Amazon.com Product Description

With its JIS Class 5 weather resistance, the Pentax IQ Zoom 105WR camera can be used worry-free in the rain or other circumstances where it might get wet. There's no need to worry about stray water drops or splashes; you can even wash it in water. However, it is not waterproof, only water-resistant, and shouldn't be used as an underwater camera.

The highly accurate autofocus system gives you perfectly focused images time and again. Its multibeam passive autofocus system aims at five separate points to determine the optimum setting for your scene. Even when shooting two subjects standing apart, both are in sharp focus. If an object stands partially between you and your subject, you can switch to the Spot AF mode which allows you to pinpoint the focusing system on the main subject.

The multipattern metering system beautifully exposes your scene and lets you choose from one of five modes: flash on, flash off, slow shutter sync (for low light situations), bulb (fireworks mode), and bulb sync (special effects mode). If a low-light situation is detected, the built-in zoom flash automatically provides fill-in illumination while adjusting the amount of light in proportion to your selected focal length, ensuring that your images aren't over or under-exposed.Two print formats, standard and panorama, are available with the IQZoom 105WR. You can switch from one format to the other at any time on a roll of film. Switching between modes requires just a quick twist of the panorama lever, which also functions as the main power switch. This means that you can go from a tight portrait shot to a sweeping landscape scene and back in just seconds, and all on the same roll of film. The macro zoom lets you get even closer to your subject--just two feet away--no matter your focal length setting. With the macro shooting frames in the viewfinder, it's easy to confirm the framing of each shot. The actual-image viewfinder shows the image size--whether standard, panorama, or macro--in relation to the zoom ratio, giving you a precise preview of your scene.

The IQZoom 105WR incorporates a high-performance 38-105mm, 2.8x power zoom lens. Covering the wide-angle to medium-telephoto range, this camera can be used for a wide variety of subjects, especially in and around the water. An adjustable diopter even lets you match the viewfinder image to your eyesight requirements. After approximately three minutes of nonuse, the zoom lens automatically retracts to the 38mm position. ... Read more

Features

• JIS Class 5 weather resistance camera
• High-performance 38mm-105mm, 2.8x power zoom lens
• Highly accurate autofocus system and multipattern metering system with 5 modes
• Built-in zoom flash automatically provides fill-in illumination
• Includes two print formats, standard and panorama

Features

• Pentax power zoom 28mm - 120mm F5.6 - F12.8 lens with 4.3x overall magnification
• Phase-matching passive five-point autofocus system from 1.6 feet to infinity
• Programmed auto exposure control with multi metering
• Standard and Panorama exposure switchable
• Automatic film loading with first-frame positioning, auto winding and auto rewind

Amazon.com Product Description

With the Pentax IQ Zoom 90MC camera's powerful 38-90mm lens, you can zoom out to take group pictures or zoom in to take intimate close-ups. For large group scenes, or to capture an entire landscape, you can switch to panorama mode--at any time or frame. Its multipattern metering accurately measures the available light of your surroundings, even in unusual lighting conditions, to give you properly exposed images.

The IQ Zoom 90MC camera has an easy-to-read LCD instruction panel, ensuring that you always know what your current settings are, including the optional time/date stamp; you can switch between "Year-Month-Day," "Month-Day-Year," "Day-Month-Year," "Day-Hour-Minute," or leave it blank. This camera's protective front cover also acts to turn the power on and off. The fail-safe film loading guarantees against improper loading. ... Read more

Features

• Protective front cover with automatic lens retraction
• Easy-to-read LCD instruction panel
• Panorama mode
• Passive five-point auto focus system
• Macro focus range of 25 inches

Reviews (3)

Excellent for owner, but don't let anyone else operate it
I bought this camera the first part of 1998. I have used it regularly for more than 5 years, and I have NEVER had any kind of problem with it. All the features work great and none of the parts have malfunctioned. The camera is great if you're the owner and you know how it works. However, my one qualm is that almost every time I have given the camera to someone else to take a photo of me, they have seriously screwed up the photo. Almost everyone is confused with the zoom and the actual "take the picture button." It seems obvious to me, but for the average random snapshot-taker, it's confusing. When red eye reduction is on, there is quite a bit of time between pushing the button and taking the picture. Time and time again I will hand off the camera, the person will push the button, and because it doesn't take immediately, they move the camera. I have so many blurry shots of half people and sides of rooms. As a result, I have become a huge fan of self timer photos. But you can't blame that on the camera.

