Customer Reviews

Canon Elph Z3 Zoom APS Camera Kit

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

On my last vacation I got so tired of carrying around a large camera that I did not take many photos... However, when the old one played out I seized the opportunity to see what I could find in a smaller version... I fell in love with this little guy right away... However, when I got home, I started reading reviews of older APS cameras and became concerned. So I immediately shot one roll of film.. inside, outside, close, far away and took it to an hour developing center (more and more places are developing it now)... Along with that roll I took two 35mm rolls.. When I received the prints I compared them side by side and saw no difference in the quality of the prints... Also, it was only approximately 2.00 more per roll to develop than the 35mm.

What I love about this camera besides the convenience of the size is that you can take 3 different sizes of pictures with a flip of a switch and the date imprint on the picture.

The only drawbacks that I found was the lack of zoom (but I knew there would be a trade off for the small size) and the fact that I took one early evening photo which did not turn out very well... However, I discovered there is a 1000 speed film for the APS which hopefully will take care of that problem.

Bottom line: a great little everyday camera that is lightweight, easy and fun to use....

I bought the Z3 about a week before we took a cruise to the Carribean, love the way it looked and handled,shot both Fuji and Kodak 400 speed film, have also shot this speed with and Elph 2 I have, the Z3 is a complete runaway, had the photos developed on shipboard, they did an excellent if not very expensive job, the results were just sensatiional, If I held it up to a 35mm print, you could not tell the difference, gorgeous color, great exposures, tack sharp lens and auto exposure system, this is a real winner except for one weak point, when you shut the camera off, the lens retracts inward, you can easily bang the door into the retracting lens, which I did on 3 occassions, twice knocking the door off the track, I fixed it myself by popping it back on, no damage, I think Canon could use a fix here, other than that, I,ll still give it a 5 rating, its a winner.

This compact camera is easy to carry around, and I just drop into my purse so that I can snap pictures anywhere. I love photography, but one of my bad habits is succumbing to the creative need of insatiable picture taking -- and then not developing the rolls of film.

I have another APS camera with 10x zoom, but it is not lightweight, and partially used rolls of films hide inside. What I love about the APS-format is the ability to take a roll of film out of one camera and insert it into another, even if some pictures are already on the film. So, I can check whether film is used or not, quite easily with the automatic film loading and advance features

APS-format also lets me set the coverage of the camera in three frame types. One is focused on center object without much background. Next is for group shots that elongate the lens area slightly more. The panoramic view is a large rectangular coverage. The self-timer function means that I also get to be in the picture. It seems that I was in very few family photos because I was always the one behind the camera; now I am a participant.

One of the pictures I took in this format is of my niece at her wedding as she danced with and kissed her new husband. It is a striking photograph because it is focused on them, and you see the floor, decorations, lighting, and can feel the dance and their movements to get a true impression of this moment.

Generally, I forget when I took a picture unless it is coded on the photo, especially since I may let the film sit in a camera too long. This excellent feature and stays on time and date.

Because I love this little Elph I give it 5 stars, and wish you great success with your photography as well.

Victoria Tarrani

In the camera store that I work at, we rarely sell APS cameras now that their novelty has worn off and this is why:

The frame size for APS film is LESS THAN HALF the size you get with 35mm film. This means that if you blow your pictures up, you will see much more of the grains. Also, there is a noticable difference even between using a 100 speed film (which you should give you the sharpest pictures) and the 200 speed film. The film quality is just bad and the selection is very limited.

APS film is more expensive, and it also cost more to get developed. It is even more if you shoot panoramics. As far as the film goes, if you purchase the value packs you can get 6 rolls of 35mm film for the price you would pay for 3 rolls of the same speed of APS film in many stores.

Instead of this camera, I suggest the Pentax IQzoom 130M. It has more than twice the zoom for LESS money! It also features an easy to use panorama mode if you like having that option. A 35mm camera is not hard to load, and the superior quality is well worth the 3 extra seconds it will take you to load film. You'll get more camera for your money and you'll be so much happier with your pictures.

