Clear/sharp pictures all the way through the zoom range. Zoom that you can control. Reasonably priced. Lots of features. Easy to use.

You need to use 800 or higher at night.

My wife has this model. I was so imressed with it, I told her I was going to get one. I got one for Christmas. This is a great point & shoot. Nice zoom range. You can control the zoom. It does not have preset stops. The pictures are very clear all the way through the entire zoom range. I've tried the slow shutter function. It works quite well, but a tripod is essential for that. Battery life is reasonable. The functions are easily accessed. Another poster advises that 400 is a must. I agree. 800 is great at night in this. I've recently tried Fuji superia 1600 in it at night, and got great results.

Customer Service

Not yet.

Similar Products Used:

Pentax 115G, Minolta freedom zoom 125

35mm lenses 38mm-135mm zoom Features Photo Quality Multi AF Remote Control Lasts for 14 rolls before battery change Low battery indicator

Looks okay. Cable attachment too long A bit too complex for newbies AF arn't shown in Viewfinder Don't use AA - which I am used to Too little packaging Not too good looking, maybe u can get it repainted?

I'm a newbie, so this will only apply to newbies.

Similar Products Used:

Minolta Riva Zoom 115

Sharp lens. Photos are always crisp and well-exposed. Light weight. Battery seems to last a long time.The zoom range 38-135 mm is just right for everyday photos. Good viewfinder.

Long delay for red-eye flash. Camera is a bit too "fat" to fit in most pockets.

Super little camera. Consistent. Makes photography fun and easy. If I lost it, I'd buy the same camera again! Price I gave is approximate and in Canadian dollars.

Customer Service

Grit got caught in the auto-lens-cover. Removed by person at camera store.

Similar Products Used:

Fuji APS that was junk!

The size and weight. It is a very small P&S camera with many features. The zoom range 38 - 135 mm is very useful. The lens is sharp through the entire zoom range. I use normally a Contax SLR camera with Zeiss lenses. If these lenses would get 5 stars, then my Tokina SLR zooms would get 4 stars and this Pentax-camera about 3.5 stars - it is a very good result for a P&S camera. The multicoating of the lens is very good, the flare is no problem. The mode settings are good distributed into four groups and each group can be set individually. The camera works softly, especially its shutter.

The maximum aperture at 135 mm is 12.5 - it is not very useful, the use of 400° ASA is absolutely necessary. The maximum aperture at 38 mm is 4.8, there are many P&S cameras with better aperture range (i.e. Konica Z-up 120 VP or 110 VP have an aperture range 3.6 - 10.6). The individual settings are lost after switching the camera off (automatically 3 minutes after the last use) and must be set again. The macro capabilities are poor - only 1:7.1. The long time exposures are not very useful without the optional remote control. The time delay between the preflash for the red eye reduction and the normal flash is too long - the people can guess the exposure has been already done.

The Pentax Espio135M is a good P&S camera for a general use under the assumption the light conditions are very good. It is a typical holiday camera for a nice summer weather. Its strengts is the sharp lens with an interesting zoom range, its size and weight. As a pocket camera it is a bit bulky. The light metering and autofocus work good, a spot metering is also possible in difficult light conditions. It would be very useful to have this lens quality with a better aperture range and with better macro capabilities.

Customer Service

Not used.

Similar Products Used:

Konica Z-up 110 VP, 120 VP