Re: yet another MZ-S first look
Hi, thanks to all who share their MZ-S impressions. How do you rate the noise of the motor drive? Is it particularly quite or is it more on the noisy side? Alexander __ Do You Yahoo!? Get email at your own domain with Yahoo! Mail. http://personal.mail.yahoo.com/ - 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 .
RE: yet another MZ-S first look
Sure, Den. No problem. Doug At 8:16 AM +03003/7/01, Dennis Klimovich caused thus to appear: Dear Doug. Is it possible to add your message to our collection of 'MZ-S impressions"? I mean two messages from PDMLers (Cesar and Ed) now in our "News" list http://www.mtu-net.ru/penta/news/news_2001.shtml. This reviews are visited very well - because many people want to know more about this body but doesn't have access and/or PDML subscription Your message will add some very interesting details IMHO... Den __ The Penta Magazine - online photo magazine www.mtu-net.ru/penta; [EMAIL PROTECTED] -- Douglas Forrest Brewer Ashwood Lake Photography [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.alphoto.com - 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 .
Re: yet another MZ-S first look
Doug, I gather that you felt that the camera had a quality feel to it unlike my brother,the photo store dealer, who said that it felt cheap. Also did you find anything out about flash exposure compensation? DG At 11:40 PM 3/6/01 -0500, you wrote: Spent a couple of hours examining the MZ-S this afternoon, and thought I'd share a few impressions with you. First, here's Ed Sullivan: "Tonight we have a rilly big shoe." Thank you, thank you. Now, on to the camera. Some points in no particular order. 1.) It's =small=. Sure, I read the specs, but I was still surprised. To put the features this camera has into a package this small, those guys at Pentax did their homework. I can see that I would need to have the battery pack/grip attached semi-permanently, to have a good grip on it. For reference, I have the grip strap on my PZ-1p and a winder on my LX because they improve the holdability for me. 2.) It was also lighter than I expected, and yet... 3.) It is well put together. I was especially impressed with the way the back fits to the body. There are a series of ridges-- I believe there are two on the body and one on the door, but I may have that backwards-- that go together to form a seal. The one ridge fits between the two. Very well done. I also noticed a foam square around the inside of the film window. That could be a common thing on cameras, but I don't recall ever seeing it before. The magnesium shell feels solid. I squeezed it and there was no give whatsoever. It feels like it should be around for a while. 4.) For Alan Chan, I examined the finder window and, for the life of me, I couldn't determine if it was glass or plastic. My money is on glass, though. It's that kind of camera. 5.) Okay, the controls. It took me all of five or ten seconds to get the feel of total control. To leave it in program mode, set the lens to A (if the lens has the A setting). To move to Av priority, take it off of A. Then, if you want to go to full manual, shift the shutter speed by turning the dial. If the lens is still set at a preferred f/stop, you can go back to Av priority by touching the green button on the front. To run in Tv priority, just leave the lens on A and turn the dial to select your shutter speed. It's incredibly simple. 5a.) The Hold button seems to be a mystery around here. It's for the shutter speed. If you set a shutter speed you want to stay with, you just use the hold button. If you then turn the control dial, the shutter speed doesn't change and "HOLD" flashes on the LCD. I forgot to check if there's is also on indication on the viewfinder. 5b.) The DOF preview is right there at your index finger. Way cool. You just put your finger on it and sort of pull it. It's more like a little slide action. For those of you, like me, who are accustomed to =pushing= DOF previews, this takes a little getting used to. I must have turned the camera off five times trying to activate the DOF preview. Once I got the hang of it, though, I thought it was pretty cool. 5c.) Selecting the AF points is simple as well. Using the middle finger of my left hand, I slid the switch up, then turned the control dial until the point I wanted lit up at the bottom of the viewfinder. To return to letting the camera choose the sensor, I just clicked the selector switch back down. 5d.) I was a trifle disappointed that the exposure compensation system of the PZ-1p is not on this camera. It's a really great feature of the PZ-1p. Fortunately, using the exp comp dial on the MZ-S is a breeze. I was able to do it with just my left thumb; push in the lock release and turn the dial in the same motion. The over/under indicator off the right side of the viewfinder stays invisible until comp is used (and, I assume, though didn't check, when you're using metered manual), which I liked. Which brings us to 6.) The viewfinder seemed bright to me, and well placed. By that I mean that there is almost a tunnel effect there. The viewfinder is surrounded my a bit of black all the way around, and none of the indicators inside intrude on the viewfinder itself. I even dug out my glasses to have a look and I was able to see all of the viewfinder and the indicators with minimal effort. I should note here that I =never= wear my glasses while photographing, but I was curious how people who wear glasses all the time would see the viewfinder. 7.) The AF is quick and decisive. To test it, I used my FA*80-200/2.8 (keeping an eye on that focus scale window in case it decided to leap off the lens), and it had no trouble with either the camera-selected or user-selected sensors. I got it to hunt, but really, it was a tough scene, some thin branches with a brightly colored BP station in the background, and I was using a single sensor. To be fair, since not everybody has a 80-200/2.8, I also mounted the new 24-90 on there and pointed it around the place. Though the viewfinder was noticeably darker,