Summary: This camera won't give you problems and will take beautiful pictures. But if you plan to hand it off so you can get photos of you, be careful who you hand it to, or avoid using the red eye reduction feature.

Red eye PRODUCTION
We bought this to snap photos around the house of our little girl. We couldn't have been more disappointed. The shots come out fuzzy and the red eye reduction DOESN'T work. After several attempts to contact Pentax through their customer service website they suggested a number of techniques, none of which worked. It doesn't matter what speed film you use, get this camera indoors and you'll be disappointed. In all fairness, the outside photos look OK, took a bunch of shots of European sites and have an occasional fuzzy long distance photo, but mostly accurate.

good, reliable camera
A very good camera. My previous one was the same. But unfortunately it is not water proof and on our visit to Niagara got wet and broke. I am buying this again. The lens cover is very useful. Very handy and takes great pictures. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

The innovative Pentax ZX-L features super-compact dimensions, simple operation, and Pentax's original Auto Picture Mode with a large illuminated mode dial. Designed for intermediate photographers yet easy enough to use for the budding amateur, the ZX-L is fully equipped with high-end features.

The Auto Picture Mode automatically selects one of five picture modes: landscape, close-up, action, portrait, or standard program. The latter setting is based on your subjects' distance, lens focal length, and movement; the ZX-L then tells you the camera's decision via the illuminated mode dial. This eliminates the need for you to flip through different modes yourself when photos are quickly needed.

You can tackle any lighting situation with the built-in flash (with red-eye reduction) and Pentax's sophisticated six-segment multi-pattern light metering system which calculates the optimum exposure, so that even the most difficult high/low-contrast lighting situations are no problem.

The predictive autofocus function automatically detects your subject's motion and anticipates the correct positioning at the time of shutter release, resulting in perfectly focused pictures even when the subject is moving toward or away from the camera.

You can also create artistic shots by combing exposures onto a single frame. When taking three or more exposure onthe same frame, simply press the multiple exposure button after each exposure to create your image. This camera also features quartz dating, panorama mode, and a remote control. ... Read more

Features

• 11 Pentax Exposure Functions
• Wireless Flash & High Speed Sync capability
• Six selectable auto Picture Modes
• Six segment light metering
• TTL auto pop-up flash w/red-eye reduction

Reviews (6)

Great Camera
This is a excellent camera. Quick and easy to use. Lens works great and is a pleasure to use. Even in Manual mode with older K-mount lenses worked reall well...(had a few old Tamron zooms)...Well worth the money.

Pentax ZX-L, a superb camera
I bought my ZX-L about 6 weeks ago, have always loved pentax equipment, saw it in a photo shop, fooled with it and bought it in a minute, not the best way to buy photo equipment.
Now, a while later, I could not be more pleased, this is a beautifully made camera that consistently turns out magnificent photos. The idea of using an SLR as a point and shoot camera seemed ridiculous, I refused to accept it, started using it in Aperture or Shutter speed mode. The I decided to go for Pentax,s full program mode, and this is the way I use it exclusively now, the thing shoots almost exactly the way I would shoots, pick shutter and aperture as well as I can, also sets off flash when required, in that it does a much better job than I could.
There is no way to beat this silver beauty, there really is nothing to criticize, a great great camera.
If you,re looking for a new slr, go for the ZX-L, I just dropped digital and when back to film,

A very fine camera
I just purchased The Petax ZXL, I could not be more pleased, it workds just beautifully, in the process of using it you dont have to go back to the manual for more instructions, although the manual is pretty good, if you have some experience with these types of SLR AF cameras, this is a snap.
The camera works so well, the results are excellent, it is just a winner, I cannot understand why [Amazon.com] no longer carries this camera,thats a shame.
Besides working so well, this as some camera reviewers over the years have said, is typically Pentax, neat as a pin, works like a dream, when I saw it for the first time a few days ago, found it irresistable, I enjoy using a camera that does not look like a star wars weapon, has a very contemporary look, fits me perfectly, works beautifully and still has a tremendous battery of electronic enhancements very well hidden, I love the thing.
Also shot some slides, I eventually scan them in and they come out great, pentax slides with the ZXL are superb.
Nuff said.

