The grip is the main reason I always gave the Z-1p a pass.
Kent Gittings
-----Original Message-----
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]On Behalf Of Richard Seaman
Sent: Friday, December 07, 2001 3:47 PM
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: PZ-1p vs. ZX-5n
Timothy,
I bought a ZX-M soon after they were introduced, and I've had the same
ZX-5 body for about 5 years. I just got a Z-1 a day or two ago, and
haven't even had a chance to put film through it yet, but I can give some
immediate impressions.
The TTL flash was the main reason I replaced my Super-A with the ZX-5,
and I haven't been disappointed. Of course there have been occasions where
the shot has been under-exposed, but I can always see why it happened and
why I should have dialed in some exposure compensation. A full 99% of the
time, though, I just put it into spot metering mode and fire away, using a
powerful AF-500FTZ because my subjects are often 30 feet or more away. I do
a lot of nature photography (insects and birds and anything else which looks
interesting), and I use an awful lot of flash, so I've had plenty of time to
learn whether the metering is good or not. I can't comment on the flash
metering accuracy of the Z-1, because I haven't used it yet, but the ZX-5
seems good.
I got the Z-1 solely because it has the 1/250 flash sync, but if you're
not doing the type of long-range nature photography I do then this is
unlikely to be any better than the ZX-5's 1/100 flash. Two things stood out
when I started handling the Z-1: (1) compared to a ZX-M or ZX-5, this is one
bulky and heavy brute! I don't know the actual figures, but the ZX-5 seems
only slightly heavier to me than the ZX-M; however, the Z-1 is much heavier.
On the Z-1, the shutter release is located near the front of a very large
grip which extends almost an inch forward from the camera body. I'm not
sure how well I'll cope with this, because I have carpal tunnel problems in
my right hand. Even for an unafflicted user, it's very bulky, though I'm
sure not more than most Canon, Nikon and other cameras. Time will tell if
this is a real issue for me, or not; (2) the Z-1 is far more complex and
less intuitive to use than the ZX-5. The ZX-5 is virtually identical to the
ZX-M, and has always had everything I wanted. Even setting the shutter
speed on the Z-1 isn't obvious, though I'm sure I'll soon get used to it.
Check to see whether any of the 18 Pentax Functions appeal to you, otherwise
they won't add anything to your photographic experience. For myself, I can
imagine using the Image Size Tracking feature, at least if I had a long auto
lens to do it with!
Of course the Z-1's extra size, weight and complexity do make one feel
more professional and give one an undeniable ego boost ;^) You'll soon be
winking as much as those LX users 8^O
For you, a point in favor of the ZX-5 over the Z-1 is that the ZX-5 uses
the same batteries as the ZX-M, whereas the PZ-1 uses a single 2CR5. If you
continue to use the ZX-M, then you'll be buying and carrying two sets of
batteries, plus spares.
I focus manually even with my auto-focus lens (SMC Pentax-FA 100mm f2.8
and Sigma 15-35mm), so I can't comment on the auto-focus ability of any of
these bodies - but I do know that the ZX-M is lousy at auto-focus, and the
built-in flash isn't much good, either!
As far as sturdiness is concerned, both the ZX-5 and the PZ-1p are much,
much more solid than a ZX-M. I'm mostly thinking about the solidness of the
body, but it's also true of the cosmetics - very soon after I got my ZX-M,
fully one half of the right hand dial was blank, because the shutter speed
numbers wore off! I'm also having to do some testing to see whether the
mirror is locating properly, because it seems like I might be having trouble
focussing accurately (I'm not sure if this is real or just imagined until
I've completed the tests).
I treat my equipment pretty roughly, backpacking it around the planet,
throwing unpadded lenses and bodies together and so on, and in the five
years I've had the ZX-5 I've never had any problems, apart from the 1/60th
lens issue I mentioned in recent emails - and even that problem seems to
have spontaneously vanished. My understanding is that the PZ-1P is in a
different league than the ZX-5 for sturdiness, I think the PZ-1 has a metal
body versus the ZX-5's polycarbonate, but I could well be wrong on that.
But it doesn't really matter unless you're going to be extremely severe with
the camera, because as I say, even the ZX-5 has taken an awful lot of
punishment from me.
I've put together a quick page with the three camera bodies on it, with
comments, as well as the Pentax Function chart Bob kindly supplied to me:
http://www.richard-seaman.com/Me/Photography/CameraBodies/index.html
If you want to check the flash metering of the ZX-5, look at the
following page; almost all of the insect photos were taken with the flash as
primary light source:
www.richard-seaman.com/Wallpaper/Nature/index.html
There are a lot of photos on the page, so if you have a slow connection
you might want to make a cup of coffee while it loads! And if you click on
the thumbnails then you might want to take a bath!
Richard.
home page: www.richard-seaman.com
---- original message ----
From: Timothy Sherburne <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: PZ-1p vs. ZX-5n
Hello all..
Well, the last thread I started spun out of control like an SUV covered with
an American flag being driven by Lady Di's bodyguard while drinking exotic
cocktails and not wearing his seatbelt. How we got there from the legal
implications of street photography I'll never know, but that's what the List
is all about, right?
Okay, so in the interest of staying as close to The List's Topic as
possible, I'd like to hear from those who regularly use the PZ-1p and
ZX/MZ-5n about the differences between these two bodies. I'd like any
comments, pros, cons, antidotes, et cetera.
Right now, I'm working with a ZX-M which is fine except when it's time to
take snapshots. You all know what I'm talking about... Birthday parties,
walks to the park, blah blah. Basically, I've discovered that the ZX-M is
fine when working with static objects where you've got time to think about
and adjust for ambient or controlled lighting. However, when it's time to
shoot from the hip, I end up with lots of underexposed pix.
My photographic interests are twofold. As an amature photographer, I pick
out themes or subjects and sketch them out on film. The end result is
usually some interesting photographs that get hung on the walls of my home
or given to family and friends as gifts. This is why I enjoy using an SLR -
it gives me full creative control. But I also take a lot of snapshots, too,
of said family and friends, and sometimes a fully manual camera really gets
in the way.
The two features I'm really looking for are TTL flash support and fast
autofocus. So, without further ado, please share your comments...
_________________________________________________________________
Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp
-
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 .
**********************************************************************
This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential and
intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they
are addressed. If you have received this email in error please notify
the system manager.
This footnote also confirms that this email message has been swept by
MIMEsweeper for the presence of computer viruses.
www.mimesweeper.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 .
