It hit me the other day while I was out shooting with my glorious (and,
of late, neglected) Pentax 67: I don't need an MZ-S right now.
I've just sold my Arca Swiss 4x5 in a money-raising move to finance the
MZ-S. I've managed to find a pretty good deal on one locally, at
Henry's. I was all set to take the plunge...and then I went out
shooting with my 67.
My 67 behaved exactly how I wanted it to. I realized that it really is
pretty much my ideal camera.
I also got thinking...if I picked up an MZ-S, I'd start wanting to
replace my current lenses with AF lenses, which is okay, except I really
like some of the personality traits of the ones I have, and there's
really no guarantee that the AF versions will be at all the same.
Also, my Polaroid Sprintscan 120 arrives today. Yep, I took the plunge:
we had enough demand for big prints from medium format transparencies,
and then one of our suppliers made us an offer we couldn't refuse on it.
Since my medium format capacities in colour were a little on the wimpy
side, I was shooting more 35mm. I won't have that problem now.
The MZ-S is really really neat. I like it. I'd like to own one. But I
realized that there are a few things I'd like more, so I'm going to
spend my money on them instead.
First, I want the 45mm for my 67. I've borrowed this lens before, and
its a knockout. I shoot a lot of wides in 35mm, but I have no wides for
my 67, which also explains why I don't use it as much as I should.
Second, I'm going to pick up the metering prism for my 67, unless
someone with one talks me out of it (I have the non-metering prism now).
I use my little Sekonic 308, and quite like it, but it becomes a pain
to check minor differences in light, like when the sun dips halfway
behind a cloud, because I have to take the camera down from my eye and
let it drop to my side, get out the meter, check, then pick the camera
back up. I also think that the camera looks better with the
non-metering prism, but hey, that's a secondary concern. ;)
Also, I've been known to forget my meter. I'm pretty good at
guesstimating exposure, but I'd rather have a meter to lean on.
Third, I'd like to have the look-down finder for the 67. I tried the
magnifier one once, and it was a joy to look through, but it was awkward
to work with while running around, so I think I'll go with the folding hood.
Fourth, if there's money left over (and there should be, I got $1800
Canadian for my Arca & lens & accessories), I want to pick up some LX
accessories, particularly other finders and one of the new screens.
Hey, are there any good replacement screens for the 67? The one it came
with is great (mine was built in about 1996, dunno if that makes a
difference), but I'm always curious to try new ones.
I was also thinking about my ideal camera, and I've decided what it
would be. Of course, I doubt that we will ever see it, so it's just
wishful thinking...I'd like my 67 (not the II, I like the looks of the
67 better...does that make me shallow?) with the LX's OTF metering
capabilities for long exposures. The thirty and sixty second exposures
I made on automatic at Goat Island with the LX were all so stellar, I
just wish that I had made them on 67.
Doesn't sound much like an MZ-S, does it?
I still want an MZ-S. I'm sure that when Vanessa's hockey season starts
up, I'll be wanting an MZ-S even more. But right now, I'm going to
spend my money on my 67.
-Aaron
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