Great camera
I have owned a pentax camera for 13 years and it has always taken FABULOUS pictures. I wanted to get a better camera to replace my older Pentax (even though it works great!) so I could get the SLR features my older one didn't have.

Overall I am extremely satisfied with this camera. The quality of the prints is outstanding. The camera itself is easy to use and the automatic settings allow even a novice (to the SLR world) like me to shoot professional-looking prints.

My only complaint would be that I noticed in low light (like on an overcast day, or in the shade) the automatic feature won't pop up the flash so the prints end up looking dark. One of my daughters has brown hair and in one picture I took on the porch her hair looked black. Also her face looked grainy and dark. My husband, who knows a lot more about SLR photography than I do, said he thought the camera was metering off the wrong source???? In any case, that is something that a more knowledgeable photographer can work around.

I shot some black and white pictures at the Biltmore House, and they look like the work of a professional.

This is a great little camera!!!! If not for the darkness issues I had, I would have rated it 5 stars. Pentax makes an excellent quality product and their cameras are built to last.

Excellent package for the price
I bought this camera to have a "good camera" for a trip to Europe, and I am in the shakedown phase of using it. This is my first AF camera, but prior to this I used another Pentax SLR, the P30t.

This camera has an excellent metering system. While you may wonder if a metering system with 35 points is better than Pentax's 6 segment metering, I doubt very seriously that it is. I have gotten accurate metering outdoors, in backlit situations, indoors, low light, etc. The spot metering system also seems to be accurate.

This camera has an "auto" mode that turns it into a glorified point & shoot camera. It works fantastically! When I check the f-stop and shutter speed settings I nearly always find them appriopriate for the situations I'm addressing. If you shoot slides have no fear, the ZX-L does not overexpose. For situations in which I want more control, both the shutter priority and aperture priority modes are extremely easy to use.

The AF system is great, too. It is not loud (though not as quiet as the Canon USM AF system), but it is reasonably fast and quite accurate. The body supports AF tracking for when a subject is moving. I have found that feature to work well, also.

This body has a durable *metal* KAF mount for lenses, which means old Pentax lenses from years gone by will fit. So you might be able to extend your lens collection for this camera by borrowing from friends who have old Pentax lenses they no longer use. For instance, I an old 50mm SMC-A lens from my old P30t with this camera just fine.

I find the 28-80 lens to be an adequate general purpose consumer zoom. It is, of course, not as fast optically (f/3.5-5.6) as a high end zoom, but works in most situations.

The on camera flash is very convenient, and pops up automatically in most situations where it is needed.

I have taken about 15 rolls of print film since getting my camera 1.5 months ago. These include indoor and outdoor pictures, pictures with the on camera flash and a larger flash on the hot shoe. All came out well. Exposure times varied from about 1/500 to 10". I have taken a roll of slides outdoors in bright sunlight with no exposure problems, and at night as long exposure with no exposure problems. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Pentax's IQ Zoom EZY-S Date camera gives new meaning to the phrase "point-and-shoot." It adjusts the focus and exposure of your shot automatically for sharp, clean results every time. The high-quality 38-70mm, 1.8x zoom lens makes framing your shots extremely easy, ensuring that you always get the picture you want. To ensure that you'll never forget when you took that roll of film, you have the option of imprinting the date or the day and time on every photo.

The versatile built-in flash has several programmed exposure modes that suit a variety of lighting situations. If insufficient light is detected, the flash fires automatically; the backlight compensation uses the available natural lighting (without a flash) to improve the balance of light between the subject and the rest of the picture. The advanced flash functions let you flex your creative muscles; the flash-on mode can help eliminate shadows when sunlight is behind your subject, while the flash can be turned off for those times when use of flash is restricted--in museums or during concerts, for example. You can use the red-eye reduction lamp to help reduce that ugly red-eye effect often caused by flash photography.

For those times when your subject is in the distance, you can use the IQ Zoom EZY-S Date's infinity-landscape mode to capture the image clearly--even through glass. With the 10-second self-timer, you can get into the picture yourself. With all of these options, keeping track of your settings may seem a bit challenging. Pentax thought of the solution to that concern, though. The easy-to-read LCD panel lets you see all your settings and levels, including: exposure counter, battery exhaustion warning mark, red-eye reduction, flash-on, flash-off, slow shutter, bulb, backlight compensation, infinity landscape, and self-timer, with one quick glance.

