OlympusAZ-1 Zoom

The Olympus AZ-1 Zoom is a product of the peak of bubble-economy Japanese design, when every brand had a flagship compact and the engineering budgets to match — a bridge zoom compact paired with a Olympus 35–70mm f/3.5–6.7. Some backstory: one of Olympus's earliest power-zoom compacts — the bridge era begins.

Format

35mm

Year

1986

Lens

Olympus 35–70mm f/3.5–6.7

Min. focus

0.8 m

Flash

Built-in pop-up

Battery

2× AA

The Olympus 35–70mm f/3.5–6.7 covers wide-to-short-tele in one barrel — one lens, no decisions, point and shoot. Film supply is a non-issue: any 35mm cassette from any lab works. It runs on common AA batteries — you can resurrect one on a Sunday afternoon with whatever the corner shop has in stock. The built-in flash will fire whenever the meter decides it should, so learn the override before your first night out. Minimum focus is 0.8 m, close enough for a coffee cup or a face but stops short of true macro. Something that catches new owners off guard: that 'FLASH MODE' rocker switch is delightfully tactile. Built for family events, holidays and anything where you'd rather reframe than walk.

Zoom compacts are still the bargain corner of the film market — pick up the Olympus AZ-1 Zoom cheap, run a roll through it and judge whether the convenience outweighs the slower aperture. File away for later: heavy and chunky, but the metal-feel build outclasses later plastic zooms.

• §1One of Olympus's earliest power-zoom compacts — the bridge era begins.
• §2That 'FLASH MODE' rocker switch is delightfully tactile.
• §3Heavy and chunky, but the metal-feel build outclasses later plastic zooms.