Your ideal pentax kit ??

I'm looking at purchasing some pentax gear before christmas, how does this sound:
Pentax ist body (for 35mm film,not digital) with the BG-20 battery grip,
a pentax FA 50mm f1.4 lens and the af360fgz flash unit.

Im thinking that the ist is capable of P-TTL flash function with the af360fgz
and so makes a cheaper alternative to the MZ-S. The only other difference in functionality seems to be that the mz-s has 1/6000 sec shutter speed while the ist has 1/4000 (i'd rarely use this anyway). Im sure theres much more difference between the cameras given that there is such a huge price difference. Anyone who has a comment on my choice of pentax kit or further input into the differences/advantages/disadvantages of the new consumer oriented *ist camera as opposed to the pro oriented MZ-s please let me know. Also What would be your ideal 35mm SLR kit ?

The *ist is a very nice camera, go for it unless you want a traditional shutter speed dial in which case go for the MZ5n or MZ3. My opinion is save the money by not buying an MZS and buy more lenses instead!

A general comment: I believe it is best to always stick with genuine pentax lenses and accessories.

Lenses: It depends what sort of pictures you want to take, but my line up has evolved into:

15mm/20mm/24mm/50mm/100mm Macro plus 24-90mm zoom. That covers very well all the photography I wish to do, but I could manage with much less if I needed to.

Hi Jim,

I can't comment on the *ist, but the MZ-S and AF360z do make a great combination. I also use an MZ5n and can vouch for for its ease of use and reliability.
With my MZ-S and MZ5n I use a 50mm 1.7 (AF) along with a 28mm 2.8 (AF), 28-80 zoom, 90mm Macro (Sigma EX), 24mm (Sigma) and a 28-300 (Sigma). With the exception of the 90mm Macro the build and optical quality of the Sigma's does not match Pentax kit.

As far as my ideal kit is concerned this revolves round my Pentax LX and MX bodies and 'M' series optics - maybe I am a ludite at heart but there is something more emotional about using this older kit compared to my AF and digital cameras.

Regards

I agree with you, Stephen, the traditional lenses, particularly the M series, are a joy to use. The engineering is gorgeous, the focusing silky smooth and they are just a pleasure.

And they take great photos too...

I am currently researching the same subject, although not with a Christmas deadline.

I am taken with the *ist's features, especially the price when compared to the MZ-S. I would have to say at this point, having had several looks at both, I will likely go the extra and get the MZ-S. I continue to find the *ist a little small for my hands and not as comfortable as the MZ-S. The camera shop has suggested the battery grip will help aleviate the perceived problem, but have not had the opportunity to try an *ist so equipped.

Secondarily, I am hoping the pricing on the MZ-S may soften in the new year, given the considerable price difference between the two models, yet very comparable specifications.

Knowing when to wait and when to jump in is a difficult one - sometimes we do indeed see dramatic price reductions on some lines. On the other hand, how long can we wait?

There are already some lower prices on the MZ-S but then there are on the *ist as well. Personally, I would go for the moddle ground and try to find a good offer on the MZ5n or MZ3 and then spend the extra money on more lenses or accessories. SLR cameras have their strength in versatility and a wider selection of lenses will add to that. You can now get the MZ5 for a lower price than the *ist.....

I have now received my ist with 360fgz flashgun. There are apparently no 50 f1.4 lenses around so I am waiting on that. I could've got the f1.7 but decided to stick to my original decision. The extra half a stop will come in handy im sure. For now i use the body with my slower zoom lenses. The vertical grip makes this camera worth it if your worried about the size. True that it is very small which is good and one of the attractions of the camera for me. The battery grip makes it feel bulky and like a 'real' camera as opposed to a ladies camera (pardon me ladies) The appeal in getting the kit with a 36ofgz flash is that this camera is capable of high speed sync up to the max shutter speed etc etc and all the other flash related goodness of the mz-s at a more affordable price. So this is a positive review so far ... oh one bad thing is you cant use infra red film because the film advance uses infra red light.
Merry Christmas

