My First 110 Camera: The Asahi Pentax Auto 110

Since the release of the new 110 film from Lomography, I have been tempted to get myself a small camera and give this small format a go. But being a lover of bargains and my attempts to keep my spending down, I rummaged through Trademe (New Zealand’s version of Ebay) listings and purchased my new vintage baby – Pentax Auto 110!

This camera – released in 1978 – might look like a small toy camera, it is actually a through the lens, SLR camera that has a fully automatic exposure system that sets the aperture and shutter speed. The Asha Pentax Auto 110 has a shutter speed ranges between 1/750 second at f/13.5 and 1 second at f/2.8 and comes with a 24mm f/2.8 standard lens which is the equivalent to a 50mm lens on a 35mm format camera.

This nifty little camera detects the film speed by the size of a tab on the film cartridge and effectively changes the ISO setting. Cartridge with an ISO 100 has a long tab that pushes down a small pin inside the camera and ones with an ISO of 400 has a short tab that does not interfere with the small pin. The disadvantage to the fully automatic exposure is that you can’t do any exposure compensation or adjustments, hence giving you less control. Also, because the camera only has two ISO selection, the Lomography Tiger 110 will either be over or underexposed, depending on whether you leave or file the tab away. But I’ve been told that it does not make much of a difference.

I, personally, really enjoy this camera. It’s my first camera that has a working light meter and it’s great for taking quick everyday snaps where I don’t need to fiddle with the aperture and shutter speed setting. The small size means that it can fit easily in my pocket and makes it so much easier to document my everyday life. Plus, it’s just so darn cute!

written by amytam on 2012-11-21 #gear #review #vintage #auto #110 #small #new #pentax-auto-110