OlympusSuperzoom 105

The Olympus Superzoom 105 comes out of 1996-99, when the spec wars had cooled and manufacturers were quietly perfecting what they already had. Catalogued as a autofocus compact, it pairs the Olympus 38–105mm f/4.5–8.9 with a 35mm film path. A bit of background: sold as the Stylus Zoom 105 in North America.

Format

35mm

Year

1995

Lens

Olympus 38–105mm f/4.5–8.9

Min. focus

0.6 m

Flash

Built-in auto multi-mode

Battery

1× CR123A

The Olympus 38–105mm f/4.5–8.9 covers wide-to-short-tele in one barrel — one lens, no decisions, point and shoot. 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. One thing worth knowing before you load a roll: part of Olympus's mid-'90s Superzoom family bridging the basic Stylus and DLX models. Built for family events, holidays and anything where you'd rather reframe than walk.

The Olympus Superzoom 105 sits exactly where you want a sleeper to sit: low prices, working examples plentiful, and a spec sheet that holds up against far pricier rivals.

• §1Sold as the Stylus Zoom 105 in North America.
• §2Part of Olympus's mid-'90s Superzoom family bridging the basic Stylus and DLX models.