Since the IQ Zoom EZY-S Date is fully automatic, all you have to do is load the film and go. The film transport system handles the loading, winding, and rewinding. It even turns itself off after three minutes of inactivity, saving your battery power and protecting the lens. ... Read more

Features

• High-quality 38-70mm, 1.8x autofocus zoom lens
• Easy-to-read LCD panel indicates current settings and levels
• Auto film handling allows easy loading, winding, and rewinding
• Versatile built-in flash has several programmed exposure modes
• Film transport system is fully automatic

Reviews (2)

Everything but the picture
Nice design, nice ergonomics, nice features. The only problem is that the lens is not very sharp, even for 4x5s. Tried indoors with flash, and outdoors in bright light. I can understand this camera having problems with 8x10, but the small format shots should be better.

Great little camera BUT........
Really great features. Can be a little overwhelming for someone who's been used to fully automatic point & shoot cameras. JUST DON'T BUY IT RIGHT BEFORE A BIG OR IMPORTANT EVENT. Get it and practice with the features first. The slow shutter features resulted in very blurred pictures of my cousin's wedding ceremony. Great color & light but very blurred. I believe with some practice it could be a great little camera for the basic photographer. ... Read more

Features

• Intelligent Auto Picture Mode selects the correct program for every situation
• Illuminated mode dial shows what mode is selected
• Six selectable Picture Modes for enhanced user control ? plus Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority, Bulb, and Full Manual
• Six segment metering for perfect exposures in any light
• Three-point wide-frame autofocus with selectable Spot AF

Amazon.com Product Description

When using the Pentax IQ Zoom EZY-R date camera, all you have to do is point and shoot; it automatically adjusts the focus and exposure, ensuring crisp, clear results every time. The auto film handling allows easy loading, winding, and rewinding, while the 38-70mm zoom lens is easy to use and gives you amazing flexibility for framing your shots. This camera is ideal for shooting images of distant scenery, even through windows, thanks to the infinity-landscape mode.

The red-eye reduction lamp helps to eliminate the unsightly effect of red-eye in your images. In backlight compensation mode, the EZY-R uses the available natural lighting to improve the balance between your subject and the rest of the picture. If the lighting is insufficient, the flash will fire automatically to provide the amount of light necessary. With several flash modes to choose from: flash-on, flash-off, daylight-sync, slow shutter-sync, and bulb-sync, you can get creative with your scenes. Try the flash-on mode to help eliminate shadows when the sun is behind your subject. When flash photography is not permitted, like in museums or during performances, you can turn the flash off but still capture the images you want.

Just a single glance at the convenient, easy-to-read LCD panel tells you all you need to know about the camera's current settings and levels, including: exposure counter, battery exhaustion warning mark, red-eye reduction, flash-on, flash-off, slow shutter, bulb, backlight compensation, infinity-landscape, and self-timer. With the IQZoom EZY-R date model, you can imprint the "date" or "day and time" on your photos so you'll never have to guess when the pictures were taken. The auto-power-off feature turns the camera off after three minutes of inactivity, saving battery power and protecting the lens from scratches. ... Read more

Features

• Automatically adjusts the focus and exposure
• Easy-to-read LCD panel indicates current settings and levels
• Imprint the date or day and time on your photos
• Auto film handling allows easy loading, winding, and rewinding
• Auto power-off feature turns the camera off after 3 minutes of inactivity

Reviews (1)

A nice simple camera
This is not a sophisticated camera but it is very convenient for vacations or just taking pictures here and there. And it is good for its price too. Not too expensive if you want a good camera with a low budget. ... Read more

Features

• Lens Construction -15 elements in 12 groups
• Filter Size -62mm
• F-Stop Range -4-22
• Minimum Focus Distance -1.6 feet
• Maximum Magnification -0.18x

Features

• 28mm point and shoot camera
• Uses 35mm film for classic photo format
• Automatic focus, date/time stamp, red-eye reduction features
• Requires 2 1.5V Alkaline AA-size batteries

Features

• Die-cast ultra strong magnesium alloy body
• Oversize slanted top LCD panel show all information
• Six-sensor SAFOX VII AF sustem
• Rapid mode changes with Hyper Operation control
• 19 Pentax Functions with user programability

