I purchased this camera believing it to be excellent value considering features vs. price, but it has malfunctioned twice now so I'm replacing it.(trying an Olympus this time)

Flash quit after 3yrs. Pentax replaced Flash PC board and Zoom 1st gear, cleaned & adjusted for a reasonable cost ($73.00), but camera failed again after only 3 mos. This time it is completely inoperative, displaying error codes H1 & H2.
If you have use for this camera as a "parts" camera, e-mail me and I'll mail it to you for the cost of postage.

I have my fingers crossed that our new Olympus (Stylus Epic Zoom 80) will be more reliable than the Pentax. We'll know after 3 years !

Customer Service

Pentax's Vancouver Customer Service was very good but camera reliability wasn't.

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Great zoom range - too many p&s cameras emphasize the long end of the zoom range, where a small aperture combined with the long focal length make it all but useless without flash (usually lousy on a p&s anyway) or exceedingly fast film. There really aren't that many p&s models available with a 28mm wide end. The Minolta Freedom zoom w/28-70 is reputedly excellent, but the 90mm long end sometimes comes in very handy. There are a number of overrides which, although I shoot primarily with SLRs in manual mode, I don't use - they're there if you want them, though. There are also useful modes, such as landscape, and easy to use flash modes ... it's a very easy to use camera (as told to me by non-photographer family members).

None. Camera is slightly bulky, but I'll trade that for an easy-to-hold camera with big-enough-to see and use buttons.

For me, this camera was really the obvious choice, primarily for the zoom range. Considered the Rollei Prego model, but excellent reviews led me to the Pentax, and I haven't regretted it.

Customer Service

n/a

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Earlier Minolta fixed lens
Olympus Stylus

Good wide & zoom range.
Sharp pictures in good light.
Easy to use.

After three years, it broke down.

A very good camera while it lasted, but I'm not sure if three years of use is enough to justify the $300 dollar price tag for this. I have a Minolta SLR that's going on 30 years old and not once has it ever broken down.

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Useful zoom range. Well designed. Many features, including trademark Pentax bulb mode, and excellent range of exposure compensation (3 EV levels!) Good zooming flash (needed for the slow lens, heh, heh!)

F3.5-9 is _not_ a useful or acceptable fstop range, especially in this limited zoom span. Canon gets a better fstop range out of their 135mm P&S zoom. Maybe Pentax could hire Canon to design their lenses? If you plan to do much available light photography at 70-90 mm, buy an SLR. Pentax has history of questionable build quality. Camera is bulky and not very portable. Costs too much and they make you pay extra for that godawful date feature-model does not seem to be available without this ugly and useless capability.

Of the above, Canon's 38-135 zoom is too overpowered for utility, and lacks true wide angle capability. The range of 28-90mm is far more useful. The Olympus 80 Wide is the most portable, but also the priciest and has the least features. The Pentax has many gee-whiz features, is moderately priced, and (sadly) has the best fstop range of the 28-90 mm zooms available. However, it is bulky and has the specter of Pentax's reputation for hit and miss quality control haunting it. I say buy the Rollei if portability is no concern, as it is cheaper than the other 28-90 zooms and has many features and a sharp lens. If you need pocketability at all costs, get the Olympus. (but do you _really_ need a P&S zoom at all?)

Customer Service

no problems--I consider myself fortunate in this after hearing horror tales from other Pentax owners. Ask a 1 yr Efina owner how their camera is holding up...

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Olympus Zoom 80 Wide, Rollei Prego Zoom90, Canon Z135.

Versatile, 28mm - 90mm zoom lens is great for both landscapes and portraits. Camera takes consistently excellent photographs in automatic mode. It is lightweight and compact, great for travel.

None - I live this camera!

If you are looking for a small, versatile point and shoot 35mm, this is the camera! It takes consistently great photographs! The capability to zoom from 28mm to 90mm gives you great versatility - you can take landscapes or portraits - no need to carry a lot of equipment, or change lenses. I always take it with me on vacation - the results rival (and sometimes exceed) what I get from my Canon AE-1 - and this Pentax is certainly a lot smaller, lighter, and more convenient!

