| Camera Name: | Pentax MZ-S |
| Lens Mount: | KAF2 |
| Recording Medium: | 135 film |
| Maker: | Asahi Optical Co., Ltd. |
| Type: | SLR |
| Battery: | 2 x CR2 |
| Emode: | Program, Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority, Manual |
| Fmode: | Autofocus Single, Autofocus Continuous, Manual Focus |
| Metering: | TTL open-aperture 6-segment meter |
| Dimensions: | 136.5 x 95.0 x 64.0 mm |
| Weight: | 520g |
| Shutter: | Electronically controlled vertical focal-plane shutter |
| Shutterrange: | 1/6000 sec. - 30 sec |
| Flash: | Retractible 24mm coverage, Guide number 12 at 100 ISO |
| Fsynch: | 1/180 sec |
| Compflash: | Flashes with Pentax Proprietary Hotshoe |
| Coverage: | 92% |
| Viewfinder: | Pentaprism |
| Fadvance: | Automatic |
| Magnification: | 0.75x |
| Cont: | 2.5 fps |
| Date: | 2001 |
The Pentax MZ-S is a 35mm single-lens reflex camera from Pentax of Japan. It was introduced in 2001[1] and discontinued in February 2006.[2] It is closely related to the prototype MZ-D Full-frame digital SLR, which never entered production.[3] It was the top-of-the-line model of Pentax's MZ/ZX series and replaced the PZ-1p as the high-end Pentax camera.[4] No camera was produced to replace the MZ-S, making it Pentax's last high-end 35 mm camera. The MZ-S is the last film camera from Pentax that was manufactured in Japan.
The MZ-S was a "clean sheet of paper" design that re-thought most aspects of Pentax's camera interface and appearance.[5] Design goals included simpler operation, small size and light weight without sacrificing the sophisticated features required to be competitive. The MZ-S design returned to a more conventional one compared to the PZ-1p; the shoe for external flash and accessories returned to the top of the pentaprism housing, instead of the unusual right-handgrip position used on the older camera. The status LCD moved from atop the pentaprism to the top of the camera's right shoulder, like many competing designs. However, instead of a flat camera top, the Pentax designers angled the top plate towards the user at a 30° angle for easier viewing.
The camera featured an autofocus system based on six linear CCD sensors, on-film data recording and an MTF autoexposure mode which chooses the aperture for maximum sharpness.