Hi,
I've been toting this combination around for a few months now,
courtesy of Dennis K in Moscow. A few observations - please
note that some of these comments may apply only to the
particular one I am talking about.
Body - likes: Build quality. This is an excellent piece of kit
when looked at from an engineering point of view. Extremely
well put together and finished. Mostly. The user interface
("controls" I think they used to be called) is good for me. I
can reach almost everything I want to without moving my hands
unnecessarily and without having to look for it. Some other
design points are good - the small pockets in the strap, for
example. Quiet, fast autofocus and a good screen for manual.
Viewfinder clear. Small and light. Even though I have big
hands, I prefer small cameras. Built in flash useful for small,
fill-in blips. Excellent metering, as with my LX & Z1-p. I
(almost completely) trust my Pentax camera to give me correct
exposure. I only need to compensate in blatantly obvious
situations, and then only because I use slide film.
Body - dislikes: Build quality. It is so good but has a few
things wrong which are irksome. The most important, for me, is
the flimsy feeling and stiff on/off switch. (Remember the
disclaimer in the first paragraph) I always feel that it is
going to break when I switch it on. Not so bad a feeling going
the other way, so I suspect this may be a rogue. Allied to this
is the complete absence of feedback from the shutter button.
Also quite stiff, it has absolutely no "feel" to it. Even the
simple "two position" feel of the Z1-p is better than this
blancmange. Another dislike is the way the finish has rubbed
off next to the strap lugs. Bearing in mind that this is a
magnesium alloy outer skin, the potential for severe corrosion
is high in the correct circumstances. Talking of straps - do
Pentax enjoy inflicting pain on their users? All three original
straps I have used (Z1-p, LX & MZ-s) are very irritating to my
skin if used for more than a few minutes. I must be delicate.
The body shape does not fit my hand as well as my Z1-p - the
ridge along the end of the grip part of the body is sharp
compared to the Z and I find it comparatively uncomfortable.
But I am just talking about holding a camera; it's not as if it
causes me pain. Viewfinder information hard to see in bright
light. More to do with my spectacles than anything else, so I'm
stuck with that on other bodies, too.
Lens - likes: Extremely sharp, neutral(ish) colour rendition.
By which, I mean I can't see any obvious difference between this
and other Pentax lenses. Switching between manual and auto
focus and between power and manual zoom is done by sliding the
control rings to and from the body. Very intuitive and easy to
do when the ensemble is held to your face. Not really a
like/dislike but I notice, in manual, that it focuses past
infinity on the scale. Powerzoom is fun and useful - on
occasion. (Presumably) The large aperture allows easy manual
focus. Almost completely flare free anyway, it still has a
massive hood. Complete ensemble produces inevitable "You must
be a professional photographer" statements from complete
strangers.
Lens - dislikes: Gargantuan size draws _much_ comment. After
the (about) 100th "You must be...etc", I started responding with
"Yes, but I'm a f*****g c**p one, so if you want to look really
ugly just stay there". Difficult to put the cap on with the
hood on. (Do you need to?) Only a quarter turn from one end of
the focus scale to the other. Not a problem ordinarily but, in
manual focus, as you can see clearly when you are in focus, it
makes it a bit difficult to be absolutely precise. No "feel" to
the control. Powerzoom gobbles batteries. If you need to use
this, you have to have the grip.
So, good or bad? Given the market, I would say Good. That's
good with a capital G. A few design foibles (what hasn't got
those?) and one or two possible quality control issues. Not a
problem if reliability is up to scratch. That means getting at
least five years hobby use out of it without major intervention,
for me. Would I buy one? Out of the question at the moment,
both financially and desire wise. The gear I have does most of
what I want. I would be tempted more by the lens than the body.
mike
fcpp
