Scott Loveless wrote:
I have a K1000, MX, *ist(film), 6 M series primes, and two auto focus
zooms. The *ist's complete lack of metering with the M lenses has
become frustrating. So I'm in the market for a body that will fully
support all the K mount lenses I currently own. The MZ-S is the
logical choice here, but the budget (read: wife) says no.
I'm considering either an ZX-5(n) or a PZ-1(p). After digging through
Boj's site, I'm still unsure about the differences between the ZX-5
and the ZX-5n, and between the PZ-1 and the PZ-1p. The latter of both
models seems to be a bit more desirable, but are the differences
significant enough to warrant ruling out the previous models? Would
those of you with experience using these bodies have any
recommendations, advice, alternatives, etc.?
Also, I've never really understood hyper manual and hyper program.
Would anyone care to briefly describe them?
I own a PZ-1 and used to own a ZX-5n. My own experience with the two
was, first of all, that my PZ-1 is a very tough camera and my ZX-5n was
a bit delicate.
The user interface of the two cameras is *totally* different.
If you picked up a ZX-5n, with your current experience, probably the
only thing you'd have to look up in the manual is "how to change the
ISO" if you wanted to do so manually.
Not sure if the *ist would help you to understand the PZ-1; I spent an
afternoon with the manual, the brochure and the Pop Photo review open
while playing with the camera in order to learn how to use it. But then
I went on to use it for my work on a college weekly and all of my
free-lance assignments for the next several years. The only time the
PZ-1 ever went to the repair shop, it had a small crack in the baseplate
and so the baseplate was being replaced (not very costly) -- this was
seven years ago. I've had the camera for almost ten years.
The ZX-5n -- controls are just like your K1000 and MX except with the
differences required to support a few more features. I bought my ZX-5n
nearly eight years ago; it went to the Pentax camera hospital in CO
twice during the extended warranty period (once for a failure in the
advance mechanism, once for failure of the pop-up flash); to a local
repair shop once for a scratched viewfinder (OK, that was my fault) and
recently was sold after the failure of some internal gear meant it would
no longer do anything but whirr when the power switch was turned on.
It's a lovely camera to handle, it's fun to use, but mine just didn't
seem reliable. Oh, and the lens release button fell off one day, but I
found it and popped it back into place, so that did not require a trip
to the repair shop.
Frankly I would recommend the PZ-1 (or PZ-1p) as they are, IMO, the most
versatile 35mm Pentax cameras. They have the most features and they are
fully compatible with all the lenses (with or without aperture ring;
with or without an A on the aperture ring) -- although they're not the
only bodies to to be fully compatible, they do have nice features like
the 1/8000s top speed and 1/250s top sync speed and such. Disadvantage
-- learning curve, and the fact that they do not have any way at all to
use AA batteries. (The ZX- series cameras have an optional accessory
battery pack to use AAs.) They also have only a single autofocus sensor
(is that the right word?) which is considered "primitive" now with the
multiple-sensor autofocus available in Pentax and other bodies.
HyperManual: It's like metered manual -- you adjust shutter speed and
aperture and the camera gives you underexposure or overexposure
indicators, but if you press the IF button the camera will set the
program-recommended shutter speed and aperture for you and you can
adjust them from there to your liking. (The camera won't set the
aperture of an M lens, obviously, but I think in that case pressing the
IF button will cause the camera to set the shutter speed to go with the
aperture you have set.)
HyperProgram: It's like Program exposure except that as soon as you turn
the shutter speed wheel you are in shutter-priority AE, or if you turn
the aperture speed wheel or the aperture ring, you are in
aperture-priority AE. You can't use HyperProgram with the M lenses
because they're not capable of program AE.
