110 film options?

Hello, I'm looking into a small camera to keep in my pocket at all times for potential photo

opts. I've just started researching the "spy cameras" and it seems 110 film is my option.

 

I've looked at the film choices at B&H and Adorama; seems like Kodak color film at iso 400

is my only choice. Maybe I'm being presumptuous, but i'd like a b&w film choice? or

perhaps slide film? (I know the last option is a bit out there :D ).

 

Do you use this kind of film? ... know any places where I can get some variety?

www.frugalphotographer.com sells Fuji 200-speed colour neg film in 110 format. I think you'll have a hard time finding B&W or slide film versions, and even if you do find B&W, you'll probably have an even harder time finding a neg carrier for scanning or printing the negatives.

Ducking your real question, since I know nothing of 110: Have you really ruled out 35mm completely? You have really limited your options and print quality with the 110 decision.

 

Consider the 35mm Olympus Stylus with the fixed 35mm lens. Only weights 5 oz., about the size of a pack of cigarettes, and costs $80. For just bit more weight, you can shoot 35mm and have all those film options and an excellent lens.

 

Now 99% of the Olympus Stylus's are made with the zoom lens and the fixed lens is a bit hard to find (B&H advertises them) the the lens quality is way way more than you'd expect from a camera in the price range. I've had 3 of them and the lens quality was great in each.

B&H has a good price on the original black olympus stylus epic. I highly recommend it.

The only readily-available 110 film is Kodak's Gold 400 color negative film. Most drugstores and supermarkets carry it, at least in suburban Los Angeles. Fuji supposedly makes Superia 200 in 110, but I've never seen it and B&H doesn't stock it. The only other choice is Ferrania's Solaris 200, but again I've never seen it and B&H doesn't stock it; it's supposed to be available under private labels.

 

Those are your only choices in 110. Slide film disappeared 20 years ago, and black and white disappeared a bit before that. Kodak envisioned their Pocket Instamatic line as a "system," with the better cameras suitable for discriminating photographers who wanted to travel light. But the market found it suitable only for grainy snapshots on color negative film. The advent of small point-and-shoot 35mm cameras made 110 unnecessary, since those aren't much bigger and heavier than a Pocket Instamatic but produce much better pictures.

 

Even if you can find 110 film and a used high-end camera (but forget about the original Kodak Pocket Instamatic 60, since it took a proprietary battery that is no longer made), you may have difficulty getting good processing for it. You'll have even more difficulty scanning it, since negative holders for 16mm film are scarcer than hens' teeth.

 

You'd do much better using a small, pocketable 35mm or digital point-and-shoot than any 110 camera.

In addition to the Kodak, my local Walgreens has 110 in their private label. My understanding is that Fuji still makes 110, but doesn't sell it in the U.S. I've got about 20 rolls of Polaroid 110 in the freezer, which at 1-2 rolls a year may be a lifetime supply.

NO! 110 is not a viable option for taking photographs anymore. The quality stinks, and you have almost no choice of films.

 

110 film is so much smaller than a 35mm frame that you get terrible results. As any medium-format user will tell you, the bigger the negative/slide, the better the quality, and vice-versa.

 

Also, as 110 film comes in a cartridge, there is no way to make sure the film lies flat against the backing. This can result in out-of-focus images.

 

You have almost no choices of film. There is the 400-speed Kodak film, a 200-speed Ferriana Solaris (I think) film, and the Fuji 200-speed. All are color print. The black and white and color slide films were discontinued years ago. The emulsions currently offered aren't really that great, either.

 

Also, even though the negatives might be processed well, your prints will quite possibly look like crap. This is because your stupid, run of the mill, minimum-wage lab technician dosen't know how to print anything but 35mm frames. The enlarger won't be focused correctly, and all your prints will be out of focus.

 

Trust me-I have an old Argus 110 that I sometimes use on field trips as a sort of "reloadable disposable" (I don't care if it gets lost or destroyed), and I always end up wishing I'd just bought a disposable camera. It's terrible.

