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Photo equipment

Looking at photo pages at the Internet, I am always wondering what kind of photo equipment was used to make this beautiful pictures ? If you feel like me, on this page you can see what I use.

Camera bodies

Pentax MZ-5n

In my opinion MZ-5n is one of the best amateur camera of today. Very convenient and clear user interface. There are two main control - aperture ring on the lens and shutter dial atop the camera. If aperture ring and shutter dial in "A" position - you have full auto mode. If you change aperture - you have aperture priority auto exposure, if rotate shutter dial - you have shutter priority AE. Change both - and you have full manual mode. Pentax MZ-5n have DOF preview button and spot metering - the absolute demand for art photography. Besides, MZ-5n is very light and compact, it means you can have it along all the time.

Disadvantages :

No multiple exposures
Flash exposure correction is possible, but is not easy.

Pentax MZ-M

I have bought this camera body for two reason : the first is that my wife like my MZ-5n more than me , and the second - I want to have BW film always in camera. MZ-M is now the cheapest Pentax body and have the same controls as MZ-5n. The MZ-M is the only camera under $200 (as far as I know) which have DOF preview.

What Pentax MZ-M does not have (compare to Pentax MZ-5n) :

Auto focus
Spot metering
Built-in flash (and more important - does not have TTL flash metering for external flash)

Lenses

Pentax FA 28-70 mm F4

Light and compact standard zoom. Constant speed F4 - very rarely for consumers lens.

Sigma 70-210 mm F 3.5-4.5 APO Macro

Very well built medium telephoto zoom. It has F3.5 speed up to 135 mm - very useful for portrait. Supplied with bayonet lens hood. Has macro mode ad 210 mm 1:2. Rather heavy (about 500 grams)

Ricoh XR Rikenon 50mm F 1.7

Manual focus, very high speed. It is almost eight time brighter than my zooms. It was bought used by bargain price and work very well.

íÉÒ-20í íó 20/3.5

Manual focus, M42. The real wide lens, not 28 or 24 mm as most of todays zooms.

Flashes

At the moment I don't have any flash. I prefer natural light.

Tripod

Manfrotto 190B / 352RC

The most inexpensive and the lightest full size tripod of Manfrotto.