mz60 and light

I am still learning how to use this camera and would be grateful for any assistance. I am finding if I use auto I can get a reading for aperture and shutter. When I put it on manual and use the same readings, it tells me it is under exposed and I have to substantially increase shutter speed to get the green circle.
Also at night everyone else in the photography class was able to get a light reading at f5.6 and 1/4 with ISO 400. I started there went to a shutter speed of 45 secs, tried f4.5, tried telling the camera I had ISO 800 and I couldn't get a green circle to take night pics. Is my camera supposed to be able to take pics at night, if so, how?

I have an mz-60 and find that the light meter retires when the sun goes down. Well thats not true but i put it on aperture priority mode and set maybe f/8 (depending on what lens you use) or whatever stop you want and take the exposure it measures and add a couple of stops over that. This could mean an extra 15 seconds or more on this end of the exposure scale. Let no-one in your class mock the MZ-60, it is capable of taking quite splendid night photographs. Despite the fact it has no backlit LCD which frustrates a night adventure and no info in viewfinder except a circle + and - grrrr, and if you are looking at something really bright you're never gonna be able to see that circle + and - . Ah well use the aperture priority mode for this camera it seems to work perfectly around the time just after sunset when streetlights just come on and theres still colour in the sky.

Hi,

I have lost the instruction manual for pentax MZ 60. Does any one know hwere can I get it. If I can download then that will be the best option

Hi NS
Try the Pentax USA site. The manuals aren't great but readable and free.

http://www.pentax.com/docstore/index.cfm?show=6

If you want better try

http://www.magezinepublishing.com/trolleyed/5/27/55/index.htm

Theirs are better but not so quick and you will have to pay about £5.50

Regards
Kim

heh i used to hav very shitty pics comin out from my camera.. and all my scans were noisy and stuff..

then i started to just lie the film iso half or 1 stop down.. 160 to 125 or 100 a
etc

after that.. my photos are oka if it comes to exposure

I do use aperture priority mostly