RE: yet another MZ-S first look
Some people seem to judge quality by weight. Because MZ-S is light then it cannot be quality! Some even seem to think it is plastic because of the weight. Others judge quality by the fitting of components (gap width etc) and solidity. This seems to be what people refer to when they say quility is good. These people understand that magnesium is still strong even though it is light. For me, the only heavy item I want is my tripod! Rob Brigham -Original Message- From: dick graham [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] Sent: 07 March 2001 14:31 To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: yet another MZ-S first look Doug, I gather that you felt that the camera had a quality feel to it unlike my brother,the photo store dealer, who said that it felt cheap. Also did you find anything out about flash exposure compensation? DG At 11:40 PM 3/6/01 -0500, you wrote: Spent a couple of hours examining the MZ-S this afternoon, and thought I'd share a few impressions with you. First, here's Ed Sullivan: "Tonight we have a rilly big shoe." Thank you, thank you. Now, on to the camera. Some points in no particular order. 1.) It's =small=. Sure, I read the specs, but I was still surprised. To put the features this camera has into a package this small, those guys at Pentax did their homework. I can see that I would need to have the battery pack/grip attached semi-permanently, to have a good grip on it. For reference, I have the grip strap on my PZ-1p and a winder on my LX because they improve the holdability for me. 2.) It was also lighter than I expected, and yet... 3.) It is well put together. I was especially impressed with the way the back fits to the body. There are a series of ridges-- I believe there are two on the body and one on the door, but I may have that backwards-- that go together to form a seal. The one ridge fits between the two. Very well done. I also noticed a foam square around the inside of the film window. That could be a common thing on cameras, but I don't recall ever seeing it before. The magnesium shell feels solid. I squeezed it and there was no give whatsoever. It feels like it should be around for a while. 4.) For Alan Chan, I examined the finder window and, for the life of me, I couldn't determine if it was glass or plastic. My money is on glass, though. It's that kind of camera. 5.) Okay, the controls. It took me all of five or ten seconds to get the feel of total control. To leave it in program mode, set the lens to A (if the lens has the A setting). To move to Av priority, take it off of A. Then, if you want to go to full manual, shift the shutter speed by turning the dial. If the lens is still set at a preferred f/stop, you can go back to Av priority by touching the green button on the front. To run in Tv priority, just leave the lens on A and turn the dial to select your shutter speed. It's incredibly simple. 5a.) The Hold button seems to be a mystery around here. It's for the shutter speed. If you set a shutter speed you want to stay with, you just use the hold button. If you then turn the control dial, the shutter speed doesn't change and "HOLD" flashes on the LCD. I forgot to check if there's is also on indication on the viewfinder. 5b.) The DOF preview is right there at your index finger. Way cool. You just put your finger on it and sort of pull it. It's more like a little slide action. For those of you, like me, who are accustomed to =pushing= DOF previews, this takes a little getting used to. I must have turned the camera off five times trying to activate the DOF preview. Once I got the hang of it, though, I thought it was pretty cool. 5c.) Selecting the AF points is simple as well. Using the middle finger of my left hand, I slid the switch up, then turned the control dial until the point I wanted lit up at the bottom of the viewfinder. To return to letting the camera choose the sensor, I just clicked the selector switch back down. 5d.) I was a trifle disappointed that the exposure compensation system of the PZ-1p is not on this camera. It's a really great feature of the PZ-1p. Fortunately, using the exp comp dial on the MZ-S is a breeze. I was able to do it with just my left thumb; push in the lock release and turn the dial in the same motion. The over/under indicator off the right side of the viewfinder stays invisible until comp is used (and, I assume, though didn't check, when you're using metered manual), which I liked. Which brings us to 6.) The viewfinder seemed bright to me, and well placed. By that I mean that there is almost a tunnel effect there. The viewfinder is surrounded my a bit of black all the way around, and none of the indicators inside intrude on the viewfinder itself. I even dug out my glasses to have a look and I was able to see all of the viewfinder and the indicators with minimal effort. I should note here that I =never= wear my glasses while photographing, but I was curious
