Home :: Cameras :: Film Cameras :: 35mm Compact Cameras :: Basic  

Basic

Long Zoom (Over 3x)
Short Zoom (Up to 3x)
Pentax IQ Zoom 130M Date 35mm Camera

Pentax IQ Zoom 130M Date 35mm Camera

List Price: $199.99
Your Price:
Product Info Reviews

<< 1 2 3 4 >>

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: High Quality - Simple to Use
Review: I bought this camera two weeks prior to flying to Alaska via the AL-Can Highway. Shot one roll of film to get the feel for it and was perfectly satisfied with the results. The camera is durable, easy to use, and I recommend it to anyone. The zoom is especially nice.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Didn't think it was possible...
Review: I didn't think it was possible to be attached to a camera, but I am. It's so easy to use, the red-eye reduction works perfectly, self-timer works even better. I had never even heard of Pentax before I looked at it and decided to buy it, but now, I just can't get over how great it is. It's the first camera I've bought on my own, my own money, own decision. Best camera, especially for the great price. Please, everyone, buy this camera. It deserves a lot more than just 5 stars.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Disappointed
Review: I had a very good picture taking Pentax 105 point-n-shoot bought sometime around 1992. It was large and black, but comfortable... and photos were very clear, very vibrant... everything was in focus. Pictures taken indoors in poorly lit conditions were adequately lit, with NO red eye. Even though the Pentax 105 had a red-eye reduction feature, I never needed it, because the camera simply took great pictures without it. Unfortunately, my old Pentax 105 recently quit working so off to the store to try some new models.

Figuring there must be new and better technology developments that have happened in photography the last 10 years, I was hopeful that it would be a matter of simply getting another Pentax point and shoot(in this case the Pentax IQ Zoom 130M Date) to achieve the same excellent, if not better, picture quality.

Boy was I disappointed. Yes, this camera has some very capable features. The pictures were clear and the colors vibrant. Pictures on max zoom were a bit grainy, but still in focus... I expected this. The user interface, buttons, and ergonomics are the best of the cameras I tried (Canon 115u, Olympus models, and Nikon). And the flash is better than many of the other point and shoot cameras out there because it more evenly disperses the light, somewhat reducing the bright-face/black-backgound effect common on other small point-n-shoot cameras. Unfortunately, the red eye on the photos produced with this camera is horrendous. I'm not just talking about a straight on shot. Even shots taken from an angle or to the side of the person produced the worst red eye I've ever seen in a camera. This problem comes from all camera makers' eternal quest to produce the smallest, most compact cameras on the market. In laymen's terms: the flash is located too darn close to the lens!!! This could be easily prevented if the camera had the lens located at least one inch further away from the lens. I compared my old Pentax to this new Pentax and the flash was roughly 1.5 inches further away from the lens on my older model than on this new model. Again I NEVER needed the red-eye reduction feature on my old model. Could I use the red-eye reduction on the new camera to prevent this problem? Sure, but here is how it works on the Pentax: a flash goes off, which dilates the pupils, than another flash goes off again and the picture is taken. Works great in theory. The problem with this scenario is that people think the first flash is the picture flash, so once it goes off people relax their smiles, people blink, etc. What you actually capture is people in their natural state after they think a picture has been taken. So get ready to have to inform people, "Now... there will be two flashes because I'm using red-eye reduction on you!" every freakin' time you take a picture of people.

I really wanted to like this camera but I returned it and will try others. Consequently, I tried the Nikon One Touch Zoom 90 QD because I noticed in the store the flash was located further away from the lense. When I compared the Nikon to my old Pentax... the distance between the lense and flash on the Nikon was approximately the same as on my old Pentax. So I took similar pictures with the Nikon (without red-eye reduction) that produced the devilish red eye in the Pentax IQ 130. When I got my pictures back from the Nikon One Touch 90, there was NO red-eye, thus proving my theory correct... by locating the flash further away from the lense, red-eye could be reduced! Unfortunately, I don't like the ergonomics and flash as well on the Nikon. Furthermore some shots which were well composed and should have turned out great came out blurred simply because my toddler moved a couple inches. I guess there are no perfect cameras. All in all, the Nikon One Touch 90 takes very clear pictures and you don't even need to utilize the red-eye reduction feature.

I guess there are no great point and shoot cameras anymore. Most cameras worked great a few years back. Now all these so called "new features" that they came out with the last 10 years have rendered point and shoot cameras about as good as the disposable kind.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Disappointed
Review: I had a very good picture taking Pentax 105 point-n-shoot bought sometime around 1992. It was large and black, but comfortable... and photos were very clear, very vibrant... everything was in focus. Pictures taken indoors in poorly lit conditions were adequately lit, with NO red eye. Even though the Pentax 105 had a red-eye reduction feature, I never needed it, because the camera simply took great pictures without it. Unfortunately, my old Pentax 105 recently quit working so off to the store to try some new models.

Figuring there must be new and better technology developments that have happened in photography the last 10 years, I was hopeful that it would be a matter of simply getting another Pentax point and shoot(in this case the Pentax IQ Zoom 130M Date) to achieve the same excellent, if not better, picture quality.

