-----Original Message----- From: Andrea Rocca Sent: Tuesday, September 10, 2002 9:32 AM
Hallo everyone, As I am seriously considering buying an MZS mainly because of its low weight and magnesium shell - I was wondering if some current user could clarify a few points for me. The first is the built quality. Here the Z1P, lovely as it is, has failed me in terms of reliability to the point that I've decided it is not for me. (Obviously this is a completely subjective judgement). My main body took a small bump on a stone wall as I was running (this wasn't a major impact, just a clip) last year in India: the top LCD display's plastic cover flew off and the mirror locked up. How much better is the MZS built? Could it be compared to cameras like, say, the NIkon F100 or Contax G2? <snip> Andrea Rocca London, UK Andrea, I have had my MZ-S for just over a year. As others will attest, I believe my cameras to be tools not jewels. It is not that I go out of my way to abuse them, it is just that I will place them in a bag with other cameras and such with minimal padding if I have to. They are taken out and placed in the dirt, out in the rain and the like. This is why I favor the LX so much. I have had my MZ-S bump into objects many a time. I have had it dropped on a couple of occasions. It takes quite a bit to make a mark on the camera. The farthest drops have probably been about 5-6 feet. The camera has worked flawlessly. The only time it went back was for a frame overlap problem that was a known problem in certain early cameras and had inadvertently left the factory without correction. And that was within the first month... The camera has worked flawlessly for me. Any incorrect exposures I have taken have not been the fault of the camera. And I tend to shoot slide film. I must admit though, I am not sure whether it would be me or tv, but I think we put our equipment - at least the MZ-S through some durability testing. We are both happy with the camera. To sum it up, I would not be concerned with the durability of the MZ-S. There are a few of us who have proven it to be capable of taking a bit of a beating. Cesar Panama City, Florida
