Back when 35mm was invented, it was really just a compact format and you needed medium format to get decent quality. But film stocks kept improving and eventually 35mm got good enough that it became the de facto format even for professionals. If we never had digital, and if we instead kept spending money improving film stocks even more, then the 110 film could have gotten good enough to make cameras like this the camera to have for both professionals and amateurs. I see this camera as a look at a future that might have been but never was.
@@standandeliver8376 APS still exists in a way as a sensor size for DSLR cameras. It made some headway into the prosumer market, however it was pretty much rejected by the professionals. The cartridge was about the same size as a standard 35mm cartridge, but the negative itself was a bit smaller. The main advantages for APS were easier and better handling of the negatives (the negatives were stored in the original cartridge which made it easier to view them on a special machine and protected them so you could order additional prints) and the fact that you could change aspect ratios on the fly. However those advantages weren't that important to professionals. The pros wanted the slightly bigger negative of 35mm that came with about the same sized cartridge. If digital hadn't come along then 35mm would still have been king in the professional market. I guess it could have taken off in the amateur market. You never know. However I personally doubt it.
@@matthewbanta3240 110 film is pretty close to micro 4/3 give or take a millimeter so the spirit of small format cameras still exists. m4/3 is used for cinema even by working professionals so maybe with enough advancements there could have been a niche for 110 for more than hobby work
You've got a point there.. I remember my first digital camera.. only 2Mp.. now?.. 12.3Mp for my DSLR.. I have 2 of these Pentax Auto 110's ... and i love em.. i still enjoy "Chemical Photography" .. i even bought 2 rolls of Ilford FP4 today.. Come and think of it.. What if... 3D Printers are also getting better by the day.. if someone would just slice some Film into 110Format, and 3D print the cassettes?.. Or.. I have a Mill.. I might just as well mill out a Cassette.. and maybe make a "Film Splicer" to Cut some 120Film to size... and make the perforations as well.. I wonder.. would someone be interested in that?
This was my first camera. I absolutely fell in love with it and took it everyday with me wherever I went. I was about 12 years old, and later on, I found a cartridge that I shot when I first got the camera from my dad. I had shot the last couple slides but never developed it. Later on I did and it had photos of me and him on a fishing trip when I was about 4. Definitely a wonder memory
The dialogue in the intro hits home. I shoot film because I love the imperfections and limitations specific cameras, film stocks, and overall process has. well written man, as always!
My dad bought one of these when they first came out. I've still got it. When I last used it, at least 5 years ago, found the results disappointing. Recently I've been really enjoying pinhole cameras... seems I've grown out of 'its all about resolution' and started to embrace the art. And your images look lovely. I'm going to give it another go. I'll have to make a developing reel... shame I've not got loads of time on my hands... oh, hang on...
I have one of these! about a year ago my aunt popped over and she randomly gave me this tiny little camera. I thought it was pretty cool. she said she just found it laying around and never used it, its been sitting on my camera shelf unused, you're video def has inspired me to clean it up and throw some rolls into it. thanks for the motivation. never thought I'd shoot with it, just have it as a shelf piece, so thanks for that!
I just ordered one of these. I used to shoot 110 as a kid back in the 80s. It was so fool proof and a lot cheaper back then it was a great first time shooter camera. Some of the 110 cameras I had just had a plastic rectangle frame that you flipped up as the viewfinder. Just the frame no actual glass. Great video.
Am actually jealous at how beautifully you are able to capture the typical British scenes you see up and down the country!! Inspiring me to really explore my town now 🙌
The pictures actually look pretty darn good for such a small system. The bright viewfinder doesn't surprise me, as Pentax is famous for their Pentaprisms.
Great little camera, I remember reading amateur photographer when these came out and being impressed with them. I’ve just picked up it’s digital brother the Q. And it’s an absolute blast to use, way more fun than the size of the camera and the image quality if very good. You were spot on with the introduction. Chasing perfection is a losing game, you’ll never achieve it because there will always be a better camera, lens, sensor to move up to. It’s much better to embrace the limitations of the media you have and work with them. I’ve never understood the pixel peeping approach and all of this dynamic range, high iso stuff. I grew up shooting slide which really made you think and hone your skills. I like using older digital cameras or old film cameras like the Olympus Pen EE half frame (which I see you did a review on). Taking a poor picture on a super sharp lens with amazing bokeh, on a massive dynamic range 50mp camera still makes it a poor picture. Even more so. Great to see some locations that I recognise, you must be very close to where I live. Love your channel and philosophy on making images. Keep it up.
