Review of the Pentax IQ Zoom 140M with Sample Photos! | 5 Reasons Why It's the Perfect 35 mm Panorama Point and Shoot Film Camera

August 27, 2023

I sort of bought the Pentax IQ Zoom 140M on a whim one day. I’d been using the Vivitar IC101 for years as my go-to 35 mm panorama camera whenever I traveled, but I was curious what other panorama film cameras were out there. While I love the grainy, low-fi quality of the Vivitar IC101, I was really looking for a camera with a bit of a sharper lens. I came across the Pentax IQ Zoom 140M while browsing KEH Camera and it was only $20 so I went for it! I’ve been using it for years now and it never disappoints. It has so much more to offer than just the panorama feature. I’ve noticed this camera has started to go up in price quite a bit too, so I’d snag one soon if I were you! There are many different versions of this camera, but they all essentially do the same thing. Pretty much any IQ Zoom will get you about the same results. They have different zoom lens lengths available, so it really depends on your preference. I purchased the IQ Zoom 140M which has a 38-140mm zoom lens. I wanted to share 5 reasons why I love this camera. It’s become a necessity when I travel and it packs quite a punch into such a tiny camera!

5 Reasons Why I Love the Pentax IQ Zoom 140M

The Lens is Surprisingly Sharp!
The Pentax IQ Zoom 140M is a pretty standard point and shoot camera. It really doesn’t look particularly cool or impressive, but I’m always pleasantly surprised by how sharp this lens is. Especially if you’re using an ISO 100 film or similar, you can get some incredible images! I took this camera to Japan with me and I’m obsessed with how the images turned out. It’s perfect for snapping some quick street photography and the lens is wide enough that you can get entire buildings and landscapes.

2. You Can Easily Switch Between the Panorama Mode and the Standard 35 mm Frame Size

This is the best part of this camera and ultimately, why it has become one of my favorite travel cameras. With the Vivitar IC101, I could only take panorama photos. It made me feel very limited when using the camera and it didn’t really have any use other than that. With the Pentax IQ Zoom, you can switch mid-roll between the panorama frame size and the standard 35 mm frame size, as many times as you want! This is a game-changer. Most of the time, I just want to use the standard frame size. But when I’m traveling and I find myself at the top of a mountain or bell tower looking out onto a beautiful view, I always want that option to take a panorama photo. Sometimes, I like the leave the black border around the photos, so I included two different presentation versions below for you. :)

3. It has a Flash!

This is another necessity for me when it comes to travel cameras. You just never know what lighting situation you’re going to find yourself in when you’re traveling and I always feel more secure when I have the option of using a flash. Especially if I’m out at dinner and I just want to snap a few candid photos with my friends or family, the flash makes all the difference.

4. It’s Super Tiny and Weighs Nothing!

Again, this is another important feature that I look for in a travel camera. Traveling is exhausting. The last thing I want to do is lug around 20 pounds of cameras. The Pentax IQ Zoom is small and lightweight and can always find a home in my camera bag. I usually end up squeezing it in a tiny spot amongst my other cameras. It takes up no space at all. And at the end of a long day, when I drop off all of my big, heavy cameras in the hotel room and want to have a night out, this is the one camera I’ll bring back out with me. It can fit in my purse, it’s inconspicuous and it’s cute!

5. It has a Ridiculous Zoom Lens!

The 38-140mm lens is definitely a surprising feature of this camera. When you first look at the camera, you’d really have no idea it was even there! When I’m traveling, I usually prefer to shoot wide shots, so I don’t use the zoom lens often. But if you’re someone who likes to zoom in on your iPhone to get tighter shots of animals, people or landscapes, then this will definitely come in handy for you!

I hope this review gives you a better idea of what this incredible little camera is capable of. It has tones of other features, like a self-timer, red-eye reduction and bulb exposure mode. There’s really nothing that it doesn’t do! In my opinion, this is the perfect, affordable point and shoot 35 mm film camera. If you’re on the hunt for one, you should try out these sites:

PENTAX IQ ZOOM 140M:

Amazon

eBay

KEH Camera

If you’re interested in reading about my personal favorite 35 mm color films to use with this camera, check out my blog post here!

I’ve included sample photos below, but you can also check out my full YouTube video about the Pentax IQ Zoom 140M here!

If you found this post helpful or if you’d like to see more of my work, I’d love it if you considered signing up for my Patreon! For as little as $1 a month, you’ll get early access to all of my YouTube videos, plus tons of photos that I don’t post anywhere else. Depending on which tier you choose, you could also receive seasonal prints and/or discounts! I always use all of the proceeds towards film & processing. Find out more here!

Thanks so much for stopping by! Feel free to leave any questions or comments below. :)

<3 Myles Katherine

Contax T2 35 mm Camera Review with Samples Photos | Is the Contax T2 Really Worth the Hype?

