Jerry wrote: > I know this is one of the usual rants even though there is no rational reason > a metal bodied camera is inherently better than an engineered plastic body, > but this statement is not a valid (IMHO) measure of build quality.
What is valid is that the MZ-S is the structurally stiffest Pentax slr body ever, something thats quite apparent when handling one. Pentax is characterized by deep engineering and few manufacturers are as thorough as Pentax. When they do something, they do it well. Theres nothing cheap with the MZ-S. It's pretty much built along the same lines with same materials as the top-of-the-line Canon. Not two MZ-S look alike due to their individual finishing something thats apparent from the two bodies I've owned. On another note, and this is a personal opinion, I feel that the MZ-S (and the rest of the MZ-series) is a step back to typical Pentax design. Pentax design has traditionally been very far from typical japanese design which is usually messy. Pentax design is almost European in execution with clear cut lines without ornaments. Their cameras have a timeless character. Look at eg. a Canon A-1 compared to a contemporary Pentax ME or ME-Super; the Pentax is still stylish when the Canon look old, almost baroque and most would date it to the 50's based on design alone. One of the problems with the Z-1p was that it had typical early 90's japanese design, which is very bland. The designer of the Z-1 could be the same guy who designed the early 90's Mazda 626: something vaguely stylish that was left alone a little to long in the microwave. This half-melted design is very bland. It's like those japanese cars you can't find back to at the parking lot because you have forgotten what it looks like since you parked it. The MZ-S design has both presence and charisma and is hopefully representative for Pentax future design language. >High quality > engineered "plastics", not even a good description of the material used, have > many properties that make for an excellent material for use in cameras....low > thermal conductivity for example. To me, build quality is not measured by > how it feels in your hand but by fit and finish, MTBF, and other more > objective metrics. ..but the Z-1p's body is pretty cheaply made and it has nowhere near the rigidity of the MZ-S or its durability regarding the outer body. 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 .
