Lately, PHOTOgraphic has been giving some belated credit to the PZ-1p. They even listed it in the last issue as one of their five favorite cameras under $500, which I found surprising.
I personally love the PZ-1p and can't really imagine a better all-around camera. The ergonomics, as has already been pointed out, couldn't be better. The feel of the camera in my hands is simply the best thing I've ever felt. The Hyper modes concept is a brilliant one - something that would be difficult now for me to lose. I can't imagine getting so much enjoyment out of any other object, let alone camera. I was one of the handful clamoring for a PZ-1pn as a new flagship...not that an update was needed for me, but simply for marketing reasons - a few upgrades such as multi-point autofocusing would have helped sales perhaps. (Let's not get into the discussion of how poorly this gem of a camera, the PZ-1p, has been marketed.) And a weather-sealed titanium PZ-1p would have made me happy for life. It's hard for me see how the PZ-1p is considered ugly - especially when set alongside the MZ-S. The cover of PHOTOgraphic displays the five sub-$500 cameras - and the PZ-1p certainly isn't the worst looking. I have no problem with the looks of the Maxxum 9 though, either, which is generally considered awful to look at...so maybe I have strange notions of what constitutes attractiveness. May main dilemma is how many more PZ-1ps to buy before they disappear altogether. It seems clear that Pentax, as all other companies, will go almost entirely digital in order to survive. Room is left for perhaps one more film flagship, and it seems to make sense that it would be in the retro-style not unlike the LX-II suggested previously by Pal. I'll likely buy one (particularly if the build quality exceeds the PZ-1p, and especially if it exceeds the MZ-S and includes weather sealing), but it seems certain the specs won't match the PZ-1p. With the MZ-S coming in under the PZ-1p in specs in most regards apart from build quality, what this means is that the PZ-1p will end up having been the best, most well-spec'd, pro-caliber 35mm SLR Pentax ever produced. Hence, the more I can buy now the better off I'll be years from now. Sadly, the PZ-1p wasn't even loved by Pentaxers in general - and certainly not the way LX was. The demise of the LX was honored with a long thread of lavish toasts; the PZ-1p died without such honor. When I heard the news that the PZ-1p was officially out of production, I, however, silently drank some homemade chianti. Rob _________________________________________________________________ MSN Photos is the easiest way to share and print your photos: http://photos.msn.com/support/worldwide.aspx - This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org .
