Pros: Rugged, all weather camera, water resistant to a depth of 33 ft.
Cons: Takes poor underwater pictures!!
The Bottom Line: Don't purchase this camera for underwater photography as you'll be disappointed. This is a good outdoor, water resistant camera which doesn't need to be pampered. But that's all!
whalewatcher's Full Review: Konica Minolta Vectis Weathermatic Dual 35mm Film ...
With our impending trip to Australia and The Great Barrier Reef, my one Christmas wish last year was a decent camera for underwater pictures. Having taken plenty of pictures with disposable underwater cameras in the past, I wasn't too keen to repeat the disappointing results. After all, snorkeling on the Great Barrier Reef would probably be a once in a lifetime opportunity and I wanted to be sure to capture as much as possible on film.
Well, Santa listened to my wish and brought a Minolta Vectis Weathermatic Zoom Camera, good for underwater photography to a depth of 33 ft, more than sufficient for us 'snorkelers'. I was impressed with some of the features such as the print formats for classic, wider and panorama which are available with Advanced Photo System cameras.
A simple move of a lever changes the format, easy enough for a click and shoot photographer like myself.
Before we left I tested the camera snapping a roll of 'overwater' pictures and was delighted with the outcome. First of all, the new IX240 type film features drop-in loading, much easier than anything else I had ever experienced before and it comes with indicators showing whether the film is unexposed, partially or fully exposed, or processed. Another plus is the Zoom feature, although it seemed more limited with this camera compared to others I've owned. I would have loved to have been able to test the quality of underwater pictures before we left, but ponds and streams were frozen and I didn't consider the bathtub a worthy nor conclusive place for experimenting!
The day came when we found ourselves submerged in the waters of the Great Barrier Reef, certainly an experience never to be forgotten and which fulfilled all of our expectations, plus some. Careful to follow the specific instructions in the camera's manual, I happily snapped over 50 pictures of the most gorgeous coral, a multitude of colorful fish, rays, turtles and even nurse sharks!
Well, I can't tell you the disappointment when I had them developed. They were not much better (if better at all) than the ones I used to take with those cheap disposables! The usual faded colors, fish and any other creatures barely visible and often distorted, a real case of deja vu! I was stunned! We even went through the trouble of having the films redeveloped (the camera store tried to blame it on the quality of photo processing!) but the results were the same.
Another problem was the battery which had to be replaced after using the flash mode for all of those pictures (as per instructions!), which came as a shock since the camera and battery were practically new. Obviously the flash didn't improve the quality of the pictures, it just used up the battery instead.
This camera is also bulkier and heavier than most which makes it awkward to carry, not an issue under water, of course, but it does take up more space than most which can be an issue for everyday use.
Do I like the Minolta Weathermatic?? Yes and no for obvious reasons. Take it to the beach, to the ski slopes, out in the boat or on hikes, but I certainly won't recommend it if you are looking for good underwater pictures. For those you'll have to buy more sophisticated equipment and pay more than the $300 Santa spent on this one. Or, just stick to the usual fish stories and forget about the camera!
Submersible down to 33 feet Above- and underwater auto focusing Rugged, all-weather styling Versatile 1.7x zoom lens Convenient Advanced Photo System ...More at Amazon Marketplace
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