I would go for the *ist, as opposed to the MZ3 or MZS or the MZ5n. They are all good cameras, and I have the MZ6 and *ist. Usually, I use the MZ6, and my wife uses the *ist, but I'm quite happy using either. Yes, it is very small, and that is why my wife likes it so much, but I don't have a problem with it, even though my hands are a good size (medium-large). I think this need for a chunky camera is a psychological coupling which goes "if its bigger and heavier, there must be more to it, and you're getting more for your money". I think this is a falacy, and a short time with a *ist will see you revising your assessment.

I have just bought the battery grip, but haven't actually used it yet.

There are a number of functions which only the MZ6, *ist and MZS have when used with the AT360FGZ, that the other cameras don't have, such as P-TTL and High Speed Sync. Both the MZ3 and MZ5n are a previous generation, and the MZS doesn't seem to give that much over the *ist. Maybe it'll be able to use Infrared film, though, I don't know.

My normal lenses are; a Tamron 28-135 Zoom, a Pentax 80-320, and a Tokina 18-35. I also have the Pentax 28-80 FA-J, but I don't particularly like it, it doesn't operate like the Tamron, and the focus is particulary loose in operation. The Pentax 50mm f1.5 AF lens is a beaut. I picked one up on ebay, sometime ago, the images are superb, however, for the photography I do, this lens doesn't see a lot of service.

I don't have a true macro lens, although I do use some autofocus tubes, which serve quite well, and a 49mm reversing mount, which can give quite spectacular macro close ups. A Macro lens is on the wish list.

For the longer focal lengths I have a Centon Miror 500m lens, which has been the subject of debate in another posting, but is not very useable with the *ist. If you're in to wildlife or sports photography, then something like the Tamron 170-500, or maybe the Sigma 200-500 which is about to be released, should be on the list.

Big heavy cameras are for people who don't take many pictures. I work mainly in a studio, and take hundreds of shots in a session. If I had to use a pro Nikon or Canon my arms would fall off.

Thanks for that endorsement, George. I always thought I was bucking a trend in liking small and perfectly formed cameras.

Also re-read my previous posting, and before everybody thinks I must be talking tosh, I hit the wrong number and my Pentax FA f1.4 lens turned into an f1.5.

Sorry about that

If anybody else is after this lens, there is one going on Ebay at the moment. Current bid is about £36.00, but I expect it will go for rather more.

I should have mentioned the lens is manual focus.

Just a follow-up.

I took the leap and purchased the MZ-S with the optional battery grip. I was successful in finding one at a price within my range, but a little distressed at the reasoning provided by the dealer. The dealer indicated the his future was in digital and as such was downsizing inventory of film type cameras, especially those considered less popular in his area.

At home, I continue to be impressed with the camera, having had a greater time to examine it, while relating to the manual, than permitted at the shops. As part of my research, I had read a lot of information and comments on the internet and in print. Unfortunately, some information was confusing and would almost lead you to believe this was a hightly complex unit. I am happy to say the owner's manual that came with the unit is quite clear and the setting of the various Pentax functions is easily understood and accomplished.

The camera itself is very comfortable to handle and I adapted to its feel and function very quickly.

I particularly like the viewfinder display as it returns to the style I was familiar with with my first ME-F and seems to provide a less restricted view. Of the two existing bodies I currently have, the side display had been one of my most distressing features, although very "in your face" readable. Additionally, as a feature of the viewfinder on the MZ-S, is the diopter adjustment. A slight tweaking allowed me to customize the viewfinder to my preference and (from my perception) took a dull viewfinder image to a more workable crisp and clean image. The slight malfunction on the other bodies, without diopter adjustment, has nothing to do with age or eye-sight but is a manufacturing defect in the camera (thats my story and I'm sticking to it. Never admit the human body suffers from wear and tear. Twenty five years ago, I didn't have this problem with my camera, so its got to be related to the Pentax models purchased in the interim).

