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What I instructed you it was potential to take a complete digital camera and a set of lenses with you in simply your two entrance pockets? What if I instructed you was speaking a few movie digital camera? I’m certain you’d have some questions. And to that finish I’d level you to Bob Janes’ assessment of the Pentax Auto 110, a ‘subminiature’ 110 movie digital camera whose physique supplied comparatively superior options in a pocket-sized type issue.
As Janes explains in his thorough assessment for 35mmc, the Pentax Auto 110 wasn’t the primary 110 SLR to market, nevertheless it was the smallest on the time of launch and supplied a singular design that seems to have originated from Sugaya Optical (full title Sugaya Seikō Okay.Okay.), who offered the rights to the design to Asahi, who itself was the creator of the Pentax model and ultimately grew to become recognized merely as Pentax in 2002.
The digital camera was a part of what Asahi known as System 10, which was launched in 1978 and included the Pentax Auto 110 digital camera, an auto winder, two flashes and three prime lenses. In essence, it was an all-in-one compact digital camera system that was sufficiently small to suit into, effectively, nearly any bag or briefcase you carried round.
Because the title implies, the digital camera is absolutely computerized, utilizing an publicity program that ran from F2.8 at 1/thirtieth to F13.5 at 1/750th. The publicity was metered through the built-in silicon photodiode and proved quite correct, all issues thought-about, based on Janes. The digital camera featured a quite distinctive two-blade diaphragm that created a sq. aperture and doubled because the shutter. As Janes explains:
‘When the shutter is launched, the blades shut collectively to dam out mild. The mirror (which has been shielding the movie from mild till now) lifts and the shutter/aperture then opens till it reaches the programmed aperture, at which level is begins to shut once more. As soon as it has closed absolutely, the mirror can drop again down, defending the movie from mild, and the shutter/aperture can reopen.’
Composing and focusing photographs with the digital camera was achieved by way of a split-image viewfinder that supplied restricted publicity info through an LED mild. Janes says the viewfinder ‘might be the perfect [one] I’ve come throughout in a 110 digital camera’ and notes that the shutter launch ‘is broad and comfy, and is threaded for a cable launch.’
As for the lenses, Asahi initially supplied three F2.8 prime lenses that connected to the digital camera with a two-flange bayonet system: an 18mm (36mm equiv), a 24mm (50mm equiv.) and 50mm (100mm equiv.). Finally, Asahi additionally developed a fixed-focus model of the 18mm lens in addition to a 70mm and a 20–40mm zoom lens.
As you possibly can see within the gallery beneath, the pictures aren’t incredible, however by the requirements of the 110 format, they’re pretty sharp and provide spectacular bokeh.
Janes concludes that regardless of ‘a few minor niggles,’ the Pentax Auto 110 ‘is about as go-anywhere as an analogue digital camera will get.’ He provides:
‘Neglect the winder and the flash, simply slip the digital camera into one pocket and a handful of lenses within the different. Your artistic choices are enormous.’
You may learn Janes’ full assessment on 35mmc, whereby he dives additional into the performance and practicality of a digital camera that competed with the likes of the Canon 110 ED, Minox 110S, Rollei A110 and others.
Pentax Auto 110 Evaluation – By Bob Janes
About Movie Fridays: We have launched an analog discussion board and in a seamless effort to advertise the enjoyable of the medium, we’ll be sharing film-related content material on Fridays, together with articles from our buddies at 35mmc and KosmoFoto.
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