Pentax P&S camera.

[Mike Kennedy]

Can anyone suggest a top-of-the-line Pentax point and shoot camera. My friend's birthday is next month and I'd like to give her a nice packable Pentax.

 

[ricksplace]

Check the second hand stores. I don't think Pentax is making any new film cameras. At a yard sale last summer, I bought a Pentax p&s with a 35-70 zoom, data back, etc. for $10. It still had the original bill of sale in it for $199.95. The results from it are excellent.

 

[David Brown]

I also think that - unfortunately - Pentax no longer makes P&S cameras. I have the IQZoom928, and it is several years old. I chose this model because the lens went to 28mm on the wide end. It's a 28 - 90, hence "928". The flash is good, and the exposures with or without flash are usually right on. This was my travel camera until I got an "unmentionable" for that purpose. :rolleyes:

It is fully "auto". You can't manually focus, set ISO or any of that. About the only control is over the flash, and of course, the zoom. It does have an adjustable diopter correcting lens in the viewfinder, which is another big plus, IMO.

Could you find one in good shape used? I have no idea. Sorry. There are still 35mm P&S cameras out there, though. Canon and Olympus still have several models (at least at B&H).

 

[Karl K]

Can anyone suggest a top-of-the-line Pentax point and shoot camera. My friend's birthday is next month and I'd like to give her a nice packable Pentax.

Drop me a PM. I can probably still get most of the following Pentax cameras from a wholesaler. Some are new, some refurbs. Choose your first, second and third choices in case some are sold out. This list was current as of 2/7/07. BTW, he won't sell directly to consumers.
PENTAX IQ ZOOM 105 G
PENTAX IQ ZOOM 105 G QUARTZ DATE
PENTAX IQ ZOOM 105WR QD
PENTAX IQ ZOOM 115G QD
PENTAX IQ ZOOM 115V QD KIT
PENTAX IQ ZOOM 135M QUARTZ DATE
PENTAX IQ ZOOM 145M SUPER BLACK QD
PENTAX IQ ZOOM 145M SUPER QD
PENTAX IQ ZOOM 170SL QUARTZ DATE
PENTAX IQ ZOOM 80S
PENTAX IQ ZOOM 80S QUARTZ DATE
PENTAX IQ ZOOM 928
PENTAX IQ ZOOM 928 QD
PENTAX IQ ZOOM 95S QUARTZ DATE
PENTAX IQ ZOOM 95WR QD KIT
PENTAX IQ ZOOM EZY 80 QD KIT
PENTAX IQ ZOOM EZY R
PENTAX IQ ZOOM EZY S QUARTZ DATE
PENTAX IQ ZOOM EZY-R QUARTZ DATE

 

[Brac]

There's no more pocketable Pentax than the APS Elfina's. You can still get the films & the processing done. They go very cheaply.

 

[kunihiko]

Though I don't know whether they're still manufactuaring or not, this one is still listed on Pentax website.
Dead Link Removed

 

[rosey]

My Pentax P&S faves

I currently have and sometime use more than a half-dozen tidy Pentax P&S models, from the heavier 105-R and 105-Super with their excellent 3 to 1 zoom lens to the tidy APS Elfina and models in between.
I have several of the slender, much smaller, IQZoom 835 model, which has never let me down as a pocket companion on vacations. My wife is carrying one now as she visits her kids in Austin.
The one that has become my current favorite is the UC-1, a 32mm fixed-lens gem in silver finish with a sliding lens cover. Incredibly sharp lens. Hard to find, I think, because it has become a bit of a cult favorite, but turns up occasionally on the used market, which is where I get all my gear. I also have the identical camera in all black, called the Espio Mini, which I believe is the European version.
I began serious photography in the early Sixties with a Pentax, and have never been disappointed with any of their lenses, still comparing them most favorably with all my Nikon, Canon, Olympus and Minolta toys.
Ken

 

[Roger Hicks]

. I also have the identical camera in all black, called the Espio Mini, which I believe is the European version.
Ken

Dear Ken,

A lovely little camera. Alas mine got wet (leaking waterproofs on a motorcycle trip) and died.

Like you I started with Pentaxes (an SV in 1966 to be precise) but I have to say that I'm not quite as uniformly impressed by the SLR lenses as you are. Some are, shall we say, a lot better than others.

Cheers,

R.

 

[polaski]

Olympus Stylus Epic

If I were to buy a point-and-shoot camera for a friend (my wife), I'd get the Olympus Stylus Epic. As a P&S, it has been a standard for years. Very good lens, very good performance, very good price for a basic dependable camera that brings home the image.

The only reason I haven't bought one for my self is the Minox 35ML sitting in my drawer.