Hi everyone, I've been working with the MZ-S for over six weeks now - I did two fashion shoots and used it on a project that I'm doing on strip clubs, where it took a pretty nasty knock on the top plate (courtesy of a rather irate customer) and survived it without any obvious problems. I've put eighty six rolls through it - somehow with this camera you just know ;-) - and I am very happy with the way it performs. This camera was criticised by some magazine reviewers in this country for not having enough bells, whistles, dials and push buttons, but for someone who wants a lightweight and inconspicous metal body with only the relevant features, its possibly the only choice unless you consider rangefinders. I find the six zones metering, in particular, to be fantastic. It really makes cameras with five hundreds zones lightmeters look like James Bond/ Fisher Price technology. I've also been using the BG-10 grip, which I find to be very well designed and solid and the (excellent) AF 360 FGZ flash. The only (minor) criticism of the MZ-S's performance I would have is that the winder is a bit slow: an extra 0,5 fps shouldnt have been impossible to squeeze in. However, I'm fine with it now that I got used to its rhythm. The build quality is very good, but, IMHO, with one (major) exception - the back cover. The back cover of the MZ-S is of the same quality of those found on � 200 entry-level slrs. Its completely made of lightweight plastic, including the hook of the lock. The corresponding hook on the body is also made of plastic, whereas the back plates of other upper range cameras have rock solid components, often with a double locking mechanism to prevent accidental opening and ensure that if the camera is dropped, the back will not open and fog the film - which is the worst that could happen to a working photographer. I suppose that for general use it does the job, allthough it still feels flimsy (it clicks and creeks slightly when squeezed) for a �700 camera. I wonder if Pentax have a Nikon or Canon saboteur in their design team :-), - and I reckon that they should address this issue by bringing out an alternative "pro" back, made of metal or and without the date function, because, again IMHO, the present back plate disqualifies the camera from the slr upper echelons - which, considering how good the rest is, is silly.
Andrea London, UK.