re: yet another MZ-S first look
Alin, While I was writing that, I kept having the feeling I had seen the foam around the film window on other cameras, but could not dredge up a specific memory, which is why I mentioned it could be common. Glad you cleared that up for me. It's tough getting old. Actually, I did point the camera at traffic going by outside, where it was very sunny, if cold, and the camera had no trouble with hunting at all. We were inside a relatively dim restaurant (Applebee's, for state-side reference. I can recommend the fried chicken salad) and I was harassing the other customers by randomly focusing on them. I didn't notice any hunt there either. In fact, at times when I was expecting the central sensor to activate, one of the outlying sensors would grab onto something else with more contrast. That was one of the reasons I said the system was quick and decisive. Doug Doug wrote: DB 3.) It is well put together. I was especially impressed with the DB way the back fits to the body. There are a series of ridges-- I DB believe there are two on the body and one on the door, but I may DB have that backwards-- that go together to form a seal. The DB one ridge fits between the two. Very well done. I just have rewound the film on my MZ-5N in order to open the back and check it: it has the very same sealing, perhaps with the exception of a bit of place between the opposite ridges. Unless the MZ-S has an additional rubber fitting, there is nothing new here. DB I also noticed a DB foam square around the inside of the film window. That could be a DB common thing on cameras, but I don't recall ever seeing it DB before. Yes, it's common even on the simplest camera and designed to block the light streaks around the film cannister. DB The magnesium shell feels solid. I squeezed it and ther DB e was no give whatsoever. It feels like it should be around for a DB while. This is remarkable indeed. Both MZ-5N and Z-1p backs give up a millimeter or so when squeezed. Nothing to worry about as it doesn't affect the film plane alignment, but still a nasty feeling of insecure grip, especially with heavy lenses. DB 4.) For Alan Chan, I examined the finder window and, for the life DB of me, I couldn't determine if it was glass or plastic. My money DB is on glass, though. It's that kind of camera. Hard to tell on an MZ-5N too. Until someone scratches his MZ-S eyepiece on purpose, under controlled, reproducible conditions, of course we won't know it for sure. ;o) DB 7.) The AF is quick and decisive. To test it, I used my DB FA*80-200/2.8 (keeping an eye on that focus scale window in case DB it decided to leap off the lens), and it had no trouble with DB either the camera-selected or user-selected sensors. I got it to DB hunt, but really, it was a tough scene, some thin branches with a DB brightly colored BP station in the background, and I was using a DB single sensor. To be fair, since not everybody has a 80-200/2.8, I DB also mounted the new 24-90 on there and pointed it around the DB place. Though the viewfinder was noticeably darker, the camera DB seemed to handle it just fine. Actually no one tested it with moving subjects, like the street crowd in a sunny day, or a walking person towards the camera in a dim bar - something that usually makes the MZ-5N hunt for focus more than it's acceptable to take the picture. Servus, Alin - 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 .
Re: yet another MZ-S first look
If "quality" in a 35mm body is defined by a camera that approaches the size and weight of a medium format camera, the MZ-S would feel cheap indeed. If, however, you equate quality in 35mm with a small, well-built package that seems durable, the MZ-S wins hands down. I think I should also point out that the camera I saw, like all the MZ-S bodies in the states, are =not= considered production models. They are "working" models, which means that they were put together for PMA and for initial looks by dealers (and some other interested parties[ahem]). Flash exposure compensation does not follow the PZ-1p model, but rather the ZX/MZ model. Doug Quoting dick graham [EMAIL PROTECTED]: Doug, I gather that you felt that the camera had a quality feel to it unlike my brother,the photo store dealer, who said that it felt cheap. Also did you find anything out about flash exposure compensation? DG Ashwood Lake Photography http://www.alphoto.com - 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 .
Re: yet another MZ-S first look
Doug, thanks for the details. One of the limitations of Safox IV is the inability to handle predictably multiple subjects. While the last software versions (MZ-7, MZ-3) appear to have been improved in this regard, one still cannot be sure what subject the wide area AF picks up. It does seem the AF works better with MZ-S. Servus, Alin Doug wrote: BD Actually, I did point the camera at traffic going by outside, where it was BD very sunny, if cold, and the camera had no trouble with hunting at all. We BD were inside a relatively dim restaurant (Applebee's, for state-side BD reference. I can recommend the fried chicken salad) and I was harassing the BD other customers by randomly focusing on them. I didn't notice any hunt there BD either. In fact, at times when I was expecting the central sensor to BD activate, one of the outlying sensors would grab onto something else with BD more contrast. That was one of the reasons I said the system was quick and BD decisive. - 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 .
