OlympusAZ-210 Superzoom

The Olympus AZ-210 Superzoom is a product of the early 1990s, when premium compacts and motorised zooms split the market in two — a zoom compact paired with a Olympus Zoom 38–76mm f/4–5.6 (6 elements). Some backstory: sold as the Infinity Zoom 210 and IZM 210 depending on the market — same bulky body, three names.

Format

35mm

Year

1991

Lens

Olympus Zoom 38–76mm f/4–5.6 (6 elements)

Min. focus

0.6 m

Flash

Built-in variable-power flash

Battery

1× 2CR5

The Olympus Zoom 38–76mm f/4–5.6 (6 elements) covers wide-to-short-tele in one barrel — one lens, no decisions, point and shoot. Standard 35mm keeps it compatible with whatever Kodak, Ilford, Fuji or CineStill stock you find on the shelf today. It takes the chunky 2CR5 lithium pack — slightly harder to find than AAs, but a single cell lasts a great many rolls. 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. Something that catches new owners off guard: The AZ Superzoom line is what Olympus made before the mju/Stylus series shrank everything: capable glass in a deliberately chunky shell. 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-210 Superzoom cheap, run a roll through it and judge whether the convenience outweighs the slower aperture. File away for later: f/4–5.6 across a 2× zoom is genuinely bright for the era — later 38–105mm compacts sag to f/9 or worse at the long end.

• §1Sold as the Infinity Zoom 210 and IZM 210 depending on the market — same bulky body, three names.
• §2The AZ Superzoom line is what Olympus made before the mju/Stylus series shrank everything: capable glass in a deliberately chunky shell.
• §3f/4–5.6 across a 2× zoom is genuinely bright for the era — later 38–105mm compacts sag to f/9 or worse at the long end.
• §4The 'variable power flash' meters the flash output rather than firing full blast, which makes indoor snapshots far less harsh.