Customer Service

Never had to call them!

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Pentax 115.

Wide angle (28 mm)
Zooms to 90 mm
Exposure compensation
Reasonably fast lens for a P&S

Crappy internal electronics (see rant below)
Big for a P&S

I have the original version of the 928 (I see Pentax now has a smaller version with a slower lens) bought four or five years ago when it was the only P&S with a 28 mm wide angle lens. Last year the autofocus part of the circuit board crapped out on me, but I didn't realize it until I got back from vacation and developed five rolls of out-of-focus photos. I cannot recommend this camera to anyone based on its poor reliability.

Customer Service

Didn't even try, as the warranty had expired

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Fuji DL Mini Zoom

Wide angle

None

I had the same problem as Simon Smith. I bought the camera in 95 and within 4 month, the flash did not work. Back to mfg for repair and within the next few months the flash works intermitternly and had to be send back for repair. The camera now has H2...H0 problem and will not shut off. Had to remove and re-insert the battery to shut. I have not inquire about the repair cost, but with the price of P&S camera nowadays, I would think it's cheaper to by another. I think I got a lemon. My friends and I have other brands of camera which did not have any issue evethough the repair history in Consumer Report did not rank that good compared to Pentex. Overall, it's being good while it lasts.

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minolta, yashica,

Most useful focal length range
Reasonably wide aperture lens
Very good lens resolution
Many usefull features and good controls
Well built on the outside
Well built on outside

Will teach you everything that can break down in a camera.
A bit large by today's standards

This camera has travelled with me for 3 years to most continents and been through at least 150 slide films which were 98% correctly exposed and focussed. I have beautiful 40 by 60 cm. posters on my wall made by it. Why take my EOS 100 with various lenses. I did a survey on my traval pictures. 20% at 28 mm, 40% between 35 and 50, 30% between 50 and 90 mm. Only about 5% each would have called for shorter than 28 mm or longer than 90 mm. (O.K. I know you shoot differently with an SLR and 5 lenses). You need 28 mm, believe me! The nice big buttons are easy to use. One quirk, however: Infinity is never really sharp unless you press the infinity button. So what?- no problem and it also turns off the automatic flash that wants to compensate backlight in the mountain range accross the valley. Once a year something breaks down and it must go to the camera hospital. But I am happy to pay half of what a new one would cost to keep this wonderful machine. Only problem is that I keep looking at it anxiously on trips hoping it won't give up the ghost again before I'm home. That does get on your nerves. Because of it and the size, I became unfaithful 3 weeeks ago and bought the new Canon Shure Shot Z90W. After 2 films it was back at Canon - the wideangle pics were terrible - like through a pinhole! Comment from the Canon tech service guy: We will have a look at it, but you cannot expect more from a ($220!!) point and shoot- Oh -oh! I have the feeling that I will be nursing my 928 for some time to come. Only 4 stars because of the lousy reliabilty.

Customer Service

Keeps on plodding away. I suspect they have much to do.

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Long line of p&s: Olympus Pen S, Petri 35, Rollei 35, most Minox 35's, Olympus XA, Ricoh 500TF, Konica Big Mini, Canon Z90W.
Paralel several SLR as main camera

Excellent opticals with scope to override the automatic settings.

In one word, UNRELIABLE. Like the previous reports, the flash fails and I have spent more on repairs than the camera cost me

I love the output but it can only be a standby camera when on holidays. I simply cannot trust it with four repairs (flash and advance failures)

Customer Service

Excellent

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Many compact and reflex cameras.

Excellent lens,good feel in my hands

Must use frame lines in viewfinder as with most P/S Zooms

I have seen many reviews about poor reliability with this camera, but I have no problems at all. I bought this camera for my wife, but I use it more than she does. Excellent pics, even a few 5x7s. Pentax has updated version of this camera that may have fewer problems, although I have had none.

Customer Service

N/A

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