Pretty Good, Not the Best.
Written: May 30 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Compact, Panoramic Setting, Auto Focus, Many Options
Cons: Useless Red-Eye function, Only Works Well with 400 Speed Film
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| savagefamily's Full Review: Kyocera EZS Zoom 105 Date 35mm Film Camera |
I've had this camera for about 10 months now, and I've been both overjoyed and disappointed with it's performance. But I'll start with the good stuff.
I went from a cheap-o point and shoot Walgreens camera to this, so anything was a big step up. But when I got this camera as a present, I thought it was great! It comes with a soft black case and a neck strap. (as it should.) and it had a 12 exposure roll of Kodak 400 film with it. It also had this weird guarantee that if ANY of your pictures turn out blurry, just send in the picture and the negative and they'll send you a free roll of film!
But when I read the fine print, it said that you must get 24 blurry pictures and their negatives dated within 6 months of the purchase date, and send them all in for a refund. I decided not to even try saving them up.
All the extras aside, the camera has a great zoom lens (up to 105x), it has a panoramic setting (which produces beautiful landscape pictures, many options for your photo such as red-eye reduction, landscape setting for shooting far away views,and a nightime setting with an extra-bright flash that really does make a person in complete darkness look like they're in a brightly lit room!
There's an option to turn the flash off, and it also has a sensor that knows not to use the flash in outside light. And an automatic timer that's easy to use. All the instructions are clearly written in about 15 languages too. So I had no problem following them once I found the english section!
My first roll of film was brilliant! Beautiful true colors, no blurrs, just perfection. And then I did my second roll of film and I was very disappointed.
I figured out the first roll was great for 2 reasons. One, I took all the pictures outside in daylight. And two, I used 400 speed film. I went back to using 200 speed film for my next roll, and the resolution is much grainer. There's also a problem with blurring if my son moves during a picture. (Which happens ALL the time!)
I also discovered that the red-eye feature is useless on any speed film. Every picture I've ever taken with it on, there's red eye in. It almost seems like a red-eye inducer button :) And it pauses when you push the button and the red light flashes and then you're picture is taken. I've lost a couple perfect shots because of that tiny half second delay! And they have red-eye anyway!
After reading the manual, I found that it says this camera is optimized for 400 speed film, so now that's all I buy, and I get great pictures most of the time.
It seems like every time I go to the camera though, the batteries are dead. Having a two year old, I use it at least once a week, but I have to replace the batteries about every other roll. I think this may because there is a date and time stamp feature, and the clock is always running inside the camera. That's all I can think of. It shouldn't take that much energy to take a roll of pictures!
The other times, it's usually my fault if a picture's bad. The camera has a feature where you push half way down on the shutter release button and there's 2 little lights next to your eye. The green one flashes if you're too close or too far from the subject and it can't get a clear lock on it. In this case, you can't take the picture. After you change position, or correct the problem, the green light stays lit, and you depress the button all the way to take the picture. Well, sometimes I try to trick it and focus it on something else and then try to get a picture. This results in a blurry picture. So stifle your urge to cheat. The camera knows!
Which brings me to one more point. The flash takes a very long time to recharge after each picture. The closer in you zoom on a subject, the longer it takes the flash to charge. On brand new batteries (2 AA's) I've waited as long as 10 seconds to be able to take the next picture! I don't know if this is normal for cameras like this, but I hope not.
All in all, though, I like it. When you use 400 film, go outdoors or be in a brightly lit indoor setting, and you don't trick it, it gives you great pictures! Just don't use the red-eye!
Recommended:
No
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Epinions.com ID:
savagefamily
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Location: San Francisco, Ca
Reviews written: 102
Trusted by: 4 members
About Me:
I'm a mom, and donor recruiter for a Blood Bank in San Francisco.
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