Used Nikon FM2 or New Pentax ZX-M?

What do you think? Anyone have any experience with ZX-M?
I'd rather spend $400 on a good lens, so...

Cfb

Re: Used Nikon FM2 or New Pentax ZX-M?

What lenses are you planning on acquiring? The 50mm f/1.7 "A" is reputed to
be one of the sharpest that Pentax ever produced. Pentax tweaked the
optical formula to increase sharpness by about 10% over that if its
predecessor. That is the lens that I use most often, when I shoot with my
K-mount bodies, and it is, indeed, a remarkable lens.
If you want to pick up its predecessor, the 50mm K lens, you will have THE
classic "smooth-as-silk" Pentax normal lens for K mount. It is worth having
that lens just for the joy of using it. It is the K-mount incarnation of
the classic and well-renowned SMC Takumar 50mm normal lens (screw mount).
See below:
http://www.luminous-landscape.com/columns/sm-02-11-24.shtml

Jeremy

Re: Used Nikon FM2 or New Pentax ZX-M?

Make that
you can see the whole viewfinder without having
Though I guess some people can "moe" their viewfinder with their eye
too ;-).

Thebokehking

Re: Used Nikon FM2 or New Pentax ZX-M?

Lenses aside, be sure you can see the whole viewfinder without having
to bounce/moe your eye about to much. If memory serves, looking through
a ZX-M, though bright, was like looking through a keyhole for me (low
eyepoint, hard to see the edges). A used (Pentax) ZX-5n, MZ-3 (aside
from the lack of a split image/microprism focusing aid) might be a
better deal viewfinder wise especially if you are going to use a bright
fixed focal length lens on it not a slow zoom. For $400, depending on
condition, you might be able to get both a good lens and a good body,
especially with prices on eBay being collapsed for used 35mm film
bodies since everyone and their dog it seems has "gone digital" to one
extent or another. Which lens focal length do you plan to get and what
type of photography do you plan to do with it? Your question is rather
on the vague side like "coffee or vanilla fudge" What do you plan to do
(other than spend money on equipment ;-))?

Thebokehking

Re: Used Nikon FM2 or New Pentax ZX-M?

In article <b975h.39$xD.10@trndny08>, "jeremy" <jeremy@nospam.com>
wrote:
As you can read in my other post I went for the ZX-M. While it is
plastic, it feels fine, and its' simplicity is wonderful. They had an
FM2 in the store but they wanted $250 for it.
Thanks for all your help.

Cfb

Re: Used Nikon FM2 or New Pentax ZX-M?

The sole remaining "A" lens, as far as I know, is the tack-sharp 50mm f/2.0
normal lens (probably made in China, but has great build quality). There
may be a couple of cheap zoom lenses, but for this discussion they don't
really matter.
These are dark days for classic lenses. Everything seems to be
plastic-barreled zoom lenses that are made by robots and weigh less than a
half-pound. The good stuff is available only used. The FA-Limited lenses
are autofocus designs, and they don't have that classic feel when manually
focused. Plus they cost an arm and a leg, relative to the classic manual
focus designs.
There is little left except the Leica R lenses, still made in the classic
way--with metal barrels and lots of handwork--but they are priced out of
reach, and there is speculation that Leica may withdraw the R system due to
poor sales, focusing instead on the M and the digital camera lines. Who
pays thousands for a lens if there is no presumption that service is
available for a long time?
So, if we agree that the future for classic lenses is in the used market,
not newly-manufactured ones, then the question is which of the two
manufacturers has a broader supply on the used market. If I were going to
select one brand over the other, forgetting that I am already heavily
invested in Pentax M42, I would go with Nikon.
Of course, if the OP is looking for only one or two lenses to complete his
kit, and is not concerned over future used availability, I'd say he could go
either way. Although an FM-2, metal, would be more to my taste than a ZX-M,
plastic. But my personal biases in favor of metal cameras may not reflect
what the OP wants.

Jeremy

Re: Used Nikon FM2 or New Pentax ZX-M?

Well, no. If you plan to invest in a system of lenses, then you're
buying the lens(es) and you're getting the body to go with them.
Pentax A lenses will fit and work on any modern Pentax body. Newer
Pentax lenses will also work on just about any older body, too.
From what I understand, this is not the case with Nikon lenses.

Usenet@mile23.c0m (Paul Mitchum)

Re: Used Nikon FM2 or New Pentax ZX-M?

Good advice, especially if there are no plans to invest heavily in a system
of lenses. Nikon has withdrawn most of their manual-focus primes from the
market, and the Pentax "A" series has long been discontinued.