Look at virtually any of the online guides recommending the best SLRs for newcomers to film photography and a shortlist soon becomes familiar: Pentax K1000, Canon AE-1, Olympus OM10, plus a variable selection of other models from the same era. All are perfectly solid choices no doubt, and with a certain retro cachet for some – but are they really the best starting point?
What about a camera that doesn’t require exposure to be set manually for every single, solitary, shot – or doesn’t just offer manual exposure plus aperture priority, but also has shutter priority for when the occasion demands, and even a program mode that gives you the freedom to simply focus and shoot when something catches your eye? One that’s got pretty much every conceivable photographic situation covered, with exposure lock and exposure compensation and depth of field preview. And manual override of DX codes for the freedom to push and pull film. One that you can just bring along, not lug around. A more modern camera than the favourites of the 1970s and 80s, but one that maintains the timeless stylish design of an SLR with dials for controls and manual focus. And can be easily picked up for a much lower outlay. Wouldn’t you rather go for that camera?
After renewing my acquaintance with film photography with a point-and-shoot autofocus SLR, I’d been looking for a manual focus camera for a little while when I picked up a Pentax MZ-M (or ZX-M in North America) from an auction site in near-mint condition. This model belongs to the generation just before digital, and pristine examples seem to be common. It is exceptionally light, and when paired with a lightweight lens seems only marginally weightier than a 35mm compact. The standard Pentax K-mounted Tamron Adaptall-2 28-70mm f3.5-4.5 zoom (159A) that I received with the Pentax MZ-M restricted exposure options to aperture priority (with the right-hand dial set to A) and manual (by turning the dial to the shutter speed of choice).
The small LCD panel displays exposure mode and frame number, and provides a low battery warning, whilst the second dial provides exposure compensation and ISO override. The image in the viewfinder isn’t exactly luminously bright, but you can certainly focus well enough using the usual split image (horizontal in this case) and microprism arrangement. Film rewind and wind-on is motorised (2 x CR2 batteries, widely available, are needed) and automatic, which I welcomed as one less thing to think about.
I used two lenses with the Pentax MZ-M: the Tamron zoom (this had a useful macro setting and also performed well enough stopped down in the middle of its focal length range, but results were soft and vignette-prone at 28mm) and the widely lauded SMC Pentax-A 50mm f1.7 prime, which has a KA mount that gives the MZ-M control when the aperture ring is set at ‘A’, and so brings the program and shutter priority modes into play.
I had no cause to use the shutter priority or manual modes, but looking through the Pentax MZ-M viewfinder in manual mode, the LEDs which guide you to the correct exposure are agreeably bright and indicate both if the image is under or over-exposed and by how much.
Overall, a really pleasant camera to use. Light, small and feature-packed.
There is a ‘but’. Towards the end of the roll of Tri-X 400, pressing the depth of field preview button, which had worked fine previously, randomly seemed to be the trigger for a catastrophic malfunction, and the shutter never fired again (though the Pentax MZ-M did have the presence of mind to spontaneously autorewind the film).
It seems there is a reliability issue with the shutter mechanism of the Pentax MZ series. I really hope there are people out there who’ve shot dozens of rolls of film with these cameras trouble-free and that this problem isn’t completely endemic. Either way, no camera is infallible, and surely there can’t be too much to lose if you want to give film photography a try-out with this often overlooked Pentax. Maybe just think twice before using depth of field preview.
There is also an autofocus version of this camera, the MZ-5, which is reviewed here.
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Andy on The Pentax MZ-M (ZX-M) Review – The Ultimate Beginner’s 35mm SLR? – By Iain Paterson
Comment posted: 30/11/2021
Yes, these are actually problem-free cameras for beginners and yet everything can still be set manually.
Even so, a no-frills mechanical camera is better, even for beginners.
Until recently I also had two of these - along with many others; unfortunately some of them suddenly break (plastic gears that break); so if you go on vacation with it, it is better to have a second housing with you ... otherwise you get annoyed - like I was recently on vacation.
Andy
Comment posted: 30/11/2021
Comment posted: 30/11/2021
Comment posted: 30/11/2021
Dave on The Pentax MZ-M (ZX-M) Review – The Ultimate Beginner’s 35mm SLR? – By Iain Paterson
Comment posted: 30/11/2021
Comment posted: 30/11/2021
Tom Perry on The Pentax MZ-M (ZX-M) Review – The Ultimate Beginner’s 35mm SLR? – By Iain Paterson
Comment posted: 30/11/2021
Shout out to Ricoh for still having the product information online, years after they have no longer been sold.
