Pentax Z10 (1991)

It seems very strange to me when I start a post like this and note the date (1991), these seem like recent cameras to me and yet it’s 34 years old! Where did the last 3rd of a century go? Anyway, today I write about the said Pentax Z10. It comes with a 28-80mm lens, that unlike the previous Chinon Kit lens seems pretty good. As usual I’ll mention the standard facts, timed shutter from 30 seconds to 2000th + B. An impressive range of full DX coding 25 ISO right up to 5000th, so would cope with Ilford/Kodak 3200 with no problem.

As seen from above you can see it’s a “power zoom” meaning simply that it’s motorized, fair enough, but should you wish the usual method it’s possible to just push that rubber grip forward and have a traditional manual option. Through the two small windows it also shows focal length and at the front focus distance. The self timer is for 12 secs, and unlike the more mechanical cameras seems pretty acurate. The hot shoe for the flash is set off to the right, rather than the traditional place above the prism. That location is reserved for a LCD giving details of what mode the operator is in etc. Flash sync speed is 100th/sec. There is a flash built in, the pop up style, and that has a guide number of (GN) 12.

Other things to note, but nothing startling: there is a remote socket, Pentax’s own 3 pin electronic switch type, a AF/MF switch should you wish to manually focus. Mid roll rewind is also possible, via a tiny recessed button under the back door catch. It would be very easy, and perhaps a bit unfair to describe this as “like an early EOS” something like the EOS 750, although I’d say this was better. I did the usual and loaded up a roll of FP4…

I found it an easy camera to use, nothing too fiddly that get’s in the way of making a photo. The FP4 I developed in the last of my FX55 (mixed last October) and as far as I can see worked just as good as the first film, give or take 6 months ago! The only issue was that the part B containing the TEA (Triethanolamine) had gone so dark that I couldn’t see the measure on the syringe! Despite it’s colour- still worked fine!

I enjoyed using the camera but like many others, it doesn’t really add anything to my “collection” – I have too many – so it’s time to say goodbye and pass it on!