Pentax's early APS zoom compact — 24-48mm lens, mode-select wheel, 2-1/400s auto exposure, CR2 power.
The Pentax Efina was a compact APS (Advanced Photo System) zoom camera introduced in 1997, making it an early adopter of the format, and was assembled in the Philippines. It is a separate, earlier model from the slimmer Pentax Efina T, and its digicam-style mode-selection wheel on the top plate set it apart from most APS compacts of its day.
It pairs a Pentax 24-48mm zoom lens with autofocus and automatic exposure at shutter speeds from 2s to 1/400s, plus a built-in flash. The zoom lever steps the lens from wide to normal in ten increments (twenty coming back), and the two-part lens cover slides open like a lift door. Power comes from CR2 lithium batteries, and the camera offers the APS-standard selectable print formats.
As a user camera it is compact and pleasant, with the mode wheel giving quicker access to settings than the usual buried button menus of 1990s compacts. The 24-48mm APS zoom equates to a usefully wide-to-normal range, suiting travel and general snapshots more than telephoto work.
The critical caveat is film: APS was discontinued in 2011, so only expired stock remains, at rising prices and with unpredictable results — many Efinas now sell as display or collection pieces. If shooting is the goal, confirm the camera powers up on fresh CR2s, the flash charges, the mode wheel responds, and the film-door mechanism opens and locks correctly.