Review of Pentax MZ 60

Advantages: Lightweight, easy to use
Disadvantages: Awkward location of some buttons

...Pentax MZ-60 This was my first SLR kit bought in January 2003, which came with a 35-80mm f4/5.6 FA lens. The camera is I belive quite good value for money and an ideal starter SLR, with plenty of features. It has nine modes, including automatic, as well as aperture mode (Av), shutter-mode (TV) and metered manual mode (M) for the enthusiasts. Exposure ranges from 1/2000 second to 30 seconds, although in bulb-mode the exposure can be set for up to 32 minutes. On the down side, the buttons are often small and fiddly and the overall feel is cheap and plasticky. However, I can testify that it is more than capable of surviving the usual wear and tear. The camera relies heavily on the LCD display for displaying information, which some might find awkward. The major gripe I have about this camera is the Av button next to the lens...

BLANKING123 17.07.2005 · Read review
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Review of Pentax MZ-60 DATE

  Pentax produces pretty perfect pictures!

Advantages: Great build quality, easy to use and good picture quality.
Disadvantages: No image stabalisation and no wide angle capability in the lens.

...As I am sure most Ciao members will now know, I am a professional photographer but as well as taking pictures I also hold photography seminars at my local camera club and over the last few years I have become somewhat of a target for sales persons asking me to try out their latest digital cameras and give talks and written reviews on them. I figured a couple of years back if I was going to be testing out all these cameras and doing reviews anyway then I may as well be posting them on Ciao and Dooyoo and making some money for charity which as you well know is what I do now. The latest camera to be handed to me is the Pentax Optio M60 and as you read on you will find that this little digital camera is a real breath of fresh air. For months now I have been handed very expensive digital point and shoot cameras that claim to be able...

thebigc1690 28.04.2009 (17.05.2009) · Read review
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Review of Pentax Optio M60

Pentax K1000

Advantages: Unlimited use
Disadvantages: Need to buy a flash separate

...In this age of high technology automatic electronic equipment it pays to take a step back to the simple things such as the Pentax K1000 camera. The fully manual 35mm SLR obviously requires complete user control but for the photographer who doesn’t want to be limited by a camera’s ability, this is the one for you. The only power needed is for the exposure meter from a small battery which is activated when the lens cap is removed. The built-in through-the-lens meter measures the average brightness of the ground glass at full aperture and then couples to the aperture, shutter and film speed settings. The shutter mechanism is completely manual meaning that the camera can still be used even when the battery is exhausted, with a little guess work for the exposure. The focal plane shutter extends from speeds B, 1 second to 1...

hakkved 09.03.2001 (07.03.2001) · Read review
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Review of Pentax K1000

Pentax K100D

Advantages: image quality,shake reduction, backwards lens compatibilty
Disadvantages: DSLR's are still too big

...REVIEW OF PENTAX K100D DIGITAL SLR BACKGROUND I've owned SLR's for 30 years starting with screw mount lenses and moving to Pentax K mount. In the last 5 years I became interested in digital photography owning a Canon A200 and Konica Minolta Dimage Z3. We've also got 5 other digital compacts in the household including new Samsung and Fuji 6MP models. The KM Z3 is a great camera with a 12 times optical zoom and anti shake sensor but I was a little disappointed with noise in the dark areas of some pictures. This could be kept to a reasonable level if ISO was fixed at 50 but this limits flexibility when the sun isn't shining. I'd thought about buying a digital SLR for some time but couldn't really justify the expense over what seemed to be minor benefits. However, when I discovered that the K100D would work with my old K mount...

bodyboarderdude 07.02.2007 · Read review
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Review of Pentax K100D

Powerful Pentax

Advantages: Small, Light, Flexable, Excellent Results
Disadvantages: Fiddlely buttons

...I needed a digital camera for part of the NVQ work that I am doing at the moment and also thought it would be a good idea for my annual leave next week. There are so many digital cameras on the market that I was at a bit of a loss which to buy. My father has been a photographer of sorts for some time and has always recommended Pentax. The Pentax Optio immediately got my attention. It is tiny, about the size of a box of paracetamol in all dimensions. It has an aluminium body and is very classy to look at. I have been told that the case can be scratched very easily. I have had mine now for a month and I am not the most careful of people around and there is not a scratch in sight. By pressing the on/off button on the right hand side at the top of the camera, the zoom lens effortlessly glides outwards. Press it to off and the lens...

