The worst of both worlds (APS Cameras in General)

Member Name: robkingston

Product:	APS Cameras in General
Date:	14/11/01 (325 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Easy to use, Choice of print formats

Disadvantages: Poor picture quality, Expensive processing, Film not available everywhere

To anyone considering buying an APS camera I would have to say: think very carefully before you do so. I believe the majority of people would be better off sticking with conventional 35mm film, or taking the plunge and going digital.

APS was launched amid much fanfare in 1996 - a time when digital cameras were fairly primitive and expensive, but were already starting to gain ground. The new system was meant to have a number of advantages over conventional film, but having used an APS camera (albeit a fairly basic Canon Ixus compact) for about two years, I have not been convinced.

At first glance, the most obvious difference at between APS and conventional film is the smaller size. This makes it possible for cameras to be made very small indeed (as, for example, the Ixus), but it comes at a price. The size of each frame only about 58% that of 35mm film (16.7mm x 30.2mm compared with 24mm x 36mm) and this is reflected in the poorer picture quality. On enlargements especially, the grain of the film is much more noticeable with APS. Incidentally, APS film comes in 25- or 40-exposure rolls, unlike the 24- or 36-exposure 35mm film.

The second claimed advantage is the easy drop-in loading method. True, you can't deny that it's easy - you just drop in the film and close the door on the camera, it's totally foolproof - but modern 35mm compacts are almost as easy to load, with their automatic wind-on mechanism. The days of fiddling around trying to engage sprockets into holes, and then worrying about whether you've done it right, are long gone.

Advantage number 3: the roll of film can be changed part-way through, with a handy indicator on the cartridge (full circle mans unexposed; half circle means partially exposed; X means fully exposed; and a rectangle means it has been processed). This is a neat idea in principle, but how useful is it really? I doubt that many casual "holiday snap" photographers - whom APS is a
imed at - would bother to change film halfway through: only serious photographers are likely to want to switch between, say, fast and slow or colour and b/w film, and APS film is not of sufficiently high quality for their needs.

Perhaps the biggest innovation for the user was the ability to select one of three formats for each photograph as they take it: "classic" (6in x 4in), "HDTV" (7in x 4in) or "Panorama" (11.5in x 4in). Again, this is a nifty idea in principle - and it is useful, but the picture quality for Panorama photos suffers especially badly because they are simply an enlargement of the middle section of the frame. One handy feature, though, is the way you can get prints in a different format from that in which the picture was originally taken. The whole picture is shown on the index print that you get from the developers, with a border to show the original format.

Which brings me to another point - processing. This is considerably pricier than conventional processing - I have often paid £8-9 for a 40-exposure film. The plus points are that you get an "index print" containing thumbnails of the whole film, and the prints come in a plastic box rather than a flimsy paper wallet. However, in recent years many processers have started to offer both of these with conventional 35mm film too.

On top of all that, the film is slightly more expensive than 35mm film, and is also harder to find in a lot of countries. Oh, and you can't take slides.

So you see, APS doesn't really have much going for it. That's not to say it doesn't have its place - people that just want a tiny, easy-to-use snapshot camera probably won't be disappointed (as long as they're not worried about getting decent enlargements). But if you're looking to upgrade from a 35mm point-and-shoot, either go for a decent 35mm SLR, or a mid-range digital camera. I honestly believe that digital is the way
forward - prices are coming down all the time and quality is going up. But that's for another opinion...

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