The Pentax MZ-S is a 35mm single-lens reflex camera from Pentax of Japan. It was introduced in 2001[1] and discontinued in February 2006.[2] It is closely related to the prototype MZ-D Full-frame digital SLR, which never entered production.[3] It was the top-of-the-line model of Pentax's MZ/ZX series and replaced the PZ-1p as the high-end Pentax camera.[4] No camera was produced to replace the MZ-S, making it Pentax's last high-end 35 mm camera. The MZ-S is the last film camera from Pentax that was manufactured in Japan.

Design

The MZ-S was a "clean sheet of paper" design that re-thought most aspects of Pentax's camera interface and appearance.[5] Design goals included simpler operation, small size and light weight without sacrificing the sophisticated features required to be competitive. The MZ-S design returned to a more conventional one compared to the PZ-1p; the shoe for external flash and accessories returned to the top of the pentaprism housing, instead of the unusual right-handgrip position used on the older camera. The status LCD moved from atop the pentaprism to the top of the camera's right shoulder, like many competing designs. However, instead of a flat camera top, the Pentax designers angled the top plate towards the user at a 30° angle for easier viewing.

The camera featured an autofocus system based on six linear CCD sensors, on-film data recording and an MTF autoexposure mode which chooses the aperture for maximum sharpness.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Pentax. "History of Innovations 2000-Present". Archived from the original on 2006-10-29. Retrieved 2006-09-18.
  2. ↑ Grad, Orin (2006-02-12). "Pentax Holds a Product Massacre Too". The Online Photographer. Retrieved 2006-09-18. Cites Japanese-language sources.
  3. ↑ Asahi Optical Historical Club (2000-10-20). "Cameras". photokina 2002 report. Archived from the original on 2004-05-30. Retrieved 2006-09-18. {{cite web}}: External link in |author= (help)
  4. ↑ Dimitrov, Bojidar. "Z-1p / PZ-1p". K-Mount Pages. Archived from the original on 2007-01-23. Retrieved 2006-09-18.
  5. ↑ Asahi Optical Historical Club. "MZ-S Story". Archived from the original on 2006-10-04. Retrieved 2006-09-18. {{cite web}}: External link in |author= (help)
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