> > 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. > > 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:
[snip, snip] > -no film rewind crank, and I'm not sure how I'd initiate rewind manually. Turn the multi-function control dial to the right setting, push in the button, and spin the rear? control wheel. I can never remember which wheel to turn, but it doesn't matter - the LCD display shows you which wheel is active. > -"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.? It's just like manual, except that a quick push on one button will tell the camera to meter and set the exposure to what it thinks is correct. If you don't use the feature, it will never get in your way. But it's handy for getting a starting point before tweaking settings, or if you suddenly want to grab a shot before everything is set up. > 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. It's a great camera. I switched to an MZ-S as primary mainly because of the better AF system in the MZ-S, but I kept the PZ-1p in the camera bag. There are other advantages to the MZ-S; the build quality is higher, and the flash system is more versatile (if you have the newest flash). The AA battery grip for the MZ-S is nice, too, and ergonomically great! But the PZ-1p is better in some areas - the much faster film advance is one thing I like, and the 1/250 flash sync can be useful at times.
