Canon ELPH LT 260

Review Date
June 1, 2003

Overall Rating
 1 of 5

Value Rating
 1 of 5

Used product for
More than 1 year

Visitors rate this review
1.00 of 5, 1 votes

Reviewed by
Danielle , Intermediate

Price Paid
$150.00

Photography Experience
6-10 years , Outdoor

Summary
This is absolutely the worst product I have had the misfortune of owning. I bought it for the panoramic function before a trip to Europe - most of my pictures didn't turn out. The function for night pictures is particularly awful.

Strengths
- small
- can take daytime panaoramic pictures

Weaknesses
- forget about taking night time pictures such as city scapes
- battery dies quickly
- can't change film mid-roll (not that using 100, 200 or 400 film makes much of a difference - none turned out)

Similar Products Used
Fuji 550t
Kodak Advantix

Customer Service
This was probably the most disappointing aspect of owning this product - after developing my blurry night pictures, I called to inquire how I could take better pictures (giving the product the benefit of a doubt - perhaps I was the problem, not the camera?) Unfortunately, the customer service folks were absolutely usless, and not only gave me misleading information, but didn't give any encouraging opinions on the camera.

Review Date
May 9, 2003

Overall Rating
 1 of 5

Value Rating
 2 of 5

Used product for
More than 1 year

Visitors rate this review
5.00 of 5, 1 votes

Reviewed by
NixMom730 , Expert , from Freehold, NJ

Price Paid
$125.00 at Sears

Photography Experience
11-20 years , People

Summary
I had an awesome Nikon One Touch 35 MM for 11 years that I had to replace, so I decided to check out this tiny Canon Elph. I bought it at Sears in April 2000 and the photos were decent, plus the compact size was great for my little handbags.

HOWEVER, in the past year, the subjects in my photos started coming out blurry and dark. A subject could be dead center, at the minimum distance, but blurry because the camera chose to meter something else in the background. Not good because now I was taking some of my most cherished photos of all: Chronicles of my first baby's growth, development and other good stuff. Seeing these blurry photos was heartbreaking.

The owner of the place I always go to for film processing suggested I replace the battery with a new one and wait for the flash to fully charge between shots. This worked for a short while, but maybe because I took a lot of outdoor photos in last summer. But I still had blurry and dark indoor photos.

After shooting another roll of film, WITH another new battery, and ending up with terrible shots, the owner of my photo store told me that there seems to be a problem with a LOT of Canon ELPH APS cameras; he told me that there are serious problems with the light meter and autofocus because even though you're focusing on a subject, the camera's meter looks for lighter or brighter objects around or even in front of your subject and focuses instead on those objects, not the subject you've locked into.

So, buyers beware of this defect. I, of course only got the extended 2-year warranty. The camera must have known that the warranty expired.

Strengths
Great size and lightweight. I like the index of thumbnail photos you get with APS developing.

Weaknesses
Defective meter and lens! The size might not be so good for big hands - your fingers can also be "read" by the autofocus.

Similar Products Used
Nikon One Touch. Just ordered a Nikon Coolpix 4300 Digital Camera - which I'll review once I try it out. I'm excited about returning to Nikon!

Customer Service
Okay.

Review Date
February 12, 2003

Overall Rating
 4 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
More than 1 year

Reviewed by
Lulu , Casual

Price Paid
$100.00 at some web site online

Photography Experience
2-5 years , People

Summary
clear pictures, love APS

Strengths
small, cute, clear pictures

Weaknesses
zoom sucks

Similar Products Used
have been using this camera for years

Customer Service
never had the need for them

Review Date
April 12, 2002

Overall Rating
 2 of 5

Value Rating
 2 of 5

Used product for
1 to 3 months

Reviewed by
Joanna Steller , Casual , from Vancouver

Price Paid
$2.00 at Future Shop

Photography Experience
2-5 years , People

Summary
I found that although this camera has three differnt picture modes it was a very usuless camera. It needs to be set very often and therfore making it less efficent. The pictures were of 80% quality meaning that 20% became blurry. I would recommend this camera for people who are taking ourdoor pictures only.

Strengths
3 mode picture setting, and film

Weaknesses
efficency

Customer Service
was great in returning without a problem

Review Date
February 7, 2002

Overall Rating
 4 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
More than 1 year

Reviewed by
JK , Intermediate , from Rockville, MD USA

Price Paid
$150.00 at Ritz Camera

Photography Experience
2-5 years , Outdoor

Summary
Overall a very nice little camera. Great bang for the buck. I paid a little more because I got it when it was first introduced, but one may be obtained nowadays for $100-$120. Its compact size and mulitple features are its greatest assets, and with a bit of picture taking know-how, you can get some great shots. With a little reading about lighting, metering, focusing, composing, and film selection, you can turn those out-of-focus, poorly-lit snapshots into great photographs. I originally bought it for photographing friends and family for vacations and special occasions, but found myself using it for landscape, sports action, and even some macro photography. Lugging around my SLR can be a pain sometimes, especially going through airports. The zoom feature allows for creative framing, and the APS function yields decent panoramics. I shoot mostly in the H format in case I want to enlarge to a panoramic print. Although some are disappointed with the ELPH's performance, you must realize that it's still just a point-and-shoot and not an SLR with its multiple exposure features and TTL (through-the-lens) viewing. Accept its limitations and you won't be disappointed.

Strengths
-Stylish, lightweight, compact size, price
-Multiple flash functions - auto/red eye reduction/fill flash/slow-sync(night)
-Sharp and contrasty in good light. I shoot mostly with natural light and use a tripod when using slower speed film. Enlargements of 5x7 and even 8x10 have been very acceptable. The use of the self-timer added to the sharpness. I use 400 or 800 speed film for people, action, and indoor shots, and anytime I hand-hold the camera. Kodak offers black-and-white APS film which has yielded some nice portrait and landscape photos for me. I use Fuji APS film for color for its natural skin tone and fine grain.

Weaknesses
-Small size and weight makes it hard to hold steady at first. Will improve with practice. Use fast film for better sharpness.
-Though multiple flash and custom functions are great to have, keep the manual handy in the beginning. Buttons are a bit small.
-Flash is a little weak, but to be expected for a point-and-shoot. Sufficient for most everyday photography.
-Though stated, not a real mid-roll change.
-Cost of development

Similar Products Used
Canon ELPH2
Olympus Stylus
Fuji APS

Customer Service
Not needed.