hakken_krakk 10.07.2004 · Read review
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Review of Pentax Optio S4

Me and my Pentax

Advantages: Handling, quality of results
Disadvantages: Frequent film changing

...Pentax 67 I?ve owned a 67 for around 8 years, after deciding I liked the tonal quality of medium format negs. I had a look at a number of alternatives: 645, 6x6 and 6x7: I chose the Pentax because it had a sound specification, a good range of lenses, and required neither three hands, nor gorilla-sized ones. The fact that essentially the same camera had been in production for over 20 years (and it continues now, with the 67 II) means that there are plenty of second-hand accessories around. I looked at used bodies - a lot of them are rather tatty, as they seem to be popular with professionals, who don?t give them an easy life. So I bought new, and economised with second-hand lenses and a non-metering pentaprism. I?ve never regretted any of my choices. Watch out, as with all other second-hand cameras, for chewed-up tripod...

Dudler 26.11.2000 · Read review
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Review of Pentax 67

Pentax Optio S10

Advantages: Large display screen, easy to use
Disadvantages: I haven't found any

...I was given the Pentax Optio S10 as a birthday present 2 months ago to replace my film camera and quite honestly I was convinced I would hate it and thought it was far too small and would be fiddly and not take photos as good as my SLR. Well I have to say I've been made to eat my words, Firstly the quality of the pictures is totally amazing, very crisp and clear, even when printed at A4 size they don't lose any clarity. The display screen is much larger than on many small digital cameras and makes it easy to use. The controls are very easy to use, when you click onto the mode screen there is a clear symbol for each type of operation and when you click on it, it gives a brief description of what it does which saves from having to consult the manual all the time. The battery life is a real plus as I'd heard that many digital cameras...

jellybean21 16.07.2008 · Read review
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Review of Pentax Optio S10

PENTAX K1OOD

Advantages: EASY TO USE, BRILLIANT IMAGES
Disadvantages: NO SELF CLEANING

...I have owned this camera for six months now and it has been brilliant. The choice of aperture priority is the one I use most. I really don't get on well with instruction manuals and I'm pleased to say I can manage this without using the instructions - although one reason for choosing this model was that my old pre-digital lenses should fit it - I have tried one lens but got no response at all, so will have to go to the manual! The images are mainly sharp and bright although not quite so good in low light situations - in spite of me trying to compensate for the low light the results are not so good as with my old Pentax SLR film camera. The anti shake works so well that I have to pull myself up when using other cameras without it - it has made me a bit careless! The one drawback for me with this camera is that bits of dust...

cherryjay77 29.12.2007 · Read review
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Review of Pentax K100D

The Pentax K200d, left behind in the pixel races.

Advantages: light, ease of use, great in-camera editing, cheap, batteries are buyable everywhere,
Disadvantages: poor low light performance, expensive to run, no room for growth,

...I've always had a interest in cameras and even as a child used an SLR 35mm camera, I was still happily stuck in my ways until borrowing a digital camera from my partner on holiday. Suddenly I had instant access to my pictures and no worries about not having enough film. I decided that it was time I joined the digital age and after a brief bridge camera trial I after long deliberation decided to buy the outsider, the Pentax K200d. I admit I'm stubborn in my ways and as a unconventional slightly gothy woman I have a natural aversion to the crowds of middle aged men with their Eos's at the zoo, but after eight months I bought myself a Canon and I'm selling my Pentax and waving goodbye to them. Despite being the makers of some fantastic glass they are so behind other manufacturers in the pixel race and as my skills grow I find that I need...

einochi 17.05.2009 · Read review
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Review of Pentax K200D

pentax k1000- beginners luck

Advantages: creative possibilities, durability and pricing
Disadvantages: replacement of old parts would be pricey

...All photography students are well aquainted with the Pentax K1000 as it has been used as a value for money SLR for many years now. The choice of schools and Universities to buy this camera, alone emphasises its reliability and ease of use for a beginner. For those who have surpassed the beginners' stage, this camera provides an excellent and very compatible base for extras to be added. For instance larger lenses can be added which will magnify and allow greater scope for picture taking. A flash can also be added and there is a terminal on the camera front to where it can be attached for flash synchronisation. This hot shoe allows a variety of other components to be added to the camera for example an air release which will allow the photographer to stand away from the camera viewfinder and still take the shot. The joy of having...

pauline5ive 13.06.2004 · Read review
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Review of Pentax K1000