Product Description

Featuring the innovative "Auto Picture Mode," the Pentax ZX-7 is so smart that it completely frees you from complicated exposure control! It will automatically select one of five Picture Modes: landscape, close-up, action, portrait or standard program based on your subjects' distance, lens focal length and movement, and tells you about its decision via the illuminated mode dial and the viewfinder indication.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #6886 in Camera & Photo
• Brand: Pentax
• Model: 1364
• Dimensions: 3.60" h x 5.30" w x 2.50" l, 1.00 pounds

Features

• Autopicture mode for hands-off exposure selection
• High-precision, high-speed phase matching autofocus system (SAFOX IV)
• Memory lock memorizes current settings for 20 seconds
• Multidata LCD panel and LCD panel for easy access to settings
• Lens not included

Amazon.com Product Description
Packaged in a lightweight silver-and-black body, the ultracompact Pentax ZX-7 Autofocus camera body has an attractive round-edged design and its controls are conveniently positioned, making it easy and comfortable to operate. Also, with the innovative auto-picture mode, complicated exposure control decisions are no longer necessary. This feature automatically selects one of the five picture modes: landscape, close-up, action, portrait, or standard, ensuring that your image will be properly exposed.

Once you've selected the auto-picture mode, the ZX-7 automatically chooses the autoexposure mode best suited for the scene you want to shoot. This selection is based on the subject's distance, lens focal length, and whether or not the subject is in motion. Once the mode is chosen, the camera "tells" you its decision via the illuminated mode dial and the viewfinder indicator. You can also manually select from the available picture modes, as well as two conventional autoexposure modes (aperture-priority AE and shutter-priority AE), metered manual, and bulb modes.

In addition to the hands-off autoexposure mode selection, the ZX-7 has a high-precision, high-speed phase matching autofocus (SAFOX IV) system designed to deliver crisply focused images. The six-segment, multipattern light metering system calculates the optimum exposure, while the three-point wide focus frame enables pinpoint focusing, regardless of the lighting conditions. If your subject is in motion, the predictive autofocus function automatically detects the subject's motion and anticipates the subject's position at the time of shutter release, resulting in perfectly focused photos.

When you want to frame the same scene a little differently, you can simply push the memory-lock button and your current settings are memorized for 20 seconds. This lets you recompose your subject without changing all of your settings. If the standard setting just doesn't capture the scene, you can switch to panorama mode at any frame on a roll of film. This is perfect for large group shots or breathtaking landscapes.

With an exposure compensation of +/- 3EV in + 1/2EV steps, you can intentionally over- or underexpose your images, depending on the results you want to attain. You can also expose more than two images on a single frame to create multiple exposures. If you want to take three or more exposures on the same frame, simply press the multiple-exposure button after each exposure. For large group shots or to capture a beautiful landscape, simply switch to panorama mode--at any frame on the roll of film. The viewfinder image automatically adjusts to indicate the panorama format so you know what your picture will look like.

With all of these options, it could be easy to forget what your camera's indications and settings are. However, the ZX-7 has a multidata LCD panel, with large icons and numbers, as well as an LCD panel with a green illuminator that brightens the panel to make data confirmation easier. The illumination dial clearly indicates which program is selected by the camera, or by you--even in the dark, as the selected mode is also indicated in your viewfinder display.

Customer Reviews

Perfect Camera for Beginner to Intermediates
I bought this camera without any knowledge of Photography. All I have ever used is point and shoot cameras and this was my first SLR. I reviewed all the SLR cameras in the market for a long time and ultimately decided on this. The best part of this camrera is that it has a metal mount unlike others in its range which have plastic mounts. I use a 28-200 Tamron lens and it is a big and heavy lens but the metal mount has no problems. I use my camera roughly but it is so solidly built that it has no effect on it. The pictures are perfect. My wife who cannot take good pics even with a point and shoot digital cameras, takes awesome pictures with this camera. The other good part with this camera is that it has Memory Lock. Look for the ML key on the back top right hand corner of the camera. That's a very important feature which Nikon N65 and Rebel 2000 have excluded.
The only words I have for it are "GO FOR IT".

Wonderful Camera
I just bought a Pentaz ZX-7 a few months ago. Since then I have taken numerous rolls of film, and I have only been satisfied with the quality of the photos.I like the fact that it has metal binding, and I like how I can take both panoramic and regular pictures. I enjoy using both the automatic mode, and the manual mode. I recommend this camera to both beginners and professionals.

What more could you want.
This camera was bought without any for knowledge of the Pentax SLR, but after comparing it with most of the SLR range I decided to buy One and take the chance. Every thing about the camera looked and felt very good and to give it the rating I have, it has peformed wonders for me. A large part of my Photography is taking photos of N guage Model Trains, and with my 28 - 80 Auto Focus Lens with a 2 x Magnifyer Lens screwed on it takes Portraights to fill 5" x 7" Photo of a Locomotive barely 3" Long & 1" tall. I cannot praise the Camera enough and from a Photographer to a Junior learner it is simple to operate and should never let you down, because if your settings are wrong it will not take the picture.