Another wonderful review. I read about the Pentax Auto 110 in Popular Photography magazine when I was a kid. In 1984 I was in the Army and purchased the Pentax Auto 110 Super kit and I still have it to this day. The kit I purchased came with the 18, 24 and 50mm lens, the auto winder and the AF130P flash. I do regret not getting the 70mm and 20-40mm zoom that was also available. The Auto 110 Super had a few improvements like a single stroke film advance, low light warning that came on a 1/45th sec instead of 1/30th sec and it has an exposure compensation button on the front that gives you +1.5 EV for backlit subjects. The Auto 110 Super also has a 10 second self timer and a shutter lock. All in all the Auto 110 camera was wonderful for what I used it for. Korea was an amazing place to be and with the Auto 110 I captured some great images. Unfortunately, most of my images from Korea were lost in a move. However, a few images did survive. It was Children's Day and I was in Dae Gu, Korea. Thousands of children were lined up on a street and I was told that they were waiting for the Pope. Not being Chatholic I still realized the historical significance of the moment. Fortunately I had my Auto 110 with the 50mm and auto winder ready to go. At one point I was stopped by a police officer because with the auto winder the camera looked like a small pistol. I disassembled the camera to show the police officer that it was just a camera and he let me be on my way. As the Pope's car passed by I snapped off about 5 frames at an agonizing 1.5 fps. The best shot was when I was about 15 ft away from the Pope as his car passed by. I was always hoping that Pentax would make a retro digital version of the Auto 110. Or, a 110 cartridge that had a digital sensor. Either way, the Pentax Auto 110 is fun to use.
I’ve shot the hell out of mine, liked it so much I got a second to run Peacock transparency film in. I develop my own film and the toughest thing by far once you either have the correct reel or you modify a 35 mm reel to work with the film width is getting the film out of the cassette. The key is to tease the backing paper up with some kind of a pointed pick tool and then use the backing paper to lead the film out. If you grab the film instead of the backing paper the backing paper tends to get bound up inside the cassette. I develop CN200 in C41, peacock in E6 because I like the way the transparencies look. Scanning is a matter of suspending the film in the opening of a medium format 6 x 9 enlarger holder. I find it holds the film tightly enough to keep it from curling and then I use my 90 mm macro and Sony A7Riv to “scan” it. I finish off the raw file in negative lab pro and as you noted, the colors in Tiger CN200 are actually perfect, giving a vintage snapshot look to every photo. Internet rumor is that Lomo CN films after 2013 or so are made by Kodak and are similar to Kodak Gold from the 1980s. The slide film is most likely coated by Agfa-Gevaert in Belgium. It is quite similar to other stocks suspected to be theirs such as Rollei Crossbird. With only a handful of factories able to coat color film, it is pretty simple to nail down suppliers. Finally, on Lomo 110? Cover that frame count window with black tape! The backing paper leaks light. If you notice unexplained spots on your frame, that’s the source.
Thanks for the bit of history and technique, Tim. And good advice about taping the window. I've heard a few people mention the same thing now. Also, I mentioned first discovering some images on IG-that was your images as well as Nick's!
Kyle McDougall Small world, or, you meet the coolest people at Flagstaff Camera! I actually acquired a cartridge of 126 film from the 1980s, loaded it in an InstaMatic 500 which is actually a sweet camera and develop the film right in my kitchen. Defying every bit of any reasonable expectation I got great images off of it. But I don’t Think we’re going to see anyone stepping up and making 126 film anytime soon, in spite of there being literally millions of cameras out there waiting to be taken out of kitchen junk drawers and used again.
jammin8317 if you are talking to me rather than Kyle, actually both of us can be found on Instagram. Same handle for me. dv_over_dt and Kyle posts under his name. You won’t have to scroll very far into my feed to find some examples of 110, searching Instagram is an exercise that will have you thinking up new combinations of four letter words, it just doesn’t work very well. Here is a recent post instagram.com/p/B_OCeOSHw7D/?igshid=15t98m6spxrri This was developed at home and scanned using my 61 MP Sony A7Riv and a 90mm macro lens.
What stunning images! I love your compositions, and even despite the limtations of the camera, there’s just an unspeakable level of quality within your stuff! I especially like your framing!
What a great video! The 110 format has always been so fascinating to me but I never really could justify the cost to experiment with it. Actually quite surpised at the images you got out of it though! A lot of character for sure!
Really depends on how cheap 110 film is where you live. It's not going to be dirt cheap like it used to be, but if you can shoot a roll per month then the cost isn't all that great. Lomo have a 3 pack of their Tiger film which isn't all that dear. Even shooting a roll per week isn't that great an expense. When you consider the cost of digital, then the cards to store your pics on, then the cost of your computer and a NAS if you can afford one, it's dearer than you realise. Have a good sd card crash on you (one around 128-512GB) and it's not a nice thing to have happen and rather expensive!!! I can buy a number bricks of film for the cost of one of the big cards :D
I just picked up an excellent condition example on eBay. Not the whole kit, but the camera, lenses, power winder and flash. Looking forward to putting a couple cartridges through it.
