Pentax MZ-60 Date Review

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Pentax MZ-60 Date
3.8 stars
Average rating for this product is: 3.8 out of 5

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kblanking's Review of Pentax MZ-60 Date 35mm SLR camera

6th May 2005

Overall Rating

4 stars
  • Value for money
    4.5 stars
  • Photograph Quality
    4 stars
  • Ease of Use
    4.5 stars
  • Time Camera Owned
    Over 1 Year
  • Features
    3.5 stars
Good Points

Cheap, easy to use, well-written manual with lots of pictures.


Bad Points

Small, fiddly buttons, plastic construction, AV button awkward to locate.


General Comments

The Pentax MZ-60 was my first SLR kit, which came with a 35-80mm f4/5.6 FA lens. I have been using it for two years, but have recently relegated it to back-up camera.

The camera is 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. I dropped my camera from a height of 2 meters and it survived with only superficial damage to the lense's outer casing. 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, which has to be depressed while rotating the dial in order to adjust the aperture in metered manual mode. The camera also feels heavy with a telephoto lens.

Picture wise, I have tried this with black-and-white, slide and regular film, and does take quite good pictures, though not as good as my Nikon F-80. All in all, this is quite a good starter camera for the money, and easy to use However, I would caution against buying this camera if you are planning to upgrade, as you may decide to plump for a different manufacturer.

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