FUJIFILM Discovery 290 35mm Film Camera

I've always loved to take pictures, but I must admit that I am not a great photographer by any means. Forget about using an SLR camera with a bunch of buttons and settings. I want something that is simple to use and that makes just about any hack (well, myself to be specific), pretty much guaranteed to take a decent picture.

After a disaster at the beach last summer, in which my good old point and shoot was buried in the sand (resulting in getting sand inside the camera and basically ruining it), I recently decided to get a new 35 mm camera. My needs were simple. I wanted something affordable, with a zoom, that was easy to use, and most importantly, took great pictures. I am happy to say that I found a great camera in the Fuji Discovery 290 Zoom Date.

The Discovery 290 is made by Fuji and has a strong reputation for making great cameras for just about any need. Small, lightweight, and yet very solid, the Discovery 290 is also simple to use and takes excellent pictures. Plus, at a price of $109.00, it is a very affordable camera.

Features - One of the nicest features of this camera, is that it has drop in film loading. No messing around with wrapping the film around internal mechanisms and risking problems with it winding properly. Simply drop in the film canister and shut the back of the camera. Plus, the pre-winding mechanism makes it easy to know how many pictures you have left (as it counts backwards). Additional features include: red-eye reduction, a self timer (10 seconds), optional remote shutter control, and a date/time printing option.

Specifications - The Discovery 290 also features a 38 - 90mm zoom lens. What this means is that you can take great pictures either close up or from a distance (which, I found was quite a decent amount away). The auto flash insures that pictures won't come out too dark and there is no need to turn anything on or off; the camera take care of this for you. The Discover 290 is powered by a CR123 battery that is sold separately for around $5.00. I have found that the CR123 batteries last about a year or so, depending on the use of the camera (I tend to take a lot of pictures).

Ease of use - The Discovery 290 is an extremely easy camera to use. Simply point and shoot. The viewfinder is large and easy to see through. You have two options for the viewfinder, depending on the amount of zoom that the camera is set at, but once you get used to using it, it is really easy to judge which option to use. The size of the Discovery 290 is also pretty small (4.93 x 3 x 2 in.) and the camera weighs only 9.1 ounces. This make it an ideal camera to take just about anywhere. Plus, it feels really nice while using it and it is simple to reach all of the buttons when needed.

Picture quality - Excellent. This is my third point and shoot camera and I can honestly say that I have rarely taken a bad picture with it. Even if you aren't the world's greatest photographer (like myself), and just use this camera to take pictures of family, pets, and some fairly active images (sports, etc), the Discover 290 really works well.

If you are looking for an affordable camera that is easy to use and is packed with features, you may want to give the Fuji Discovery 290 a try. This is the ideal 35mm point and shoot camera for anyone who doesn't want to mess around with complicated buttons or settings and simply wants to take great pictures of whatever moments they are trying to capture. Plus, the results of this camera are really great, and most people wouldn't believe that you got such great shots from a point and shoot.