PentaxEspio 120Mi

The Pentax Espio 120Mi is a product of the late 1990s — panorama switches, dated LCDs, and a few genuinely brilliant lenses hiding inside plastic shells — a zoom compact paired with a Pentax 38–120mm f/4.8–11.4. Some backstory: the 'Mi' line was Pentax's premium, more compact Espio.

Format

35mm

Year

1998

Lens

Pentax 38–120mm f/4.8–11.4

Min. focus

0.6 m (macro)

Flash

Built-in multi-mode

Battery

1× CR123A

The Pentax 38–120mm f/4.8–11.4 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. 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 (macro), close enough for a coffee cup or a face but stops short of true macro. 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 Pentax Espio 120Mi cheap, run a roll through it and judge whether the convenience outweighs the slower aperture.

• §1The 'Mi' line was Pentax's premium, more compact Espio.