Mark wrote: >The two cameras have almost identical > functionality, but on the PZ-1p it is easier to navigate to where you want > to go.
Its sad then that Pentax totally missed the boat. The MZ-S was designd to be easier in use than the Z-1p. Can you tell me which of the dial of the Z-1p sets aperture and which shutterspeed without consulting the manual or trying out on the camera? I'm not talking about someone who is familiar with the camera but someone seeing it for the first time. Can you tell me which way to turn which dial for getting overexposure without consulting the camera or the manual? Can you tell me which way to turn which dial for getting overexposure when using exposure compensation? Did you realize its oposite way than getting overexposure via manual mode? Was that intuitive? And where is the self time? The mirror lock? Manual please! >Two-second mirror lock-up is much faster to set on the PZ-1p, and the > MZ-S does not have 3-frame timer release, which I find very useful. Can anyone tell where the self-timer is located on the Z-1p without consulting the manual? Do anyone have problems locating the self-timer on the MZ-S? I'm sorry for these rethorical questions. >the PZ-1p LCD shows you > more readily where your ISO setting is. ?? >The offset hot shoe on the > PZ-1p is simply brilliant design, and made the large LCD possible. And make the use of the built in flash close to impossible with any lens because it mounted too low... > In summary, the PZ-1p remains a body that is a sheer joy to use: abundantly > functional -- truly top notch -- and it is simply too bad that more people > did not recognize this body as the truly pro-specification, easy to use > camera that it is. (Photo.Net's somewhat obvious bias against Pentax hasn't > helped, and is truly a mystery to me.) It is not a mystery. The Z-1p is over complicated. In november this year while visiting the Pentax distributor, a Pentax rep told me that the Z-1p was so complicated for most users that many never enjoyed the camera. Similarly, the design history of the MZ-S clarely state that complicated cameras made the user enjoy the camera less. It doesn't take much imagination to see the connections to the Z-1p. The MZ-S were designed to be simple to use. I've used the Z-1p for six years almost every day and it never became intuitive in use. There was no reason to me why the dial turned the way they did and when. Nor why the aperture was set on the back dial and not the front. Not to mention how difficult it was not to overscroll on those 64 options on one wheel. I'm sure for some technophiles the Z-1p is not complicated. But for majority of users, many who need to confont the manual for programming their VCR, the Z-1p is complex and intimidating. P�l - 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 .
