Fred, I don't know about 1 & 3, but I can shed some light on #2. With a camera like the PZ-1/Z-1 the lens has an electric power zoom. You can slide the zoom clutch out and have the camera zoom electrically. ...Just a light touch of the zoom ring.
So the button and the switch... Once you have the electric zoom engaged, lenses like the FA28-70 and FA28-80 will zoom back to a a preset short length when powering down the camera. The switch and the button allow you to preset one or two focal lenghts on the lens and switch (zoom) to them automatically on one touch of the button. I suppose you use this to go to a pre-set crop you want on a photograph. There is also a 'zoom clip' mode when the electric zoom is engaged. With servo auto focus (active, always on focusing), you flip the switch, hit the button and the lens will keep the same image size (if possible). That is, zoom in on a marathon runner coming at you and the camera will automatically back the zoom down and hold the focus and relative runner size as he comes at you. Two or three caveats: 1) I've never used the 'zoom clip' mode on the FA lenses except trying it out. I have used the pre-set zoom lengths, but ultimately moved to full manual zoom. 2) You need to have the electric power zoom connection in the camera body. See Boz's site, but I don't think the ZX-5n has it. The power zoom was a gimic to make the PZ-1 more like a point-n-shoot. It was quickly dropped. 3) I use the FA80-200/2.8 on a PZ-1p. It's a big, heavy lens. I put a grip on camera just to make holding the rig more comfortable. I don't have a smaller autofocus camera, but I think the lens would be overwhelming on a ZX-5n. (I can make you a picture of the lens on an ME Super or LX for comparison.) Regards, Bob S. On Sat, 4 Dec 2004 10:10:23 -0500, Fred <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > 1. Is there a separate manual for the FA* 80-200/2.8? I'm looking > at an "SMC Pentax-FA interchangeable Lenses Operating Manual", and > it says that there is a separate manual for this lens, but I didn't > find it on the Pentax USA manual download site. > > 2. What's the story with the PZ, AZ, and MODE settings on the side > of the barrel (and the push button next to the slide switch for > these settings)? I understand that the settings are for the "power > zoom" functions. However, what's the difference between "power > zoom" and "auto zoom"? > > 3. Are there differences in how autofocus Pentax bodies work with > these settings? Of course, if I use the 80-200/2.8 on one of my > LX's, I know that the functionality won't work. However, if my wife > were to try the 80-200/2.8 on her ZX-5n, what could she do? (Is > there more functionality available when the lens is mounted on, say, > a PZ-1p, for example?) > > What "power zoom" functions are supported on the two digital bodies? > (Is there a difference between them in this regard?) > > Please excuse my ignorance here - I'm basically just an ol' manual > focus dinosaur (but I think of myself as more of a Velociraptor > mongoliensis than as a Stegosaurus armatus - <g>). > > Fred > >
