SamsungFino 105 XL

The Samsung Fino 105 XL comes out of 1996-99, when the spec wars had cooled and manufacturers were quietly perfecting what they already had. Catalogued as a zoom compact, it pairs the Samsung 38–105mm f/5.6–11 with a 35mm film path. A bit of background: a late-'90s champagne-finished sibling of the Fino 105S with a polished update.

Format

35mm

Year

1998

Lens

Samsung 38–105mm f/5.6–11

Min. focus

0.7 m

Flash

Built-in auto

Battery

1× CR123A

The Samsung 38–105mm f/5.6–11 covers wide-to-short-tele in one barrel — one lens, no decisions, point and shoot. 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 0.7 m, close enough for a coffee cup or a face but stops short of true macro. One thing worth knowing before you load a roll: sold in some markets as the Maxima Zoom 105XL. 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 Samsung Fino 105 XL cheap, run a roll through it and judge whether the convenience outweighs the slower aperture.

• §1A late-'90s champagne-finished sibling of the Fino 105S with a polished update.
• §2Sold in some markets as the Maxima Zoom 105XL.