Just 'won' one of these on an internet auction site and was looking for some interesting video inspiration. So funny to see this video shot in my neighbourhood! It's a small world! Enjoyed your video and can't wait to get my hands on the 110. Thank you!
Been considering the 110 for sometime to continue my Pentax 67, 645, LX set. This put me over the holdout threshold and found a full briefcase kit. Now for film and start shooting. Thanks for your well thought out and produced videos!
I found this camera in my Dad's camera stash but haven't made the leap to use it yet, but I definitely will now! Thanks for the great feature on the Pentax!
I shot on one of these back in the day still got it and the flash. You could hand hold night shots pretty much, Although I took a tiny tripod with me. I went from that to a Pentax K 1000 I think it was called. Then a Minolta x700. Olympus OMD EM1 these days. My parents took the camera on holiday and people would laugh and think it was a toy, they literally didn't believe it was real. And that was the thing back then technology was not that small on the whole. Some people would dodge out of the way thinking it would shoot water.
Great fun and thank you. Hope you’re enjoying your time here, just a shame it’s under the current circumstances although its the same everywhere! Stay safe and thank you for sharing this 👍
I just found an Olympus Accura 35mm point and shoot in my mothers storage. It looks brand new and after putting a battery in and shooting the first roll of TMAX 400 thank you of the review on this film. I am so surprise with the sharp lens and very accurate meter. But what really hit me was how fun such small camera can be to shoot. Maybe it is about the size and how you use it after all.
I love it too. It’s also quite small for a medium format system at an affordable price back when I bought it. I changed the focusing glass and it helps a lot. Loving the images from this camera.
I owned one of these. I bought the kit with all the lenses and accessories. I loved the powerwinder. I also owned a Minolta 110 SLR zoom, which was great but the aperture made the viewfinder a little dark.
An old work mate dropped by today to give me a Cannon QL 17 & QL19 rangefinders and then he opens this case with the Pentax 110, lenses, a flash and winder along with other assorted goodies. Do you want it he inquires. Hell yes I want it. So it was a treat to find this video and that Lomography still makes film. Dont know how Im gonna get it processed but Im jazzed about using this little camera anyhow. Looks like fun 🤩
Great video, Kyle! This is what it looks like where I live and I’ve struggled to find decent compositions because of the familiarity of the area. This has definitely inspired me to look a little harder and see what I can come up with.
Pretty cool camera. When I was in high school, around 1980, I remember reading about this camera in Popular Photography. A few years later, I picked up the Auto 110 Super kit. It came with the 3 lens, an auto winder, and a flash. The Super had an exposure compensation button. I still have the kit.
i came to this vid because i'm just discovering my new 110--somehow this video also managed to inspire and touch my heart and the same time haha for real tho, i love your editing!
The auto 110 super was my first camera and I treasure the pictures I took of my school mates and old girl friends back in the late 70's. I recently bought an auto 110 super kit new old stock for £200 and just finished my first roll of film. Nostalgia I know, but a bit of fun to I hope.
@LyudmilaRGVK Hi Evelyn, I bought a card of various button cells from a local poundstore. The batteries are LR44/L1154, other names with different chemical composition are, AG13, 157, LR154.
Great camera. I think the Minolta 110 SLR Zoom (mark 2) beats it, though, because it offers aperture priority and macro capabilities. However, the Pentax was certainly top of the bill. Thanks for sharing!
Almost sixty years ago I went to Washington, DC with my family for a vacation. While there I bought this impossibly small camera, maybe an inch to an inch and a half long, made in Japan when that meant junk. It was a toy. But it worked! It shot tiny rolls of black and white film (16mm?) that had to be returned to the manufacturer for developing and printing. It was my first camera and started my passion for photography. (Darn those Japanese!) Yesterday I got a Kodak Retina Instamatic with three Schneider DKL lenses (the 35 mm Curtagon f2.8, the 50 mm Xenon f1.9 and the 135 mm Tele-Xenar f4) and some flashcubes in a "field case" with paperwork. The camera is a throw-away. It takes 126 cartridges, which you can still get from Lomo, but the viewfinder is fogged and the batteries needed for operation have been banned for being extremely toxic. But the Schneider lenses! I'm just waiting for some adapters to arrive from China so I can use them on my Sony a-mount (the a850) and e-mount (the a7II) cameras. At the price paid ($160), it may well have been my best eBay purchase.