Reviews (1)

no complaints after one year of use
After trying out a Canon EOS1 and a Nikon F100, I bought a Pentax MZ-S because it feels more like a camera rather than a computer. Yes, this is an all-electronic camera but the controls are similar to the analog/mechanical cameras -- to change the shutter speed you rotate the shutter speed dial, to change the aperture you turn the aperture ring. This is also the smallest and the lightest professional SLR I have seen. The all-metal body is comfortable to hold and there is a grip protrusion even on the left side. This is also one of the few pro SLRs with a built-in flash which comes in handy when you want to travel light and need a fill-flash. The depth-of-field preview lever is conveniently located as a ring around the shutter button. There is no manual mirror lockup option but you can use the 2 second timer which locks the mirror then opens the shutter 2 seconds later. The exposure data imprint is a nice option which prints the speed and f stop on the film outside the frame. The slanted top panel isn't exactly a life-changing innovation but it is a nice touch.

The only drawbacks might be the slow flash synch (1/160), slow frame advance (2.5 per sec) and the difficult to reach auto focus control switches. However, none of these are problems for me because I don't shoot action or sports. Oh, another con is that it is a little overpriced.

I have been using this for over a year now and have no complaints yet. It is a great camera to travel with because of its small size and weight. ... Read more

Features

• SMART picture mode w/5 auto switching programs
• Six-segment metering
• High speed predictive AF anticipates subject movement
• Multi-function auto pop-up flash w/red-eye reduction
• Creative multiple exposure capability

Reviews (1)

Nice
Moved from Me-Super to ZX-7. Worth the 175$ I paid used.
WTG Pentax. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

The heart of the Pentax PZ-1p camera body is its upgraded SAFOX II (sensor ability fortifying optical compensation system) sensor unit. By upgrading the focus system, Pentax guarantees accurately focused images, even under extremely poor lighting conditions. If your subject is on the move, the high-speed predictive AF mode can calculate the position of a fast-moving subject at shutter release. As a result, a subject on the move is always captured in sharp focus. To further optimize the focusing accuracy of this camera, it also comes equipped with an AF spot-beam projector. When combined with SMC Pentax FA power zoom lenses, the PZ-1p offers three-speed, one-touch power zooming which assures speedy, accurate framing with easy control of the zoom ring.

With a wide, 38mm angle of view, the built-in retractable TTL autoflash is equipped with a predischarge mechanism that helps reduce the red-eye effect in your images. The flash has easy-to-use slow-shutter-speed sync and daylight sync capabilities, as well as a trailing-shutter-curtain sync mode that depicts a more natural image of the illuminated subject if it's on the move. You also have the option of using the discharge compensation function to create the flash effect you want, simply by controlling the amount of light illuminating the subject.

Since the metering system is an important part of the exposure system, you have the option of spot metering, center-weighted metering, or the sophisticated eight-segment multipattern metering; the choice of metering type can be changed depending on your preference. When this system works with the advanced exposure compensation (allowing +4 EV in 1/3 or 1/2 stop increments) and autobracketing functions, the PZ-1p allows you to capture your subjects however you want them, even under many different lighting conditions.

The PZ-1p's autobracketing system is extremely versatile; it automatically takes three different exposures in succession in the order of normal, under, and overexposed. This feature can be used in both the autoexposure modes and the hyper-manual mode, giving you even more chances for creative expression. When combined with an exposure compensation mechanism, you can also take the three exposures in the overexposure or underexposure side.

The multidata LCD viewfinder display is illuminated so you can check your camera's settings day and night. A few of the functions you can verify are: shutter speed, low-illumination warning, exposure compensation, metering system (multipattern, spot, center-weighted), and panorama mode. The external information panel is also illuminated for easy referencing and gives you information on: exposure mode, film loading, film advance/rewind, loading error warning, shutter speed, low-battery warning, exposure frame number, and the self-timer, to name a few. ... Read more

Features

• Versatile auto-bracketing system
• Upgraded SAFOX II (sensor ability fortifying optical compensation system) sensor unit
• Illuminated multidata LCD viewfinder display and external information panel
• Predischarge mechanism to help reduce red-eye effect
• Lens not included

Reviews (3)

Why is it doscontinued what a shame.
I own this model as well as the ZX-m. I concur with the other reviewers this camera is excellent. Much better than the MZ-S and other brands dollar for dollar. It's a shame it has been discontinued

The BEST professional SLR for the money
I have several cameras by several manufacturers and I can honestly say that my Pentax cameras are the best performers.

