Big Pictures - Small Package

Author's Rating:

Pros: Very small with lots of features - takes great snapshots

Cons: Paying a little extra for drop-in loading and negatives that are permanently protected is hardly a con.

Author's Review
I was looking for a small camera that used a standard film format and had built-in flash. I was also looking for a camera that would be rugged enough to take on camping trips and had a way to protect the lens from dust and grime. My camping expeditions take me from beaches to forest to dusty deserts and I need a camera that I can take with me to all of those environments. I wouldn't get it wet though. It wasn't designed to be water resistant.

The Canon ELPH LT met all of my criteria and also has three picture sizes -- A small rectangular format for close-ups, a normal setting for snapshots, and a panoramic setting to capture those beautiful ocean sunsets or canyon vistas.

It also includes red-eye reduction, time/date stamp, and titles: "I love you", "Thank You", "Season's Greetings", "Happy Birthday", and "Congratulations". The title gets printed on the back of the developed pictures.

APS film is a bit more expensive than regular 35mm film, but it is widely available. The biggest advantage over the old 35mm film is that you never have to deal with negatives. When your pictures are developed, you get the sealed film canister back. That means that whenever you want reprints or enlargements, they are coming from negatives that are as pristine as the day the film was first developed.

In terms of ruggedness, I've taken the camera camping and to the beach. I've dropped in on concrete twice from a height of about three feet. The only damage is a bit of scratched finish on one corner of the camera body. This camera is going with me to this year's Burning Man event out in the Black Rock Desert of Nevada. The integrated lens cover will help protect the ELPH LT's 23mm lens from the frequent dust storms we get out there.

10-01-00 - I got my Burning Man pictures back. I shot ten rolls of 24 exposure film and most of the pictures came out beautifully. The pictures that didn't come out too well were those taken at night when I was trying to photograph scenes and objects that were too far away for the flash to reach. They were, quite literally, shots in the dark. When I was close enough for the flash to be effective, the night shots came out great.

The camera stood up to 75-mile-per-hour dust storms, rain, and 100+ degree temperatures. Occasionally the lens cover wouldn't close and I had to jiggle the lever a few times to close it. That was the only glitch I encountered. Keep in mind that other people who brought expensive professional cameras either kept them enclosed in plastic or plan to have them cleaned to get the dust out of them. I allowed my Canon ELF LT to be fully exposed to the elements as I shot the pictures. A blast of air around the lens cover should be all the ELF needs to keep it going.

The Canon ELF LT is small, light, rugged, packed with features, and takes very crisp photographs. I will be taking this camera with me to Burning Man next year. I suppose I should replace the batteries before then -- in case they finally do expire.

Later this week I'll have the pictures up on my website at http://mindstation.com in the Burning Man section if you'd like to see what this camera can do in some of the harshest conditions possible.

I complained earlier about the APS film being more expensive than regular film, but considering that it gives you drop-in loading (which limits the time the insides of the camera are exposed to the elements) and not having loose negatives that can be damaged or lost, the price is well worth the little bit extra. I'm removing the expense of the film as a con -- it really is worth it. I'm also revising the battery life from up to 200 exposures to over 300. After shooting over 500 images, I'm beginning to wonder if the batteries will ever fail. I'm so pleased with what this camera can do that I'm also changing the overall rating from 4 to 5. I don't know what could make Canon ELF LT a better snap-shot camera.