RicohShotmaster Zoom 105

The Ricoh Shotmaster Zoom 105 comes out of the early 1990s, when premium compacts and motorised zooms split the market in two. Catalogued as a zoom compact, it pairs the Ricoh Zoom 38–105mm f/3.6–5.5 macro (ø40.5 mm thread) with a 35mm film path. A bit of background: part of Ricoh's Shotmaster family, sold in Japan under the Myport name — the sibling Shotmaster Zoom 105 Plus (RZ-105) even added a separate fixed 28mm f/8 lens next to the zoom.

Format

35mm

Year

1992

Lens

Ricoh Zoom 38–105mm f/3.6–5.5 macro (ø40.5 mm thread)

Min. focus

0.6 m (macro)

Flash

Built-in auto with red-eye reduction

Battery

1× 2CR5

The Ricoh Zoom 38–105mm f/3.6–5.5 macro (ø40.5 mm thread) 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. It takes the chunky 2CR5 lithium pack — slightly harder to find than AAs, but a single cell lasts a great many rolls. 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. One thing worth knowing before you load a roll: f/3.6 at the wide end is bright for a 105mm-class zoom compact; most rivals of the era start at f/4.5 and collapse past f/10 at tele. 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 Ricoh Shotmaster Zoom 105 cheap, run a roll through it and judge whether the convenience outweighs the slower aperture. Worth remembering: a rare thing on a plastic zoom compact: a real 40.5 mm filter thread, so you can screw on a proper UV or yellow filter.

• §1Part of Ricoh's Shotmaster family, sold in Japan under the Myport name — the sibling Shotmaster Zoom 105 Plus (RZ-105) even added a separate fixed 28mm f/8 lens next to the zoom.
• §2f/3.6 at the wide end is bright for a 105mm-class zoom compact; most rivals of the era start at f/4.5 and collapse past f/10 at tele.
• §3A rare thing on a plastic zoom compact: a real 40.5 mm filter thread, so you can screw on a proper UV or yellow filter.
• §4Ricoh compacts of this era are still cheap because collectors chase GR1s instead — this one is easy to find working with a fresh 2CR5.