Not only is the PZ-1p almost error-proof, but it is easy to handle and uses all the K-mount Pentax lenses AF and Manual!!! (Try getting that kind of lens mount flexibility from another brand like Nikon or Minolta ... forget it.)

The only way the PZ-1p could be made better is if it came with the gripstrap FDP accessory standard. The camera by itself is a little small in the hands for a professional SLR (a tribute to Pentax technology, but bad for photographers who like cameras to fill their hands). The gripstrap FDP accessory makes the PZ-1p feel like it was made for your hand ... it's a definate must if you use this camera professionally or if you are going to lug it around all day.

Best price/performance ratio SLR
Sadly Pentax discontinued this model in favour of their new flagship MZ-S. Let me tell you they're different cameras. While the MZ-S is a fully pro- oriented body, PZ-1p is an outstanding all-around gear. It has many features only found in great great Canon or Nikon models, obviously much higher priced. Examples of this is its 4 fps drive motor, 1/8000 top shutter speed, or 1/250 flash sync, and interchangeable focusing screens.
Another great feature is the so-called Hyper Program mode, that allows the user to switch from a full programmed mode to an aperture-priority (or shutter-priority) just by moving the aperture (or shutter-speed) knob. Or the Hyper Manual mode, when you have total exposure control, but can ask the camera to aid you setting the proper exposure with a touch of a button.
LCD display is large enough to be clearly seen from a meter away, and shows any information you need. It can be backlit at the touch of two simultaneous buttons. Almost every info in this display is available at the viewfinder right side also.
Build is good enough for an all-around body. It is not air tight and it has not 72 molybdene silicon-rubbered-thermo gaskets just because it is not intended for carrying it during an Everest climb. But any photographer can safely rely on it for almost every kind of work. Body is metal-carbonate compound, and unlike some mass-market models from a very renowned brand, it has a metal (not hard plastic) lens mount.
Add to this the fact that remarkably puts Pentax above any SLR manufacturer: lens compatibility. You can use PZ-1p -along as ANY modern Pentax body- with ANY K-mount lens you can get. Of course you'll not enjoy the autofocus feature with old lenses, but you can set the PZ-1p to aid your manual focus with a mark on the viewfinder and/or a beep sound. Try to find that feature in any other of the great SLR brands. Just forget about...
So, if you own an old faithful K-1000 with a couple of reliable and solid SMC lenses and want to enter a new photographic era, stop thinking about: this is the camera for you.
... ... Read more

Features

• Powerful 48-200mm zoom lens
• Passive 5-point autofocus
• Built-in flash with red-eye reduction
• 10-second self-timer
• Panorama, bulb, slow synch, and landscape shooting modes

Reviews (26)

excellent product
Thsi camera is awesome, i have had it for about a month and I cannot find one flaw with it. The red eye reduction works really well, and the flash never fails me. The landscape function is excellent, i used it when i went to the Grand Canyon and it worked amazingly. you can use a function which lets you out the date in the bottom left corner of the picture and there are about 500 different phrases you can put at the top of the picture. I recomand this camera to anyone who just loves to take pictures and have fun with a camera. Its is very durabl and easy to use, i droped it in my car and it didn't even get a scratch. My most favorite function is the 10 second self timer, it goes exactly when its supposed to, it doesn't go before but its right on the dot. It also gives you warning of when the camera is going ot take the picture. I reccomand this camera to anyone looking for a good product.

THE CAMERA THAT COMPENSATES THE NON-ARTIST
I was never good at drawing but I feel the power to create with this Pentax IQ Zoom 200 Quartz Date camera. I have had photo finishers give me testimonials on the outstanding pictures I have taken with the Pentax. I could never have captured the dramatic scenes until the arrival of this 200 zoom lens. Pentax has a reputation for their refined glass lenses which produce those razor sharp photos with brilliantly enhanced colors. I like the silver color housing on this camera that screams "high-tech" to the consumer. I admire how folks marvel when they see the name "Pentax" on my camera. The panorama feature is a wonderful asset. The panorma pictures are like cinemascope to me. I recommend this quartz date model because you will be glad to have made this purchase knowing that you can place a date on those particular photos in which you want to remember exactly the day it was taken. ...

