Ease of use, design, compatability and availability of great lenses.

Lack of ability to do double exposures....are you listening Pentax?

A few years ago, all my photo equipment was stolen and as I was foolish enough not to have had it insured, the loss was enough to keep me out of photography for some time...as life and it's expenses had caught up with me. Finally, I had opportunity to get back into photography again and went out to find myself a camera. This proved to be a more baffling experience than I anticipated...the system I lost was based around a Nikon FE and I was looking for a comparably modern adaptation. Price wise, Nikon was out of reach for me...sure, I could've gone with a used Fe or FE2, but I wanted to get a few more features. After reading through and looking at numerous brochures and cameras, I finally decided upon the MZ5n. One of the features that attracted me to this camera was the "retro" design...with the shutter speed dial just like on the older camera's...made me feel right at home. With 3 selectable metering modes (multi segment, centre weighted and spot...a real bonus), auto focus, and my choice of program, manual, aperature or shutter priority, this camera came with the features that I needed. One thing that I learned while looking around is that if you want to shoot infrared film, you had better make sure that the camera you have/plan to buy does not use an infrared film counter. This also factored into my decision to buy the Pentax. Overall, I have been very pleased with this camera, and find that it does 90% of all that I want and need. The other 10%..?? I was disapointed that this camera does not have the capability to do double exposures...a real oversight on the part of Pentax...it really should have been included on a camera of this level. Sometimes I have to argue with the camera on it's autofocus decision, but this works just fine most of the time. If you are a serious amateur photographer, this camera is worth a look, and will serve you well....also, there are lots and lots of great optics available at great prices...especially on Ebay. Pentax gets high marks for the backward compatability of using older lenses on this camera.

Customer Service

Excellent!! Had the camera in for faulty fim advance and for "unexpected overexposures"....fixed promptly and a good CLA thrown in ....no charge. two year warranty in Canada

Similar Products Used:

Pentax K1000 -(my first camera) Nikon FE

Good ergonomics Classic dials Satisfasctory light measurment Ability to accept old lenses Well working auto-program

Slow autofocus

I''ve used Pentax ME before and switching to MZ-5n was a good option for me. I like it mainly because it doesn''t have those weird programs for different types of photography-landscape,portrait,backlit,etc. I don''t need this, furthermore it would be confusing and disturbing. If you don''t want to play with setting up everything, this camera will do everything for you, all you need is point and shoot, and most of the times the result will be what you want it to be. The light measuring used in in this camera might not be very sophisticated, but it does what I want it to do-spot,center-weighted and 6-field matrix - all an intermediate amature photographer would ever need. The built in flash is not a strong one (11 p.n.) but it is a good option for someone who doesn''t use flash very often and only when really necessary to light up the front. Really useful fact with Pentaxes is that even the newest ones accept the lenses from the old cameras - useful when you don''t want to spend a fortune on lenses and don''t really need autofocus. Autofocus is not a speedster, but it works quite well, except for some times when it gets a bit confused, especially in the dark. Overall, I like this camera, it suits my needs and I''m not planning to change it.

Customer Service

Never had to contact them, this camera works very well

Similar Products Used:

Pentax ME, Pentax 105 Super (advanced compact)

Great weight, nice ergonomics, good layout. Best focus I''''ve ever used in bright light.

It may just be a lemon, but the quality is terrible (four problems in the first 18 months). I''''ve had times where I was very rough on cameras (backcountry skiing, treking, etc.), but this camera saw not of that abuse and it had nothing but problems. Also, it has poor autofocus in low light.

The camera takes very nice pictures, when it is working. The camera has had several substantial problems (electrical within six weeks, broken door clasp, and lens "sticking"), and customer service is terrible at best. We bought this camera for the birth of our child and have had nothing but problems.

Customer Service

Terrible. Takes too much time, don''''t return e-mails, do not work well with dealer. This is the main reason I would never buy another Pentax. It took two months and 10 phone calls to get an "elec

Similar Products Used:

Nikon N80, Canon AE1, Canon Fb (I think, it was 25 years ago).

backwards compatibility with all k-mount stuff ease of use

I don''t like all the plastic but it''s holding up pretty well so far

This camera has worked flawlessly for me. I wanted a camera that was compatible with all of my old k-mount lenses, but with room to grow. I didn''t think I would use all the "hi-tech" stuff that this camera had to offer but I find that this is the first camera that I grab for. The battery pack is well worth the extra money It makes the camera easer to hold and batteries are cheaper too

Customer Service

Haven''t needed it

Similar Products Used:

Nikon F,Pentax K1000,Pentax KX

Ease of selecting all the settings. I love the spot meter selector. I can use evry older pentax lens I have ever owned on this camera. It looks nice.

