Excellent lens even at full zoom. Good feel and seems to be better quality body.

The exposure compensation is hard to work and it has too many functions.

A good value and the camera feels better in your hands than a more plastic looking P & S. I'd say "buy one".

Customer Service

Haven't needed any.

Similar Products Used:

Leica Minilux , Pentax 928 and Yashica zoom 120

Variety of functions
Price
Long zoom for a P&S

Size
Maybe too many functions
Metering

After having read so many positive reviews for this camera, I was definitely disappointed with its performance. I found the auto focus to be slow and often unreliable, and the metering to be off. Many of the pictures I took with this camera, both outdoors and indoors, came back very washed out, especially skin tones. The focus issues may have been attributable to user error, but the exposure problems seemed to have been the camera's fault. Though the 145mm lens is impressive for a point and shoot, the camera's consequent size and weight were inconvenient, particularly in light of the fact that so many other cameras are featuring long telephoto lenses in pocket size bodies. After having shot several rolls of various films of various speeds, as well as trying different developers, I wound up exchanging this camera (no hassles at Ritz) for a Canon Sureshot Classic 120 which I have found to be much more to my liking, both in terms of ease of use and picture quality.

Customer Service

N/A

Similar Products Used:

Canon Sureshot Classic 120

Produces great pictures.
Large number of features for its price.
Can easily be used by a left-eyed photographer.
Sturdy body.

Doesn't remember EC settings.

Easy to use and produces great pictures. I have been taking landscape shots and close-ups of parrots, and both types have come out great with crisp pictures and outstanding detail using the macro mode for the parrots. I highly recommend this camera.

Customer Service

Haven't needed any service, but a 3 year warranty was included in the purchase price.

Similar Products Used:

Olympus Stylus Epic 140
Minolta Freedom Zoom 150

Bought on basis of good amateur reviews. Referenced lens sharpness may be it's only real good strength but I personally actually like the larger heavier camera compared to some point and shoots. Had no trouble operating the basic controls. The camera is an attractive grey and the leather like soft case is beautiful. It is extremely comfortable shooting left eyed. The eye piece dioptor correction is fabulous. To me it appears to be a beautiful 'right' camera for a larger package in the breed.

Too many settings, intriquing to have and may have merit, but am disappointed in normal settings.
My purchased camera underexposes in normal flash mode and without flash. Negatives from set up shots side by side with our Olympus Epic look weak, and the difference is almost a whole stop! Very dissapointed! I bought this one to take stuff at our wedding, never used it, had a friend with a Pentax IQ shoot with great results. Larger size does not bother me, although it sure doesn't hide in your pocket.

I decided on the camera, and went in to buy it. I have seen enough user reviews on the internet about it, and never saw a bad word about it, even though the usual limitations from a point and shoot were mentioned. The Ritz store in this Connecticut area was no help after I bought it. They were laughing at me and told me to get a slide projector after I showed them an underexposed test slide with the conventional flash mode. It was underexposed and outdoors on the water in daylight showing houses on the shore. They said: "Well, it has a lot of blue in it." They said I don't know how to work the buttons. What buttons? No flash, that's what button. It was a normal non flash photo outdoors with the sun to my back. They didn't help me with satisfaction. They didn't want to know me after I bought it. I suspect quality varies very greatly with some tail end lots. Ritz has their name on the box, and originally I called the 800 sales number, and they said they have "oh, a thousand in stock", even though I saw reference to it being discontinued by Samsung. I never used the camera at our wedding for candids which is why I bought it and a friend's Pentax IQ Zoom was used and did a beautiful job! What I heard to expect out of a better point and shoot by an amateur. And I handed him the same film to use that I had bought and used in this camera, same time and source. He just points and shoots. I just hope I can persuade Samsung to check out this camera. It's been a while since I bought it, I am disheartened and was so upset before the wedding I put it in the drawer to not look at. I want it to be me, not the camera! I want to believe in this camera! Anyone who has advice for me on this camera that sits in the drawer uselessly, and some advice on the Samsung organization, please email me:
bear@esslink.com
Guess I have to set and use EC for everything every time I fire it up. The film was shot with the supplied battery right away and shouldn't make any difference in exposure with a fresh store bought one.

Customer Service

Not from the store, they say it's me. maybe so, I havent proved it yet. No help beyond that. Haven't tackled Samsung about the problem yet. Soon. I guess for me my first and last experience with Ritz, after buying two cameras from them, the Maxima and the Epic for my wife to carry around! (nice camera! fixed lens)

Similar Products Used:

Pentax IQ Zoom, Olympus Epic

Long zoom, lots of features (exposure compensation, mult. exposure, mult. flash modes), lightweight, sharp lens, fairly durable

Lens is S-L-O-W!!!! Only f/4 at 38mm and a whopping f/11 at 145 - this means a lot of zoomed shots come out underexposed, even outside, also makes it extemely liable to camera shake. Buttons take some getting used to (esp. for exposure compensation).

Overall, I really like it now that I've gotton used to it. I'll probably mostly use it now for when I just want to snap some quick photos or smuggle it in my purse or something. Keep in mind though unless you're shooting in BRIGHT SUNLIGHT a photo taken at a long focal length (zoomed way out) will probably come back underexposed = dark and grainy. Zoom does at a lot of versitility for framing.

Customer Service

no need

Similar Products Used:

EOS Rebel 2000 (just got it a few weeks ago)

The only thing I can think of is that it is light weight

Everything! This is an terrible camera. Pictures are blurry. Shutter is so slow!

I used this camera for my daughters college graduation. It took such bad pictures. Some were dark and others to much light. Took it on vacation and when other people took pictures of us, they all said the view finder was blurry.

Customer Service

No need. Just a poorly designed camera.

Similar Products Used:

vivitar minolta

Excellent color and quality without a lot of fuss.

I would like a red-eye reduction feature. If it has one, I haven't found it yet! I tend to blink in photos and red-eye reduction would help me.

My husband and I received this camera before our honeymoon to Brazil. We saw such beautiful sights and prayed that our pictures would come out, because we never used the camera before. The pictures were near perfect. It almost feels like we're there when we look at the photos.

Similar Products Used:

None

None

None

I love the zoom on this camera. I did not want to have to bother with lenses and found this to be a good alternative. It takes really nice pictures and offers many features without getting too complicated.

Similar Products Used:

None

Long zoom for size,
one of the most compact size 35mm with 140 zoom.

No

Looked for a portable camera to bring to Disneyworld instead of my canon SLR. This is definitely small & compact, still can't compare to the SLR, but still takes great pictures. Some of the 'modes' are of dubious value, but for the size, price, and zoom, you can't beat it. Paid around $220.

Similar Products Used:

None

I love the ease of having the zoom in one place. You can get very close as well as take panoramic pictures on the same film.

Since I'm an amateur, I tend to point and shoot. The red-eyes do appear but not as much depending on how close you are.

I really love this camera. I keep "borrowing" my father's until I can afford my own. Everyone we've let try it has liked it too. It's very basic but can be used to accomplish more creative photos as well with the options enclosed. You just have to read up on what it's capable of doing. I'm really pleased and have recommended it to several people as a good casual but quality camera.

Similar Products Used:

None