The Pentax IQZoom 80G was part of Pentax's IQZoom/Espio series of automatic point-and-shoot cameras. This series was considered to be Pentax's higher-end line of such cameras. It has a decent built-in zoom 38-80mm f/4.8-9.5 lens. The camera features several flash modes including: daylight-sync, slow shutter sync with flash off, slow shutter sync with flash on, backlight compensation with no flash, bulb with no flash, and bulb with flash. The camera also has a red eye reduction mode that is triggered via a stand-alone button on top of the camera. In addition, the 80G features a self-timer, automatic exposure, exposure lock, and AF lock. It is a very capable camera in the right hands.
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Pentax IQZoom 80G
This portrait of the Pentax IQZoom 80G was made while we were stuck at home during the COVID-19 outbreak of early 2020. We were trying to be creative with how we photographed cameras while following the "Stay At Home" orders of our state government. In this case, we simply pulled out a bin full of different fabrics (that will, one day, realize their goal of becoming full fledged sewing projects) and used them to make colorful backdrops against which to display the cameras we were working with, this IQZoom 80G being one of them.
While automatic point and shoot cameras like this Pentax IQZoom 80G often get dismissed in favor of their SLR kin, at the time they were introduced, they represented quite the advanced and automated camera. Now, all those features and automation come in a very budget friendly form. A camera like the 80G has such capabilities as a built-in 38-80mm zoom lens that ain't half bad in terms of image quality, it has fully automatic exposure control, and multiple flash settings including: forced flash, automatic flash, red eye reduction (set aside as its own button for activation), forced flash off, and flash with long exposure. The camera has a bulb mode and even a bulb mode with flash sync. There is a self-timer, as well as focus and exposure lock. Thrown in compensation for backlit situations, and this seemingly simple little camera can actually do quite a bit.
One thing to be mindful of: it registers film speed through DX coding and has an impressive range from ISO 25 to ISO 1600. If you try an load a roll of film without DX coding, the camera defaults to ISO 25, which could lead to some seriously off exposures.