Pentax ZX5N / MZ5N

Wow, is this Pentax ZX5N a great camera! I have had it now going on three years and the more I use it, the more I love it, and the more I try other cameras, the more I love it. It has been deadly accurate in its exposure and quick in the focusing. It has all the features you need, none you don't. It sticks with Pentax's philosophy of "what you need is what you get". Of which, I really like. It is simple, laid out well and comfortable. And as Pentax is famous for, never given me any trouble which to me is invaluable.

I've owned this Pentax ZX5N 35mm SLR camera for about 6 months now and shot over 50 rolls of film through it, mainly slide. I've found it a light, flexible and very easy camera to use, and the ideal step up from a more basic SLR or a point and shoot camera. You can operate in 4 ways: leave the shutter speed dial and lens aperture ring on the A setting and you have fully automatic program,

set your own shutter speed and the camera will automatically change the lens aperture to get correct exposure,

change the lens aperture and the camera will change the shutter speed to get correct exposure,

or change both and go fully manual.

It really is that simple. If you have a tricky light subject and you want to move from the standard Full evaluative metering, you can switch from that to Centreweighted or Spot metering just by moving the selector. If you still have doubts, you can get the camera to take three pictures for you, one at what it thinks is right, one at either a half or full stop underexposed, and one at either half or full stop overexposed. You get an easy to use electronic Depth of field preview to check the sharpness of your picture, so if you use this camera properly, the few mistakes you make are likely to be down to human error.

My only concern with this camera is that I have had to fit a second set of batteries already, but this may be down to my failure to switch it off on occasions, the fact that the batteries were already installed and may have been part used, or the high consumption of the camera. It could also do with a Flash sych socket for studio work, and an optional motordrive, but the 2fps drive built in is pretty reasonable.

I paid £285 for it, and for the money, I don't think there's much to touch it.