https://www.ricoh-imaging.co.jp/english/products/filmcamera/35mm/mz-m/index.html
Comment posted: 30/11/2021
Doug Anderson on The Pentax MZ-M (ZX-M) Review – The Ultimate Beginner’s 35mm SLR? – By Iain Paterson
Comment posted: 30/11/2021
Comment posted: 30/11/2021
Lee on The Pentax MZ-M (ZX-M) Review – The Ultimate Beginner’s 35mm SLR? – By Iain Paterson
Comment posted: 30/11/2021
Comment posted: 30/11/2021
Comment posted: 30/11/2021
Comment posted: 30/11/2021
Stefan Wilde on The Pentax MZ-M (ZX-M) Review – The Ultimate Beginner’s 35mm SLR? – By Iain Paterson
Comment posted: 30/11/2021
Comment posted: 30/11/2021
Tom Aspun on The Pentax MZ-M (ZX-M) Review – The Ultimate Beginner’s 35mm SLR? – By Iain Paterson
Comment posted: 30/11/2021
Comment posted: 30/11/2021
Alan Jones on The Pentax MZ-M (ZX-M) Review – The Ultimate Beginner’s 35mm SLR? – By Iain Paterson
Comment posted: 30/11/2021
A good camera, simple to use, looks cool in a 'retro-modern' 90s plasticy way. Eats batteries. The kit 35-80 lens always seemed a touch soft to me. And plasticy. Nevertheless, I shot probably one of my favorite photos ever with this set up: https://www.flickr.com/photos/154248583@N08/46449248512/in/dateposted-public/
Comment posted: 30/11/2021
Clive Williams on The Pentax MZ-M (ZX-M) Review – The Ultimate Beginner’s 35mm SLR? – By Iain Paterson
Comment posted: 01/12/2021
So there’s clearly something emotional at work because it’s an excellent photographic tool that should be all I need. The metering display in manual mode is simply the best I’ve used: intuitive, progressive and still readable in poor light. A really well-executed design.
Incidentally, there’s a battery pack that lets the 5n run on four AAs instead of the CR2s. I imagine it will fit the M too.
Comment posted: 01/12/2021
Callum C on The Pentax MZ-M (ZX-M) Review – The Ultimate Beginner’s 35mm SLR? – By Iain Paterson
Comment posted: 02/12/2021
Yes, a 50mm f1.8 lens will be desired, and manual focus ones are cheap. But reliable film bodies for them are not.
In comparison, AF film bodies are very cheap, but AF 50mm f1.8 lenses a little more uncommon/ higher price (e.g. EF mount still used for digital) - so coming to a similar total cost.
In my experience this is actually cheaper, but you see the point I was trying to make.
If you wish to manual focus, then they could buy an EOS 650/620/600 which came with official interchangeable manual focus screens. There are issues with sticky shutter, but this is easily improved without disassembly and non special tools (credit card), and out of my sample of 35 only two were stopped from working any faster than 1/125th.
Comment posted: 02/12/2021
Nigel Kell on The Pentax MZ-M (ZX-M) Review – The Ultimate Beginner’s 35mm SLR? – By Iain Paterson
Comment posted: 03/12/2021
Comment posted: 03/12/2021
Valerie L on The Pentax MZ-M (ZX-M) Review – The Ultimate Beginner’s 35mm SLR? – By Iain Paterson
Comment posted: 04/12/2021
Comment posted: 04/12/2021
Ben Wells on The Pentax MZ-M (ZX-M) Review – The Ultimate Beginner’s 35mm SLR? – By Iain Paterson
Comment posted: 04/10/2022
A Nikon FM, Canon AE et. al., Olympus OM or Pentax K series will be a vastly better long term investment of course - better made, better availability of lenses, accessories and spares - but given all of these cameras are going up in price now that film's popular and hip again, it's not bad to have a <$50 option for those who are curious... but aren't entirely sure they want to invest three-figures-plus just yet.
Of course, I do stress the "<$50" bit... our local store had one up for sale at AU$150, and that is literally $100 too much for a camera like this. Any more money than that and a 1990s prosumer Canon EOS or Nikon F makes way more sense.
I used a friend's MZ-50 quite a bit back in the late 90s when they were still a current "thing"... cheaper than comparable prosumer Canon EOS SLRs at the time. Not as sexy as my then-extensive Nikon FM kit obviously, but they were reliable and autofocus was sometimes a very useful thing. I used it for paying work sometimes and it did the job well.
A couple of years ago I was cleaning out my partner's collection of long-replaced-and-forgotten-about cameras and was surprised to find a clean MZ-50 complete with both standard and telephoto kit zooms. Apparently she bought it some 20 years earlier, there was still film in there from over 10 years earlier. Popped in a fresh battery, fired right up, finished the roll and got 24 perfectly exposed frames. I've put through a few rolls of (mostly expired) colour film through it now and it continues to operate flawlessly. Autofocus is surprisingly nippy and reliable. The UI isn't as satisfying as turning big mechanical knobs, but it is intuitive and is more than usable in manual mode.
Of course I'd recommend a committed beginner get themselves a well maintained and tested Nikon FM as their first 35mm film camera any day of the week (and twice on Sundays), because they are damn well near perfect 'student' cameras. But if you find one in a cupboard that still works... well, buy a fresh battery and roll of film and go have some fun ;-)
Comment posted: 04/10/2022
steve debski on The Pentax MZ-M (ZX-M) Review – The Ultimate Beginner’s 35mm SLR? – By Iain Paterson
Comment posted: 13/03/2023
It will shoot occasionally - not enough for me to brave putting in a film. Changed batteries for new ones and the "switch/lever" thing seen when removing the lens is freely working - although jams occasionally - but that could be due to the mode hunt.
Any ideas? Search engines don't seem to show much info on this issue.
Thanks,
Steve
Comment posted: 13/03/2023