APS-Camera Reviews

I currently bought this Elph. I think it is a good starter camera becuase it is so small. It has good battery life and is easy to setup and use. However for big people it may prove to be a little to small. But, overall this is a great Elph.

If you are looking for a point and shoot camera that is fun and easy to use, look no further. The Canon Elph 490Z is the camera you have to buy! If you are the type that doesn't know much about taking pictures, but desires to have a camera that is simple yet gives outstanding pictures this camera is for you!

This is a very well designed and compact camera. The Elph's well designed size allows it to fit anywhere, (i.e. handbag, pocket, and glovebox) easily and effectively. Therefore, you want to carry it more, and take far too many pictures. As a result, of Cannon using APS technology greatly enhances the clearity of the pictures, along with the additional processing price as well. The "H" setting or HGTV angle Cannon uses though greatly distorts the edges of picture, one is taking. Lastly, another negative I have encountered is the length of life the Lithium (Expensive) battery has a short life.

In spite of some of Elph's shortcomings, I am planning on purchasing a 2nd Elph for my mother, since it is a very convinent and easy to use device.

I bought the Canon Elph 490Z to use on my trip to Europe. While abroad, this camera was incredible. The Canon Elph 490Z is very tiny and lightweight (about 11 oz.), so I didn't hesitate about carrying this camera everywhere I traveled. Also, the camera's aluminum body handled very well during the trip; there were no breakage or scratches. Furthermore, the features of this camera were great. The 4x zoom lens enabled me to capture distant objects, while the parallax compensation viewfinder allowed me to more accurately capture objects up close. I developed 15 rolls of film from this camera. The photos look crisp and colorful, and there was no red eye in the ones with family and friends. I definitely recommend the Canon Elph 490Z!

I've been using the Canon Elph 370z for almost 2 years, having taken and exposed around 300 pictures. Here are the strengths of this camera:
1. You no more yell out "I AM A TOURIST" by having your camera hanging from your neck or arm; keep it in your pocket.
2. Group pictures come out GREAT with the panoramic feature.
3. The picture quality is also great for a point-and-shoot camera, especially when a 400 film is used.
4. The battery will let you down only after you take at least 200 pictures.
5. The 3x zoom function is MORE than enough for the average amature photographer.
6. The digital display shows only what you really need to know.
7. The flash is not the strongest you'll ever see in a compact camera, but it does its job.
8. The "red-eye-reduction" function will substantially reduce the red eye phenomenonon, and may even elliminate it. If you keep the button half-pressed for a couple of seconds, you should have no red eyes in any of your pictures.

The camera DOES have some weak spots, too.
1. The "slider", which turns the camera on and off, also retracts the flash light. When you first attempt to turn this camera on, it comes natural that you try to move the slider with your thumb. By doing so, you place your index finger on the flash, thus preventing it from coming out. With one finger you try to open the camera, with the other you make sure you keep it shut! I could not turn on the camera the first time, I thought it was broken. Other people who used my camera also did the exact same thing. I just have to open the camera myself before giving it to somebody else.
2. The shutter actually operates quite some time after the button is pressed. I quickly became aware of this, so I just keep a steady hand until I hear the shutter closing. But some people think that the picture is taken at the moment the button is pressed. The relatively long time between the button "click" and the shutter "click" resulted in some blurry pictures.
3. The camera is really small, and the fingers of the operator can get in front any of the sensors or the flash, resulting in dark or unfocused pictures.

All of the above conditions happened only a couple of times and only when the camera was used by somebody other than me.

I suggest that you buy this camera if it will be mostly YOU that will operate it. You will soon learn how to by-pass these minor problems and make the best out of the camera. Once you learn how to avoid the little traps, you can take very good pictures. However, if you know that random people may operate this camera (say... in a party), be prepared for just a few "not-so-good" exposures.

I bought the Canon Elph 370Z in 2000. After 3 years of heavy use the camera had to go in for servicing last summer because an error message (H) had appeared in the LED. The cost for repairs was about 1/3 of the original price. Several months later the same thing reoccurred and Canon fixed it free of charge. This is the first camera that I've ever had repaired. All my previous cameras have also eventually broke down from use. But this is the only one that I liked enough to have fixed. Photo quality is excellent considering the size of the camera, plus the convenience of APS. The quality of the camera is very good, too.

If you want a point and shoot camera that you can carry in your bag or throw in a shirt pocket so that its always available, then this may be the best camera for you. While its not deep on features, it has the ones that are most important for convenience: a decent flash, 3x zoom (better for wide angle shots than telephoto closeups), and APS film.

