Good Basic 35mm Camera?

Joined
Oct 6, 1998
Messages
745
Any recommendations on a good, sub $100 or so 35mm (ie not digital) camera for an occasional user? Macro would be nice but not necessary,altho zoom would be nice. I'm looking for a gift to give that's easy for a beginner to use for general family portrait stuff, so I'm guessing autofocus, built in flash, and ease of loading film, reliability, the usual :)

TIA,

John
 
35mm point and shoot cameras have come so far in user friendlyness
that a trip to Wal-mart to handle some may answer your question.

If you like the feel , simplicity , batteries , (no special rechargables)
point & shoot ease then , if it's a name brand, you've found your camera.

Good hunting , mate.:D :D
 
John,
I have an Olympus Stylus Epic-35mm that takes great pics. Light and compact. However, it is has a fixed lense. Excellent bang for the buck IMO. Here's a link to the model description: http://www.olympusamerica.com/cpg_section/cpg_product.asp?huge_picture_lobby=1&p=&bc=&product=291
I also have a small Nikon Nuvis S-Advantix that I bought on closeout at Target that I usually take hunting with me. It has a telephoto lense that comes in handy for wildlife shots, and is very compact.
Of these two, I think the Olympus takes the better pictures, but that is probably more good luck than good planning on my part. Before I bought it, I did a little research and found that the Stylus Epic received lots of good reviews on the photography webpages.
Hope this helps.
Jim
 
Thanks, guys, it helps a lot. Tightwad, it was *after* we had been to WalMart that I asked for help--too many choices!:) But your advice is right on. I'm pretty sure any of them would be adequate.

JimM, thanks for the link. I've had good luck with an Olympus digital, so I'll keep a special eye out for a Stylus Epic. Olympus had really good customer service on the digicam, FWIW.

Your help is much appreciated!
 
Let me suggest that you spend 20 minutes looking thru the camera selection online at Amazon they have a decent selection, it'll match your Wal-mart selection nicely. You get to read 'consumer' reviews as well as customer reviews, happy and unhappy. I'm not sure this saves me money but since I started doing this, I feel like I'm 'spending wisely'.

There are a couple of other 'consumer review' sites out there, Epinions is another one I look at.

Good hunting!
 
JohnG, one particular piece of advice I'd like to stess is about
camera's and the batteries they use.

I've learned the hard way never to buy any camera that takes a
special (that make only) rechargable battery. Batteries such as
those can turn the ownership experiance into a costly nightmare.

Stick with easily replacable standard sizes or disposable Photo
batteries that can bought most anywhere. Just by elminating all
cameras that take special rechargables you will make not only
your choice simpler but your life a lot easier.:D :D
 
Texascarl,mtnbkr, great tips, and thanks. I've used the Amazon comments as guidelines before, but forgot about them this time....and the photo.net is a great resource, as well.

Tightwad, man, I know how it can get with "specialized" batteries, but it's always good to remember that standardized stuff is usually the best bet in the long run.

Thanks again, guys, it's been an education!
 
Back
Top