Canon Sure Shot 130u, Excellent Camera

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If you had to choose one point and shoot camera to get the job done, which one would you choose?

The Canon 130u is a Good Value

This is a delightful camera.  I purchased it for five dollars in the summer of 2010 at a garage sale in Lindenhurst, IL.  Then I found another Canon 130u at a thirft shop for $5 and purchased that one also.

My best sample photo with the Canon Sure Shot 130u

Canon 130u, Chicago Alley at Night

How does the Canon 130u feel?

It’s been a while since I shot a roll of film with my Canon 130u.  So it’s a little hard remembering.

  1. 38-130mm range.  I remember thinking, hurray.  The zoom range is 38mm to 130mm.  I can do landscape, portraits, and a some nature photography.
  2. Pre-focus.  Many point and shoots require depressing the shutter button half way to focus, pause a brief moment, and then push the button again.  Some people have trouble with this feature.  For me, it worked just fine.
  3. Long snout.  When you zoom to 130mm, the lens does protude quite a bit.

 Problems with the Canon Sure Shot 130u?  One.

My Canon Sure Shot 130u was trouble free.  When I shoot another roll of film I’ll spend more time taking photos indoors with flash.  I didn’t take enough of them to test the camera properly.  My two indoor flash photos were a bit blurry, but it could have been the photographer (me).

Technical Description for the Canon 130u

  1. Aluminum.
  2. Focal Length.
  3. Battery.  Powered by one 3V lithium battery (CR2).
  4. Flash modes.  Fill-in mode, Slow synchro, Auto mode, Flash OFF mode, Red-eye reduction.

The next time I shoot a roll of film with the Canon Sure Shot 130u, I’ll be sure to take more photos at night using the flash OFF mode.  That feature worked very nicely.

To find more detailed technical specifications, visit Amazon for info.

Provenance or History

I purchased my first Canon Sure Shot 130u in a subdivision of Lindenhurst, Illinois.  Whenever I fish at Deep Lake I visit one or two garage sales during the summer.  In the summer of 2010 I found this little camera in a sale.

I asked the retired couple:

Do you like the camera?  Did you take good pictures with it?

They said they had taken the camera to Ireland and it had done wonderfully.  They loved the photos.  I offered the couple five dollars.  They accepted.

In the spring of 2011 on a thirft shop excursion to Evanston, IL I found another Canon Sure Shot 130u in seemingly good shape and purchased it.  Again, $5.

My Repairs for the Canon Sure Shot 130u

None.  Point and shoot cameras either work or they don’t.

I have since learned to put fresh batteries into a used point and shoot camera and run an expendable test roll of film through the camera.  I experiment with the controls for time delay, flash, no flash, and then I hope the camera rewinds when the photos are done.

I always keep a batch of expendable old 35mm film handy.  If you go to garage sales as I do, snatch up the old 35mm film but don’t pay too much for it.  Tell people their film is old and undependable.  You buy old, expired 35mm film to test your old cameras.

A Great Photo with a Canon 130u

If you’d like to see a terrific photo of NYC using this camera, go to Queensbridge Park on Flickr to see a photo by Rafakoy.

I don’t steal people’s photos.  So visit Queensbridge Park to see a great photo taken with this wonderful little camera.

My Sample Photos with my Canon 130u

Do you see the large bird in the middle of the photo, just gliding along?

As I recall this photo…

  1. My camera was already “on”.
  2. I saw the bird flying in from the left and aimed where he would be.
  3. I depressed the shutter half way even before the bird came into view.  Instinctively I perhaps knew the shot would focus on infinity.
  4. The bird came into view and I fully depressed the shutter.

Not bad for a five dollar point and shoot.

Canon Sure Shot 130u, Bird in Flight

Canon Sure Shot 130u, Bird in Flight

My mother was very fond of the color purple.  Whenever I see purple flowers, I smile and take a photo.  This one’s for you Mom.

