The world’s smallest interchangeable lens camera is a tiny mechanical masterpiece
This forgotten pocket camera was way better than its film format allowed it to be
Kodak's Pocket Instamatic 110 film cameras, introduced in 1972, became a highly popular and successful format, with numerous manufacturers producing 110 cameras. At its height, over 800 million 110 film cartridges were sold annually, but the format gained a reputation for poor image quality due to low-cost lenses and the need for significant magnification.
Despite this, a few companies sought to challenge this reputation, with the Pentax 110 Auto 110 being the smallest interchangeable-lens SLR camera ever made, measuring just 164g and 99 x 58 x 32mm in size. Released in 1982, the 110 Auto boasted TTL center-weighted metering, a programmed electronic shutter, and an array of lenses.
It was succeeded by the 110 Super in 1982, which introduced several improvements such as a single-stroke film advance lever and a brighter viewfinder. Despite its size and features, the 110 format began losing market share to ever-smaller 35mm cameras in the late 1980s, leading to the discontinuation of the Pentax Auto 110 and the 110 Super in 1985 due to declining sales.
By 2009, Kodak had discontinued 110 slide films, and only Fujifilm continued to produce them. However, Lomography still offers 110 films and cameras, and some dedicated fans have even managed to repack 16mm film into recycled 110 cassettes.
Written by urgent.news from Digital Camera World's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