Under the functions, there is a function (F-1 for turning on/off the optional lense mount index lamp. A little note indicated that if the mount adapter K is used to select the off option as the lamp remains turned on. As the function is of little interest to me and many of my lenses are non-Pentax, manual focus, I decided to disable this option to be safe.

A function feature I like is the imprinting of exposure data in the perforation area of the film. This feature will go a long way to eliminating the need to carry a note book to record settings.

Another feature I liked was the lowly camera strap provided with the unit. Built into the strap ends are two pockets to keep the small items, such as the view finder cover, hot shoe cover, etc while in removed from the camera body. In addition to this well thought out feature, the adjusting clips have a small protrusion used to operate the small buttons such as the data back date or the mid-roll rewind button.

I am particulary pleased with the battery grip. It provides additional surface area to grasp the camera (I've got larger hands and this is a plus), plus it provides a very comfortable second shutter release button for vertical shooting. Another nice feature of the battery grip is the built in IR remote control option. With the use of a IR sender, such as available to the Optio line, the need for a cable release is reduced. Another item I like is that the sender neatly fits in the strap pocket, so it eliminates the forgetfulness factor, which has plagued me from time to time.

A lttle note on a work around. As part of my collection, I have a Pentax bellows unit. The unit used a manual cable release to both trigger the shutter (on previous cameras) and to close the aperature of the attached lense. With the MZ-S's electronic shutter control, I'll need to get work around, but do not perceive a major problem, especially since I plan to keep my older bodies as spares.

Overall I am extemely pleased with the unit and I am glad I avoided the temptations the camera shops waved related to the *ist (or other makes). Out of the box, the features are set-up ready to go, so the complexities of the camera are not a deterrent to immediate enjoyment

I'm off now to have the first few rolls of film developed to confirm what I already beleive is a very good piece of equipment, which I will enjoy for many years to come.

My favorite camera kit is the Mz-s with A-series lenses. Can't be beat. The quality of brass (aluminum) and glass precision and the modern metering and film imprinting data are tremendous.

Having said that though, I do mix and match a bit.

I have the FA 20 2.8, FA 28 2.8 AL, and the FA 43 1.9 LTD. To this I also add the A 24 2.8, A 35-105 3.5 and the A 70-210 4.0.

The FA zooms, other than the PRO 2.8 versions, leave a lot to be desired. But the A series, particularly the two I mentioned are FIRST RATE in terms of image and build quality.

I like the compact-ness of the A 24 2.8 as oppossed to the FA 24 2.0 (Though that is a wonderful lens!)

The only two lenses I am missing (lusting for) are the A* 300 F4.0 and a 100mm macro A or FA.

I use the MZ-s and use a ZX-5n (MZ-5n) as a back up, both with AA's and grips. I also have an old MX kicking around for fun, and an optio S for snapshots. I shoot weddings and B&W landscapes. (Yes with 35mm, digital scanning is a miracle come true!)

So the point that I am really trying to make, is if you don't need AF, stick with the Pentax Lenses, they really are superior and the older A series zooms probably cost less than a new Sigma or whatever...

Great Forum!

Ed

I must admit, my favorite is still the LX now being run a close second by the MZ-S. Much to the annoyance of the better half, I have collected probably too many bodies and lenses over the years!

I started with a KX more years ago than I care to admit. At the time I got it in preference to the MX. I know that goes against most peoples thoughts. I just found that the MX was just a bit too small and that the KX seemed to handle better . I also found that the mirror lock up was more useful than drive and changeable screens. Certainly the KX is far far better than the K1000 and much better than the KM. Although they are not as common, they tend to be cheaper on eBay than the K1000s are are a far better buy. Also they are normally a lot less than a good MX but just as rugged and with a good meter system.