June 25, 2023

Here we go - the famous Contax T2. I was one of the lucky ones and picked up a Contax T2 before they became one of the most sought after point-and-shoot 35 mm cameras out there (thanks a lot, Kendall Jenner)! I think I paid about $500 for one in near mint condition, but now they’re going for anywhere from $750-2000 depending on the condition. The question is -

Is it Worth All of the Hype?

The Contax T2 has a lot of amazing features that many of my other 35 mm point-and-shoot cameras do not have. It has a sturdy and beautiful titanium body, a SUPER sharp and crisp Carl Zeiss Sonnar T* 38 mm f/2.8 lens and features such as aperture priority, flash, exposure compensation and manual and automatic focus controls. It has many of the features you’d expect in a larger, professional camera, but is small enough to fit in your pocket. When it first came out in the 1990s, it was created to appeal to the professional and luxury camera market. And personally, I have yet to come across a 35 mm film camera that can create images as sharp as the ones I’ve gotten with the Contax T2. It makes sense that once the secret was out, this camera blew up. There’s a reason all of these celebrities are using this camera and it’s because they want the best and this is it. It automatically makes everything look high fashion and amazing because of the sharp lens. Plus it’s small and inconspicuous, yet beautiful to look at.

But is it Worth the Expensive Price Tag?

Personally, the Contax T2 is a missing a key function that I NEED in a camera - a multiple exposure function. While, yes, you can rewind the film and shoot over the images you’ve already taken, I prefer to have more control over my multiple exposures. Because of this, I don’t end up using the camera very often. It’s just a personal preference that I’ve discovered about myself as a photographer over the years. However, my Contax T2 was having a bit of trouble at one point with the battery connections and would occasionally lock up in the middle of taking a photo. Because of this, I’d shut down and restart the camera and it would accidentally shoot over the same frame, causing accidental double exposures. I’ve included a few of these images below. However, they were not planned and don’t necessarily count as a positive attribute of the camera. Since then, I’ve figured out a loophole for stopping the camera from freezing mid-shot, by pushing down the shutter button very slowly but firmly. I’ve been meaning to send my Contax T2 off for service, but when I discovered that it was a minimum of $400 to repair it, I decided to hold off for the moment (Nippon Photoclinic was the only professional camera repair store I could find that I would trust with my Contax T2). Plus, I don’t really mind these accidental double exposures. However, it’s important to keep in mind that the Contax T2 is expensive to repair. The camera itself isn’t getting any younger either, as they were initially released in the early 1990s and are now around 30 years old. The reality is, if you DO want to try this camera out, it’s better to do it sooner rather than later. They aren’t going to last forever and in today’s world, they’re probably just going to get MORE expensive. If you’re desperate to try it out, I recommend keeping an eye on the Ebay listings for a few weeks to get an idea of the price point they’re going for. Sometimes, one will pop up that might fly under the radar and end up getting yourself a good deal. You can also set a price watch on Amazon and watch for fluctuations in price. KEH camera also gets them in every once in a while and have a thorough testing and rating system for their used items.

Would I Purchase a Contax T2 Today?

Probably not. It’s an incredible camera but without a multiple exposure function, it’s hard for me to justify spending that much money on a camera I just wouldn’t use very often. However, I am glad that I had the chance to experience the camera because it is pretty amazing. I love how sharp the photographs are and I especially love how small and easy it is to travel with. It packs a lot into a tiny little camera body. Plus, the titanium body is truly beautiful and makes the camera feel and look expensive when you’re holding it in your hand. As a Japanese camera brand, you can expect attention to detail and quality. Even the protective camera case it comes with feels soft and amazing in your hands. I’ve considered selling my Contax T2 many times, since I don’t get around to using it very often. Even with the battery issues I’ve been having, I could still probably sell it for more than I purchased it for. But there really is something special about the Contax T2 so I’m finding it hard to let it go. If you have the money and are willing to invest, you won’t be disappointed by the camera quality and sharpness of the photographs. Just make sure you get one that doesn’t have any previously known issues and that comes from a reputable seller. I think the Contax T2 is worth all of the hype, as long as you’re not breaking the bank to purchase it. Sure, there are other high end 35 mm cameras out there that are more affordable, but I have yet to come across one that beats the quality of the Contax T2.

Where Can I Buy a Contax T2?

Amazon

Ebay

KEH Camera

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I’ve included a few of my favorite images I’ve taken over the years with my Contax T2. I also posted a review on my YouTube channel, so be sure to check that out too!

Feel free to leave any questions or comments below. Thanks so much for stopping by!