 

Your most basic 35mm camera will do better in taking photographs than a 110 camera ever will. I reccomend you follow the advice above and buy an Olympus Stylus Epic, or a similar camera. They're small, and your pictures will acutally come out.

 

There's also Minox, but that can be expensive and I have no experience with it. The Minox is an actual "Spy-camera". Spies actually use it to copy documents. But again, I have no idea what the quality is like.

 

But whatever you do, DON'T go 110!

Thanks for your responses,

 

My husband has an Olympus Stylus and highly reccomends it. It's pretty small but i'm

looking into something smaller; possibly.

 

The problem is; if it's too big, I may pull it out of my pocket and sit it on the table. I want

it so small and lightweight that I just forget about it.

 

I have 2 coats that I wear; one is a parka type (thick with feathers inside) ... one is a very

fitted leather jacket (size small) that only has enough room for me :) ... if the camera is too

big, I will leave it.

 

That's why I was looking into the 110 format. I dont carry a purse or bag when I leave the

house. Sometimes I wear cargo pants, sometimes not.

 

If all else fails, I will get an Olympus Stylus but I hope I dont take it out of my pockets

because its protruding or heavy.

<BR>New Orleans French Quarter Artist

<BR>by Philip Huntoon

<BR>Rollei A110<BR>23mm F2.8 Zeiss Tessar<BR>first generation of Kodak Kodacolor 400; a grainy film! circa 1978<BR><BR><img src="http://d6d2h4gfvy8t8.cloudfront.net/1319590-lg.jpg">

You would be better off going with a cheap, tiny digital, even a 1-2 MP model.

 

A Canon SD110/200/300 can easily slip in a pocket and will produce a much better image with many more options.

Or (cringe) a tiny APS camera, like a Canon ELPH. But don't spend a lot on it, since the APS film will probably be discontinued in 5 years or so. Buy used, not new.

 

Yeah, you get a smaller negative than 35mm, but few digital cameras have sensors larger than APS size, most are smaller.

Sabrina, I know you're concerned with size, but the Stylus Epic or the Elph (APS or digital) will be smaller than any 110 camera I've ever seen. Additionally, these cameras seem to fit in the hand better for single-handed shots than one of the flat 110 models. Of course, the extreme limitations of film choice make 110 even less appealing. My advice: go with a compact P&S 35mm.

years ago there was a tessina that used 35mm film in a small cartridge

but it used 35mm film. maybe not-so-practical.

 

there is a very small digital, it is advertised as fitting ion an alkoids ( mints) can. the small but pricey ( is it minolts?) may be perfect.

for a trial,

try one of the wal-mart $20.00 digitals for a starter/tryout

it's small and sort of crappy but it will start you out.

I have a pretty small aps camera, a fuji endevor 100. I like it, it takes "ok" pictures and it fits in any pocket. It has red eye reduction, a timer, auto-slow, and panoramic mode. I bought it at ritz for $6.00 a couple months ago. It is about 4 inches by under an inch by

a little over 2 inches. No, I will not claim it takes as good pictures as a good 35mm. However, for the money and size it cannot be beat. I see there are some 35mm cameras that are as small, however quite expensive. I also have a small "jazz jelly 110" camera I bought at family dollar for five bucks this last summer. It looks like a small 35mm camera. The pictures pretty much are all blurry. I think a small aps camera is a good choice, especially if you can pick one up cheap. Check Ritz at your mall.

I would like to add something to my previous response. I have posted about aps format before, and everyone says it is dead. If you check ebay however, you still see many aps cameras being sold, so someone likes it. Also I feel my aps camera takes as good photos as my HP 2.1 digital. One more point about the pocketability of a aps camera. I feel it is better to have a shot from a aps camera than no shot at all because you don't want to lug around a larger camera. I take mine with me everywere in my coat pocket or in the front pocket of my jeans.

