PentaxPC-550

The Pentax PC-550 is a product of the early 1980s, when autofocus and programmed exposure were quietly rewriting what a compact could do — a compact paired with a Pentax 35mm f/3.5. Some backstory: a simple sibling of the popular PC35AF — same lens, simplified controls.

Format

35mm

Year

1984

Lens

Pentax 35mm f/3.5

Min. focus

1.4 m

Flash

Built-in pop-up

Battery

2× AA

The Pentax 35mm f/3.5 sits in the daylight sweet spot: sharp wide open, well-corrected against flare, and small enough to disappear in a jacket pocket. Standard 35mm keeps it compatible with whatever Kodak, Ilford, Fuji or CineStill stock you find on the shelf today. 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 1.4 m, close enough for a coffee cup or a face but stops short of true macro. Best for street, travel and environmental portraits — 35mm is the all-rounder documentary photographers default to.

The Pentax PC-550 hasn't been swept up by the algorithm yet, which is the entire window — get one before the rest of the internet catches up.

• §1A simple sibling of the popular PC35AF — same lens, simplified controls.