Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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313 of 316 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A good enough replacement for 35mm point-and-shoots!, March 1, 2000
My review will focus on how well the 370z replaces a 35mm point-and-shoot. I've been very happy with my Pentax IQZoom90WR for six years and I wanted to see if the 370z could replace it for most situations. LENS QUALITY: Indistinguishable except in HDTV mode at small focal lengths where curvature is noticable at the sides. Still acceptable. RESOLUTION: Indistinguishable on 4x6/4x7 prints at ASA 100 and 200. Lack of precise definition of edges with ASA 400 but still acceptable. If you want to blow up the photo to 8x10, you'll want to use ASA 100 and that will limit you to bright light situations. If I decide to do night photography outdoors (like the Disneyland parade), I'll switch back to my 35mm using ASA 400. (I should note however that the 370z performed well. I'm just a bit of a perfectionist.) RED-EYE REDUCTION: Not as effective as my Pentax IQZ90WR. Based on the shots I've taken, red-eye occurs in 10-15% of my face-on flash shots. The occurence with my Pentax is less than 1% but it does use a pre-flash whereas the 370z uses a mini-lamp. PORTABILITY: Excellent! Put it into its case and strap it to your belt and you won't know it's there. This is a BIG plus of the 370z since it allows you to enjoy your environment as well as be a photographer. The worst shot in the world is the one you didn't take because you didn't have your camera with you. FOCAL LENGTHS: Comparable but the 370z is a step-zoom whereas my 35mm has a continuous zoom. This is not much of a problem since you'll rarely encounter a situation that requires absoultely precise framing with a zoom. FRAME FORMATS: Panoramic mode shows too much grain at ASAs 200 and above. Thankfully there's ...MID-ROLL CARTRIDGE CHANGE: Excellent feature! Allowed me to switch to ASA400 at night and ASA100 when the sun was bright. WISHLIST ITEM: If only it were weather-resistant or splash-proof. SUMMARY: It's replaced my 35mm point-and-shoot for documenting my family's vacations and daily activities but I still keep my 35mm in a suitcase or the car for rainy days, special night shots, or situations where I might want a photo blown-up to 8x10. This camera is well designed for its target market; the average photographer who wants to capture day-to-day shots.
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77 of 77 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Best compact, APS camera, November 16, 2000
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.
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29 of 30 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A solid, compact, APS camera, November 29, 2002
By A Customer
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.
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