Wow! What a great camera
This is a great camera! It takes excellent pictures. The panoramic feature is great, and I can even take "double exposure" pictures of my kids, getting them in the same shot twice! The date feature is nice. I won't have to guess at when a picture was taken years down the road. And if you don't want a date on your picture you just turn the feature off. Sure, it's a little bulkier than a lot of models, but nothing I can't handle. If it were any smaller you wouldn't be able to get that great long zoom feature, which is one of the best things about this camera. I can take a picture of anything, anywhere, I don't have to be close to the action to get a good shot, I just zoom in. I even took mine swimming (accidentally) on a canoe trip. As soon as it dried out it was ready to go again. Then I tripped and fell on it on the concrete. Bent the door on the back, scuffed up the outside quite a bit, really did a number on it. I got it back from Pentax good as new in just two weeks!

Buy it, you'll love it!

worst camera I've ever bought
I purchased this camera just before leaving for Peru and the Galapagos Islands. 25% to 30% of my photos turned out. So I've spent nearly $... for developing bad photos. The rest are blurry. I've been taking photos for years, and I wanted a zoom lens on a reliable camera rather than taking my heavy SLR. WHat a mistake. I'm returning it for a refund. I've already contacted Pentax.

Okay Camera but has some notable flaws
Camera takes great shots with the zoom, clear and sharp, but here are things you will encounter in using this camera. I own several pentax cameras, this one was a little disappointing but still use it constantly. Would of rated it higher if not for the following. One, the viewfinder is a bit dark/dim, you will have to get use to it after you use it for a while. It looks abit grayish especially if you are taking indoor shots. Outdoor shots, the viewfinder is okay. Two, when you turn the camera on, the popout flash unit will push against your fingers. This gets a little annoying especially when you turn on the camera via a turn dial on top of the camera. Three, the camera jams or fails to take a pictures sometimes, when you retrack the zoom all the way back to wide angle. What happens is when you retract all the way back to wide angle, the pop out flash unit also retracts and pops out again, but the problem is that it sometimes doesn't fully pop-out and for some reason this is tied into the shutter release button, thus if the popout flash is not all the way out, it will not take the picture. Quick solution until you can decide to send it back to Pentax for repair, manually push in and release the popout flash unit. Fourth, The quartz date function is gives several choices of date format, somewhat faint on pictures, sometimes difficult to distingush the mm or dd from one another. Fifth, this is definitely a two handed camera, due to its size due to the zoom lens capability, so you have to get use to a somewhat uncomfortable hand position when using this camera, the hand placement areas are a bit arkward and needs getting use to. ... Read more

Features

• 11 Pentax Exposure Functions
• Wireless Flash & High Speed Sync capability
• Six selectable auto Picture Modes
• Six segment light metering
• TTL auto pop-up flash w/red-eye reduction

Reviews (2)

This is my favorite toy
I have only owned this camere about 3 months, so far I absolutely love this Pentax ZX-L, I own A Minolta, Olympus OM-1, Olympus
OM-4. Not that this other cameras are bad. but this pentax is such a joy to operate, It's lite, exposure is very acurate, you need to to feel and look through the viewfinder to experience the ease of functionality. I recomend this camera to anyone how loves to take photos as much as I do.

One of the very best from a long trusted brand
If you have ever own a Pentax camera before you knew that the quality of their product speaks for itself. This ZX-L camera is no exception to the rule. It is well designed with lots of features. I'm not very good in going into detail of all the features it has on the camera but I'm sure impressed by it. Checkout the spec. of this camera you will find that a lot of the function offered by the model are usually found on a much higher end (more expensive) of SLR.

