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Pentax Espio 738: manual and user guide

The Pentax autofocus compact with a 38-70 mm zoom. Its official PDF manual, then the essentials for using it.

Open the official manualManual for the IQZoom EZY, the Espio 738’s American name · Pentax PDF · 40 pages (in English)

Official Pentax PDF, which Pentax no longer publishes: the link opens the copy kept by the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine.

Getting started

Battery It takes one 3 V CR123A or DL-123A lithium battery. With the camera off, open the round cover under the body with the protruding part of the strap lug, insert the battery following the + and − signs, then close it until it clicks. Once it’s in properly, the zoom moves slightly and the motor runs for a few seconds.
Sensitivity Nothing to set: with DX-coded film from ISO 25 to 1600, it sets itself. The manual advises against film without DX coding, which it treats as ISO 25, and recommends ISO 400 colour negative film for most situations.
Loading With the camera off, push the back cover lever down and open it. Drop in the cartridge, pull the film leader to its mark near the take-up spool, with the film lying flat between the guides, and close: the film advances by itself and the display shows 1. If E blinks, the film is loaded wrongly: start again.
Your first photo Press the main switch: the lens extends to 38 mm and the display lights up. Frame with the zoom lever, put the autofocus frame in the centre of the viewfinder on the subject and press halfway: when the green viewfinder lamp stays lit, press all the way. If it blinks, the subject is too close or the flash is charging, and the shutter button stays locked.
Rewinding After the last frame, the lens retracts and the film rewinds by itself, leader included, in about 20 s for 24 exposures. Wait for 0 to blink before opening the back, in the shade. For a partly used roll, press the auxiliary rewind button with the protruding part of the strap lug.

What it can do

A 38-70 mm power zoom: lever to the right for telephoto, to the left for wide angle. The shutter won’t fire while the lens is moving.
Focus lock: put the centre frame on the subject, press halfway, reframe without letting go, then press all the way. It also helps with subjects that fool the autofocus (very dark object, wire mesh, neon light or screen, window glass, mirror, car bodywork, fast subject, jet of water, smoke, flame, fireworks, mist): aim at another object at the same distance.
Seven modes on the mode button (lightning-bolt symbol), one per press: auto, flash on, slow shutter without flash, slow sync, backlight compensation, Bulb, Bulb with flash.
Backlight compensation of +1.5 EV for a portrait in front of a window or a bright sky. In a dark place, the shutter speed can get slow: put it on a tripod.
A self-timer of about 10 s, on its own button on top: the lamp stays lit for about 7 s, then blinks for 3 s before the shot. Pressing the main switch stops it.

The flash

When you switch on, it’s in auto: it fires by itself in low light and the lightning-bolt symbol appears. With ISO 400 film, the shutter speed is then about 1/45 s.
Range with colour negative film: 0.6 to 3.5 m at 38 mm and 0.6 to 2 m at 70 mm with ISO 100. 0.6 to 7 m and 0.6 to 4 m with ISO 400. Charging takes about 5 s.
Flash on for a face in the shade or against the light. Slow shutter without flash, down to about 1/3 s, for a museum, a theatre or ambient light. Slow sync for a subject in front of a dark background. In these two modes, a tripod is recommended.
Bulb keeps the shutter open as long as you hold the shutter button: fireworks, night shots, on a tripod. Bulb with flash also lights up a portrait in front of the city at night.
To reduce red-eye, press the button marked with an eye: the self-timer lamp lights up about 1 s before the flash fires. Press again to cancel it.

Good to know

Focus from 0.6 m to infinity. Closer than 1 m, frame within the close-up marks in the viewfinder.
Left on and unused for 3 minutes, it retracts the lens and switches off. Switched back on within the hour, it gets its settings back.
The battery symbol on the display calls for a new battery. When it blinks, nothing works any more. Expect about 15 rolls of 24 exposures, with flash on half the shots.
Switch it off before putting it away in a bag: an accidental press on the shutter button drains the battery. In severe cold, the battery weakens, then recovers at normal temperature.
You may get one or two frames more than the stated number at the end of the roll: they may be lost during processing.

Care

It isn’t waterproof: keep it away from rain and splashes. If it gets wet, wipe it straight away with a soft, dry cloth.
Don’t force the lens, and don’t put the camera down lens first.
A blower and a brush for the lens and viewfinder, a dry or silicone cloth for the body. Never thinners, alcohol or benzine.
Store it somewhere airy, away from mothballs and from the heat and humidity of a car. It works from −10 to 50 °C.

Espio 738 specifications

Format: DX-coded 135 film, 24 × 36 mm frames, motorised loading, frame-by-frame advance and rewind
Lens: Pentax 38-70 mm power zoom, f/4.8-8.5, 5 elements in 5 groups, 59° to 34.5° angle of view
Shutter: electronic leaf shutter, programmed auto, about 1/320 to 1/3 s, bulb
Focusing: active infrared autofocus, from 0.6 m to infinity, focus lock at half-press, maximum magnification about 1/7.6×
Metering: programmed auto, with ISO 400 film, EV 10 to 17 at 38 mm and EV 11.5 to 18.5 at 70 mm, backlight compensation +1.5 EV
Viewfinder: Albada with bright-line frame, 83% coverage, 0.39× to 0.66× magnification, close-up marks, green lamp
Sensitivity: ISO 25 to 1600 via DX coding, in 1 EV steps, ISO 25 without coding
Flash: built-in, 0.6 to 7 m at 38 mm and 0.6 to 4 m at 70 mm with ISO 400, charges in about 5 s, auto, on, off, slow sync, bulb with flash, red-eye reduction
Power: one 3 V CR123A or DL-123A lithium battery: about 15 rolls of 24 exposures, with flash on half the shots
Dimensions and weight: 134 × 74 × 47.5 mm, 240 g without the battery (version without date back)