It is with great pain that I must leave behind my Vitomatic II, and move back to my Olympus AZ-210 Super Zoom.
Despite loving the look and feel of my Vitomatic II, I lost some very important pictures (to me) on that roll. It looks like a shutter issue according to the Reddit analogue community.
So I’m back to my Olympus AZ-210 Super Zoom. I had been using it as a travel camera, there to take the Christmas shots and the like of family. Also, it makes a great wedding camera.
What stands out on the Olympus, as well as I imagine most point and shoots, is it’s versatility. It can be out during the day, with the flash it can be out during the night, it auto-meters dependant on the film, it has a zoom function(38-76), it has a timer, autofocus, and finally, it is theft-proof-UGLY.
Yes, you read that right. The Olympus AZ-210 Super Zoom has the classic 90’s Super Ugly look. Encased in plastic, and shaped like it was handcrafted by THE most boring person on planet Earth, we have here a theft proof gem, particularly if you can pick one up fully working for 20 pound like me.
I have to admit, I’m not much of a technical photographer. I can work a manual film camera, I’ve been through the digital age, but extra functions beyond the timer tend to get ignored by me. So it’s possible this camera has other functions. I wouldn’t know. What I do know is this is a great carry round camera, light enough not to disturb the normal workings of your shoulder, certainly getting within the realms of being a spare carry round.
When I get over the fact that the camera can crack mirrors if it looks at them hard enough, what we have is something highly useable. How often are you in a scene where you can’t take a picture because the light is too low? How often are you scared of your camera being stolen? How often do you leave your camera at home because of weight and size restrictions? As a take-everywhere camera, this is quite perfect.
And so onto the images themselves. I must say that I find them pleasing. They’re not as sharp as you might get with a prime lens, the colours are perhaps ordinary, but you are still getting the film look, which to my mind elevates it over anything digital. There is even a night shot here, in low lit conditions, which I think has come out quite well.
In terms of being robust, well I must confess, I dropped the camera on the floor very early on, and it has continued to work very well, this despite the fact that when I dropped it it split open. Now, don’t go verifying my results – it is still made of plastic, but I thought this was something positive to add. However, at least buy a wrist strap for it, as it’s design is bulky in a way, and not the easiest to get a grip on when you are removing it from the case.
So, finally, I’ll finish with some images so that you can make your own decision.