<3 Myles Katherine

(click to enlarge images)

5 Reasons to Buy a Polaroid One-Step 600 Camera | Film Photography Review of the Polaroid One-Step 600 Camera

April 13, 2023

I love Polaroid cameras SO much. There’s nothing quite like the immediate satisfaction of watching a photo develop in front of you. The casual, nostalgic mood and the muted tones give Polaroid photos a truly unique vibe that I have yet to experience with any other camera and film combination.

When I began working as a photographer right after college, my dad stumbled across a few of his old Polaroid cameras that his construction company had used years ago to photograph job sites. I did some googling and found a company called The Impossible Project that had started making film that worked with the old Polaroid cameras. I purchased a few boxes of the film and fell in love the second I started using it. Eventually, The Impossible Project officially gained the rights to the Polaroid name, (after going by Polaroid Originals for a while) and can now be found at Polaroid.com.

If you can get your hands on a vintage Polaroid 600 camera from a friend or family member, don’t turn it down! These cameras are actually pretty sturdy and it’s rare that I’ve come across one that doesn’t work. The version I’ve been using for the last few years is the Polaroid One-Step 600 camera but there are dozens of different 600 cameras to choose from. I also used a Polaroid Impulse for a while too! If you don’t have any Polaroids lurking in your parent’s basement or grandma’s house, you can always find them online. Or you can try out Polaroid’s brand new cameras such as the Polaroid Now or Polaroid Go.

CAMERA:

Purchase a Polaroid One-Step 600 on Amazon!

Purchase a Polaroid One-Step 600 on eBay!

Purchase a Used Polaroid One-Step 600 on KEH Camera!

Purchase a Polaroid Now or Polaroid Go on Polaroid.com!

FILM:

Purchase Polaroid 600 film on Polaroid.com!

Purchase 600 film on Amazon!

Tip: Make sure to buy the correct version of the film for your camera, whether that’s 600, SX-70, i-Type or Go film. If it’s listed under “Polaroid Originals”, that’s totally fine - it’s just the name that the company went by before officially becoming Polaroid.

5 reasons to buy a Polaroid 600 Camera:

They are SUPER easy to use!

While these cameras might be old and somewhat intimidating, they are truly one of the easiest cameras out there to use. You slide the film in, pop open the viewfinder, look through and compress the shutter button. That’s it! However, it may take some getting used to when it comes to lighting conditions and film lightness vs. darkness. Most 600 cameras have a slider that allows some exposure control over the film darkness. If you prefer to shoot in bright conditions, I recommend sliding it a little towards the darker side. If you tend to shoot in lower light conditions, I recommend keeping it in the middle position, or sliding it the tiniest bit toward the brighter end.
There is nothing like it.

Polaroids can be used to photograph anything and everything. Somehow, they make even the dullest moment seem memorable and exciting. I particularly love using it for fashion portraits and landscapes, but I also love the way some people use it to document parties or events, as it adds a value of nostalgia and automatically looks like it was taken 30 years ago. I’ve used dozens of cameras over the years, but there is nothing quite like taking a classic Polaroid. It’s also nice to have a physical photograph from your shoot to hang on the fridge or put it in a scrapbook. The magic of printed images slowly diminished after digital photography came around, so there’s something thrilling about having an immediate physical copy of your photograph in your hands.
They are sturdy and long-lasting.

I have yet to stumble across a Polaroid 600 that doesn’t work. I have, however, stumbled across Polaroid SX-70s that don’t work, so I think the 600 version just seems to last longer overall. The version that I use, the Polaroid One-Step, folds up into a square and easily fits inside a camera bag without risking damage to the camera. They are super lightweight and easy to carry around too. Plus, it’s just plain FUN to use the pop-up viewfinder and surprise your friends and family with this unique-looking, vintage camera.
They are affordable.

While, yes, they have gone up in value over the years, they are still relatively affordable compared to other vintage cameras. You can find different versions of the Polaroid 600 camera in the $30-200 range, but even up to $700 depending on the model and rareness of the camera. From Barbie to LEGO to USPS, there are so many different designs and colors to choose from. Once you start delving into the options, it’s nearly impossible to NOT want to start collecting them all.
You could become a better photographer!
I truly believe that using film cameras, especially Polaroid cameras, will force you to be more decisive with your images. Considering the fact that you are paying for every image that you take, your brain will automatically let you know if a moment is worth capturing. Oftentimes, I’ll point my Polaroid at a landscape or building, thinking it will make a good photograph, but once I look through the viewfinder, I ask myself, is it special enough? This means you’ll take less images overall and that the ones you do take, will mean something. Not to mention, you’ll become better at composing your images because you’ll immediately see the results and learn from your mistakes. If you accidentally cropped someone out of the shot, or took the photo a little too crooked or off to the side, you’ll see that up close and personal on your printed Polaroid.