I have come to like the MX and indeed to MES. I still find the handling a little unbalanced with the K lenses but they are well suited to the M ones. If you can find a good MX at a reasonable price, they are a very good buy. However, I think most, like the K1000, are overpriced based on reputation rather than functionallity. The rest of the M's are a bit cheap and cheerful althouh the MEF is an interesting novelty. Of the others the MV1 is probably the best

I picked an LX up in a shop when they first came out and from that moment, I had to have one. I think I paid £300 for mine with a 1.4 lens and FA1 finder. Toward the end, the price just seemed to escalate out of all proportion and I think it was this that lost Pentax a number of sales. Why is it so great? To me the most important thing was and still is the handling. It just seemed so right. Everything was where it should be. It was so quick to use and very easy to adjust without taking your eye from the viewfinder. I have since added a second body and have also come to realise just what a fantastic system it really is. The metering system might not be up to modern multi-segment standards but it has coped with everything I have thrown at it from night to macro to multi flash OTF setups. As to the rest of it, well most is well documented elsewhere. There have only been 2 niggles. The first is it's tendency to suffer from "sticky shutter" syndrome. This seems to happen after about 10 -15 years but is easily cured by a good service albeit at a cost of about £100. I would recommend anyone to check for this carefully before buying one and adjust the price accordingly. The other was a very slighly dark viewfinder. This is now cured by one of the 60 series screens. If you haven't tried one of these they are a revalation.

I think the Super A is the most under rated of the Pentax's. For a long while a Super A was my second camers body. It doesn't have the manual backup of the earlier ones but a spare battery overcomes this. The handling is good and one of it's better points is the OTF flash. Use a dedicated gun and like the LX the results are superb. It also has the advantage that it is much easier to use as a snapshot camera with an A series lens. (But then I have to leave my lovely K/M series lenses behind ). I haven't used the Program A and the A3 just looked odd and doesn't handle.

I am not too keen on the P30. The P30N is much more versatile. The P30T is the same but I just can't get used to the diagonal viewfinder. It is supposed to make life easy but I find it a distraction. Best of all of these is the P50 although it seems to be a fairly rare beast. I suspect it is because the Super A is so much better.

I have managed to miss out on the SFX series entirely mainly because I didn't want to go autofocus and they didn't feel right!

I eventually started to think autofocus a few years ago being forced into it by eyesight. My first one was the Z1P. Now this is a very capable camera but I just couldn't get on with it is one of the few I didn't want to keep and it had to go. It just didn't feel right and the worst thing was that it was so fiddly to use that I seemed to spend all the time trying to change speeds/apertures etc and little time taking photos. An MZ5n was much better and the MZ3 better still. The best purchase was a 1.7AF convertor. I could still use all my lovely prime lenses!

I was reasonably happy with this until I picked up an MZ-S. This had nearly the same effect as the LX. I know they are more than the *ist and other MZ's but it is worth it especially if you can find a good second hand one. I find it so easy to use. It is much more instinctive than any of the others with the automatics being so easy to overide to use what would be best desribed as a semi automatic mode. What's more it doesn't have a crippled mount! It hasn't quite replaced the LX in my affection but I do tend to use it more and more for any "everyday" tasks. The only trouble is that I have tended to add a number of A lenses in addition the the K/M ones to take advantage of the metering.

I had a good look at the *ist but wasn't tempted for long. My son was though and he thinks a lot of his. The biggest downside for me is the crippled mount and the problems that causes. I still like my prime lenses.

Along the way, I have also managed to aquire several screw mount bodies and lenses but that's a different story. The title said Camera gear but as I have banged on about bodies for so long, I'll leave that for another day especially as I have very mixed feelings about some of the AF lenses.

So, overall, the LX still rules the roost especially for flexibility but if you need matrix metering and AF the MZ-S is the best, especially with an AF convertor for the prime lenses.

I'll get off my soap box

Kim