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Re: [AT-L] Re: new toy!

Daniel Berlinger wrote:
> 
> > The film is "regular" in the classic sense, but it's contained in
> > a special cartridge and has a magnetic strip running down one side.
> > The magnetic strip is there to record exposure information from the
> > camera.  New processing machines are required to process the stuff;
> > it's likely that your neighborhood one-hour lab doesn't have the
> > equipment to handle APS yet.
> 
> A few more facts... the film uses a much smaller negative than a standard 35mm
> frame, and it records the largest (a pseudo-panoramic format) frame with each
> photo, the data strip informs the processor which print format to apply.
> Pictures are substantially more grainy than 35mm, and will not enlarge as
> well.

Ok, I'm confused now. I am in no way an expert on photography, and I
admit that the first thing that attracted me to this camera was simply
it's size but I did a bit of research before I bought this, and now I am
getting some info that contradicts what I have heard. I have heard that
the prints are very comperable to 35mm, and that they enlarge very well
even though the frame is something like 40% smaller. I admit that when
the cameras first started showing up all my friends that are serious
photographers warned me of the same things that you mentioned, but since
people have started using the cameras these warnings don't seem to be
valid. take a look at http://www.nyip.com/tips/archives/aps001.html and
see what they say.
So I guess what I am wondering is if you have seen a lot of prints from
APS film and have seen what you are saying to be true?

> Naturally, there are few film choices, and you will need to send film back to
> big labs. The processor is not inexpensive (to be polite), so don't expect
> your local shop to have one for some time. Film is still relatively hard to
> find.

I have only found 2 processors in Nashville that are developing APS in
house so I know that I will have to send out the film, but hey, I
normally just take my film to K-Mart anyway so this won't be any
problem. As far as finding the film goes, it really does seem to be
everywhere. All the discount stores, drug stores, grocery stores, and
even a few gas stations in my area are carrying it, although I do plan
on having it in my mail drops next year when I thru hike as I doubt I
will be able to find it in many of the samller trail towns.

> On the positive side, with many APS cameras, film can be stopped in mid roll
> and replaced, making it easier to deal with the weather/lighting conditions,
> at the cost of carrying another roll of film. In return for the big guy
> processing, you get a contact sheet, and the negatives remain in the
> cartridge.

This is one of the things that sold me on it, I plan on sending my film
home from the trail and having my family get it developed for me, and
then they can send me the index sheet in my maildrops so I can see my
results on the trail. I will then send the index sheet back with letters
I write to them. I hate the idea of not being able to see any of my
pictures until I finish the trail.

> As you already noticed, it is an incredible format for small cameras, and they
> have barely touched the data portion...sound could follow shortly!
> 
> So far, the big labs have been fairly careless (unreadably light printing)
> with regard to the back of pictures info (date etc.), so if it really counts,
> be sure to record the info seperately.

I really do appreciate this bit of information as I was hoping to use
the date on the back of the prints to help me remember where I took the
picture. Guess I will have to do a bit of writing to keep track of this.

> > I've seen the ELPH...it's a little jewel of a camera.
> 
> It is nice, but it is also early in the cycle... and I would add that there is
> little experience carrying this cartridge/camera/technology onto the trail, I
> look forward to hearing about people's experiences with it.

If anyone is interested I will post my experiences with the camera, I'm
hoping to go out for a few days in the next couple of weeks.

E. George Oeser (aka Needles)
synergy@nc5.infi.net
> Daniel
> 
> Daniel Berlinger                      Circumstance Technology
> http://www.circumtech.com/                Virtuality Designer
>     Linkwright  Data Poet  Systems Anarchist  Idiosyncrat
> Interactivist    Herder of Cats    Zero Tolerance For Silence
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