In my discussion of whether the MZ-S might be considered the "FA limited" camera, somebody suggested that my preferences might be well served by a PZ-1p.
This is a camera from the era where I had closed my eyes to Pentax (from SF1 until *ist) because I had switched to Nikon for most of my work. I had poo-pood this camera at first sight because it reminded me too much of the SF1. I have not heard ANYBODY say anything about the SF1 on this list, and got the impression that other people also considered it one of those family embarassments. I got an SF1 on the grandpa-gets-new-camera plan, same plan that got me my K2, ME Supers, and Super Programs. I absolutely despised that SF1. The AF stank (OK, all AF stank back then, but it was my only AF experience) and the build quality and visual appeal of the F lenses was lousy. The film advance was a bad reminder of winder MEII (I'd been using motor LX and Motor A) and it was missing basic features like a mechanical cable release socket. To top it off, it broke TWICE on me in the short time I had it. I eventually gave it to my camera tech in return for a $10 discount on repairs to something else, so he could use it for parts. Shortly thereafter, I bought a Nikon F3. So, I looked at Boz's site and damned if I don't actually LIKE the PZ-1P, at least based on what he's got about it. The specs are better than most pentax cameras (most of which have slow film advance and slow shutters from my point of view) and it does have a better control layout than most pentax AF cameras (besides the ZX-5 and kin, which feel to me as if they are made of paper mache). To top it off, KEH has a bunch of PZ-1Ps for less than a used LX and less than half the price of an MZ-S. I can only see a few problems with it, which may not be problematic enough to convince me to eventually buy another LX, or enough more ZX-Ms to trust that one will remain unbroken when I need it. These problems are: -no PC sync socket visible. This is a quibble--I can always use a hot-shoe flash to trigger my studio strobes as I do with my D100. -no threaded cable release socket visible. I'm sure it takes an expensive electronic cable release. -no film rewind crank, and I'm not sure how I'd initiate rewind manually. -no AA battery option, and no add-on grip for better holding properties and vertical controls. True, the LX and such don't have this either. OTOH, Super Program + Motor Drive A do, which is why I used that combo. -2CR5 battery. You can get A76 button batteries and AAs everywhere and probably will be able to for many years. -hotshoe where I expect info display, and vice versa. I'm sure I could get over this. I never understood the off-center hot shoe. -92% viewfinder coverage. This is pretty normal for Pentax, but I've been spoiled by Nikon F series cameras. Another quibble. -"hyper" manual. WHAT on earth is hyper manual, and how does it differ in use from "manual" as used on, say, the Super Program or K1000.? I want to set shutter speeds and apertures by hand and have the camera tell me how well exposed it thinks those settings will make the picture. Any other camera interference in this process is unwelcome. Anybody care to explain how hyper-manual actually WORKS in use? In general, does anybody want to try to talk me into or out of buying a PZ-1P? For my ends it actually looks like a better camera than the MZ-S (remember I don't own any Pentax AF lenses) and it's a LOT cheaper. Any weaknesses or annoyances that I don't know about? Boz says it takes interchangeable screens--does that include a split image, and if so could I actually GET one nowadays? DJE