Canon Sure Shot 130u, Purple Flowers for Oma

Canon Sure Shot 130u, Purple Flowers for Oma

Canon Sure Shot 130u Final Review

I own two of these cameras but I’ll probably never sell them.  Just selfish I guess.

I own a Yashica T4, Olympus Stylus Epic and a few other point and shoot cameras.  Although their photos are dazzling, they don’t have a zoom lens.  The Canon 130u does have the very adequate 38mm to 130mm zoom lens.

I don’t think anyone will go looking for a Canon Sure Shot 130u after reading this review.  But if you bump into a 130u at a garage sale, smile, and offer the owner five dollars for it.

Thanks for visiting What is a Film Camera today.

Are Film Cameras Obsolete?

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…and then I thought…

I wonder how much camera film was sold last year?

If Film Cameras are Dead, is this Blog a Bad Idea?

Now I think I know how people felt in the year 1900 who sold custom horse carriages.

Perhaps a bit obsolete.  Maybe.

A Billion Rolls of Film now just 20 Million a Year

This is a little depressing.

In How Much Longer can Photographic Film Hold On, The Associated Press said.

At the turn of the 21st century, American shutterbugs were buying close to a billion rolls of film per year. This year, they might buy a mere 20 million, plus 31 million single-use cameras — the beach-resort staple vacationers turn to in a pinch, according to the Photo Marketing Association.

Let’s toss out the 31 million single-use cameras statistic.  Those are people who purchase a $10 camera that may include film processing (hello Walgreens) when they can’t afford a decent little $100 digital camera.

So let’s focus (yes, an unintentional pun) on 20 million rolls to 1 billion rolls.

2011 camera film purchases in the U.S. have dropped 98% in ten years.

Perhaps I shouldn’t have started What is a Film Camera in the first place.  If film is really dying, this blog may become a lonely place.

Vinyl Records to the Rescue

Vinyl records (you remember, your Mom and Dad have a bunch of these in the attic) are making a comeback in the marketplace.  It appears not everyone loves CDs and MP3 files.  Vinyl for some people is more fun than CDs and MP3 files.

Sound quality LPs generally exhibit a warmer, more nuanced sound than CDs and digital downloads. MP3 files tend to produce tinnier notes, especially if compressed into a lower-resolution format that pares down the sonic information. “Most things sound better on vinyl, even with the crackles and pops and hisses,” says MacRunnel, the young Missouri record collector.

Read more: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1702369,00.html#ixzz1YnCir9rg

 Sales of vinyl records during this century are increasing.  They’ll never come even close to challenging sales of CDs or downloads of MP3 files, but more and more people are buying vinyl records.  It’s an old technology that’s growing in the marketplace.

Do people still shoot with film?

I get that question a lot at garage sales.

I know that I shoot with film.  I know that every day eBay has 10,000 film cameras for sale.  So somebody is shooting with film.  And the prices of used film cameras doesn’t seem to be dropping any time soon.

Digital Cameras are OK, but Film is Fun

Yes, I admit it, I do shoot with digital cameras.  But film cameras are something special.

I own 3 digital cameras and about 60 film cameras (30+ tested).

Since I am always testing a camera (currently testing a Vivitar 3800 SLR), I’m not quite sure of how well the camera works.  So I carry my Canon SD 880 digital as a backup.  I’m practical, I like photos.  But I prefer film cameras.

If film cameras survive, you can thank young people

Young people have rescued vinyl records from extinction.  Will they do the same for film cameras?

I don’t think young people are pulling Beach Boy albums or Rolling Stone albums from their parents attic where they’ve sat for decades (and warped or worse).  But young people are increasing their purchases of new, vinyl records because they sound better, richer than CDs or MP3 files played in some device.

When I visit garage sales I always ask, “Do you have any film cameras?”.  If they don’t have a camera for sale, I smile when they say:

My son or daughter is using my old film camera for her high school photography class.

That’s music to my ears.  Young people using film cameras in high school.

Is Film better than Digital Photography?

