compacts

[ajuk]

Stylus Epic Review

http://members.aol.com/dcolucci/epic.htm

If Nikon made an F85 I would still just get an F80 second hand, but That is one camera that if Olympus replaced with a new version (with AP, don't laugh loads of digi P&S cameras now have AP) I would buy it, new!

I've just been given one today. A cute matte black thing to match my nail polish. I'm sure that it will be a lot of fun. Everything is in Japanese. I'm already familiar with Natura 1600 film and will use the Natura camera with that, and with EPJ pushed two.

Best,
Helen
PS my other compact is also cute and matte black, but made by M·A·C.

Fuji have made a compact with a 24mm F1.9 lens , WOW I have never even herd of a 24mm lens that wide before, is this enthusiast aimed? I would be more excited but 24mm is too wide for me.

I have also never herd of Natura 1600, is it just rebranded Superia 1600?

 

[battra92]

i also had a minolta slr which used 110 film, apparantly theres a company in holland who will load your fave 35 emulsion into 110 cartridges but i forgot their address.

Actually you can do it yourself. www.subclub.org has lots of articles about it. The Minolta 110 is a fun little camera that costs around $25 on the bay of e.

But yes, there are plenty of compact rangefinders that are tons of fun.

 

[Helen B]

...
I have also never herd of Natura 1600, is it just rebranded Superia 1600?

I don't think so. It seems to have lower graininess, higher speed and a different colour balance - a bit like the old Type G - somewhere between daylight and tungsten. I get it from Megaperls in Japan. The price, with shipping, is the same as Portra 800 or Pro 800Z from B&H. The Natura camera I was given was ordered on Monday evening New York time, despatched from Megaperls on Tuesday and delivered to New York on Thursday.

Best,
Helen

 

[kunihiko]

Natura 1600 is a new film produced with "nano-stractured sigma grain technology"(that's what fuji says, I don't know what it means).
There's new Natura wating.
http://www.fujifilm.co.jp/press/img/nrj1439_l.jpg
"NATURA CLASSICA" with 28-56mm f/2.8-5.4
looks cool, doesn't it ?

 

[firecracker]

http://www.fujifilm.co.jp/press/img/nrj1439_l.jpg
"NATURA CLASSICA" with 28-56mm f/2.8-5.4
looks cool, doesn't it ?

Yes, but only the exception of the zoom. If that had just a plain fixed focal lens, I would probably buy it.

I heard it's priced around 30,000 yen, and that's wonderful by the way.

 

[kunihiko]

f2.8 at 28mm isn't bad, faster than my contax T VS.
30000yen ? umm... :rolleyes:

 

[ajuk]

Natura 1600 is a new film produced with "nano-stractured sigma grain technology"(that's what fuji says, I don't know what it means).
There's new Natura wating.
http://www.fujifilm.co.jp/press/img/nrj1439_l.jpg
"NATURA CLASSICA" with 28-56mm f/2.8-5.4
looks cool, doesn't it ?

I think Superia 1600 has that.

Still 24mm F1.9, OMFG!! does it have AP?

 

[Mongo]

Still 24mm F1.9, OMFG!! does it have AP?

If by AP you mean "Aperture Priority"...it looks to be Program only. Looking at the images of the camera on the web (there are quite a few if you search enough), there aren't many buttons on the camera. Nothing that looks like it would allow you to change the aperture...but the Megaperls web site says the instructions are only in Japanese, and I've not had any luck finding a site that I could understand that talks about shooting with the camera.

The response I got from Fuji in the US indicated that the camera is for sale in France. Perhaps I'll try to track one down there. I'm guessing it's 50/50 that I'll be in Paris on business this year.

If they weren't USD$300 from Megaperls, I'd probably already have one. Just too much money for a point and shoot, no matter how great the lens is. (Just my opinion...I'm the original frugal photographer.)

Be well.
Dave

 

[Helen B]

Re the black Natura camera with the 24 mm f/1.9 lens.

Yes, it's program only. You can set exposure compensation of +/- 2 stops. The shutter speeds are from 1 s to 1/360. The manual is in Japanese, but that's no big deal. It's easy to understand the illustrations, and the numbers are Arabic.

It's a really neat camera. One of the features is that if you have a fast film loaded (DX-coded for 1600 and over) it switches to 'NP' mode with the flash off. When the camera is switched on in NP, you have a second or two to enable the flash, otherwise it defaults to flash off. With slower films it defaults to auto flash. With 1600 film, the flash range is quoted as 0.4 m to 16 m. There are four DX contacts, which means that the film speed is detected in full stop increments, favouring overexposure (eg 320 is detected as 200, not 400).