Boy was I disappointed. Yes, this camera has some very capable features. The pictures were clear and the colors vibrant. Pictures on max zoom were a bit grainy, but still in focus... I expected this. The user interface, buttons, and ergonomics are the best of the cameras I tried (Canon 115u, Olympus models, and Nikon). And the flash is better than many of the other point and shoot cameras out there because it more evenly disperses the light, somewhat reducing the bright-face/black-backgound effect common on other small point-n-shoot cameras. Unfortunately, the red eye on the photos produced with this camera is horrendous. I'm not just talking about a straight on shot. Even shots taken from an angle or to the side of the person produced the worst red eye I've ever seen in a camera. This problem comes from all camera makers' eternal quest to produce the smallest, most compact cameras on the market. In laymen's terms: the flash is located too darn close to the lens!!! This could be easily prevented if the camera had the lens located at least one inch further away from the lens. I compared my old Pentax to this new Pentax and the flash was roughly 1.5 inches further away from the lens on my older model than on this new model. Again I NEVER needed the red-eye reduction feature on my old model. Could I use the red-eye reduction on the new camera to prevent this problem? Sure, but here is how it works on the Pentax: a flash goes off, which dilates the pupils, than another flash goes off again and the picture is taken. Works great in theory. The problem with this scenario is that people think the first flash is the picture flash, so once it goes off people relax their smiles, people blink, etc. What you actually capture is people in their natural state after they think a picture has been taken. So get ready to have to inform people, "Now... there will be two flashes because I'm using red-eye reduction on you!" every freakin' time you take a picture of people.

I really wanted to like this camera but I returned it and will try others. Consequently, I tried the Nikon One Touch Zoom 90 QD because I noticed in the store the flash was located further away from the lense. When I compared the Nikon to my old Pentax... the distance between the lense and flash on the Nikon was approximately the same as on my old Pentax. So I took similar pictures with the Nikon (without red-eye reduction) that produced the devilish red eye in the Pentax IQ 130. When I got my pictures back from the Nikon One Touch 90, there was NO red-eye, thus proving my theory correct... by locating the flash further away from the lense, red-eye could be reduced! Unfortunately, I don't like the ergonomics and flash as well on the Nikon. Furthermore some shots which were well composed and should have turned out great came out blurred simply because my toddler moved a couple inches. I guess there are no perfect cameras. All in all, the Nikon One Touch 90 takes very clear pictures and you don't even need to utilize the red-eye reduction feature.

I guess there are no great point and shoot cameras anymore. Most cameras worked great a few years back. Now all these so called "new features" that they came out with the last 10 years have rendered point and shoot cameras about as good as the disposable kind.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Red Eye Problem
Review: I have owned 3 previous pentax cameras, all of which gave good performance and durability. I bought this compact camera because of its 5 spot focusing feature. The focusing features work very good and are improved over the previous models. However, there is a significant red eye problem with this camera when using the flash. As a former professional photographer, I believe this is due to the flash being located one inch closer to the camera lens than previous models. Usually, the farther the flash is off center from the lens, the less the chance of red eye reflection.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Nice little camera
Review: I just purchased this camera from here about a week ago and I must say that so far I am very pleased. I just developed my first two rolls of film and the pictures came out very nice. There are a lot of nice little features on this camera that I have yet to use but so far it is working just fine. I am going to be taking a trip to Costa Rica next month and I needed something that was inexpensive, easy to carry around and that took nice pictures. Well, I haven't been disappointed yet. One thing to keep in mind is that this camera is VERY LIGHTWEIGHT and VERY SMALL and is therefore very easy to drop which is something you don't want to do with such a delicate instrument. My advice is to use the strap and wear it tightly around your wrist whenever you carry it around. This past 4th of July I was walking around and it actually slipped out of my hand but fortunately I had the strap tied around my wrist which prevented it from dropping on the cement. If you are looking for a camera that is compact, easy to use, inexpensive and takes good pictures then I recommend this one.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Repair costs almost as much as new camera
Review: I purchased this camera about a year ago and loved everything about it. The pictures were beautiful. Unfortunately, after very limited use (6 or 7 rolls of film), the shutter for the lens started to not fully open leaving black areas on the photos. The manufacturers warranty has expired and the estimated cost of repair is...almost as much as a new camera. I don't know if this is a common failure or something that rarely happens but my experience with this camera has been very disappointing.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: great little point and shoot!
Review: I purchased this camera one year ago and, although I am not an expert, have been very satisfied. If I spend a little more for the processing, the pictures are crisp and clear and fabulous. I have had no problems with any pictures being out of focus, which I have experienced in the past with other brands. I thought the battery would not last long given that the LCD always displays the date and number of exposures, but so far I have not had to replace it.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: So far, so good!
Review: I purchased this camera to replace an older Pentax that had driven me nuts, and I'm happy I did. The customer reviews here are accurate--I just returned from a three week trip where I took lots of pictures, and found this camera is tough, easy to use, and the pictures are absolutely stunning (I've used 400 speed film for both day and night, action and still, and had great results.)

I haven't had any difficulty at all with film loading or rewinding. Programming the date and time, etc., was a snap. And the zoom is terrific--much more range than I've had in previous cameras. The size is easy to pack in a purse, too--it's much smaller than earlier Pentax cameras with similar features. Very easy to travel with.

Definitely recommended.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: praise
Review: I recently puchased a pentax iq zoom, the shipping was extreamly fast,even though it was the holidays, the camera is up to my expectations and i'm very pleased with the product and the whole transaction process.


<< 1 2 3 4 >>

© 2004, ReviewFocus or its affiliates