1/4000 shutter speed, user friendly, lightweight, well built, very good battery life, compatible with old manual focus K-mount lenses.

Pop up flash is weak but so are all others. I recomend buying an external flash if you plan on using flash alot.

Very easy to use 35mm camera with all the features I need. Takes good pictures in point and shoot mode as well as in manual. Autofocus is fast and smooth and I have tried it in low light situations too. Sometimes it hunts a little but not more than any other cameras I don't think.

Customer Service

Never needed.

Similar Products Used:

Pentax MG, Fujica stx-1.

Build quality very good Attractive pricing (currently)

No CenterWeight Metering 3-point Autofocus (Not enough auto-focus points)

I bought the zx-L to compliment my zx-m for situations where autofocus was necessary. I mainly use it on manual or Av/Tv modes. Overall, it's a good camera for the price one pays. Meter works quite well but on occasions it did tend to over-expose by 1/2 to 1 stop. Handling of the camera is not bad but I do have the additional AA Battery grip for more comfort (I have long fingers).

Similar Products Used:

Pentax ZX-M Pentax 50mm A 2.0 Pentax 50mm FA 1.4 Pentax 135mm M 3.5 Vivitar 28mm A 2.8 Sigma 28-70 2.8-4.0

Uses all Pentax lenses. Autofocus indicator light works with non-Autofocus lenses.

Lack of mirror lock up is not a weakness since I knew that before I purchased it.

This camera has worked flawlessly and intuitively since I bought it. I have used it with an advanced Pentax flash and several lenses without problems. Very satisfied with the results. I wear glass and the viewfinder has been bright enough for me.

Customer Service

No need.

Similar Products Used:

Pentax MZ-5. This camera feels better to me.

1/4000-30sec and 1/125 x-Sync for just over $200. AE and AF Lock together (with custom function PF-6). Small size, light weight, easy to use, and advanced features you rarely find combined and certainly not for this price.

Mirror lock? It seems that's the only thing missing... Really! User's manual poorly writen.

Outstanding camera for the price and intended market segment! Best of all other entry level SLRs with no question. I have owned the ZX-M, ZX-5n, MZ-3, and now the ZX-L. It only gets better folks! The ZX-L has the features and utility of cameras costing nearly twice its price and the quality is all there to boot. More advanced than the ZX-5n and MZ-3 with 1/4000-30 sec manual speed, electro-coupled aperture (no need to set the aperture on the lens any more), AF and AE Lock together with PF-6, spot meter (PF-5), and lots of other advanced features. At the same time, the Auto-Picture mode allows anyone with one eye and an index finger to make awesome pictures. Combine this innexpensive body with a Pentax FA 50mm and a Pentax FA 24-90mm and I dare you to find a more capable travel setup for under $1000. I know! I am a professional photographer with a ton of PRO Canon gear. You know what? I will never give up my Pentax ZX cameras and FA lenses because nothing comes close to them in image quality, ease of use, portability, and price. The ZX-L only makes things better!

Customer Service

Never needed it so I really don't know.

Similar Products Used:

Numerous SLRs from Canon, Minolta, and Pentax over the last 20 years, that are too many to list.

Huge lens compatability, Good feel/grip, 1/4000 top shutter, Advanced flash support, 3 meters, GREAT light up LCD, Custom functions and a reasonable price.

Dark Viewfinder(non replacable focusing screen), only +-1stop autobracket, toggle instead of dial for shutter/aperture change, no dial to select between available center, spot and evaluative metering, no superimposed AF indicator, no shutter realese on battery pack FG, no Flexible Program Mode.

The Pentax ZX-L is a capable camera with many features however, it is not an intuitive machine. It's biggest problem is its DARK viewfinder even with a fast 1.4 lens. I wish i would have opted for the slightly more espensive *ist body. The batter pack FG is a must for this camera although it lacks a vertical shutter release although is is quite comfortable vertically if you use your thumb to trip the shutter. The camera has needs a mode dial to switch between its three metering paterns(spot, centerweighted and evaluative), it needs a dial instead of a toggle for selecting shutter/aperture, a camera with this feature set should have mirror lock up and superimposed AF points, and the auto bracketing only goes to + or - 1 stop! great for slides but one stop bracketing is not enough for print film. A decent top sync(1/125), custom functions, great rubber grip, advanced flash support, custom functions(including leaving the leader out), depth of field preview and compatability with a billion SMC lenses and other PK lenses make this camera a good deal but i would recomend steping up to the *ist. i am going to buy one and bump the ZX-L to a capable back up body.

Customer Service

The camera came with a 5 Year Pentax Warranty but i have not needed service so far.

Similar Products Used:

Canon EOS 3, Elan 7, Elan IIe, A2, Rebel 2000, Rebel G, Pentax ME Super, ME.

everything

could have a stronger body/mount some metal wouldn't hurt

I am taking a photography course as this is my first SLR. I am most pleased with it. This camera does everything I need/want it to do very well. It came with a 28-200f3.5-5.6 Sigma zoom lens which has performed nicely. As a SLR beginner I find that this camera has plenty of functions and gives me lots of room to grow with it as I end up having a use for those functions.