I think it focus is slower then the PZ-1. but for my use that is not a real weakness.

After owning and using the PZ-1 for 6 years, I like the ZX-5N much better. I think it is one of the best that Pentax has made. I like the feal when the AA battery back is attached. I love the trditional dials and on off lever. If this camera had been on the market when I bought the PZ-1 I would not have bought the PZ-1.

Customer Service

Have used there repair service number of times over the years (but not with the ZX-5N), the service has always been good.

Similar Products Used:

Pentax PZ-1, Super Program plus, super program, K-1000, MX, LX, ME, and Spotmatic.

Great body ergonomics Intuitave Controls All exposure modes are accurate Excellent metering and choices Normally crisp autofocus DOF prieview Exposure and Focus lock Viewfinder is average with good data display Battery Grip is a must for larger hands and frequent shooting Backward interchange with K, KM, KA lenses Flash with metz 32MZ3 and 45CT4 series TTL is great. 95% of the features needed in a compact package.

AF hunts at infinity and low light Slow flash shutter speed Pop up flash is weak No Mirror lockup

A great intermediate AF camera, which after 2 years use has not dissappointed me. Light weight even with the AA battery grip makes this unit convenient. Excellent exposure with matrix, center, and spot options. A very good semi pro offering and rated as such.

Customer Service

About 300 rolls thru with no service required.

Similar Products Used:

Pentax Super Program, MX, ME Super Olympus Stylus Epic Olympus XA

It''s strength is also its weakness. Very easy to use with well thought out and easy to follow controls. It''s great for the novice or intermediate however I can understand how "professionals" can become quickly bored with it. Another strength is it''s price- you still get plenty of camera for the price. Personally, I think its all most people need or will use. So why spend twice to three times as much on a box?

Lacks all the bells and whistles more pricy cameras have (e.g. mirror lock up, faster flash speed, faster shutter speed, etc.) But do you really need these?

After many a late night, agonizing over multiple camera reviews, I finally decided to buy a Pentax ZX-5N QD. Overall, I''m very happy I did. It''s build and quality is as well, if not better than many other cameras. Also I''m sick and tired of hearing how well Canon, Minolta or Nikon are, compared to other brands. Frankly they seem to be overpriced and differences between brands aren''t usually great enough to warrant the price difference. Just get a good solid camera, with a GOOD LENS, and you''ll be in heaven. Pictures taken with a 50mm f/1.7 lens were sharp with good color and contrast. I''ve found autofocusing to work far better than I expected. Even did well in dimly lit rooms. Only began to search in very dimly lit areas. Spot focusing worked extremely well, center weighted focusing, less so. I keep it on spot. Also bought a battery pack for it. Would recommend it. More convenient to buy four double A''s than the special batteries that go with it.

Customer Service

Haven''t used. However used Abe''s of Maine, Porter Camera, and B&H Photo to buy various items....all were very competitive,responsive and timely.

Similar Products Used:

Canon AE-1 (good camera and my first) Minolta Maxxum 7000 (had horrible luck with it)

very simple to use. straightforward

none

i am what you would consider a photographer that just wants simplicity. this happens to be my first SLR camera and i found it to be so simple that i figures out the science of photography with ease through the use of this camera for only 1 week. otherwise i would have thought of taking a course in photography. but the great thing about this camera is that it lets you experiment a lot with it and yet it keeps telling you what you are doing right or wrong. my settings are always spot on because it tells me if im getting the proper exposure. i love the simplicity of this camera. im glad i came to this site before purchasing this camera. i got mine for only 320.

Customer Service

no

Similar Products Used:

olympus XA manual p&s

durable, sturdy, great metering system, ergonomical, lightweight

1/100 flash sync, no multi exposure

this is one great camera. i have large hands and though this is one of the smallest slr's around, it fit my hands perfectly with all the important controls within reach. i never need to take my eye off the viewfinder in order to change any settings. the 3 metering systems come in really handy. and focus lock is a must on any camera. memory lock is also provided to give even more versatility. cameras with all these features are usually hundreds of dollars more. but i got mine for only 300.

Customer Service

none needed

Similar Products Used:

nikon fm2, minolta htsi, pentax zx-7

Great metering. love the auto focus. Could be a little faster though.

none

Great camera. Fun to use, lightweight. For the beginner to the advanced you cannot go wrong. This just gets the job done!!

Customer Service

great. I was loading film and I put my finger through the shutter. warranty covered everything.

Similar Products Used:

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