Pentax Zoom 70

The Pentax Zoom 70 is a typical snapshot camera. It was produced by Pentax and introduced in the 1980s. The housing is made of plastic. In addition to the normal model, there was a Quartz Date model. With this version, the date of recording could be imprinted on the pictures if desired.

The camera comes with a fixed zoom lens. The zoom range is from 35 mm to 70 mm. A standard value for this type of camera. The largest available aperture is f/3.5 at 35 mm. At the end of the zoom, at 70 mm, it is only f/6.7. The 35 mm camera is equipped with autofocus. The closest focusing distance of this lens is 60 cm in macro mode. In normal mode, you have to keep one meter away from the subject.

The Pentax Zoom 70 is equipped with a built-in light meter. The aperture and shutter speed are set automatically by the camera technology. The light meter was designed for films with a sensitivity of ISO 50 to ISO 1600. The film speed is read out via the coding on the film cartridge. The exposure can be influenced with a correction of plus-minus 2 f-stops.

Of course, the camera does not lack a built-in flash. It has a charging time of about three seconds. There is a tripod socket on the bottom. Of course, a self-timer is not missing either.

The power supply is provided by 4x AAA batteries (eBay / Amazon*). However, 6V DL-223A, CR-P2 or BR-P2 batteries can also be used. As a rule, however, AAA batteries are easier and cheaper to obtain. The runtime of a battery charge is about 550 pictures. For the Date model, an additional CR2025 battery (eBay / Amazon*) is needed. This is necessary for the internal clock.

Films for the Pentax Zoom 70

According to the instruction manual for the Pentax Zoom 70, 35mm film is exposed. This type of film is still in production, can easily be purchased online and can be processed by most photo labs without any problems. Available photo films for the Japanese compact cameras that are easy to get are the Kodak ColorPlus 200* for colour shots and the Ilford XP2 Super* for B/W shots. Both films are flexible to use and come with DX encoding on the film cartridge.

The film is automatically rewound after each shot. The return transport back into the film cartridge is also done automatically by the internal motor.