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.
