Pentax's budget PC-series 35mm compact — 35mm f/4.5 three-element lens, auto wind, built-in flash, AA power.
The Pentax PC-100 was a 35mm compact from Pentax's PC series, the budget point-and-shoot line the company ran alongside its more advanced Espio zoom compacts from the late 1980s into the 2000s. Like its PC stablemates it kept operation simple, with a sliding cover protecting the lens when not in use and fully automatic film handling.
It carries a three-element 35mm f/4.5 lens with automatic exposure, motorised film advance and rewind, and a built-in flash quoted at a guide number of about 10 with a roughly six-second recycle time. It handles ISO 100, 200 and 400 films, and power comes from two AA batteries — easier to source today than the lithium cells many rivals used.
This is an everyday snapshot camera: light, unthreatening and entirely automatic, suited to beginners, students trying film for the first time, or anyone wanting a cheap carry-anywhere compact. The moderate wide 35mm lens is a comfortable general-purpose focal length, though the slow maximum aperture leans on the flash indoors.
The PC-100 will not fire without working batteries, so test power, flash charge and shutter before buying. Check the sliding lens cover engages the power switch cleanly, that film advance and rewind motors run smoothly, and open the AA compartment to look for corrosion — leaked cells are the most common fault on these inexpensive compacts.