C41
Kodak Portra 400
Kodak Portra 400 is a professional C-41 color negative film known for flexible exposure latitude, natural skin tones, and fine grain.
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The Pentax MZ-S Quartz is a variant of the MZ-S (2001) that adds a quartz-crystal date-back module integrated into or fitted to the body, enabling precision date and time imprinting on the film frame alongside the MZ-S's full feature set. The base MZ-S was already Pentax's most capable 35mm film SLR: magnesium-alloy body, distinctive 15-degree tilted top plate, 6-point autofocus, 6-segment matrix metering, 1/6000s maximum shutter speed, 1/180s flash sync, and PASM exposure modes via the KAF2 mount. The Quartz variant extends this with crystal-accurate time reference for imprinting, which was valued in photojournalism and documentary work where frame-exact time-stamping on the negative itself was required.
Reference
Recommended film stocks for the 35mm format your camera takes.
C41
Kodak Portra 400 is a professional C-41 color negative film known for flexible exposure latitude, natural skin tones, and fine grain.
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Kodak Tri-X 400 is a classic black-and-white film known for strong tonality, visible grain, and documentary character.
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Kodak Gold 200 is a daylight-balanced C-41 color negative film with warm color, moderate grain, and a classic consumer-film look.
Develop 35mm film
Labs in our directory that process 35mm film.
Before you buy used
The MZ-S Quartz is rarely encountered outside Japan; Yahoo Auctions Japan and Mercari Japan are the most reliable hunting grounds. Examples occasionally appear on eBay international listings or through specialist European dealers.
About this camera
The MZ-S flagship with quartz-crystal date imprinting - Pentax's last professional film SLR in its most complete form.
| Field | Value |
|---|
| Format | 35mm |
| Mount | Pentax KAF2 |
| Years | ~2002-2006 |
| Shutter | 30s - 1/6000s + Bulb, electronic vertical cloth |
| Flash sync | 1/180s |
| Meter | TTL 6-segment matrix |
| AF | 6-point |
| Modes | P, A, S, M |
| Weight | ~ (similar to standard MZ-S at 520 g) |
| Battery | 2x CR2 |
| Date imprint | Quartz-crystal accuracy |
Pentax introduced the MZ-S in 2001 as the direct successor to the PZ-1p, itself the successor to the LX. The MZ-S line saw several variants during its five-year production run: the MZ-S Titanium (titanium top plate and grip panels), the MZ-S Limited (cosmetically differentiated commemorative run), and the MZ-S Quartz. The Quartz variant was introduced approximately one year after the base model and was aimed at photojournalists and documentary photographers who needed the legal and archival standing of a quartz-accurate date imprint on the negative itself rather than a post-hoc digital timestamp. Production of all MZ-S variants ended around 2006 as Pentax shifted entirely to digital SLRs.
For collectors and working photographers, the MZ-S Quartz represents the peak of Pentax's 35mm film system in terms of features: the tilted ergonomic finder, the class-leading 1/6000s shutter and 1/180s flash sync, full PASM, and on top of that, a quartz imprinting capability. The standard MZ-S is already uncommon and commands a premium; the Quartz variant is rarer still.
The tilted top plate remains the MZ-S's most distinctive design choice and is genuinely unusual in SLR history. The 15-degree angle places the command dials more naturally in the photographer's hand without requiring significant wrist rotation. In practice, experienced shooters either adapt quickly or find it disconcerting; it has not been copied by any other manufacturer.
The 1/6000s shutter and 1/180s flash sync outperform nearly every contemporary: the Nikon F5 topped out at 1/8000s but synced at 1/250s; the Canon EOS-1V synced at 1/250s. The MZ-S trades off these sync advantages against the lack of a mechanical fallback - unlike the LX, a dead battery leaves the MZ-S fully inoperable.
Pentax KAF2 mount with full autofocus. Compatible with the complete K-mount lens history in manual-focus mode. Key lenses for MZ-S use:
BW
Ilford HP5 Plus is a flexible ISO 400 black-and-white film with classic grain and strong push-processing tolerance.
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Kodak Ektar 100 is a fine-grain C-41 color negative film with saturated color and high sharpness.
View profile →Pentax MZ-S Quartz
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