Jens