Original released in 1997, the Pentax MZ-50 was designed to be a full-featured autofocus 35mm SLR with point-and-shoot simplicity in its automatic mode. It's an excellent choice for a beginner in film photography who wants a camera that won't hold them back as their skills improve.
For the absolute beginner this camera offers something called the 'Green Operation Mode' (a green smiley face) where the camera operates as a pure point-and-shoot, taking care of all the decisions for you. In addition there are dedicated automatic modes for: portrait; landscape; close-up/macro; and action.
When you need more creative control, the camera also offers conventional aperture-priority and shutter-priority auto-exposure modes as well as a full manual mode. In addition it lets you override the DX code and manually set the film ISO (handy for shooting expired film or if you bulk load your own film cassettes).
The included lens is a wonderful telephoto zoom: the SMC Pentax-FA 1:4.5-5.6 80-320mm which is worth more than the camera itself. This lens shines for portraits, sports, and wildlife. It's a very lightweight lens for its size. Should you wish for something more compact, this camera is compatible with a very large range of K-mount lenses (see page 72 of the manual linked below for notes and exceptions on lens compatibility). We recommend using ISO 400 film if you're a beginner and plan on using this camera and lens for wildlife photography.
