Minolta RIVA 115 ZOOM

Author's product rating:   

Picture Quality	Excellent
Range & Quality of Features	Average
Ease of Use	Easy
Overall Look & Design	Good
Value for Money	Good

Advantages:	Easy to use controls, Compact size, nice silver finish, Good picture quality
Disadvantages:	Small viewfinder

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

I had this camera for a few years just upgraded to digital camera. The camera has served me very well over the years and the best bit about it is the picture quality - it takes great pictures in daylight and even when the light is low eg at night as it has a feature that enables you to take pictures in the dark known as night portrait shot. To enable you to take accurate shots it has a camera shake warning by means of a green light flashing in viewfinder so you can decide whether using a tripod is suitable. Another useful feature is the battery check indicator that tells you how much power is left in battery on the small LCD screen on top of camera. Battery consumption is good for this camera as you can get through on average 3/4 rolls of 24 exposure films before the battery starts to power down. It uses Lithium Battery CR123A. The camera has a powerful flash with good range and exposure when used. Also has red eye reduction with self timer. The camera has a silent rewind button when film has reached the end - useful if your in a quiet place.

The zoom range is good from 38-115mm enough to bring distant objects close. The camera feels comfortable to hold and the controls that are needed the most like zooming in/out and shutter release button are close at hand. The only drawbacks i found with this camera is the small viewfinder. I personally found it very small for a 35mm zoom camera and i don't wear glasses!! You have to squint at times to take good photo. Also i wish the camera had date/time print facility that enables you to print the date/time on photo when picture was taken. But if you don't mind the small viewfinder i think this camera would be a good choice as it gives good pictures indoors and outdoors and has lots of features. Also the size is compact for a zoom camera.