This is one of the very first of the prolific series of Espios. It is a date model, a fact not referred to anywhere on the front of the camera. It is also one of the earliest examples of the infamous 'panorama' system. In this case the reduction in frame size was achieved simply by inserting a mask into the film plane. That meant that it could not be changed without  removing the film. The panorama feature is referenced only by a sticker on the top of the camera. This variant was probably intended for the Japanese or north American market; or both.

The panorama feature might have made some sense where it was used with a wide angle lens, to cut down excessive amounts of ground and sky, but it made less sense when used with an only moderately wide angle lenses like this one, or the later 38mm lenses. It also provided processors (like Kodak) with the opportunity to charge astronomical prices for the necessarily larger prints.  

The operator has a number of options available provided by four tiny buttons arranged around an equally small screen. The red eye reduction system can be turned on or off; it was still a novelty in 1992. The flash can be fully automatic, forced on or off in daylight (infill), on or off at slow speeds, and on or off using the bulb setting. 

The autofocus can be set to infinity for shooting through glass. The fourth button provides delayed release of one frame, release of two frames, release of one frame at the chosen focal length and one at 35 mm, continuous frames, two superimposed frames, frames at 3 minute intervals, or at 60 minute intervals. Several of these were simplified or omitted from later models.

The Espio AF Zoom is notable for its complex (and no doubt expensive) lens, and the fact that it was one of the last Espio zooms to start at 35 mm rather than the slighty narrower 38 mm. From that point, most of the consumer interest was on longer focal lengths, except for gems like the Espio 928 and the SW's