Pentax Auto 110

It’s time to look at my cutest camera, an incredible tiny SLR – the Pentax 110.

Not a toy

Pentax Auto 110
Camera+24mm lens: £19.03
18mm Lens: £16.48
Flash unit: £14
Total: £49.51
full specs

The Pentax 110 is an amazing SLR camera disguised as a child’s toy camera. It uses 110 cartridge film, but unlike most manufacturers who made cheap point-and-click cameras, Pentax decided to make a fully-featured professional-level system camera with interchangeable lenses.
I was looking around for a 110 camera, because they were reasonably cheap, when I came across this described as the ultimate 110 camera. While not as cheap as the usual price range I go for, I was surprised that it wasn’t a lot more expensive.

A real System Camera

The lenses range from the widest 18mm and smallest 24mm which I have, to a 70mm zoom lens. It has its own add-on flash unit and even an auto-winder available, but these are pretty hard to find in working order.

In Operation

It is great fun to use – only the focus is manual, the shutter and aperture are controlled quite cleverly by the camera letting you know with a coloured light in the viewfinder whether it’s too dark or not. The view is the actual view through the tiny lens and focussing it needs careful precision, but it does have a split view focus aid to guide you.

the same excuses

Super 100
Cost: £1.70
Postage: £0.56
Expired: 1990
ISO: 100
Format/Type: Colour Negative
Exposures: 24
Processing: £4.49
Full Total: £7.65
Cost per shot: £0.32
My Rating: 5

110 film is not the biggest film format which doesn’t lead to great image clarity, but I think the main problem was once again the expired film I used, with the pink cast I had to correct. The Pentax 110 did pretty well under the circumstances and is certainly a camera I shall use again, this time with a decent film in it – I think the camera deserves that much, and I think it will be a lot of fun.
I do have a new 110 film and the Pentax Auto 110 is winning the race for it now, but I have a few other 110 cameras to test out first.

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