Viva Vivitar!
Written: Apr 04 '01
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Pros: Durable, compact, easy to use, cheap.
Cons: Certainly not the best camera out there.
The Bottom Line: A great little camera for most practical purposes.
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| ParisLemon's Full Review: Vivitar XM300 APS Film Camera |
I got this camera off of Ubid.com for about fifteen dollars! Can you beat that deal?! I think not. I went online one day to buy an Advanced Photo System camera, looked one up on the internet, and read a review that said Vivitar made pretty good, cheap cameras. So I went to Ubid.com and found the Vivitar XM300 available with bids starting at seven dollars. So I placed a bid and set the limit no higher then thirty dollars for a bid price because I believe this camera went for about forty dollars at stores. That night I got the email that I had won my bid, and got the camera for fifteen dollars. I was overjoyed.
I really just wanted a camera to goof around with. I had never really owned my own camera and was going through a period of my life where I was becoming obsessed with pictures. I decided Advanced Photo System was for me because it was so easy to use, and I was never good at the whole winding thing you have to do with regular cameras.
My camera came complete with the triple 'A' batteries needed to power it. I unwrapped it, put in the batteries, and loaded the Advanced Photo System film that I bought at the store prior to my cameras arrival. Note: Advanced Photo System film is a bit more expensive then regular film of the same rating, this is because you can choose from three sizes of pictures you want to take with this film, and you can also easily switch roles in the middle of using them because everything is automatic. The thing I really don't like about Advanced Photo System film is that it takes a few days longer to develop then regular film. At least this is the case at my local drug store. This is because they don't have the proper equipment there to develop it and must send it out to be developed, so those who love one-hour photo should not choose to use Advanced Photo System film.
This camera has some great features for such a cheap camera. It's features include: red eye reduction, three mid-roll switchable print formats: classic, HDTV, and panorama, drop-in film loading, and four mode auto electronic flash with auto flash, flash on, flash off, and night mode. I noticed that the camera's flash doesn't work that great at night from a distance even with the night mode turned on, but if you stand close to the object your are photographing, it works fine. The cameras' red-eye reduction feature works very well. Before a picture is actually taken, a red beam of light is emitted through the front of the camera near the viewfinder, and then the flash goes off, this reduces the annoying presence of red-eyes in photographs taken by this camera. The camera also features autofocus which is of course a must for anyone who really knows nothing about cameras. Another helpful feature of the camera is it's timer mode. Using this, you can be in the picture you are taking, and are given ten seconds to settle yourself before the picture is taken.
The viewfinder is good. It includes the outline of the type of picture you are taking, whether that is classic, HDTV, or panorama. This really is one of the most helpful features of the camera, because using this you can see what type of picture to use in a certain situation by seeing what will actually be in the shot. Switching between classic, HDTV, and panorama is very easy. A slide right above the viewfinder and behind the LCD screen lets you easily choose classic, HDTV, or panoramic picture type. The LCD screen allows you to see what mode the camera is in and how many pictures you have taken on the current role. It also tells you if your batteries are running low, or out, which is very helpful.
Size is not a problem with this camera. It is very small and compact, and can easily fit into a pant pocket. It's weight is also very little, and turns off by simply closing the lens by a switch below the lens. Overall this is a great camera that is very durable, easy to use, and cheap.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 15
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Epinions.com ID:
ParisLemon
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Member: Matthew Glenn Siegler
Location: La Jolla, CA
Reviews written: 172
Trusted by: 117 members
About Me:
Moves.Tech.Sports.
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