RE: yet another MZ-S first look
Rob Brigham writes: For me, the only heavy item I want is my tripod! There's no such thing as a heavy 35mm camera :) I used to think my K2 was heavy until I got the RB67. Cheers, - Dave David A. Mann, B.E. email [EMAIL PROTECTED] * http://www.digistar.com/~dmann/ "Why is it that if an adult behaves like a child they lock him up, while children are allowed to run free on the streets?" -- Garfield - 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 .
yet another MZ-S first look
Spent a couple of hours examining the MZ-S this afternoon, and thought I'd share a few impressions with you. First, here's Ed Sullivan: "Tonight we have a rilly big shoe." Thank you, thank you. Now, on to the camera. Some points in no particular order. 1.) It's =small=. Sure, I read the specs, but I was still surprised. To put the features this camera has into a package this small, those guys at Pentax did their homework. I can see that I would need to have the battery pack/grip attached semi-permanently, to have a good grip on it. For reference, I have the grip strap on my PZ-1p and a winder on my LX because they improve the holdability for me. 2.) It was also lighter than I expected, and yet... 3.) It is well put together. I was especially impressed with the way the back fits to the body. There are a series of ridges-- I believe there are two on the body and one on the door, but I may have that backwards-- that go together to form a seal. The one ridge fits between the two. Very well done. I also noticed a foam square around the inside of the film window. That could be a common thing on cameras, but I don't recall ever seeing it before. The magnesium shell feels solid. I squeezed it and there was no give whatsoever. It feels like it should be around for a while. 4.) For Alan Chan, I examined the finder window and, for the life of me, I couldn't determine if it was glass or plastic. My money is on glass, though. It's that kind of camera. 5.) Okay, the controls. It took me all of five or ten seconds to get the feel of total control. To leave it in program mode, set the lens to A (if the lens has the A setting). To move to Av priority, take it off of A. Then, if you want to go to full manual, shift the shutter speed by turning the dial. If the lens is still set at a preferred f/stop, you can go back to Av priority by touching the green button on the front. To run in Tv priority, just leave the lens on A and turn the dial to select your shutter speed. It's incredibly simple. 5a.) The Hold button seems to be a mystery around here. It's for the shutter speed. If you set a shutter speed you want to stay with, you just use the hold button. If you then turn the control dial, the shutter speed doesn't change and "HOLD" flashes on the LCD. I forgot to check if there's is also on indication on the viewfinder. 5b.) The DOF preview is right there at your index finger. Way cool. You just put your finger on it and sort of pull it. It's more like a little slide action. For those of you, like me, who are accustomed to =pushing= DOF previews, this takes a little getting used to. I must have turned the camera off five times trying to activate the DOF preview. Once I got the hang of it, though, I thought it was pretty cool. 5c.) Selecting the AF points is simple as well. Using the middle finger of my left hand, I slid the switch up, then turned the control dial until the point I wanted lit up at the bottom of the viewfinder. To return to letting the camera choose the sensor, I just clicked the selector switch back down. 5d.) I was a trifle disappointed that the exposure compensation system of the PZ-1p is not on this camera. It's a really great feature of the PZ-1p. Fortunately, using the exp comp dial on the MZ-S is a breeze. I was able to do it with just my left thumb; push in the lock release and turn the dial in the same motion. The over/under indicator off the right side of the viewfinder stays invisible until comp is used (and, I assume, though didn't check, when you're using metered manual), which I liked. Which brings us to 6.) The viewfinder seemed bright to me, and well placed. By that I mean that there is almost a tunnel effect there. The viewfinder is surrounded my a bit of black all the way around, and none of the indicators inside intrude on the viewfinder itself. I even dug out my glasses to have a look and I was able to see all of the viewfinder and the indicators with minimal effort. I should note here that I =never= wear my glasses while photographing, but I was curious how people who wear glasses all the time would see the viewfinder. 7.) The AF is quick and decisive. To test it, I used my FA*80-200/2.8 (keeping an eye on that focus scale window in case it decided to leap off the lens), and it had no trouble with either the camera-selected or user-selected sensors. I got it to hunt, but really, it was a tough scene, some thin branches with a brightly colored BP station in the background, and I was using a single sensor. To be fair, since not everybody has a 80-200/2.8, I also mounted the new 24-90 on there and pointed it around the place. Though the viewfinder was noticeably darker, the camera seemed to handle it just fine. 8.) The AF button on the back (this could be numbered 5e, if you're scoring at home, or even if you're by yourself) is a nice touch. I'd have to really work with it for a while to be comfortable using it, as I'm
RE: yet another MZ-S first look
Dear Doug. Is it possible to add your message to our collection of 'MZ-S impressions"? I mean two messages from PDMLers (Cesar and Ed) now in our "News" list http://www.mtu-net.ru/penta/news/news_2001.shtml. This reviews are visited very well - because many people want to know more about this body but doesn't have access and/or PDML subscription Your message will add some very interesting details IMHO... Den __ The Penta Magazine - online photo magazine www.mtu-net.ru/penta; [EMAIL PROTECTED] - 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 .
RE: yet another MZ-S first look
Sorry, usual here mistake - not change address of message. It should be private... My apologies to Doug and ALL. Den - 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 .
