Konica Z-Up 70 VP
The Konica Z-Up 70 VP is a fully automatic 35mm compact point-and-shoot from the late 1990s. It has a plastic body, fits in a pocket, and was a popular, straightforward mid-range snapshot camera of that decade. Nobody remembers it for an innovation. It is remembered as a reliable, easy-to-use all-rounder with automatic exposure, autofocus, motorized film wind, and a built-in flash with a power management system meant to extend battery life. The zoom is run by a rotating switch at the back of the top plate, next to the right thumb, which moves the lens through its range.
The lens is a Konica 35-70mm zoom (5 elements in 5 groups), with a maximum aperture of f/5.2 at the wide end and f/9.8 at full telephoto. The shutter runs from 1.7 seconds down to 1/300. A "Date" variant, the Z-Up 70 VP Date, added a data back for imprinting dates on frames. One listing oddly mentions an "NP-FZ100 battery" and "BC-QZ1 charger." Those accessories don't match this camera's era, so treat them as seller confusion, not real specs.
Documentation on this model is thin. There are no production years beyond the general "late 1990s" claim, no original retail price, and no dimensions or weight. No period magazine reviews have been found either. What survives is used-market listings. One Spanish dealer offered a verified second-hand example at €124.99 with a six-month warranty, and another source lists one at €169. A copy in "Very Good" condition with minor body scratches has been described as showing small signs of use. Sellers consistently praise its user-friendly design and image quality, and a printed instruction manual is still available from camera-manual.com.
Known specs:
- Format: 35mm compact, fully automatic point-and-shoot
- Lens: Konica 35–70mm f/5.2–9.8 zoom (5 elements, 5 groups)
- Shutter: 1.7s – 1/300s
- Features: autofocus, automatic exposure, motor wind, built-in flash with battery-saving management
- Body: plastic, silver
- Variant: Z-Up 70 VP Date (date-back model)
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