That’s really the question that resolves the “are film cameras obsolete” question.  If young people decide film has advantages over digital photography than purchases of rolls of film will begin increasing.  That will be a good sign for film photography.

The is film better than digital photography question is for persons like Ken Rockwell or Karen Nakamura to discuss, much better than I can do at this stage in my film journey.

Ken Rockwell might persuade you that photography is all relative.  Depending on what you’re photographing, your conditions, whether you develop film or let someone else process your work, your choice of film versus digital is a relative choice.  Your choice of film or digital depends upon a number of factors that matter to you.

 Karen Nakamura is a photoethnographer.  If you’re a photoethnographer or street photographer just starting out, film cameras are an affordable choice for a rugged device that brings back photos.  Is it just me or can you purchase top of the line film cameras for a whole lot less than top of  the line digital cameras?  Karen might argue that you become effective with inexpensive photography gear (rangefinders, SLRs) and then you can purchase digital if you wish.

Are Film Cameras Obsolete?

I don’t think so.  They’re only obsolete if somebody tosses them into the attic or in the sweater drawer in their bedroom.

If you’ve read this far, you probably agree with me.  Using film cameras is a choice, not a religion.  Purchase a 25 year old Olympus XA2 or a 50 year old Zeiss Contaflex and take them for a stroll with your digital camera.  Shoot all day with both cameras and then print all your photos. 

Olympus XA2, Millenium Park, Chicago, IL USA

 

Zeiss Ikon Contaflex, Flowers w Bokeh, My Chicago Backyard

Then you can best decide if film cameras are obsolete.

Zenit-E, My Communist SLR

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I don’t know much about my new Zenit-E but I do have an idea of where it’s been.

The journey of a camera made approximately in 1975.  It was manufactured in Krasnogorsk just outside Moscow, Russia (A).  I purchased it from an eBay vendor very near to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada (B).  And the nice eBay vendor shipped my Russian camera to me in Chicago, IL USA (C).  I can only dare to imagine where else the Zenit-E traveled.

First, my best sample photo with the Zenit-E

This is my gangway to my bungalow in Chicago, IL USA.  I often shoot my wife’s flowers with hopes of getting some good bokeh in the background.  You can see our sidewalk and our red Weber grill.

Zenit-E, Flowers with Bokeh

How does the Zenit-E feel?

Perhaps the best time to describe how a camera “feels” is before you process its first roll of film.  You’re not focusing on the results of the camera but the operation of the camera.

First, allow me to thank the eBay vendor from Canada who advertised a tested camera and delivered a camera that worked properly.  No lens, just a body, packed wonderfully in a nice box protected against harm.

The Zenit-E is a Tank

Honest to goodness, this camera is built like a tank.  Heavy as heck, rock solid, I like it.

Zenit-E Impressions

  1. Feels good.  It’s made of steel and in my opinion, decently assembled.
  2. Selenium meter.  No batteries on this SLR.  The selenium meter does adjust to light.  Whether it’s accurate, I have no idea.
  3. Little camera shake.  Since I am fond of tiny apertures and longer shutter times, I end up taking lots of photos at 1/30 of a second or less.  I like cameras that don’t shake.  This Russian Zenit-E doesn’t shake much at any speed.
  4. Sounds good.  Strangely enough, I like the sound it makes when it takes a photo.  Not too loud, just right.

Problems?  Not many.

  1. X and M.  My first two photos were wasted in the daytime.  I had the camera set to X/M, pressed the shutter, and the exposure was in B mode.  My mistake.
  2. Initial film transport.  It took perhaps 10 minutes to figure out how to insert the film, slip the tail end of the film into the take up roll slot, and start the film properly.  Film transport is something I am still learning even after shooting over 30 film cameras in the past year.
  3. Film rewind.  A little quirky.  At the end of the roll press the film transport release button located near the shutter button.  Normally these buttons are on the bottom of the camera, on the Zenit-E, it’s on the top of the camera by the shutter release.  Next, the film rewind is on top of the camera on the opposite side of the shutter.  Pull out the little knob and rewind in the direction of the arrow.  Keep winding until you no longer feel any film tension.  That means you’re finished rewinding.