Make no mistake, you do not get the flexibility (shutter speed, apeture, optional lenses, external flashes, white balance) that SLRs and more expensive camera can offer, but what you do get is not much bigger than a pack of cigarettes (that's not politically correct, is it?).

I looked at a pretty broad set of cameras, including the other ELPH cameras, before selecting this one because I liked the zoon range and the size of the camera. I was pleasantly impressed by surprisingly good picture quality, and my wife can testify to its extreme ease of use. This ELPH is all about size, convenience, and simplicity. If that's what you want then buy it.

I love this camera... I got it for a birthday present 2 yrs ago
Great product... Only thing my camera has a small problem with the shutter closing. Other than that great buy

i would recommend this camera to everyone..it's such a great camera and i've had it for 5 years atleast! dropped it a couple times but still worked good.

I've had my Elph APS camera for 3 or 4 years now, and I love it! It takes high quality pictures, the APS film is easy to load, and it has lasted me year after year. I would recommend this product to anyone looking for a simple, quality camera - I'm even looking into purchasing an Elph Digital camera, based on my experience with this Elph APS.

This little camera has taken a lot of great photos for me. The image quality is pretty decent considering its size. The main advantages of buying this camera are:

1. Its portability.
2. 3 different shot formats: regular, HD and panoramic (which in the right situation I find is a must).
3. Very easy to use!

There are a couple of features which I haven't found to be that great though.

1. The zoom is 2 1/2. Not altogether useless but not that powerful either.

2. If you take a lot of different pictures: panoramics, HDs and regular all on the same role prepare to pay a lot to get your film developed. 3 roles 2 25s and a 40 cost me around $ to get developed. So just be prepared.

Over all this is a quality camera and well worth the money for anyone looking for a point and shoot.

This puppy is a piece of art + machine all in one. The miniature size and high quality production materials make this product a thing to put on a pedestal. But what do you care if it doesn't perform? Well it does just great in all sorts of light conditions. I've taken it to Washington State where the sun don't shine too brightly with Fuji 200ASA - great panoramic shots with good color. After 6 months with this camera - I haven't used my 35mm Olympus. However, those of you who are really into detail will find the Advanced film quality slightly unacceptable.

The controls are just fabulous - the best is the zoom lever - immediate zoom speed without a lot of time lapse. The actual zoom ratio isn't that great but you have to give up something for its size. It's got all the standard red-eye, fill-in, timer functions, plus a bunch of nifty time-date-stamp buttons. The back display gives you all the info in logical layout.

The only thing you need to watch out for is the standard 2-step focus and shoot process. Because this gem is so small, it's easy to move the camera while trying to get a good shot. And if you're thinking about the Elph 1 versus Elph 2 - I've seen 2 of the Elph 1's in the camera shop with its flash stuck in the up mode.

I bought this camera 3 1/2 years ago to take with me when I moved to Germany. It's small enough to fit in your jeans pocket, but makes cleaner and better quality prints than I've seen in a point and shoot camera. It was very durable and lasted several years of use overseas, and I'm still enjoying its compact size and light weight here in the states. If you are in any way intimidated by the digital camera age, and would like a small, versatile APS camera, this is it!

I received this tripod as a birthday present. I set it up and used it to take one family photo. My daughter then walked by, slightly bumping one leg of the tripod. I was quite surprised to look at the tripod and find the leg badly bent. Tried to straighten the leg and it snapped right off. "Sturdy steel leg construction" the package says. HA! Straight into the garbage it went after being out of it's package less than 10 minutes. I'll get a different brand next time.

Just a bit confuse by this company product's description. Does NEW mean the package opened and have scratch on it? Although it is works, I totally lost my joy. Anyway, it maybe an "exceptional" case, but I won't buy from this company again.

I love this tripod. I own 2 other much larger tripods but this is the one I take everywhere. Setting up this tripod is very quick - just pull each leg and twist to lock. Taking it down is even faster - twist each leg to unlock and then pound the tripod against the ground to collapse all 3 legs at the same time.

However, make sure you can live with the following limitations before getting this tripod:
1. The extended height is either 10.5" or 40". Any other height in between is very difficult to setup and not as secure.
2. The maximum height of 40" is quite low. There will be times that you wished you brought along a regular tripod.
3. It has only a 2-way head. It can only pan and tilt forward/backward. It cannot rotate clockwise/counterclockwise.
4. The build quality and tolerance are not top notch. When you pan, the head rotates slightly clockwise then counterclockwise. Camcorder and digital photographer using panning or stitch panoramic mode will find this objectionable. For my particular tripod, I have to remember to setup the tripod leg with the Ambico logo to my right in order for my pictures to line up with the true horizon.
5. It looks flimsy (but to be expected for this type of tripod). The plastic head probably will not survive a direct drop to the concrete pavement.