Would be nice to have more control, It is 100% auto 100% of the time .
Recommend to potential buyers:
yes
Full review
When I say unsurpassed, I mean by digital cameras of the same or similar size.
The simple reason for this is because in a digital compact the sensor that records the image is tiny 7x5mm and in a film compact of the same size takes film which covers an area 36x24mm. Draw to rectangle side by side and you get the idea. So when it comes to making a print a 7x5" is a 25x enlargement while with film it is a 5x enlargement, a digital camera can make acceptable 6x4' prints and maybe even 7x5" prints but you put one of those next to a picture from this camera then you see the difference, at 9x6" a digital compact print looks nothing short of visually destructive, especially at higher film speeds (ISO 400+), and forget mega pixels, It doesn't make much difference. Also the size of film means that you can take pictures that knock the background out of focus, giving depth, this is the sort of detail that makes photos look like photos, and this camera also responds to harsh lighting much better than my digi, really hard to get blown out highlights and good shadow detail. You can't see the image you took on the back of the camera, so they best thing to do so you know your doing it right is to read the manual (RTFM).
Sensors in digital compacts may get bigger eventually, but don't hold your breath. So a digital camera is OK for pictures on the net, small prints in good light, and when a large quantity of pictures is needed (yes I do own a digital compact, and use it, It cost me over £200) but when the picture is bound to mean something to you its best to buy and use something like this. Think about it you will be glad you did in 25 years looking at the image on your wall or in an album what is seeing the image on the screen when you took it going to mean to you then.
The camera its self is easy to load, you can just chuck the film in. It has a lens that works well in low light, this is because it has no zoom, which is a good thing because a zoom lens stops most of the light getting to the lens, and it is nearly as sharp as the lenses on some pro cameras, it is so sharp its amazing, this camera is often the pocket camera of choice for pros and enthusiasts in photography. It's easy to use and the fill flash works great for portraits. This is a simple Point and Shoot and camera, with the added advantage of amazing image quality almost on a par the quality I get from a big pro camera that I own. Not bad for the £18 I paid for it.
Oh and on cost, just a few hints. I get Decent film on the net (Fuji Superia 400) for about £1-2 a roll try 7dayshop or MX2 or Jessops do Superia in packs of 5 for £10, I then get it developed at ASDA for about £4.50, much cheaper then Jessops or boots and better.
More details
Durability
Good
Reliability
Good
Size
Very Small
Weight
Very Light
Instruction Manual
Good
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