Lomopedia: Pentax Auto 110

In 1978, Japanese camera maker Asahi Pentax introduced the Pentax Auto 110, an SLR camera that takes 110 film cartridges, along with three interchangeable lenses. The complete system is still sometimes referred to as Pentax System 10, although most of the advertisements only use either the camera name or Pentax-110.

Pentax Auto 110 © Missy Bergen via Flickr, Image used under Creative Commons license

The complete system became iconic for being the only complete ultra-miniature SLR system created for the 110 format. It was also considered the smallest SLR camera with interchangeable lens that was ever made. The camera perfectly fits in the palm of your hand, and amazingly, so do the three lenses that come with it. Because of its size, a lot of people mistake it for a toy and could hardly believe that it works.

Three additional lenses were made in 1981, and an upgraded model, the Pentax Auto 110 Super, was introduced a year later. The 110 Super model sported the same size and shape of the previous model and also accommodated the same lenses. Upgrades include an improved film winding mechanism (winding the single-stroke lever both advanced the film and cocked the shutter), top shutter speed of 1/400, brighter viewfinder, electronic 10-second self-timer, shutter lock, and lowlight warning.

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Technical Specifications

Manufacturer: Asahi Optical
Place of Manufacture: Japan
Date of Manufacture: 1978
Focusing System: Single-lens reflex with pentaprism eye-level viewfinder; 0.75x magnification; 87% coverage
Lens mount: Pentax System 10 mount (bayonet)
Shutter: Leaf shutter / diaphragm; Min: 1/750 @ f/13.5; Max: 1 second
Metering System: Through-the-lens (TTL) CdS cell - centerweighted
Flash: Proprietary flash sync connector
Film type: 110 Instamatic Film; 13 mm × 17 mm
Film speeds: ASA 100 / 400 (auto-indexed)
Battery type: 2 × SR44 (standard watch batteries)
Dimensions and weight: Body: 56 mm × 99 mm × 32 mm, 159 g; with lens: 56 mm × 99 mm × 45 mm, 172 g

All information for this article was sourced from Pentax Auto 110 on Camerapedia, Pentax Auto 110 on Wikipedia, Pentax System 10 on Cameraquest, and Asahi Pentax Auto 110 on Photoethnography.com.

written by plasticpopsicle on 2013-07-16 #gear #lomopedia #review #pentax #lomography #asahi-pentax #pentax-auto-110 #lomopedia #auto-110-super #pentax-system-10

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