The camera I purchased was the Pentax Espio 200. A 35mm film camera with a 48-200mm zoom lens. First and foremost, I did not pay nonsense retro reseller prices for it. Check Ebay. I paid £30 for it including shipping, and the seller was kind enough to offer a refund within 30 days if anything showed up as faulty.

You can find a decently priced camera at your local analogue store (if you have one nearby) or on Ebay. You do not have to pay hundreds from fancy resellers because it’s coming back into fashion.

My previous camera was a Fujifilm, and from my experience, I think both Pentax and Fujifilm are solid brands to look for.

About this camera — I have no regrets. It was a solid purchase and she has produced beautiful photos time and time again. One mistake I did make was that I didn’t properly read the zoom capacity and would have preferred a minimum of 35mm range rather than 48mm. That was my error though.

Sometimes the autofocus is off and will focus on the background rather than foreground, even when the subject is relatively large. I can’t say if that is an actual camera error or just a fault with mine in particular. Similar issues did happen with my old point and shoot though, so it may just be an irk of shooting in film.

In hindsight, I probably didn’t need quite an expansive zoom. I went for it because I loved shooting a 200mm zoom on my partners DSLR before he sold it. That made sense for shooting in Canada where the landscapes and wildlife were abundant. For the type of photos I’m taking now, I’ve found that it’s not been necessary. In future, I’d probably look at a 35-100mm range instead. 

I also can’t take fun selfies with it like I could my standard 35mm Fujifilm, which I am quite sad about. 

Overall, if you’re working with a wider field of vision, its a fantastic option. For more everyday & group photos, it can be quite jarring in small spaces so I would recommend taking a look at something else.