I shoot mostly landscapes with some wildlife and macro stuff thrown in. My 35mm kit consists of MZ-S, PZ1p, MX and K2. The MZ-S gets the most use. The PZ-1p and MX are very close to each other in second place (which one I use depends on whether autofocus, autoexposure and advanced flash capabilities take precedence over size and weight). The K2 is in near-mint condition and I love it dearly, so it doesn't get taken out too often - mostly when I know I'm going to be shooting macros of flora of some kind and want manual mirror lock-up.
The MZ-S is my absolute favorite. It the best camera ever made for the back-country landscape photographer. It has all the features I could want: Terrific ergonomics, great autofocus, great metering, mirror pre-fire (that and an IR remote control and I don't have to deal with manual mirror lock-up and cable releases), autobracketing, built-in pop-up flash for emergencies. Use the battery grip and you get even better ergonomics, extended time between battery changes and the knowledge that new batteries can be purchased almost anywhere. Need to travel light? Remove the battery grip and it's not much bigger than an MX. The angled top plate is a real boon for people who frequently have the camera mounted on a tripod at eye level. The data imprinting on the film between sprocket holes is icing on the cake. It feels wonderfully solid, as if the camera were carved out of a solid block of "unobtanium", and appears to be as reliable as a pet rock. Granted, a landscape guy doesn't need a hundred AF points or 8 fps motor drive, but that said, there isn't another camera made by any manufacturer that I'd take over the MZ-S for my purposes. If you think digital is going to take over completely in the near future, buy yourself an MZ-S now so you'll always be able to remind yourself how good film cameras were. I also have a 645 (manual focus) and 45mm, 75mm and 200mm lenses. The medium format kit gets used for black and white shooting mostly. I don't want to do any more darkroom work with 35mm negatives if I can help it. Oh yeah - I have the Sigma achromatic close-up lens (58mm thread) for doing semi-macro stuff with either the 200mm or 75mm lenses. -- Mark Roberts Photography and writing www.robertstech.com
