Heiko, Many of us face similar decisions, and unfortunately Pentax doesn't help a bit. :o( I also have a MZ-5n and more or less the same assortment of lenses. I don't plan to sell any of them, partly because at the current prices it's not worth the hassle, and for the rest they don't overlap that much. Basically I have it split between a light trekking kit and an available light kit.
My main problem is the continuous degeneration of the photo-finishing services, as well as the shrinking offer of film. Only a couple of days ago a Kodak representative here made a comment on a another photo list about the planned disappearance of reversible film in 5 years! It's getting harder than ever to secure E6 kits, not to mention slide mounts. I am reduced to only one(!) lab where I can get decent results from. I wonder what will I do when it's operator goes away... how much time and money will I commit to train another good operator? :o( But I still like a lot the film - I came to the point where I can finely tune it and get pretty much the results I want, and no digital advancement or price drop will make me give up entirely to film. Therefore I plan to get the MZ-S (btw, I too am positive Pentax won't build another film flagship, this is certainly the last top Pentax on film) and maybe another couple of lenses, but - and this is a big but - only after I see the K mount digital SLR out on the market. I need from the Pentax part a display of serious commitment for the K mount system, before I sink more money into it. As for the digital SLR, I can wait for the full-frame 24x36, 10 MPixel, $1000 camera. I'm in no hurry. Servus, Alin Heiko wrote: HH> At have to say first that I'm not a professonal photographer. I've great HH> respect for the craft and the art that photographers do. For me HH> photography is a part of my spare time, so my demands are different from HH> those of pros - some of this demands may even be more subjective than HH> objective. I like taking pictures but I also like to deal with my Pentax HH> gear because of some kind of technical fascination. Actually I'm owning HH> the following pieces: HH> - MZ-5n + AF500FTZ HH> - LX with winder, FA1, FB1+FC1 and a Metz 45CT4 HH> - SMC-FA 2/35 HH> - SMC-M 1,7/50 HH> - SMC-FA 4/28-70 HH> - SMC-A 3,5/35-105 Macro HH> - SMC-FA 4-5,6/28-105 HH> - SMC-FA /80-320 HH> - SMC-M 2,8/100 HH> - SMC-K 4/200 HH> In the last weeks I have come to ponder about my gear and its future HH> because of severeal reasons: HH> - I'm wearing glasses and the viewfinder of the MZ-5n is not very useful HH> for me. In consequence manual focussing in difficult light is nearly HH> impossible for me. Unfortunately the AF of the MZ-5n is not a big help HH> in these situations - it just starts hunting my lens... HH> - I really like the LX and I can understand the fascination of those who HH> have been using it for 20 years. I prefer it because of its better HH> viewfinder and the build quality. But one of the best times for me to HH> use my camera is when I am on holiday. But I don't want to carry a big HH> set of equipment with me. I prefer one body with one lens! As my HH> girlfriend prefers an AF body, we take the the MZ-5n in most cases. The HH> same with family parties: I prefer the small MZ-5n+AF500FTZ set instead HH> of the large LX+Metz combo. HH> - It seems that the quality of analogue photo laboratories gets worse. I HH> have many prints that are blurred although the negatives are fine. HH> - I was on a wedding some weeks ago. There were ca. 25 guests, 6 Canon HH> SLRs and my Pentax. The Canon guys and gals were comparing there plastic HH> cameras and competed with each other who might have the largest Sigma HH> or Voigtl�nder hyper-zoom. There were also some more compact and digital HH> cameras... That was the point I startedt to think "less is more". I HH> started to think about my gear and that I use a 28-105 in 70% of my HH> photos and mainly my FA2/35 and M2,8/100 for the rest. And I felt the HH> need to reconfigure my gear. HH> The first decision was, to sell some lenses. There are two reasons: HH> First, I don't use them. Second, I need some money for the HH> reconfiguration. I will keep the FA2/35 and the M2,8/100 and will sell HH> the rest on ebay or to interested PDML members (I will come to this in HH> another posting). HH> The next decision is that of the camera body. I don't have a final HH> decision found, so maybe you can help me. At the moment I'm tending to HH> buy an MZ-S. Here is why: HH> - It has a great build quality. HH> - It doesn't have a much better viewfinder than the MZ-5n but a much HH> better AF that might help me in difficult situations. HH> - It may become the last analogue "cult" camera as a successor to the HH> LX. I have started with an AF-body being my first SLR. Maybe the MZ-S HH> might be the same for me in 20 years as the LX is for some guys and gals HH> here. HH> - I don't think, that Pentax will release a superior highend modell in HH> the next year. HH> - I don't think that a DSLR will be affordable for me in the first HH> generation HH> - I like the MZ-S HH> What makes me hesitating is the announcement of new SLR modells. On the HH> one hand I don't think, that Pentax will replace the MZ-S with a new HH> modell or even release an addtional highend modell. Everything I have HH> read about the market development of the analogue camera segment speaks HH> against this. So the MZ-S might be the final flagship. I'm also afraid HH> that the new modells might be "trendy", silver, moderne - in other words HH> don't look like a classic SLR. On the other hand - these are my personal HH> speculations. To be sure I will have to wait =:-[ HH> Actually I'm thinking that the MZ-S will be a fine replacement of my two HH> present cameras. I also tend to buy a 24-90 lens as it has a very useful HH> range and is told to be quite sharp. BTW - would it be a real HH> improvement compared to my 28-105? In addition I'm dreaming of a 1,8/77 HH> Ltd (should be black, of course;-)). HH> I also have considered to change to Nikon or Canon. But the Nikon F65/80 HH> viewfinders are even worse than that of Pentax and a F100 is simply too HH> expensive for a hobbyist. And Canon - see above...;-) I like Pentax and HH> I will stay with these small and individualistic cameras. It is the HH> modern successor to the Olympus OM-system which unfortunately is dead. HH> So - what's the question here? I don't know :-) I just wanted to share HH> my thougts with you. Maybe you see things in a different light or you HH> can confirm my considerations. Would you buy a MZ-S now or would you HH> wait? Will there be a new flagship worth waiting for? ------------------------------------------------------- Xnet scaneaza automat toate mesajele impotriva virusilor folosind RAV AntiVirus. Xnet automatically scans all messages for viruses using RAV AntiVirus. 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