Which MZ ? cheap as chips for colour slide?

Looking for a light body with flash and AF for using colour slide film. I have a F35-70mm lens to put on it.

Suggestions please as to the best value? Not a MZ-S and the MZ-5N might be a bit much but if a MZ-50 will do the job and has good metering please let me know.

Any under-sung ebay bargains out there?

Thanks

FWIW: MZ-50 or MZ-30 are both good tools.
I shot my daughter's wedding with an MZ-50 standing beside the "official" photographer (colour print film) and the results were as good as those from his Swedish Cube.
Never tried it on slide film, but that is really only a matter of metering if the optics are OK.
Geoff

Any of the MZ range should be OK - perhaps with the exception of the 60 - which I hate.

The 6 amd 7 are my favourites.

I could sell you a 5n,6,7,10,30 or 50 - I have at least 2 of each - if you are interested pm me - prices from £20 for the 50 up to £75 for the 6 I also have a spare S - but these tend to sell for over £400 so probably more than you want to spend

regards
Carl

MZ-10. Despite being a "double digit" body with plastic lens mount it has the full KAF2 mount as opposed to the "crippled" one on the MZ-30/50/60, so to use that F lens in Av mode you just turn the aperture ring.

The MZ5 and MZ3 variants are a different stle to the rest of the range, having conventional shutter speed dials. They also have full function KAF2 mounts.

Nobody's mentioned one of the best.....the ist*, the last film camera made by Pentax.
Never had a bad exposure on slide film in 4 years!

Our last two film cameras are the MZ3 and the *ist.

No operational or quality problems with either of them.

Thing is, the single digit MZ bodies and the *ist seem to fetch quite high prices. I think the OP is after something cheap and cheerful, which the MZ-10 seems to fit.

On a related note: Does anyone know the part numbers for MZ series focusing screens? My MZ-10 one has a few scrapes and looks to be easy to change (clip arrangement much like the MX) but obviously I need to find the right part. I'd rather not buy another body to take the part from as that's just as likely to have the same problem.

I have said this so many times on this forum I think it should be made a sticky but:

MZ6 or MZ7 these are the two which offer the most compatability with the K mount, the bodies still allow use of the aperture ring so totally manual lenses worked flawlessly, aperture can also be controled from the body to make use of FAJ lenses.

Prices seems to vary, bargains do come up on ebay from time to time if there has been a glut of them.

Matt, you got it. Camera is for aging Mum. easy to use and food results more important than pro features. Cheap would help. Gravity stopped the last one working.

Thanks so far.
Doug

You do keep saying it, but you don't add that it's equally true of the MZ10 and the MZ5 and MZ3. The MZ6 and 7 do allow aperture control from the body though.

I would be interested to learn how you set the aperture of an FAJ lens on those bodies John, other than using the bodies in Tv mode and adjusting the shutter speed until the desired aperture was achieved

Just a little comment: after 8 years of using MZ-5 or MZ-5n first on colour prints and then on slides, I got very rarely a bad exposure - even in tricky light situation. I especially liked the MZ-5n for its better positioning of control buttons. While with the K10d and K7 I almost constantly have AE correction set to 1 EV. I wonder if it is normal or not but I'll check the DSLR forum. BTW I've recently purchased a few rolls of slides again.

For cheap, cheerful and uncomplicated - MZ-50. Plenty around, so don't attract any premium as a result. Never found any problems with mine when loaded with slide film


Steve

I'd just use Tv mode to be honest. It's a bit of a fiddle but in reality not much more of one than using the little control dial on a DSLR (compared to just turning the aperture ring as you would if they'd kept the full KAF2 mount).