35mm Camera

* As new technology continues to sweep through the photographic industry in an inexorable rush to digitalize everything, there remain people who stubbornly demand that their cameras do things the old fashioned way, utilizing film. There is still great satisfaction in picking up a freshly developed envelope full of pictures and being able to pass them around for others to view. Waiting for a roll of film to be developed--even if at a one-hour place--may seem like an eternity to the Computer Generation, but, then again, there is a vast not-so-silent majority out there who is not thrilled by having to look at photos on a computer screen. You can't paste an e-mail picture in the family album; most people don't feel a compulsion to edit photos on screen; and all the software and hardware involved in making prints from the picture that looks best on the monitor seems too cumbersome an operation for a generation not born with a computer mouse clenched in their chubby little fists.

With that rant off our chests, we salute companies like Konica Photo Imaging, Mahwah, N.J., which, while firmly involved in the digital revolution, continues not only to produce film cameras, but to do so in a state-of-the-art manner. Take, for example, its Z-Up 60e 35mm model. Super compact--roughly 4.5" x 2.5" x 1.25"--it still has enough bells and whistles to satisfy those who want to shoot while letting the camera do the work as far as focusing, advancing the film, eliminating red eye, adjusting for various lighting conditions, etc. The lens zooms from 35 to 62mm for distance shots; the infrared automatic focus locks itself in to ensure that the picture is sharp; the viewfinder provides real-image framing, whether in regular or zoom mode; there are nine distinct picture modes, including self-timer, night portrait, and close-up, to engender a sense of owner participation; the shutter is electronically programmed; and the auto-exposure takes care of the rest.

As far as we're concerned, tomorrow can wait. The Z-Up 60e suits us just fine today. Thanks, Konica. For stubborn holdouts who feel the same way as we do, it's available wherever cameras are sold for $69.95.

This symbol * indicates USA Today has tested a product for operating in full compliance with the manufacturer's specifications and to determine its performance as applicable to our readers' needs. Disadvantages, if any, also are reported. Although we cannot guarantee a product, we offer the starred designation as a guide to readers

COPYRIGHT 2002 Society for the Advancement of Education
COPYRIGHT 2002 Gale Group