Konica
made several ultra compacts in different lines. The non-zoom optics are
all moderate wide angles of 35mm focal length. Only the Big Mini F
opens up to F2.8. As it is also the smallest of the Konicas, it's the
most expensive. The A4 is much cheaper, so it's a good alternative. And
then there is the Lexio 70. It goes from 28 to 70mm and it has
impressing data at the wide end: F3.4. So it's as good as the other
28mm premium ultra compacts which all open up to F3.5. It's tempting to
have a zoom in case of without carrying a bigger camera. When it was
first released in 2000, compacts were already moving towards digital.
The Konica Lexio 70 got some mixed to bad reviews which I cannot
confirm. I have put several
rolls through it. It's was not very expensive for its impressing
data on paper a few years ago, but prices are rising and sometimes
ridiculous. It seems as if more people discovered the quality of this
camera. There is a date version. Its main features are:
28-70mm F3.4-7.9 Konica lens, 6 elements in 6 groups, autofocus with focus lock, min. focus 0,7m, 0,35-0,7m in close focus mode Electronic shutter, 1.7-1/500 Size 108.5x59.5x34, Weight 180 gr. without battery 50-3200
ISO, automatic DX coding, self-timer, automatic film advance, exposure correction +1.5EV
Camera
front closed and bottom. Tripod socket. Takes a CR2 battery. Remote control.
Camera
back. On top: Viewer and eye correction wheel. Mode button, 2nd setting
button, mid roll rewind. Wide/Tele button. Film window and camera
opening button.
Camera front open. Sliding the cover switches the camera on/off. The lens only moves out a little to wide position.
Lens moved out to tele position.
View from above. Shutter
release. LCD
screen (flash off).
Camera sets auto flash
as default, but remembers the last custom setting. So one push on the
mode button brings your setting back (flash off in my case). Flash
guide number ~18 (!) (m/ISO 100).
This is a date version of the Lexio 70.
Date off setting of the date version and backlight setting, also good to compensate outdated film.
An origial soft case.
This is another version, according to the numbering, an earlier one. It's marked "70 W".
An earlier and a later model. Technically there is no difference. Back open. The film leader is safely engaged when you close the back.
Film compartment.
This
camera is easy to use, silde the cover open and it's ready.
Autofocus is responsive and works well. Putting a film is easy as well,
you drop the film, tear the film leader up to the mark and that's it. The
camera winds it automatically. It has some manual settings if needed,
the menu is very easy to access on a big clear LCD screen. Even the
annoying feature of auto
flash setting at start, which is the case with most ultra compacts, has
a better solution: the camera remembers
your last custom setting. So one push on the
mode button brings your setting back (flash off in my case). In
comparison to the other ultra compacts, the camera has an impressingly
powerful flash. The adjustable viewer seems better to me than most of
the others.
It's
a very good point and shoot camera
with a wide angle zoom lens, good picture quality, nice high quality
finish in a very small and light pocketable body. A nice find. I gave
mine away to a friend, but I quickly regretted it. It's not easy to
find it again at a reasonable price without faults. It took me 5
purchases to have a good one again. 2 of them re-spooled the film
erratically in the middle of the roll when sliding them open, 2 others
did not always move the lens out as they should. I suspect the sliding
door giving false contacts to the system.
Anyway, I have a good one again and I will not give it away again. For
me it's the best all-purpose compact camera, very compact, very light,
an eassy and wide choice of settings and even a zoom lens.
