PentaxPC35AF

The Pentax PC35AF is a product of the early 1980s, when autofocus and programmed exposure were quietly rewriting what a compact could do — a autofocus compact paired with a smc Pentax 35mm f/2.8. Some backstory: Pentax's debut autofocus 35mm point-and-shoot.

Format

35mm

Year

1982

Lens

smc Pentax 35mm f/2.8

Shutter

1/8s – 1/430s

Min. focus

0.7 m

Flash

Built-in pop-up

Battery

2× AA

The smc Pentax 35mm f/2.8 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 0.7 m, close enough for a coffee cup or a face but stops short of true macro. Something that catches new owners off guard: the smc-coated f/2.8 lens still punches well above its weight. Best for street, travel and environmental portraits — 35mm is the all-rounder documentary photographers default to.

The Pentax PC35AF hasn't been swept up by the algorithm yet, which is the entire window — get one before the rest of the internet catches up. File away for later: loved by collectors as a sleeper alternative to the Canon AF35M.

• §1Pentax's debut autofocus 35mm point-and-shoot.
• §2The smc-coated f/2.8 lens still punches well above its weight.
• §3Loved by collectors as a sleeper alternative to the Canon AF35M.