The Konica Z-Up 90 (1990) is a 35mm autofocus zoom compact fitted with a Konica Hexanon 35-90mm zoom lens. It is the middle camera in Konica's Z-Up zoom-compact family, positioned above the Z-Up 70 (35-70mm) and below the Z-Up 110 (35-105mm). The camera uses programmed autoexposure with auto DX ISO coding (50-3200), active multi-zone autofocus, and a built-in zoom-following flash. Power is supplied by two CR123A lithium cells, a shift from the AA batteries of the earlier MR-640-era compacts that reflected the industry move toward smaller, higher-energy batteries in the early 1990s.
Reference
Find film for your Konica Z-Up 90
Recommended film stocks for the 35mm format your camera takes.
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**Zoom motor** - primary failure point for all Z-Up bodies; test the full 35mm to 90mm travel and listen for grinding, hesitation, or incomplete extension.
**Lens elements** - multicoated zoom elements are susceptible to haze and coating separation with age; inspect the front and rear elements and test wide and tele for contrast.
**AF accuracy** - multi-zone AF is more robust than single-zone, but verify with a test shot at a measured distance.
**Battery contacts** - 2x CR123A configuration; CR123A cells are widely available but contacts can corrode.
**DX coding contacts** - verify that DX coding reads correctly if shooting different ISO stocks.
**Flash capacitor** - test recycling time; slow recycling indicates a weakening capacitor.
**Light seals** - foam around the film door degrades; replace if crumbling or tacky.
**LCD display** - bleed and segment failure are common on early-1990s LCD panels.
About this camera
Konica's 35-90mm zoom AF compact - the mid-tier Z-Up model that balances reach and portability for the early 1990s consumer market.
Key Specs
Frequently asked questions
What film does the Konica Z-Up 90 use?
The Konica Z-Up 90 shoots 35mm film.
What battery does the Konica Z-Up 90 take?
The Konica Z-Up 90 uses a 2x CR123A battery.
What lens mount does the Konica Z-Up 90 have?
The Konica Z-Up 90 uses the fixed mount.
What shutter speeds does the Konica Z-Up 90 offer?
The Konica Z-Up 90's shutter speeds range from 4s to 1/400s.
What light meter does the Konica Z-Up 90 use?
The Konica Z-Up 90 meters with programmed-silicon.
Konica launched the Z-Up series at the start of the 1990s as its primary consumer zoom-compact family, superseding the MR-series zoom compacts of the mid-1980s. The Z-Up nomenclature referred to the zooming action, and each model number approximated the maximum focal length: Z-Up 70, Z-Up 90, Z-Up 110, Z-Up 115. This created a clear consumer hierarchy based on telephoto reach.
The Z-Up 90 was introduced in 1990, at the opening of the decade that would define the zoom compact category. It incorporated improvements over the MR-640 generation: multi-zone autofocus replaced the single-zone systems of the 1980s, DX coding extended the ISO range to 3200, and the CR123A lithium battery provided more consistent performance than AA alkaline cells.
The Z-Up 90 was produced until approximately 1995, when Konica updated the line with later variants. The broader Z-Up family was discontinued in the latter half of the 1990s as Konica consolidated its compact camera range in the lead-up to the Konica-Minolta merger (2003). The Z-Up 90 is noted in the z-up article on Camera-Wiki as a middle variant in the line.
Why It Matters
The Z-Up 90 represents the early-1990s maturation of the consumer zoom compact category. Its technical improvements over the MR-640 - multi-zone AF, DX coding to 3200, lithium batteries - reflect the steady progress of the segment between the mid-1980s and early 1990s. The Hexanon lens name carries genuine credibility from Konica's SLR and rangefinder history, though a zoom compact lens is a categorically different optical proposition from a prime Hexanon.
For film photographers today, the Z-Up 90 is a functional and inexpensive zoom compact. The 35-90mm range is genuinely useful: the 35mm wide end avoids the cramped quality of 38mm wide starters, and 90mm provides meaningful telephoto compression without the extreme slow aperture of the 105mm end. Against the Z-Up 110, the Z-Up 90 trades some telephoto reach for a fractionally more manageable maximum aperture.
The camera is not sought for optical character, collector interest, or mechanical quality. Its case rests on being a cheap, working 35-90mm zoom compact with a reputable lens name. It competes in the used market against broadly similar cameras from Fuji, Olympus, and Canon at similar price levels.
Sample Photographers / Notable Use
Consumer market camera; not associated with professional or editorial use.
Discussed in Japanese-language film camera communities as part of the Z-Up line retrospective.
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