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Pentax Auto 110 / Auto 110 Super

Arguably one of the niftiest SLR cameras ever made, the Pentax Auto 110 and its successor the Auto 110 Super, were introduced by Pentax for the 110 film format, popular in the 1970s and 80s. These cameras were produced from 1978 until 1985, featuring interchangeable lenses, fully automatic exposure control, TTL metering (center weighted), and true SLR viewing... all the while, fitting easily in the palm of your hand.

At its introduction, the Pentax Auto 110 system featured three lenses: an 18mm f/2.8 wide angle, a 24mm f/2.8 standard, and a 50mm f/2.8 telephoto. In 1981, three more lenses were added to the lineup, including the 18mm f/2.8 "pan focus" wide angle, the 70mm f/2.8 telephoto, and a 20-40mm f/2.8 zoom lens. A number of other accessories were also made for the Auto 110, both by Pentax, as well as other companies, including teleconverters, close-up filters, and the like. All the lenses in the Auto 110 system have a maximum aperture of f/2.8, due to the aperture diaphragm being located in the body of the camera and combined with the camera's shutter.

The Auto 110 Super was introduced in 1981 and offered some improvements over the earlier Auto 110. The Super has an electronic self-timer, a brighter viewfinder, shutter lock, single-stroke film advance, and it also introduced a new power winder with a better battery door - the door on the original winder is notorious for breaking.

The camera requires two LR/SR44/V76 batteries to power both the light meter and the shutter. Some caution should be taken regarding the sounds that the camera makes; often times it may sound as if it is functioning, even when no batteries or power are being supplied. Be sure to test these cameras out with fresh batteries!

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Pentax Auto 110 with reversed 24mm lens

There is a somewhat common trick with 35mm SLRs, where by turning a lens around backwards and mounting (or simply holding) it to the body of the camera makes it a very strong macro lens. This typically works best with the standard focal lengths, but you can experiment with a variety of lenses for different effects. When our staff 110 photographer, Jackson, brought in his Pentax Auto 110, we decided to try it out. Sure enough, we managed to turn his Pentax Auto 110 into a super - and super small - macro camera. In this image, we are holding the camera's standard 24mm lens backwards. The bonus images are those made when the lens is mounted normally, versus when held backwards. Cool eh?

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Pentax Auto 110

The Pentax Auto 110 was introduced in 1978 and was in production until 1985. It is claimed to be the world’s smallest, interchangeable lens SLR and is made for 110 film. This strikes us as a bit of an overblown claim, as it had virtually no competition in this particular category. Regardless, the Pentax Auto 110 is an incredible, little 110 camera and if you are fond of that film format, this is one of the best cameras to get.

The Auto 110 is completely auto exposure. Metering is TTL and works via a center-weighted system and a combined aperture/shutter diaphragm behind the lens controlled actual exposure. Because of this behind-the-lens setup, all lenses for the Auto 110 were simple optical stacks, with a focusing helical, and all were designed to be f/2.8, in order to work with that integral aperture mechanism in the camera. Pretty nifty. Another quick tidbit about these lenses, Pentax released a line of mirrorless digital cameras known as their Q System, in 2011. This system has a lens adapter for mounting these 110 lenses onto the Q cameras. We love when companies think of backward compatibility like this and this is something Pentax has been really good about.

This camera comes with the first version of the winder attached. The winder uses two AA batteries and should last you for about 100 cartridges of film - which may explain why, so often, w see these winders with old, exploded batteries in them. The battery door on the first winder was also a notorious failure point, later to be improved in the second version. Whether you use it to advance the film or not, the winder does have the benefit of giving the camera a nice grip underneath.

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Pentax Auto 110

Here is our pitch for you to start shooting 110 film.

There is, arguably, a greater variety of 110 film now than there was 20 years ago. Plus, acquiring a 110 camera is easy. They can often be found at your local thrift shop; the point-and-shoot varieties of these cameras can be snagged up for about the same cost as a good cup of coffee.

There are the 110 point-and-shoots, and then there's this camera, the Pentax Auto 110. This awesome camera is an SLR with interchangeable lenses and a surprisingly large selection of lenses and accessories to chose from. Upgrade that cup of drip coffee to an espresso.

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Pentax Auto 110

As strange and unlikely as it seems, 110 is still a viable film format. Lomography distributes at least four different film choices. There are labs, like us, that still gladly develop, print, and scan the film. And there are cameras out there, like the Pentax Auto 110, that can actually be described as high-end 110 cameras. The Pentax in particular is a great reason to give 110 a shot. This camera has SLR mechanics (through-the-lens viewing and focusing), interchangeable lenses (including a 2x teleconverter), and automatic exposure.

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