For the price you will be paying to get a ZX-L you are really getting a great bargain for an all-around well built camera. Don't take my word for it, go to your local camera shop and review it or go online to find out more about this camera from other Pentax owner, I'm sure you'll find it hard to beat a bargain like this. ... Read more

Features

• Can be used with all Pentax SLR cameras
• Minimum focus distance of 1.0 feet
• Lens construction of 12 elements in 11 groups
• Manual diaphragm
• Comes with a soft protective case

Reviews (1)

indispensible tool for architectural photography
We have been using this lens with several pentax-type camera bodies for the past 13 years and have few complaints. With regular maintenance and care, this has become an indispensible tool in our professional practice. We work with historic buildings, and photo-documentation is critical. Short of excessively expensive photogrammetry, a perspective shifting lens solves those parallax skewed images with a reasonable investment. (I am not sure this model is even still in production. In fact, I don't believe there are many similar lenses made; Nikon makes a 35 mm with wonderful optics, but the extra wide angle provided by a 28 mm is fantastic.) We have used standard 24 mm lenses. We've tried those newer wide zoom 18-28 lenses. But for the ability to capture a shot with close to undistorted parallax, nothing beats a shift lens.

A word on its operation. I won't go into the technical details of the optics, but I have had no complaints unless you try to push the correction out to its limits. Say you are standing on a typical street looking at a three story building. It sits up on a natural rise above the street, and you can only move back 60 feet or so across the street. With a 28mm you still have to tilt the lens up to capture all of the building. You snap it and wonder why it looks so distorted when you look at thge results. The sides of the building are splayed at weird angles and the top of the roof is clipped.

Well, with the shift lens you compose the image right in the viewfinder through the lens. As you spin a knurled dial, the body of the lens shifts laterally off axis and compensates for the distorted view. (The barrel spins independently of the mount in 30 degree increments so you can turn the camera to any orientation.) You hold the camera level and shift until the splayed verticals of the building pull back closer to parallel, and suddenly the top of the building comes into the frame! Don't shift too far or it starts to look fudged; the eye likes a bit of parallax spread. The Greeks figured that out long ago. Now your photos look like those you've seen in the glossy magazines. Add the right filtering and suddenly you have publishable images.

I won't fool you: this lens takes some experimentation to get it right. Like any other adjustable parameter of photography, I recommend taking a few extra shots at slightly different settings (so you don't have to go back again). It is a bit on the heavy side, but with practice and a steady hand it works fine. At 1:3.5 it is fast enough for most lighting conditions with average speed film. One last bit of warning: it does not work on automatic cameras--only fully manual metering. But if you are serious about architectural photography, you'll either already have a manual camera or you can pop... for one of Pentax's plain jane workhorse bodies.

Not for everybody, but you definitely get what you pay for in this case. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

The Pentax SMCP-FA 20-35mm f4.0 AL lens has a fully automatic diaphragm and uses a TTL open-aperture metering system. At just under three inches and only 8.6 ounces, this lens is easy to take with you everywhere. ... Read more

Features

• Works with all Pentax SLR camera bodies
• Lens construction of 10 elements in 8 groups
• Comes with a protective case and lens hood
• Fully automatic diaphragm
• TTL open-aperture metering

Amazon.com Product Description

The Pentax SMCP-FA 28-70mm f2.8 lens has a fully automatic diaphragm and comes with a removable lens hood. At just over four inches and 28.2 ounces, this lens is easy to take with you everywhere. ... Read more

Features

• Works with all Pentax SLR camera bodies
• Lens construction of 14 elements in 11 groups
• Comes with removable lens hood
• Fully automatic diaphragm
• Minimum focus distance of 1.4 feet

Amazon.com Product Description

The Pentax SMCP-FA 43mm f1.9 limited lens uses a TTL open-aperture metering for its photometric method. It has a fixed focal length of 49mm and a minimum focal distance of just 1.5 feet. You can use this lens with all Pentax SLR cameras, but the AF system only works with Pentax AF cameras. This lens comes with a case and a lens hood. ... Read more

Features

• Minimum focus distance of 1.5 feet
• TTL open-aperture metering
• Fully automatic diaphragm
• Only 5.5 ounces and 1.1 inches
• Comes with case and lens hood

Amazon.com Product Description

The Pentax SMCP-FA 50mm Macro f2.8 magnification lens has a fully automatic diaphragm and a 47 degree angle of view. Its minimum focus distance of 0.6 feet lets you get up close and personal with your subject. It can be used with all Pentax SLR cameras, but the AF system only works with a Pentax AF camera. At just under 3 inches and weighing only 13.6 ounces, this lens can go with you anywhere. It comes with a protective case. ... Read more

Features

• Macro lens
• Fully automatic diaphragm
• Minimum focus distance of 0.6 feet
• 47 degree angle of view
• Comes with a protective case