KonicaZ-up 28W

Place the Konica Z-up 28W in context and you land in 1996-99, when the spec wars had cooled and manufacturers were quietly perfecting what they already had. Catalogued as a zoom compact, it pairs the Konica 28–70mm f/3.8–7.6 with a 35mm film path. Worth knowing up front: one of the early 28mm-starting Z-up zoom compacts.

Format

35mm

Year

1996

Lens

Konica 28–70mm f/3.8–7.6

Min. focus

0.6 m

Flash

Built-in multi-mode

Battery

1× CR123A

The Konica 28–70mm f/3.8–7.6 is the convenience play: a single optical formula that handles groups, snapshots and tighter portraits without ever leaving your hand. On the film-availability spectrum, plain 35mm is as easy as it gets in 2026. A single CR123A lithium cell powers everything including the motor; still cheap and stocked at most camera shops. The built-in flash will fire whenever the meter decides it should, so learn the override before your first night out. Minimum focus is 0.6 m, close enough for a coffee cup or a face but stops short of true macro. The zoom range covers the obvious bases: groups at the wide end, half-length portraits at the long end, no lens changes ever.

The Konica Z-up 28W won't impress at the pub, but it'll cover a holiday end-to-end without ever asking you to think about glass.

• §1One of the early 28mm-starting Z-up zoom compacts.