Thanks, Kyle, for this review! The auto110 is an adorable little camera. I can't quite convince myself to buy one but dang it would look cute sitting next to it's 35mm siblings.
i just found your chanel and you know i just can't stop watching your videos i mean my wife's divorcing me cause watching too much youtube and not paying attention to her , bwt tanks for your beautiful videos ♥️♥️♥️
Happy to finally see a video about 110 that uses a real camera for the film instead of a cheap toy camera or instamatic. It seems like every video from a film photography youtuber about 110 just bashes the format and acts like the image quality they get out of cheap toy cameras is the best the film can do. I love 110, been shooting it since high school (2012-2013ish) and I think it produces really unique images, you just have to use a decent camera for it. My Minolta 110 Zoom SLR is my go to camera, and I got it in mint condition, packaging not even opened for $47.
My first camera growing up as a kid was a Kodak Instamatic 110. I don’t remember getting many great images from it but then again I was much younger. My main issue with it now is the dev/scanning costs are so much higher than larger formats of film. But I can see how this limited format can provide some interesting limitations to drive creativity. Enjoyed the video, peace.
@@AlexRamosDrTaz I have one auto110 but only with the 28mm lens, I have bought an adapter for my Sony a5100 MILC, and suiprisigly it can cover the whole APS-C sensor, with a very slight darkening and softening in the corners (gives a little "retro" look for the pictures). It has very good overall sharpness, there is no problem to draw out the 24MP sensor.
Glad to see you made the transition over to the UK! I realized you weren't far from Toronto when you were living in Ontario. Jealous of where you live now, I love the UK. The scenes are beautiful, and I was presently surprised at teh quality of the images. Love your production quality and content!
Nice review and images. I have the 18, 24 and 50 for my Pentax Q. But if I do venture into film shooting and processing, I'll probably start by buying an Auto 110 body to go with the three native lenses I already have. You did a great job of bigging the system up.
Hi Kyle , I remember this camera being released but until seeing it in your hands I never realised how small it Was , those lenses are minuscule , great video , thank you 👍.
This video is excellent and wonderfully edited while making me even more antsy for mine to arrive. Your photos were awesome and I aspire to have an eye like yours. Subscribed
Wow these look great. A lot sharper than some of the images I've seen online. I've shot a couple of rolls last year but I didn't get them developed yet because I'd have to ship them out to the darkroom, but this makes me excited to start shooting with it again
Personally I miss Kodak disc camera. It was flat, it sat in your pocket no problem , it was immediate and very portable for anywhere, easily loaded, and the images came back with a numbered small contact sheet so you could re-order a print. The film was on a wheel . The quality of the images were not great since the negative was so small, but, they were almost good enough. One must consider the tiny negatives Vs. say Kodak 120 and a Brownie Camera, by contrast those negatives were many times larger and the quality was much better too. That is the thing, in the 1980's print quality began to deteriorate from all the labs, it was far lower than what was available in the 1970's when they used to compete on print quality. Maybe it was that drive-up photo-mat that caused the decline in print quality. But in any event far more care was taken in printing before the 80's in my opinion. It got so bad I shot slides exclusively because they were less likely to screw up the colors and oddly enough I could keep the highlights that I had intended, which they would routinely blow out in a print. Exact opposite of what should happen, but they managed many a white sky in a print that had the sky quite available in the negative, so I went to slides, to get what I wanted. Loved those disc cameras though, way way less bulky than any 110.
I know this does not have removable lenses. But I was looking for a Minolta 110 and ran across this style. Minolta 110 Zoom SLR. Can't wait to try it out.
I bought a Pentax Auto 110 back in the early 80's as an upgrade from my Kodak Instamatic. I just used as a scouting camera. The Pentax Q is the obvious replacement for it.
Super vid. Informative and interesting. I have long been a Pentax fan but the Auto 110 just adds a glow. Stay well during the COVID madness. Thumbs up.
The last video from your collection I watched was the review of the Pentax 6x7. So let me say: Your style is a bit old fashioned but in a good way. I like your clips a lot. Pls go on reviewing! - Of course there is a Pentax fanbase who would love to see more Pentax material - LX eg.
I remember this camera well, and own 2 of them.I think you overstate it when you say that it was "THE" 110 to own. It was a niche item, as it wasn't cheap to own, and Kodal (among other companies) made much lower-priced 110 cameras, like the Instamatic. The Instamatic was really THE 110 camera. I love the Pentax, but it was a niche, and a bit of a novelty because, at the end of the day, you were still using 110 film, which has its limits.
I have a couple Auto 110s, and all the lenses they made for the system. I'm a weirdly dedicated 110 shooter. You can also get 110 film from the Film Photography Project - I suspect that Lomography's film is just re-branded from whatever that is.
Another great video!! Your shots always come out amazing!! I hope to get a 110 for myself!! I found a bunch on eBay.. but that’s always a gamble lol.. hope you have an amazing day!!
I really like the photos you show in this! I wasn't happy with the softness of mine (Compared to the very sharp Rollei A110). You have a great eye! Thanks!
