Pentax Espio 140 – The Second Best Zoom Compact Camera I’ve Ever Had

Buying “Crap Cameras”

A year ago I started buying plastic zoom compacts from the 80s and 90s to make a series of Youtube videos entitled “Crap Cameras”. In the past I had dismissed these at Car Boot Sales and in charity shops, before acquiring a Konica Z-Up 70 and then an Olympus mJu II Zoom 80 at the local market. The Konica cost £1 and the Olympus £4 (those were the days, eh?). I shot Agfa Vista 200 through both cameras and the results surprised and delighted me. I revisited these forgotten items when I needed new subjects for my channel, this time with B&W film and they made me realise that not all cameras of that era were as bad as the Halina and Hanimex AF models I had owned previously. By the time I had made the decision to acquire more to test, plastic zoom compacts seemed to have disappeared from the boot sales and charity shops, so ebay it would have to be. I quickly worked out that the biggest and most serious problem would be corroded batteries in cameras that had been put away in drawers and forgotten about, so all photos would have to be studied carefully before pressing “Bid Now”. I had some failures and I had some successes along the way. The Pentax Espio 140 was a good buy.

What Does This Pentax Offer?

Lens: 38mm to 140mm power zoom. f4.1 to f10.2. Nine elements in seven groups

Shutter: Electronic shutter with automatic programmed speeds from 1/400 to 2s and bulb from 1/2 to 5min.

Self Timer: 10secs

Flash: On, Off, Red Eye Reduction, Bulb, Night Portrait

Single Shot, Series and Multiple Exposure

Auto Load, Wind-On and Rewind (Rewinds film leader back into cassette)

Panorama (Cropping Blinds)

Automatic Programmed Exposure

DX Film Coding from 25 to 3200 ISO (Defaults to 25 with non-coded films)

Focus confirmation light within viewfinder

LCD display showing fame numbers and modes

Diopter adjustment on viewfinder

Takes One CR123 Lithium Battery

The Shooting Experience

The Espio 140 is bulky compared to later digital compacts, but would fit in larger coat pockets. The weight isn’t uncomfortable but enough to make the camera feel “solid” rather than cheap. The controls for shooting and zooming fall easy to the hand, but the mode buttons require close attention, plus the symbols in the LCD are quite tiny. The zoom mechanism and the shutter and winder are audible but better than most. Rewind takes place automatically after frame 36, so no “extras”.

Image Quality

The photos were shot on FP4+ and developed in Ilfosol 3. The inland shots were at Corbridge, Northumberland, and the seaside shots were at Seaton Sluice, Northumberland. The last shot is yours truly shot by my good lady. (I was also shooting a Praktica MTL50 that day).

Conclusion

The major camera manufacturers produced some excellent “family” cameras in the 80s and 90s and the Espio 140 is definitely a fine example of the type. The lens isn’t fast but these cameras were for holidays, sunny days out and shooting indoor events with flash. The intention was to give the photographer a well-exposed and focused shot every time the shutter was released. The lens is quite sharp and there is very little in the way of flare, even when shot towards the sun. This model, I’m sure, would have meant a fairly substantial outlay for your average family, but the results and captured memories would have satisfied the users. I am happy to have it as an easy everyday carry.

Share this post: