Tag Archives: APS

Pentax Efina T (aps)

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This is the second APS I have tried recently. This one is small, well built, solid. It feels like a quality piece of equipment in your hand. There is also a lot about it online, including all these technical details. The brushed metal finish of this 1999 camera makes you feel like, yeah…this is gonna work. And then you remember the film issue.

Anyway, here is this great looking camera.

And look at that tiny, tiny flash! I thought…That is never going to work and most of the reviews agreed with that thought. Oh well, I still like it.

I loaded it with Agfa Futura II and left it in my bag for ages…and ages, whipping it out when I remembered, testing the flash on Christmas day. It was just so small, it was easy to lose it at the bottom of a big bag. Then, when I finally remembered it again, I took it to Bradford.

Oh, if it only had ISO over-ride it would be super. Oh, if only there was fresh film it would be even super-er. But no. Great to hold, fun to use, not great for important photos.

Buy this camera – Pentax Efina T

Please check the photos and read the text, that way you know exactly what you are buying. The amount includes postage to the UK. If you live outside the UK please contact me for postage details. Included: One aps film

£15.00

Canon EOS IX7 (aps)

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I have a heap of APS film and it is all out of date. What I need is a camera that allows me to select the ISO. Hello IX7. It was released in 1998 and it was a bugger to find anything about it on the net that had any useable details. I did find some technical details in Polish.

Using it reminded me of the Canon EOS 300 I have just tried. In fact, I even used the same lens on both cameras. The mode dial for both cameras is exactly the same. The only thing missing on this one was the multiple exposure function, shame as that would have been interesting.

I found using the camera easy, very intuitive. It did have a plastic feel to it, but it had a very pleasing look. I loaded it with Kodak Advantix 100 and set it to 25.

Here are some of the shots from that experience. I won’t subject you to the full roll as they are truly awful. APS film is really hit and miss, and this one was a big fat miss.

Sometimes I try to salvage films with a colour cast by changing it to black and white. With this film, it didn’t do much to improve anything, but it is interesting to see the results.

The next film I tried was a Centurian 200 which expired in 2005. I shot it at 80.

Wow, that came out much better. I did like using the camera, it responded well to everything I asked of it. The weight was comfortable, again comparable to the EOS 300. With fresh film, it would be outstanding. With the ever depleting film stock and my lack of funds, I probably will not be buying any APS film in the future, the prices are shooting up. The remainder I do have will more than likely be used with this camera due to the ISO function. The price of processing is quite reasonable though. I used Picture Lizard to develop these and it was just as cheap as 35mm colour, they did a good job too.

Chinon AP 600S (aps)

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I can’t tell you anything about this camera apart from what you can garner from the actual casing and that it is produced in 1996.

It is a very, very basic aps camera. It has a cheap plastic feel. There is a focus aid light on the front, the regular print size selector on the top, a fill-in flash button, and a lens cover. It is powered by a CR2 battery which is most inconvenient and expensive for a cheap camera. I found no information about the aperture, but I think I can assume it is fixed. The label on the front says it has autofocus.

Really, I found nothing about this camera on the net apart from a few people trying to sell it.

I was so unimpressed by this camera just by looking at it that I put in a 15 exposure film and used it very quickly around my house and at a nearby castle ruin.

As with all APS film, the one I used was an expired one. The flash failed to fire sometimes, especially when faced with a backlit subject, the fill-in flash didn’t seem to have too much effect. The photos that did come out are fairly sharp, but the flash is quite ineffective. This camera would be fine outside on a bright day, but not really good for any other situation.

I really disliked this camera, it would be good for a single use camera if you have one aps film left. The one good thing about it is that you can throw it around without any care that it might get damaged.

SOLD

Minolta Vectis S-100 (APS)

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I left my other Vectis S APS camera in Japan, but I had weirdly ordered lots of APS film in the UK. So now I have a plethora of film and no SLR type camera to use it with. Hello Vectis S-100, but really that is an excuse as I do have other APS cameras and I was just given even more. APS cameras…they breed you know.

Look at the size of that lens 25-150mm and it was cheap as many APS cameras are. When it arrived there was a film already inside, score.

It was produced around 1996 and apparently was a simpler version than the S-1. You can find all the technical details you might need here. Really, it is a point and shoot with a few modes. It is one of the smallest APS SLRs there is, but with this zoom lens it was hardly pocketable.

There really isn’t much more I can say than that. Pop in a film, point, shoot, done. I finished off the roll that was inside.

Here are the found shots.

Well, whoever owned this camera liked their motorbike.

Here are my photos take on the rest of the film. The first shot is me working out if the camera worked, then I realized there was a film inside. I took the rest of the photos around my garden and the local parkland.

For a film left inside, it was surprisingly good in terms of colour and noise. The camera focused quite well, it felt comfortable to hold and looks good, to me anyway.

Actually, maybe I should say more. Some of the cameras I try don’t leave an impression on me or maybe I am not in the mood to write much. Today it is a bit of both. The weather has been very drizzly recently, a bit depressing really. I have also just started working again, supply teaching. Some of the schools you see and the children you meet make you wonder about the state of the world. Then you see other children, other schools and it makes you wonder in a completely different, more inspiring way. Being a teacher is definitely a rollercoaster ride.