Selenium light meter

After reviewing my first roll I believe the selenium light meter isn’t working quite right.  And then I used an untested light meter I had sitting around.  So I rolled the dice twice and lost on too many overexposures.

We always hope that our film photographs come out well, nicely exposed, and well focused.  But as you can see from this overexposed pond, trusting the light meters of untested old cameras and old light meters results in questionable exposures.

Zenit-E, Overexposed Pond

A Little Worried about Stopping Down the Diaphragm

I found this quote from Camerapedia after shooting my first roll.

The Zenit E requires the user to manually stop down the diaphragm before exposure; the lens has an extra ring for this purpose. The Zenit EM was an upgraded version, with an automatic diaphragm.

Here’s hoping I didn’t waste an entire roll because I certainly did not “stop down” the diaphragm.

As it turns out, some Russian lenses have a diaphragm “dial” for stopping down prior to a shot.  But other M42 screw mount lenses do not have that feature.  Basically, for most M42 lenses without a diaphragm dial, you set aperture, shutter speed, focus and shoot.

Zenit E - Technical Details

I don’t mind if you read Matt Denton’s description of this camera at Matt’s website.  It’s for a Zenit EM, not the Zenit E.  But it’s close enough to give you an idea of what you might be purchasing.

My summary.

  1. No lens.  My Zenit-E came without a lens, just a body.  I used a Carl Zeiss Jena 55m 2.8 aperture lens.  It seemed appropriate.  An East German communist lens for a Soviet camera (just having a little fun here, cameras don’t care where they’re manufactured).
  2. Shutter speed.  30, 60, 125, 250, and 500th of a second.  B also.

I know it’s a little thin as descriptions go.  Visit Matt Denton’s website for more info.

Provenance or History

No fancy provenance on this camera, just a short history.

  1. Made in Krasnogork near Moscow, Russia.
  2. Somehow travelled to near Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
  3. Shipped from Vancouver, Canada to Chicago, IL USA.

Ironically, I visited Moscow during the summer of 1975.  Quite possibly I even passed through Krasnogorsk at that time.  I was with 50 American students from Wisconsin travelling in a German VW van with Belgium license plates throughout all of Russia and soviet bloc countries.

I’ve also been to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.  Beautiful town, great time.

So I’ve made a similar journey as did my Zenit-E camera.  Both of us are still in good shape (thank you).

My Repairs for the Zenit E

No repairs needed.  Everything seemed to work courtesy of a diligent and good seller on eBay.

Sample Photos with the Zenit-E

Half of my exposures on the first roll were overexposed.  But their were some decent photos.  Here’s a basketball player shooting a shot.  As I recall, this photo was taken while using the camera’s selenium meter.  Also, the player is a little blurry at 1/30th of a second.  But perhaps you can learn from my imperfect photos.

Zenit-E, Hoops at Lunch

This is a Chicago gangway.  That means it’s the space between two buildings.  Our neighbor’s brick two flat is on the left and my wooden bungalow is on the right.  You can see the locked gate at the back of the photo.  Although it’s a good taste of what Chicago is like, you can still tell that the photos is overexposed.  One day, I’ll use a genuine accurate light meter.

Zenit-E, Chicago Gangway

Zenit-E Final Review

I won’t sell this camera, for now.

Once I purchase an accurate light meter I’ll shoot another roll and see how it performs.

I have many happy memories of visiting Russia in 1975.  It’s quite possible that my Zenit-E was manufactured that very summer as we drove into Moscow on a blistering summer day of about 90 degrees Fahrenheit.  As we drove into Moscow on the outskirts, we passed a team of large Russian women in red bikinis working with picks and shovels moving dirt for a new road.  If only I had a Zenit-E to photograph that amazing sight in 1975.

Thanks for reading my Zenit-E review today.  And finally, thanks for visiting What is a Film Camera .