APS Features; P&S Usability (Nikon Pronea S)
Written: Aug 19 '99 (Updated Aug 28 '00)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: APS with 35mm features, ease of use of a point & shoot.
Cons: Expensive.
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| Howard_Creech's Full Review: Nikon Pronea S Film Camera |
The introduction of any new film format is always followed by complaints that the manufacturers didn't provide an adequate selection of tools to capitalize on the new formats strengths. The film and camera manufactures who worked together to develop the Advanced Photo System must have been sensitive to the complaints, because shortly after APS films started showing up in stores, cameras that were designed to maximize the benefits of the new film were introduced. APS is a format that is primarily targeted at those who shoot color prints, and for this reason any camera introduced in the APS format must be capable of Point & Shoot operation. However, why limit your options to just point and shoot?
The Nikon Pronea S is the second generation of this ground breaking "bridge" camera. Cameras that offer the convenience and ease of a Point & Shoot while allowing the photographer the options that are usually associated with Pro and serious amateur cameras, are rare birds...but the Pronea S fits the bill. Features like interchangeable lenses (a series of compact AF Nikkors designed for the Pronea, or the entire line of AF Nikkors designed for Nikon's 35mm cameras) pop up flash GN 52(ft) with ISO 200 film, Full Auto Program mode (point & shoot) shiftable program AE, shutter and aperture priority, and four vari programs (much like the Nikon N70), three D matrix metering, plus spot metering, matrix balanced fill flash, and built in eyepiece dioptre correction.
How does the Pronea S measure up? Very well indeed. The camera is as versatile as the Nikon N70 and as simple to use as any point and shoot camera on the market. The design is very stylish, the camera is lightweight, and the controls are easy to understand and use (you must spend a little time familiarizing yourself with instruction booklet first) So if you want the convenience and ease of a Point & Shoot camera, plus the creative options usually offered only with 35mm auto focus cameras, the Nikon Pronea S may be just what you are looking for. A word of warning, the Pronea S is not cheap, expect to plunk down somewhere between $1000 and $1500, depending on lens selection.
Update 6/9/00 The APS format has turned out to be a bit less popular than expected. This has caused the incredible price drop in the Pronea S. The two lens kit now runs less than $400.00 (which amounts to a sixty per cent drop in a year) If you are in the market for a bargain APS camera the Pronea S is worthy of careful consideration.
Update #2 8/27/00 Like the 110, disc, and 126 film formats that came before, the developers/marketers of the APS format seem to have over estimated consumer demand. While it is hard to believe that Nikon, Canon, Fuji, Kodak, et al never considered that the new digital technology (developed and introduced, by the same industry "leaders" listed above, during the same time frame as APS) would quickly overshadow conventional silver based photography. The good news is that consumers looking for camera bargains can find lots of APS cameras selling for half (or less) of the prices asked 1-2 years ago. The bad news is that APS seems unlikely to survive (and compete) over the longterm. Thirty five millimeter is well established and will retain a core following no matter what happens on the digital photography horizon. However, the marketplace just isn't deep or wide enough to support a "new" film format with the very real limitations of APS (small negs, expensive (proprietary) processing, and lack of universal acceptance) and the digicam "revolution" simultaneously.
Recommended:
Yes
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Howard_Creech
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Member: Howard Creech
Location: Louisville, KY
Reviews written: 334
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Photographer/Writer fascinated by Movies, Music, Books, American Diner Food, History, "Popular Culture", and Travel.
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