PentaxZoom 105-R

Released into the moment 'titanium' started appearing on spec sheets and ad copy alike, the Pentax Zoom 105-R is a autofocus compact built around a Pentax Zoom 38–105mm f/4–7.8 (11 elements in 9 groups). For context, the 'R' stands for remote — this 1991 revision of the Zoom 105 Super added an infrared remote release you can hold in your hand.

Format

35mm

Year

1991

Lens

Pentax Zoom 38–105mm f/4–7.8 (11 elements in 9 groups)

Shutter

1/250s – 1/3s (bulb to 1 min)

Min. focus

1.35 m (0.45 m in macro)

Flash

Built-in, guide number ~22 (m/ISO 100)

Battery

2× CR123A

The Pentax Zoom 38–105mm f/4–7.8 (11 elements in 9 groups) is the convenience play: a single optical formula that handles groups, snapshots and tighter portraits without ever leaving your hand. 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 1.35 m (0.45 m in macro), close enough for a coffee cup or a face but stops short of true macro. A quirk worth flagging up front: an 11-element, 9-group zoom is SLR-grade glass for a point-and-shoot, and it shows in the corner sharpness. The zoom range covers the obvious bases: groups at the wide end, half-length portraits at the long end, no lens changes ever.

The Pentax Zoom 105-R 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. One last detail: it is genuinely heavy: 480 g without batteries and 144 mm wide — nobody would call this a pocket camera.

• §1The 'R' stands for remote — this 1991 revision of the Zoom 105 Super added an infrared remote release you can hold in your hand.
• §2An 11-element, 9-group zoom is SLR-grade glass for a point-and-shoot, and it shows in the corner sharpness.
• §3It is genuinely heavy: 480 g without batteries and 144 mm wide — nobody would call this a pocket camera.
• §4Bulb mode runs up to a full minute, which almost no other compact of the era offered.