Editorial Reviews : A TTL autofocus, auto-exposure multi-mode 35mm SLR with auto pop-up flash / Date - Time stamp / 28-80 lens included
Buyer Reviews : 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.
(by Galen Steen Swint)
Features/Technical Specs : * 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
