Features!! - Pentax Zoom 105 super

[Andre Reinders]

Last year my Grandfather sent me a couple of cameras. The one I was really excited about was the Rollei 35. I also got a Pentax Zoom 105 Super. To me it looked like a late 80's point and shoot - and it didn't catch my interest. So I gave it to my 2 year old to play with 'cause the zoom and flash both worked - and really entertained him.

Well - we moved (as you probably know) and this little camera happened to make it into one of the 20 or so boxes we had asked to be unloaded first (until we have a house and the space for all the rest).

I decided today to make a trip to the closest of 64 covered bridges in New Brunswick (I was going stir crazy in our little basement apt.) I also had a need to photograph something I got the kids, and my Canon Elan 7N, 19-35mm lens and a roll of Kodak BW400CN, My 5 year old daughter had her Olympus Trip 100R which contained a roll of Agfa APX400, and my 2 year old had the Pentax Zoom 105 Super, and a roll of Kodak 200. I have never put a roll through the camera and thought "Why not?".

I took 3 photos, my daughter finished her 20 exp. roll very quickly, and my son took 12 shots (and dropped the camera in the snow).

When we got home I decided to try and find out more about the camera - 'cause there was lots-o-buttons on it!

After some digging I found a manual: http://66.49.230.119/pentax_p&s/pentax_p&s_iqzoom105super.pdf

This camera sports most of the features you would expect on a point and shoot, plus:
5 flash modes - including bulb mode where you can set the shutter from 1-60 sec.
+/- 3 EV exposure compensation in 1/2 step increments
multiple exposure mode
illuminated LCD panel
Regular and 'super' macro modes
1.3 frames per second consecutive shooting
DX read ISO from 25-3200
Interval shooting mode where you can set the interval from 10 seconds to 24 hours, and the number of shots to take
You can also purchase an optional cable release

I was blown away when I read the manual and learned of all the features - specifically I thought it is amazing that a point and shoot would have multiple exposure capability, interval shot capability and exposure compensation settings.

While I probably don't have much use for the camera - the interval mode may be neat to play with.

I don't have any photos to share yet - but I will let you know if the camera works - or rather if there were any photos on the camera before/after it was dropped in the snow

[Andre Reinders]

[josphy]

The interval mode in particular seems very advanced!  And are you saying that you can set the shutter time all the way down to 60 seconds?  It always puzzles me why all the modern cameras I've used max out at 30 seconds.

[ImageMaker]

It always puzzles me why all the modern cameras I've used max out at 30 seconds.

I expect that's because there are only 3-4 films on the market (none of them "consumer" films) that can come close to delivering an "as expected" exposure beyond 30 seconds without compensation for reciprocity failure -- which varies wildly from one film to the next, especially in color emulsions.

[Andre Reinders]

Kodak 200
Looks like the camera works fine, here a few from the test roll.

kids-


cat stalking my son's meal-


covered bridge-


cat actually using the litter box as a bed-


It seems that the viewfinder shows a considerably smaller area that the actual image on the negative. In the photo of the covered bridge, I remeber taking care not to include the car, and also to make the tree on the left snuggle up against the edge of the frame.

[Gene M]

I've slept in the bathroom before.

[rentavet]

I hate it when that happens