The smallest ever SLR

The K10D isn't my first foray into Pentax-land, many moons ago I had (and still have actually) a Pentax Auto 110 kit - the smallest SLR ever made. As nobody has posted any A110 photos I thought I'd put a couple up so that those who've never seen one can marvel at its sheer diminutive-ness. Now if someone could figure out a way of getting a digital sensor into one of these...

First off the whole kit fits nicely into a case that's just a little smaller than the average handbag:




Inside there's no room wasted:




What comes out comprises the body, a flash (with separate case), 3 lenses (24/2.8, 50/2.8 and 18/2.8 ), lens caps, body cap, tripod adaptor, collapsible hoods and assorted UV & close-up filters in 25.5, 30.5 and 37.5mm sizes. I also found room for the manual and a lens brush (not shown):




For those that haven't seen one of these "in the flesh", here's a comparison picture. On the left is my Pentax DA12-24/f4 with its hood and cap, on the right is the 110's 24/f2.8 with its hood and cap:




I have to confess that this camera hasn't seen a film in years (and probably never will again) but I'm going to keep hold of it just in case Pentax ever make a 110 Digital - then I can be ahead of the curve when the prices on eBay for old lenses goes through the roof...

There was a discussion about the Auto 110 earlier in the year.

Try following this link :-

www.pentaxuser.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3572

I had seen the 110 mentioned on here but I thought that as we've got this snazzy new "Equipment" sub-forum I'd stick up some pics so people could see just how small it was!

Whilst I'm sure most on here will remember it well, there are some on this forum who probably weren't even born when the 110 was on sale. I've even seen questions (on another forum admittedly) about whether the lenses would fit a DSLR - I think the 4th picture above should firmly put that question to bed...

They took great little photographs.

Mine was mostly used with slide film.

It now languishes in the back of my camera drawer.

I agree - 110 film cartridges were never going to be a match for 35mm, but the Pentax somehow seemed to make better pictures than could be reasonably expected. Whilst I doubt I'll ever use the camera again in anger, I wouldn't even think of parting company with it - it's a proper little design gem.

ooo you have the proper carry case, nice

my system has to make do with a lens pouch, but since it doesn't come out very often it doesn't really matter. I have the body, 18, 24 and 50mm lenses and the big flash. I used to carry it as a party camera at one point because it starts conversations nicely with anyone who has the slightest interest in cameras, alas the film and processing are now so hard to find and expensive that mine hasn't been used in many months

It is supposed to be possible to reload the carts with cut down 35mm stock, but I've never tried it.

Minox and Lieca should tremble in fear at the prospect of a 6-8 mp Digital slr from pentax that takes those lenses (and even a few new ones)...
I can't imagine finding a full frame sensor would be difficult...

Hell even a digital camera sensor set into a 110 film cartridge that you could pop into the 110 body....(have it activate when you advance the winder, and wait for the exposure). pull it out and plug a usb cable for downloads...

see I thought about that, even got as far as considering dismantling an old Pentax EI-100 which I have lying around, but I don't think there's space behind the film plane without extending the back of the camera.

There's a test reported on www.pentax110.co.uk which has the System 10 24mm outperforming a Zeiss T* 50mm.

The 4/3 sensor is roughly the right size, slightly the wrong aspect perhaps, but it has the right crop factor.

Nothing too remarkable about that as the smaller format demands higher resolution from its lenses.

That the Pentax 43mm out-performs the Zeiss lens is more interesting....

I too have a 110 and it is a great little system.

Thoughts on turning this into a digital camera are not so far-fetched. About 12 years ago I discovered a website advertising for beta testers for a new product that they had in development. It was digital film cartridge designed to fit inside a 35 mm SLR, primarily they appeared to be developling for Canon and Nikon and the price was projected to be about £800. Naturally I regestered for the beta programme but did not hear anything and can find no evidence that the product went into production. Sadly I deleted the link when it stopped working and can't remember the company, having lost my emails from that 'era'.

However, this proves that the idea of a digital 110 film cartridge is fully feasable if not commertially viable. However, if someone knows someone who knows someone....

Well, I have 4 spare 0.3mp novelty keychain digicams left over from a large consignment I was selling in the run up to last xmas - what I don't have is the technical confidence to try ripping them apart and making a Franken-110.

If anyone on here fancies a go then drop me a PM and I'll send you a camera to play with/strip for parts. Postage costs only, I'm just interested to see if anyone can make it work...

An interesting project, however, it might be hard to make work as there would need to be some way to activate the device using the 110's winder mechanisum and then there is its battery - what size battery does it take? If it is internal and only chargeable by the USB cable, there might be some issue. Then it needs to fit into a 110 film case to be an ideal solution - i.e. can remove it for download into a PC and to replace or recharge the battery and also provide the correct lens to film plane focus distance.

Does it have a status display LCD?

They use a single AAA battery and have a two-button operation; the first is the shutter and the second scrolls between modes. There's a 2 digit LCD display to either indicate which mode you've chosen or (more usually) how many shots have been taken. The memory is built in and the only other connection is one of those mini-USB sockets for uploading the pics to a computer (cable & software supplied).

The entire thing is barely bigger than the AAA battery used to power it so I reckon someone with a little ingenuity could rig it up into a 110 cartridge. It's that word ingenuity that rather rules out the possibility of it being me though...

An AAA battery won't fit into a 110 cartridge so a smaller 1.5v lithium battery would be needed. I asume that there is a power button too?

I am quite interested in taking a look, are there screws on the unit or does it appear sealed?

Just FYI - I occasionally use my 110 and this seems to be the easiest place (for me, anyway) to get current dated 110 film...

http://www.frugalphotographer.com/cat110.htm they run about a buck less than WalMart...

Developing is the problem - can be pricey... so I'd be happy to beta test any digital solutions anyone might care to fabricate...