Space was at a premium on this trip and I wanted Panorama easily available. Also sunscreen would be heavily used (can damage camera frames) so metal case was ideal. Camera performed wonderfully and was so small it was easy to carry around and protect from water in Aquapac case. I didn't realize what a problem sand would be - again the Aquapac protected from both sand and water from rapids. The photos are great. I am enjoying using this camera to take photos of my triplet granddaughters also. It tucks into my purse or pocket with an extra roll of film. I have SLR APS which is about 8 times bigger and it is so much harder to drag it around as much as I love it! Thanks Canon.

Having owned several small APS cameras, I can safely tell you that this one is a winner. The Z3 has a decent 2.3 times optical zoom (I prefer a 3x, but this is pretty good), very small size, and excellent battery life (over 25 rolls/battery, vs. under 10 for many other cameras). It also has some of the minor features that prove useful, including date and time encoding, mid roll rewind and load, and basic control over the flash (4 modes).

If you've never used the APS format before you will be impressed by the small camera size and image results, as long as you stick with 4x6 prints. If you require 35mm results with enlargements, go elsewhere. This has nothing to do with this camera, its all in the film size. You might be able to enlarge to 5x7, but no further. These are really tiny negatives and the images get grainy when you enlarge them too much.

I've seen some complaints about reliability, but after a hundred rolls or so this camera has been flawless. It did take us a roll or so to get used to the turning the camera off (you slide the lens cover over), but once you get the hang of pressing the cover in just a bit before sliding it, it comes easy.

I'd also suggest that you check out the Canon 370Z camera. While it is a bit bigger and has shorter battery life (I've averaged 8-9 rolls per battery at best), the zoom is a full 3x, meaning that you can zoom in a bit more. That can be useful, although I have not missed it as much witht his camera as I expected.

I purchased an elph for the size and the fact it takes panaramics. At first I was happy with it, it took good pictures, was easy to load and unload, and was compact. After about 3-4 months I was in the keys with my friends when we took our last picture on the film, it would not rewind not even manually. I brought it to a camera place to see if they could get the film out and they told me to send it back to canon. The door was stuck and he did not want to ruin it. I did happen to eventually get the film out myself but the camera still did not work so I sent it in (supposively under warranty) and they wanted to charge me $75 to fix it. I suggest looking for another camera.

Don't buy this camera unless you have money to throw away. The camera was a little over one year old and we had probably shot less than 8 rolls of film. Towards the end of the film, it jammed and we had to send the camera back to Canon to be fixed. After 6 weeks the camera shop called us to say that Canon had returned the camera to them with a note that said they had tried to contact us about the repair bill and because we didn't respond they assumed we didn't want to pay. We had not received any contact or quote from them. The camera shop finally managed to get hold of someone at Canon after calling them for 2 days and they quoted us $115 to fix it, which included a "thorough clean". Gee whizz. No thanks. We saved our money and bought a new Pentax camera that WORKS.

I bought the Z3 because of its extremely compact size and basic ease of use. I previously owned one of the higher-end Olympus Stylus cameras and found its performance 100% excellent, but too bulky to carry around. When it finally broke down (my fault, unfortunately) I bought this camera hoping to replace the other with one equally as good. I am here to tell you that the quality of pictures I have gotten so far from the camera is quite poor. If a subject (particularly, but not limited to, people) is more than five feet away the picture is without exception blurry and poorly lit. I am very disappointed with the camera, although in all other senses (e.g. film loading, size, and good looks) it is fine. However, since the photographs are the most important factors in a customer's satisfaction level, and indeed, the reason WHY we buy cameras... the Canon Elph Z3 is a bad deal and I wouldn't recommend it unless you needed a camera on the side for quick pictures. I carry it in my purse at all times (it is very tiny) which is convenient, I admit, for those Kodak (excuse me... Canon) moments you would have missed otherwise. But if you want great pictures, run screaming and tell your mom what the Canon company told you about the camera. Isn't it sad when companies market products that don't live up to their descriptions?

This camera broke within a year. Canon did not back their product and when they sent it back to me it was inoperable and unusable.