danielbeck's Full Review: Konica Minolta Z-up 110 VP 35mm Film Camera
Buying this camera is actually how I discovered epinions in the first place -- I knew generally what I wanted, but it'd been a long time since I'd bought a camera, so I was hunting around on the web to see if I could find comparisons between different brands. Stumbled across epinions, and the rest is history. :)
In shopping around, I knew I wanted a 35mm camera, not an APS: APS film is smaller, meaning your pictures won't be as clear; also, APS cameras (and film processing) also tend to be much more expensive. I also wanted a good zoom lens -- since nobody likes pictures where the interesting bit is that teensy-weensy thing in the middle of the frame... and, of course, something small, inexpensive, and not-too-valuable-looking (so it wouldn't get stolen in the middle of the trip.) (which it was, anyway, but that's another story.) Here's the shortlist I finally narrowed it down to (maybe this will help save you some time comparison shopping):
Pentax IQ Zoom (many varieties of this camera are available, and they look like very good cameras -- more expensive than the other options, though)
Olympus Stylus 140 (This would've been my first choice, but I wasn't able to find the model I wanted in time)
and, of course, the Konica Z-up. (I actually purchased the 120VP, which is virtually identical to the 110 -- it has a slightly longer zoom, a different case design, and the remote control is standard instead of optional, but everything else is the same. Definitely worth the $10 price difference.)
All in all it's a decent camera: the case is lightweight but seems sturdy; the controls are reasonably easy to figure out and conveniently-placed; and I had no trouble with film loading or rewinding.
The electronic zoom control is particularly nice -- instead of the usual two-button affair, there's a small lever on the top of the camera that fits comfortably under your thumb as you look through the lens. Zoom itself is a bit noisy, but works well enough. The shutter control is also well-placed, and is far enough from the power switch that you won't be accidentally turning it off while trying to take a picture.
There is no manual control of shutter speed or f-stop, of course, but the automated options do a reasonably good job of covering most shooting situations (including at least one option I've not seen on other cameras). Switching modes is simpler than on some others -- just keep pushing the same "mode" button until the one you want is highlit on the LCD panel.
The available modes are:
Auto-flash (camera decides whether there's enough light) Always flash (self-explanatory) Never flash (ditto) Red-eye reduction flash (same as auto, but with that little extra light beforehand to confuse the people you're photographing) "Night view portrait" (Flash combined with a long exposure to brighten up the background. Use a tripod with this one) "Exposure Compensation" (deliberately overexposes the picture by an f-stop or two. Similar to night view mode, but without the flash.) Long Distance (forces focus on distant objects, and turns off the flash -- this should really be called "Shooting through a window" mode, since that's basically what it's for. This is a good idea, and I wish more cameras included it -- the world already has too many photos focused on smudged window glass with reflected flash glare.) Self-timer (10 second delay before the photo is taken. Not necessary if you have the remote control -- which is standard on the 120VP, optional on the 110.)
All sounds pretty good, I know. So why was I half-relieved when my bag got snatched in Barcelona, allowing me to replace the camera with a different model?
The camera has two extremely annoying flaws, both of which would make me strongly recommend buying a different product.
First, autofocus is really touchy. As with many other cameras, you're supposed to be able to press the shutter halfway to lock the focus, then frame the shot, then press the shutter the rest of the way to take the picture. Most of the time, though, it would just take the picture instead of locking the focus -- the difference between halfway and all-the-way is so slight that I ended up taking lots of unintentional pictures while just trying to set the focus.
Second, and much more important: there's a very long delay between when you press the shutter and when the picture gets taken. Normally this is necessary when using red-eye mode -- the camera needs time to flash the little extra light before it takes the picture, so it stalls for a second or two before shooting. The Konica, however, includes this delay no matter what mode you're shooting in -- which makes it virtually impossible to take a picture of any moving object, or to wait for just the right moment to capture that fleeting smile... I can't count the number of times I pressed the shutter, put the camera down, then saw the flash go off as I took yet another photo of my feet.
I guess it would be an acceptable camera if you plan to only take pictures of stationary objects, or can train yourself (and your subjects) to hold still long enough for the picture to actually go off... personally I'm much happier with the camera I bought to replace this one, the Samsung Evoca 140S.
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