<And, you wonder why American tourists are not universally loved?>

I am still speechless over this one.

When this terrible accident happens Howard, I will run immediately all the way down the Tower and pick up the camera from the grass at the bottom, or jump overboard and swim the canal. OK?

Hi Suze, I knew exactly what you meant! My late DH dropped his fantastic camera over the side of our boat. Bye, bye camera. I guess it had a nice trip from the CA Delta, down the Carquinez Straight, through SF Bay and is know enjoying the Pacific Ocean. Or it is sleeping with the fishes in the bottom of the Delta.

And yes, my camera is sentimental to me. Guess who gave it to me? Thanks for understanding.

Howard.....Apologize to all Americans for that imbecilic comment. Or, apologize for the stupidity of not recognizing the sarcasm.

LoveI

Seeing that the camera has that type of sentimental value, why not put it on a shelf and <u>never</u> use it...that's what I would do.

But do yourself a favor and go buy a &quot;real&quot; camera for your needs.

LoveItaly: I, too, have been using the Kodak (but more often Fuji) cameras for some time now and always marvel at the good quality of the photos. Remember, these are 35mm cameras, just one use as opposed to a permanent camera that you may not want to travel with. I question how someone who pans their use really knows of the quality. Anyway, here is a tip - once you are finished with your camera, stop into a photo shop. They can process an index for you so that your film is not ruined before returning home should you not want to have the film processed. The camera is recycled and you only have the index and negatives to pack. Once home you can have the negatives processed.

babs001 - Be careful with nomenclature. What you're suggesting is to have the film &quot;processed&quot;, and wait until getting home to have the pictures &quot;printed&quot;.

You cannot take the film out and not have them processed, unless you keep them in a light-sealed bag, which is not what you're suggesting.

---

As for the general discussion. Good photographers can get good pictures with the cheapest disposable, but bad photographers cannot get good pictures with the best equipment.

But having said that, there are real limitations what one can do with a &quot;disposable&quot;. You can't control exposure, so in difficult situations like back-lit subjects, a composition with lots of white (snow) or black, etc, you can't get proper exposure. You're relying on the wide exposure lattitude of modern print film (especially 400 speed ones) to hope things are more-or-less printable.

Or, the flash is usually pretty weak, and there's no long-exposure mode; so at night, the only thing that will show up is subject that's close to the camera and within flash range. Forget dark backgrounds.

And there's no zoom, so one has to adjust the distance between you and the subject manually - i.e. walking. Your subject needs to be close enough to you, or else you'll need a magnifying glass to find them; and if you have a tall/wide background (like the Big Ben or other building/structure), both you and your subject needs to move away from the background. If only you move, then your subjects are too small; if none move, you can't get the whole building, etc...

These cameras also don't focus. They use a relatively small aperture to keep most stuff in focus. But that means subjects that are close can't be very sharp.

Those are the main limitations for a disposable camera. And like others have said, what you see in the viewfinder is not exactly what you get. Especially for close-up objects. But this is not limited to disposable. Any point-and-shoot will have the same problem.

I also agree that proper point-and-shoot cameras are so cheap these days. For example, the Konica-Minolta Zoom 60 Date has zoom, auto-focus, and date-printing. For &lt;$50.

Even SLRs are pretty cheap now. A Canon Rebel GII with a 35-80 zoom lens is only about $180.

Hi Babs, thank you so much for this info. I will do that for sure. Great idea. I have never used a disposal (or whatever the proper word is) before so I sure appreciate all the good advice.

Rkkwan, while I was typing this response I just saw your post. Thank you for all your information. Now I am thinking that probably buying a camera like you suggested would be a sensible way to go so I have it for travels. I appreciate all the tech details you took the time to tell me. I am sure many others here will appreciate it also.

Now about you Placeu2. I don't know what part of my post you do NOT understand. I DO use my camera, thank you very much. I use it a lot. I just DONOT want to take it through airports anymore due to it almost getting stolen on my last trip.

Is that alright with you? Geez, I appreciate all thoughts on the subject but when I make a suggestion to someone asking for opinions I don't get all sarcastic with them if they decide to listen to posters that have a different idea then I do.

