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The Vivitar 742XL was first released 1976, a high end camera for Kodak 110 pocket film*(see below). There is very little information about this model.

* 110 film was introduced by Kodak in 1972. The film sits in a cartridge, like Kodak's earlier 126 film, but is much smaller. A frame is 13mm × 17mm, has one perforation per image to control film advance and 24 frames per cartridge (12 were also available). The film is protected by a backing paper like 120 film. The frame number is visible through a window at the back of the cartridge. The basic film is ordinary 16mm film which was already on the market, so it could be processed in existing machines. The small picture size made very small, pocketable cameras possible.

Kodak introduced with its 110 film a line of Kodak Pocket Instamatic cameras which were followed by cameras from other manufacturers. Most cameras were cheap point-and-shoot, but very sophisticated models were also made. Small digital cameras made 110 film obsolete. Bit by bit manufacturers stopped making 110 format film (Fujifilm in 2009), but in 2012 (and 2019) Lomography made a large batch of 110 film, followed by other firms.

The Vivitar 742XL has a ranfefinder and advanced features, a built-in flash, a very luminous lens and an automatic shutter/aperture settimng. Its main features are:

24mm F1.9 lens, 5 elements, F1.9-F16, min. focus 0.6m indicated, good for 0.4m
Electronic shutter, 5s - 1/800
Size 170x58x31,  Weight 272 gr. (339 gr. with film, batteries and strap)
100 and 400 ISO, automatic setting, rangefinder, parallax indication, built-in electronic flash

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Camera lens can be closed and shutter release will be blocked. Big shutter release and cable release socket next to it. Distance setting slider and slider for flash. If the flash is on, the distance scale is lit, very handy in the dark. The flash is good for more than 10m.

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Camera front open. Big and bright view/rangefinder with bright framelines, parallax marks only.

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Back view. The window will show the film type and the frame number, when a cartrigde is inserted.

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Seen from below. Tripod socket and film advance slider, one-stroke. 

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Camera film compartment open.

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Battery compartment, takes 2 simple AA batteries.

This camera is very easy to use, silde it open and it's ready. It has no manual settings, everything is perfectly automatic. You have only to focus and frame, which is easy via the bright finder and a real rangefinder. Half pressing the shutter lights a green confimation lamp in the viewfinder, if there is a red light, the camera will use slow shutter speeds. There is a built-in flash with a flash ready lamp in the finder, but the camera deals well with available light. After taking a picture, you have to advance the film via the slider on the bottom, one-stroke. Putting a film is easy as well, you drop the film into the compartment, advance to the first frame. On mine it doesn't stop at the first frame automatically, so watch the numbers. The first picture taken it stops as it should.

It's a very good luxury point and shoot camera with very good picture quality, nice finish and an extremely luminous lens. This camera feels solid. It's on the big and heavy side, though a bit lighter than the Canon 110ED. The bigger size includes a powerful flash, so if you add a flash to the others, it's relative. But an ultra small 135 film camera like the Olympus mju II is not bigger and weighs less. Picture quality was good under all circumstances.

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