I vote for the APS also. Been using one since day one of its introduction, and current generation of APS film is far better than their 110 counterparts. I have a cheap Kodak Advantix T-550 and a very nice Fuji Tiara ix for truly pocketable P&S. And I use the Minolta Vectis SLR system with very good result. The down side of course is Print film only. If the intention is to go for slide film or B&W, 35mm still is the choice, consider getting one of the smaller better quality P&S ( Contax T3 is top choice ) or shoot half frame ( Numerous olympus Pen on that big auction site )

 

 

Still, it might surprise a lot of you that 110 Slide is still available here in Asia. It was available not as a photographic supply but medical supply since some Diagnostic machine use this format for capturing image, but it will likely be discontinued soon as more of these machine goes to digital capturing

Film options have been previously noted, but if you're going to go with the 110 route, try and check out a Kodak Mini-Instamatic S-30 http://user.itl.net/~kypfer/110/mini-s30.htm ... no batteries, great lens, metal body and looks like a "real" spy camera ;-) The similar, but slightly more sophisticated S-40 http://user.itl.net/~kypfer/110/mini-s40.htm needs an obsolete battery.

 

As for 110 quality ... check out my little contribution to the concept on http://www.toptown.com/nowhere/kypfer/Scotland/index.htm .

 

My personal chioice for a compact pocketable camera usually tends towards one of my Olympus XA 35mm cameras, though my Advantix T500 APS camera http://user.itl.net/~kypfer/aps/advxt500.htm runs a very close second.

I'm overwhelmed by the choices (to say the least :D ). I suppose one thing to consider is if

the batteries are still

available for the unit.

 

Most likely, one roll of film will last me 5-6 months. This will be a rarely used camera.

Just to keep in my pocket for running around not expecting photo opts. I was running to

the post office the other day and could have kicked myself in the butt for not having a

camera; I missed a great photo opt.

 

My husband and I talked about this for a few days, so I posted here to get an unbiased

opinion (he's leaning towards the Olympus).

 

Another thing we talked about - if the film will stay in the camera so long (5-6 months),

what about light leaks with older models ... care to shed some light on this?

As if you don't have enough choices already Sabrina, the Minox

subminiature is what I think about when someone says "spy" camera.

However Minox has the same film problems as 110. I agree with

Daniel Taylor -- a Minolta X (e.g. X31 for $165) seems more suitable

given what you say. It's thinner than the Stylus Epic. Moreover

film does not like to be left undeveloped for 6 months.

I've made my decision (with a fried brain of camera overload :D ). You guys have been a

great help and have some very convincing arguments on all sides (which made my

decision even harder .. lol)...

 

I will get 2 cameras; one Olympus XA (i have one in the watch on Ebay or steal my hubby's

and he buys another) and the minox (or similar).

 

I have 2 coats that I like to wear, I'd hate to have on the wrong coat that day with just one

camera. For the bigger coat, I will have the Olympus in the pocket. The other, which is a

small fitted leather jacket with one inside pocket, I will carry the minox (or similiar).

 

 

they're both pretty cheap on Ebay and I have quite a few in the watch.

If you're going to go Minox, then remember that you have to buy processing mailers from somewhere (I'd reccommend B&H) in order to get the photos developed.

FWIW, I noticed my local Best Buy closing out 110 Fujicolor (Sensia?) 200 for $.10 (ten cents) per roll. Looked fresh and they seemed to have much.

 

I think there's some message there.

A few years back, I decided to get a small 35mm camera. The two smallest ones I found (that take regular canisters) are the Ricoh R1 and the Olympus Stylus Epic. Both are smaller than the 110 cameras I had when I was a kid.

 

I ended up getting the Ricoh, since it had a slightly better lens and better features. It served me well for 5 years before falling apart due to rough treatment. I replaced it with a Sony digital camera (P73) that is just a little bit bigger.

 

I also have a Canon Elph (which I bought for $30), which is fine for taking pictures during daylight. The flash does not have enough range to do much in lower light. The only problem is that I have to pay to get it processed, since the lab I work at does not process APS film.

 

Bottom line, if you want film, get the 35mm camera. The added picture quality make it worthwhile. You probably won't be able to find the R1, but you should be able to find the GR1 (the higher end version). Also, Rollei made a camera that essentially the same as the R1, it was one of their Prego series cameras. All of the Olympus P/S cameras I've used have been good.