&lt;You cannot take the film out and not have them processed, unless you keep them in a light-sealed bag, which is not what you're suggesting.&gt;

I take the film roll out of the disposable camera, but it is still in the normal plastic casing, &amp; carry that only home to be developed.

I use a digital camera, and have gotten really spoiled with looking at the picture before it gets developed.

I lost my first digital camera ($600) on our flight to Chicago last year, and ended up buying a disposable for the weekend. I am ashamed to admit that I still have it, undeveloped.

I've gotten spoiled with the instant technology.

Love Italy, I totally understand
the &quot;sentimental&quot; component and I
feel you should do what is most
comfortable for you. I have used disposable cameras for underwater with good luck, I have a tiny Cannon
ELPH 35MM that fits in my purse
and Mr.R5 has an old fashioned
Nikon, mostly lugged for car trips.

Maybe we'll go digital, someday.
:))
The &quot;sentimental&quot; camera stays at home
safe and sound.
Have a super trip!
R5

Hi razzledazzle, I know it is going to be a wonderful trip! And I too will get a digital but don't want to bother with that right now.

Hope you are having sunshine. We are! Have a good week.

LoveItaly, have a wonderful trip :)

Thank you seetheworld. I am going to Atlanta - if Mother Nature hasn't blown it away or drowned it by the time I get there.

I told my friend I will never again complain about N CA weather. The weather news yesterday sounded like parts of the SE of the US really got hit bad.

Thanks for your good thoughts.

Only a duck could love this weather (2 inches of rain today)...ugh! I hope Atlanta brings you blue skies and warm temps ((#))

Thank you seetheworld. I am going to talk to my friend at the end of the week because I have no idea to pack. Maybe wading boots, LOL.

No matter what the weather is I will have a wonderful time. And never having visited Atlanta it will be intersting to become acquainted with a city I have always heard so much about.

But I sure hope for all of you that you start getting some spring weather.
Not much to brag about in the Sacramento Valley either BTW.

Wow - This thread is a prime example of how the printed word can be misinterpreted. I read suze's comments about dropping cameras over the Eiffel Tower the same as Howard - that it was intentional. Nothing stated otherwise, and that's just how it read to me. Glad to know I was wrong!

I also read placeu's latest response as legitimate. S/he suggests that if you have a camera with deep sentimental value, save it as a treasure, rather than using it and risking losing/damaging it. Buy a &quot;traveling&quot; camera to have for vacations, but something better than a disposible. A sentimental camera (or any other item) is best kept safe at home. I never read it as a slam on you for choosing not to take your camera on this trip, but a legitimately understanding post. Who knows? Maybe I'm wrong again.

As a photographer, I'd turn my nose up at the disposable cameras due to the grainy results of the standard 800 ISO film they use.

HOWEVER, unless you're thinking of enlarging these photos for hanging, the disposable should suit you fine. The 800 ISO will actually help you in low lighting situations.

Just concentrate on having a great time and capturing some fond memories! :)

First of all, thanks jlm_mi for preserving my sanity!
kkraczek's comments point out why there's a difference of opinion on the subject. We serious photographers (whether amateurs or professionals) don't disdain the use of the throwaway cameras, but we do know the difference in the quality of the exposure of the photographs they produce when compared to their more expensive cousins.
Composition-wise, a good photographer will take a good picture regardless of the camera used; conversely, it'll make no difference how expensive a camera a bad photographer uses.
I can certainly understand having a sentimental attachment to an old camera. But to not take a camera on vacation simply because you're afraid of losing or damaging it makes no sense to me! Why did you buy it in the first place? And as for it falling into the ocean or off the Eiffel Tower....well, that's what camera straps were made for!
And, finally, the argument about film taking up space in your luggage. C'mon!

LoveItaly,

I sincerely meant that your camera should be cherished in the way that jlm interpreted my post. I meant no disrespect and in fact I appreciate the sentimentality of keepsakes such as these.

Sorry for not being clearer with that post. At any rate, have a good trip!

I'm still cracking up from yesterday with this crazy picture in my mind... me merrily tossing my disposable camera from high above off the Eiffel Tower!

Thanks for a good thread LoveItaly et al.