Customer Service

none need

Similar Products Used:

my first SLR

Price Nice array of valuable features Compact Light

No Flash Compensation Small viewfinder limited selection of Pentax autofocus lenses No Program Shift adjustment for metering

The ZX-L is a very robust camera for the price. It has features found only on much more expensive cameras including mid-roll rewind, High-Speed flash sync, manual ISO, and exposure bracketing. I like this camera because it is compact, light and includes only features that I need. I much prefer it to the Nikon N80 I owned previously.

Customer Service

Not needed

Similar Products Used:

Nikon N65 Nikon N80

This camera's best feature is the "auto pic" and the DOF preview. It has the setup time of a point and shoot but, with a good lens, the photo quality of an old manual Pentax. Also, you can impress strangers with the little light show you get when it's turned on. That reminds me, low light photography is excellent with this camera as all functions are illuminated in the viewfinder and the LCD.

Like all new auto cameras, most of the large parts are made of plastic. Some call it poly-carb, some call it kevlar but I know it's not metal. Since every company is making cameras at this price range out of plastic parts, I can't say it's a weakness. I don't plan on dropping my plastic or metal camera. If it happens I could see both of them in parts bin.

Overall I think camera is a very good value because it has all the automatic settings for point and shoot ease and manual functions for trick shots. I needed a camera that could be shooting in seconds under any conditions and still provide high quality photographs. This camera has already matched results I've had with an old Pentax, both with 50 mm lenses of the same speed under natural light. I noticed that the MX-7 gets a higher rating on this site but I can't figure out why? This camera was the exact same price but the ML-6 has DOF preview, 1/4000 shutter speed, and with Pentax the lower the number the higher it is in their product line. I would suggest this camera to anyone looking for a Pentax with the ease of automatic and familiar manual operation. This is a great camera for experimenting.

Customer Service

I've never made a claim for repairs but I take my old Pentaxs in for maintenance every couple of years and they are quick and never had a problem with the work they do. I've requested information about their products on their website and have received everything promptly.

Similar Products Used:

Pentax Spotmatic II Pentax K1000 Pentax MX-50 Nikon F-65

The feel of the camera. The price. The View finder information, and camera layout.

Lack of a PC connector for off camera flash.

I like the feel of this camera. No to light. I also like looking in the view finder. All the information inside the view finder is clearly marked and easy to read. Only problem I had was the aperture setting on the lens don't register on the camera display, so I did not know which one to use. Besides that I like the auto picture mode, and the light up displays.

Similar Products Used:

Minolta HTsi, and 400si.

1/4000 sec top speed 1/125 sec synch; faster with AF360 flash 11 Pentax Functions Spot metering with AE Lock (a choice) Multiple exposure capability DOF preview Centerweight meter with Pentax K/M lenses Fast AF

Few dials Rewind cannot be stopped

I decided to buy this camera because I wanted a camea multi-segment meter. When I read that the top speed was 1/4000 sec (one stop faster than the ZX-5n), I knew it would be a good buy, next to the Pentax MZ-S, which I thought was too expensive for it limited features. I used the camera in Hong Kong and other Pacific areas, using a Pentax 80-320 FA zoom and a Sigma AF 28-105 zoom. I had to get used to the way the aperature ring and speed dial are controlled by the switch next to the shutter button. In general, I found the camera a pleasure to use. However, I now find it more enjoyable using the battery pack FG, which gives the camera more weight. The 6 segment meter produces excellent results, better than I expected. I found the spot meter on the AE Lock feature useful. However, I found myself using AV & TV modes more often than the program modes, since I like to be in control of my shots. The built-in flash was very convenient to have and reminded me of my Ricoh XR-X 3PF. I did not have K mount lenses to test the center-weighted meter, but I found the six segment meter to be adaquate. The 3 point AF is fast and precise (I also like it's buzzing noise it makes), though at times I had to use the spot AF mode, which came in handy. The camera has many features, including exposure compensation (only in 1/2 stops) and fast synch capability, though I do not own the AF 360 flash to use it. I wish Pentax would have included more dials on the camera to make it easier to use. I had to keep referring to the manual to figure out how to work its features, namely the Pentax Functions. One thing I do not like in particular about this camera is the fact that the film rewind cannot be stopped, even when turning off the camera. (My Ricoh camera I mentioned does have a feature where I can stop rewinding film by switching off the camera and then resuming rewind at another time.) I have found myself in situations where I would like to turn off the rewind feature, and it is impossible. Other than that, the camera is indeed a joy to use.

Customer Service

None needed so far

Similar Products Used:

Pentax LX, Super program, ME super, MX; Ricoh XR-x 3PF, XR-7, KR-5 III