Anyway…the photos I took with this camera were of my local nature park and I think I miss it. I know I can go in the rain, but it is not the same as a blue sky day. Also, it is turning colder so not only are you wet but cold as well. There is also the issue of…there is never the wrong weather, only the wrong clothes. True. But being all wrapped up doesn’t make taking photos easy. Maybe I am just a warm weather photographer. It is supposed to rain tomorrow too. That’s it, I am going out rain or shine!

Buy this camera – Minolta Vectis S-100

Please check the photos and read the text, that way you know exactly what you are buying. The amount includes postage to the UK. If you live outside the UK please contact me for postage details. Included: One APS film

£25.00

Canon Ixy 210, Ixus M-1, ELPH LT – APS

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I think this is the smallest camera I have ever tried. Smaller than the Olympus APS and almost as small as the HIT. It may be small but it definitely has a long list of names.

I found it for $1 in a junk bin and immediately found there was a film cartridge stuck inside. Nothing I did would persuade it to rewind, even though the door opened. In the end, I levered it out and ripped the actual film. I slightly damaged the film door area with this method. Once the cartridge was out I used tweezers to remove the film that was still remaining inside. After that, I didn’t think the camera would work at all, but it did. It accepted another roll of film and all seemed to be ok.

It was released in 1998 and was considered a cheap camera. You can find all the technical information you might need here.

The lens has a focal length of 23mm, that seems wide..really wide. But if you check the comment section of this post it is probably about 40mm in 35mm terms 🙂

It is a basic point and shoot with no zoom or fancy features at all. Here is my test roll.

I took it for a walk around Harajuku with a friend. As you can see the photos don’t pop and seemed underexposed. It could have been due to the expired film, but I think it is the camera. The flash is very weak. It was easy to use and fits in a pocket easily. And that is it, a meh camera. Meh

Keep or Sell: Given back to the second-hand shop.

Olympus Centurion – APS

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This funky looking APS bridge camera was released in 1996. You can find loads of technical details here.

I think it is the biggest APS camera I have tried, but it is still light and small compared to many other cameras. The design reminds me of the Olympus L-1 Quartzdate. It has a very similar look, but it is much, much smaller. I think I called the L-1 ugly, this one is not ugly, but it is not as attractive to me as the other aps cameras I have tried recently. This great reviewer seemed impressed by it. I put in a cassette of expired Voigtlander XG 200 and got to shooting.

I took the camera to various locations from Harajuku to Kashima on a walk for another blog, mostly while my family was visiting. I am not sure why I made the decision to use mainly APS cameras while they were visiting. It was a bit risky given that all the film is out of date. In the end, all but one film came out, including this one.

I must say, I am always impressed by this film, given it is out of date. I might buy more. I was also impressed by the camera. I found it delightful to use, easy and sharp with a super flash. I think I prefer it to the Minolta S-1 which is heavier and has a smaller zoom. Thought I feel the Minolta is sharper.

Keep or sell: I think I will sell the Minolta and keep this one…unless I run out of camera space and then I will get rid of both….sold

 

Olympus izoom 2000

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Two APS posts in one day! Wow, must have got a new toy..yeap a lightbox thingy.

The second camera of the day has the title, “Ultra Compact Zoom” on the top of it. Is it? 25-50mm doesn’t seem that impressive, but it is one of the smallest cameras I have tried. It quite easily fits into the pocket of my trousers without too much bulk. In fact, it is barely bigger than the film cassette…just look…

 

It was released in February 2000 and you can find all the details you want from the Olympus website. It originally came with a remote, but of course, the remote for this one is nowhere to be found.

There really isn’t much more than that on the net, it is a simple point and shoot aps camera with a small, 2x zoom. The few reviews I found complained about the camera failing after a short period of time and the grainy photos. So at least this one was still working and working well, focusing was smooth and quick.

I used mine around Tokyo and Kyoto while my family was visiting. Here are my test shots.

 

At the end of their visit, they asked me to show them something they could not see in England…hence the penis shrine 🙂 They were both surprised by that and I filled the brief to perfection 🙂

Anyway back to the camera. I thought it was fine. The shots of the red pagoda are especially impressive in terms of colour and sharpness. Anything slightly dark and the camera struggled. The flash really isn’t that powerful. The snow shots on Mount Fuji are perfectly exposed. Not a bad little camera. Not the best aps, but it does the job.

Keep or sell: As with the last post, I have plenty of similar cameras, so sell….sold

 

 

Minolta Vectis GX-1 aps

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I had seen this camera on various forums and thought it looked really cool. It looked like an aps genba and I love a good genba.

Look, I got one of those mini lightbox thingies. Not bad for $10, better than my couch and a flash anyway. Back to the camera…The viewfinder is massive and bright for such a small camera. Though they are now superfluous, it has very clear markings for all the different formats.

The camera looks rugged and waterproof, but in actuality, it is just splash proof. The clip on the back was for a self-contained tripod. Of course, on this example, it is missing. You can see a photo of it here and you can read more technical details here. There is surprisingly little about this camera on the net, apart from eBay listings. I can tell you it is from the late 1990s.

This really is a basic point and shoot, no zoom, keep in your bag, use in the rain, don’t worry about it camera. If you are into aps, I think there are better cameras about such as the Minolta s series. But if this is the only one you have then it works fine.

Here is my test roll on expired film, taken around Tokyo and Ibaraki.

On a bright, sunny day the camera coped very well. Surprisingly for a splashproof, rugged camera, it didn’t work quite so well on a cloudy day. The flash was also quite weak with a short range. It still looks cool though.

Keep or sell: I have plenty of point and shoots, plenty of APS cameras…..sold.