There is very little shutter lag - one of the things that annoys me the most about AF P&S's. The only manual focus setting is infinity. There is focus lock. It can focus in remarkably low light. The minimum focussing distance is 0.4 m.

The lens is quite flare free. Overall it's not quite in the same league as the 28 mm Summicron (!), but it appears to have less abberation wide open than my Canon 24 mm f/1.4 L. I think that lens is now for sale. I like 24 mm lenses because you get right into what's going on. When you are in there, a big camera and lens like the Canon becomes obtrusive. The little black Natura doesn't.

Oh, just one other thing. I’m not aware of a digital camera that approaches this image quality, at this size, in such low light.

Overall verdict: a special little camera that has capabilities that no other camera has, as far as I am aware. A camera with its own intimate, fun style - probably just what the guys at Fuji envisioned.

Best,
Helen

 

[kunihiko]

I think Superia 1600 has that.

Then, they must be same.
Fuji is promoting Natura Cameras and Natura Film together as The NP System.
Without Natura cameras, Fuji must have hesitated to name new ISO 1600 film Natura.

 

[Helen B]

What evidence do you have that suggests that Natura 1600 and Superia 1600 are the same film? Having used both, I'd say that the Natura was a significant improvement over the Superia - which I didn't rate highly because pushed Portra 800 worked better for me.

Best,
Helen

 

[Steve Roberts]

Konica Lexio

One of the best kept affordable secrets are the Lexio series of Konica. The 70 is especially sharp and contrasty. .

Yes - as long as that infernal clam-shell operated on/off switch doesn't play up. Mine did and Konica wanted £60 to fix it, so I took it apart and was disgusted by the Heath Robinson piece of poorly-moulded plastic that is relied on to operate the microswitch when the cover is opened. I unsweated the solder connections of the switch and lifted it up off the board a fraction so the plastic lever hit it more squarely and all was well - at least for now. Next time it goes I'll bring out two wires to an external bakelite light switch! Great camera otherwise, especially the "W" version with the 28mm lens.

Steve

 

[Steve Roberts]

110

Actually you can do it yourself. www.subclub.org has lots of articles about it. The Minolta 110 is a fun little camera that costs around $25 on the bay of e.

Having read the Sub Club material a while back, I did indeed make a film slitter and load FP4 into 110 cartridges. I like the Pentax 110 and Super version and the results from these were surprisingly good. Be careful though - some 110s will handle cut-down film but others need the notches in "proper" 110 to cock the shutter and feed back film transport info. Not sure about the Minolta.

Steve

 

[kunihiko]

Natura 1600 was launched in Oct. 2004.
Is Fuji still making two ISO1600 color negafilms ?

Ummm. I could be wrong on this. Sorry for making a hasty judgment.

 

[ajuk]

I don't think so. It seems to have lower graininess, higher speed

if it was higher speed then it wouldn't be 1600!

 

[kunihiko]

I was wrong. I might have been confused with Superia and Venus. Venus1600 and Natura1600 are same. Superia1600 was older product.

P.S. I just bought a Natura S in lavender color.

 

[Helen B]

if it was higher speed then it wouldn't be 1600!

Try the two films and you'll understand what I mean. The box speed represents the speed as determined by a well-defined test - at least it should do. That's not the same as the number you dial in to your exposure meter to get the results you want, because the standard test criteria are not universally applicable.

Best,
Helen

 

[Mongo]

P.S. I just bought a Natura S in lavender color.

Congratulations. It looks like an incredible camera. I'd love to get one of those...I wish Fuji would ship some over to the US. Oh well, I'm sure I'll order one from Japan eventually.

Be well.
Dave

 

[kunihiko]

Thanks, Dave
Although I've only let 5 or 6 films run through the camera so far, I'm pretty much satisfied with the results. All of them were 1600film(Fuji Natura1600).
As Helen mentioned above, Natura camera is set to NP mode with 1600 or higher DX codes(Next coming new Natura cameras can be set to NP mode with ISO800 and can be off the NP mode manually).
Just to add a little to Helen's description, in NP mode, Natura cameras 1.5 to 2 stops overexpose the film to have more natural feelings until LV become too low to do so. The slowest shutter speed is limited to 1/45sec to avoid camera shake even if LV was very low(it means that NP mode underexposes in very low right).
I found that it works fine. NP mode is a very good and unique function.

 

[ajuk]

Are there any other compacts that are cheap and high quality, other than the Olympus ones, most of whitch I already own (XA2, Stylus, Stylus Epic)

 

[kunihiko]

I used to be using Konica Big Mini series, very small, good and cheap.