Fuji QuickSnap Panorama Disposable 35mm

...bought this panoramic camera by fuji as a change from the norm. It was the first time I had seen a panoramic single use camera and it seemed quite a good idea. At the time I was on my way to Wales, so thought it would be nice to get some panoramic clips of the views from the berwyns and surrounding villages. It looked nice, the camera was green and sat inside a green box, but part of the box was see through so i knew what i was buying before hand. ...
...so easy to use. Fuji were also the first company to introduce these panoramic single use cameras and it was quite a clever idea. Despite this however it is expensive for what it is, in total your paying over £10 for 15 photographs, when there are many single use cameras out there with free processing for under a £5 and with 25 or more exposures. So they are the only things that would put me off this camera; the steep price tag (afterall it is only ... more

I bought my first single use camera a few years back while on holiday in Disneyland Paris. I left my camera at home (i always forget something!) so decided a nice cheap camera with flash would be fine; and i've been using single use cameras ever since then. To be honest they are easier to use than my SLR camera, the pictures are of a better quality and they are really convenient and small so you can take them anywhere.

I bought this panoramic camera by fuji as a change from the norm. It was the first time I had seen a panoramic single use camera and it seemed quite a good idea. At the time I was on my way to Wales, so thought it would be nice to get some panoramic clips of the views from the berwyns and surrounding villages. It looked nice, the camera was green and sat inside a green box, but part of the box was see through so i knew what i was buying before hand.

I was a bit reluctant at first to the price. It costed me £8.49, which is a lot for a single use camera; especially considering it only has 15 exposures! The average single use cameras have around 25 exposures so this was dissapointing however they are panoramic which makes each photograph account for two i should imagine. But, putting the price to the back of my mind I was willing to give it a try.

The features of the camera are also limited. It has no flash, which I appreciate however as the camera is made for outdoor use being a panoramic one. However it would have been nice to have been able to take some night time clips perhaps.

Anyway now onto the good things; the camera photographs themselves were good. After taking the camera to get it developed the pictures were of a very good quality; with nice colours and no shadows. The images were clear and sharp with fine grain. The photographs are of a panormaic size (4" x 10" format)

The camera is also very easy to use, as with most single use cameras, its a matter of click the button on the top then wind it on and its really that simple. processing was also easy, it uses a usual 35mm film, as with most SLR or single use cameras, which means you can nip it into any processing centre without problems or extra costs. Developing and processing however are not included in the price of the camera. Many single use cameras offer free processing however this is not the case for this camera. Thus its perhaps worth considering that on top of the £8.50 you've paid for the camera, you could have another £3 or £4 to pay for processing, the fact that panoramic films also costs slightly more to develop may hinder the cost.

So the camera offers many benefits; the photos really were stunning quality and its so easy to use. Fuji were also the first company to introduce these panoramic single use cameras and it was quite a clever idea. Despite this however it is expensive for what it is, in total your paying over £10 for 15 photographs, when there are many single use cameras out there with free processing for under a £5 and with 25 or more exposures. So they are the only things that would put me off this camera; the steep price tag (afterall it is only single use!) and the limited number of exposures. If I'd had double the number of exposures or it was half the price I'd be more than happy about my buy.

It's likely that the prices will come down however, I'm sure now many other companies (kodak etc) will have brought out their own versions so Fuji won't be in the position to charge highly; they'll have competition and prices should come down. I did notice that the ciao price for this is £7.49 so the price is already falling a little, it won't take long for you to be able to pick up one of these for a fiver.

Overall, I'll give the camera 3 stars because I think the price really lets it down; but i'll recommend it to potential buyers....providing you want to pay that much.

 

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