#pentax espio 150sl

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On the "drying up" of film cameras, and the return of the Pentax IQZoom 150SL

Is the supply of good second-hand cameras drying up? I recently read this comment on another film photography blog, but it’s a sentiment that I’ve heard before. At first blush, it makes sense: The supply of new cameras made over the last twenty years is a small fraction of what came before. And those good old cameras are getting older, so there’s got to be some that no longer work and/or are…

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Pentax IQZoom 160 (Espio 160): Cheap thrills

I resisted for years, but I eventually saw the value in the late-era superzoom point and shoots. By the end of the twentieth century camera companies had perfected the technology of these all-singing, all-dancing autofocus machines, and despite some middling specs (maximum apertures often max somewhere between f/3.5 and f/5.6) they take good pictures. While the zooms on these things are better in…

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Hello, again: Pentax IQZoom 170SL

Of course I’d do something like this. When I got my Olympus XA, I made noises about how the XA series is my Platonic Ideal of a compact 35mm camera, and I couldn’t get on with the auto-focus cameras that followed. I spent a good chunk of change to bring that XA to life, then spend another chunk of change on CLA’ing my XA2. So now I get one of those cameras I lambaste…again. Hear me out. The…

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Pentax IQZoom/Espio 115V: Finding greatness in a lesser camera

Over the past couple months, I’ve been on a bit of a “compact zoom point and shoot” tear as my favored Pentax IQZoom 150SL (Espio 150SL) stopped working properly. Partially because the prices on IQZoom 150SL/170SLs have gone up, and partially due to my occasional “let’s see what else is out there” hunts, I’ve picked up a few new-to-me “millennium compacts” to try out. While these cameras…

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Canon Sure Shot V155: Almost there

As I mentioned last week, I’ve been on a bit of a compact point-and-shoot tear, seeing if there’s any replacement for my borked Pentax IQZoom 150SL (Espio 150SL). Since I had been so focused on Pentax’s selection of millennium compacts, the auto-focus cameras released in the last couple years of the twentieth century and first few of the twenty-first, what did the other makers had to offer? I…

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Ride Report: Midweek Gorge Ride, 31 July-1 Aug 2024, and why Ainsworth is my "jam"

The loaded Brompton at Crown Point, 31 Aug 2024. Pentax IQZoom 150SL (Espio 150SL)/Kodak Ultramax 400 It was another one for the books: Last Wednesday I led four people on my generally annual Midweek Gorge Ride. This event was started by my friend Kiran in 2005. It was his way of showing how easy it was to ride to great scenery from Portland. And having the ride in the middle of the week means…

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The Saturday Ride: A Coffee Outside at Kenilworth Park and rediscovering Errol Heights Park, 27 July 2024

Errol Creek Wetlands, 27 July 2024. Pentax IQZoom 150SL (Espio 150SL)/Kodak Ultramax 400 The dirty little secret about our weekly PDX Coffee Outside is it’s pretty easy to suggest the meet-up spot. I get the feeling that Brett, the main organizer, really doesn’t like having to pick out a spot each week, so if you hit him up on Thursday with a spot not that out of the way, he’ll often be up for…

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A Rocky Butte Visit, 30 May 2024

The Bantam at Joseph Wood Hill Park, Rocky Butte, 30 May 2024. Pentax IQZoom 150SL (Espio 150SL)/Reto Amber 400 It was Thursday afternoon, and the weekend was going to be busy–I had two, count them two events I had to work, and in between that I hoped to squeeze in a wee bit of Pedalpalooza, namely the Kickoff Ride.1 It was a beautiful day, sunny, 68F/20C. I needed to ride somewhere before…

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On elevating the everyday rider

14 May 2024. Camera: Pentax IQZoom 150SL (Espio 150SL) Film: Candido 400 Last year I bought a copy of Eugene Sloane’s Complete Book of All-Terrain Bicycles. I got it because I was buying another book from Better World Books or a similar used books online retailer, and I needed to spend a few more dollars to hit the free shipping threshold. Old bicycle books usually fall into the “a few more…

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Minolta Freedom Zoom 160: (Yet) another millenium compact

Minolta Freedom Zoom 160: (Yet) another millenium compact

Here we go again. Despite claiming that I don’t care much for the compact superzoom 35mm cameras that marked the end of the film era, I picked up another Pentax IQZoom last month, a 150SL, last month. You’d figure one of these cameras would be enough, right? Of course not. The mistake I made as usual was “look at the interwebs”. And that’s where I found a good write-up on Earth, Sun, Film about…

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A return of sorts: Pentax IQ Zoom 150SL (Espio 150SL)

A return of sorts: Pentax IQ Zoom 150SL (Espio 150SL)

I’ve entered a new phase with my film photography obsession. After things like getting an SLR, then a medium format camera, then trying slide film, I’ve reached the point where I start reacquiring cameras I got rid of. Back in the early days of my film obsession I picked up a Pentax IQZoom 170SL. I got it mostly due to its small size, as I wanted something to compliment the big and chonky…

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Hello, again: Pentax IQ Zoom (Espio) 928

Hello, again: Pentax IQ Zoom (Espio) 928

The past few months I’ve been on a “reacquire past film cameras” kick. It first started with a Pentax IQZoom 150SL, basically the sister camera to a Pentax IQZoom 170SL I had last year. Then I found a Minolta Freedom Zoom 160 which I liked a bit better than the 150SL. The two cameras were too similar that I didn’t want to keep both, so the IQZoom went. Of course after I got rid of the Pentax, I…