C41
Kodak Portra 400
Kodak Portra 400 is a professional C-41 color negative film known for flexible exposure latitude, natural skin tones, and fine grain.
View profile →compact-35mm
The Pentax PC35AF-M is a compact 35mm autofocus point-and-shoot camera introduced in 1984, claimed to be the first autofocus compact camera in the Pentax lineup. It carries a fixed SMC Pentax 35mm f/2.8 lens - Pentax's coated optics being a genuine selling point against cheaper competitors - and a fully programmed electronic shutter. The camera is aimed at non-enthusiast consumers who wanted autofocus convenience without carrying an SLR. The "M" suffix distinguishes it from the earlier PC35AF and indicates a refined or updated model.
Reference
Recommended film stocks for the 35mm format your camera takes.
C41
Kodak Portra 400 is a professional C-41 color negative film known for flexible exposure latitude, natural skin tones, and fine grain.
View profile →C41
Kodak Gold 200 is a daylight-balanced C-41 color negative film with warm color, moderate grain, and a classic consumer-film look.
View profile →C41
Kodak UltraMax 400 is a versatile consumer-grade ISO 400 daylight-balanced color negative film with T-grain emulsion, delivering warm Kodak colors, fine-for-speed grain (PGI 46), and wide exposure latitude. Currently in production and available globally as a single-roll and multi-pack.
Develop 35mm film
Labs in our directory that process 35mm film.
Before you buy used
About this camera
Pentax's first autofocus compact: a program-only 35mm camera with SMC glass, introduced when AF compacts were still a novelty.
| Field | Value |
|---|
| Format | 35mm |
| Lens | SMC Pentax 35mm f/2.8 (fixed) |
| Year introduced | 1984 |
| Focus | Autofocus (active or passive) |
| Exposure | Program auto only |
| Flash | Built-in |
| Mount | Fixed (non-interchangeable) |
The early 1980s saw an explosion of autofocus compact cameras following Konica's C35 AF (1977) and Canon's Sure Shot (1979). Pentax entered the AF compact market with the PC35AF, and the PC35AF-M followed as a refined iteration in 1984. The significance of the "first Pentax AF compact" designation is primarily a marketing milestone rather than a technological breakthrough - by 1984, AF compacts were well-established. Pentax's contribution was applying their SMC (Super Multi Coating) lens technology to a consumer-grade body, offering optical quality above the baseline for the category.
The PC35AF-M sits in a transitional period for Pentax: the company was simultaneously producing sophisticated SLRs (the LX, ME Super, Super-A) while beginning to address the mass-market compact segment that would eventually cannibalize entry-level SLR sales.
The PC35AF-M is a minor historical marker in Pentax's product history - the entry of an SLR-centric brand into the consumer AF compact space. Its SMC 35/2.8 lens is optically competent; the 35mm focal length was the standard choice for compacts of this era (wide enough for environmental shots, not so wide as to distort). The camera itself is unremarkable mechanically, but it represents Pentax beginning to compete in the segment that would define the late-1980s and 1990s consumer camera market.
For film shooters today it is a footnote - there are better compacts from the same period with more character (Olympus XA2, Ricoh R1) and better AF compacts from Pentax's own later lineup (Espio series). Its value is modest and it is not widely sought after.
C41
Kodak ColorPlus 200 is an affordable, consumer-oriented daylight-balanced color negative film at ISO 200. Known for warm, slightly muted color rendition, fine grain, and wide exposure latitude, it is currently in production and widely available in Asia and select global markets.
View profile →BW
Kodak Tri-X 400 is a classic black-and-white film known for strong tonality, visible grain, and documentary character.
View profile →Pentax PC35AF-M
Image coming soon