Nikon Lite Touch Zoom 130 ED QD 35mm Film Camera

I tried the Pentax 130, the Canon 115u, an Olympus Stylus 120, and a Nikon One Touch Zoom 90 all with the same result... a trip back to the store with a camera to return. The Pentax took great pictures, but had horrendous red-eye issues. The Canon 115u had red-eye issues and the pictures seemed dark and underexposed. The Olympus Stylus was nice, did not have red-eye problems, but too many of the photos came out fuzzy and seemed slightly out of focus. The Nikon 90 produced good pictures with little to no red-eye, I would recommend the Nikon 90 for someone on a tight budget, but I realized I wanted more focusing points and a faster shutter speed, both of which are available on Nikon's higher end models. To be fair to each camera, I developed the the photos from all of the above cameras at the same place, so it was easy to compare apples to apples.

Since I liked the Nikon 90's pictures and the Olympus camera's body style, I bought the Nikon Lite Touch 130, which has a similar body style to the Olympus with the sliding front cover and pop-up flash. The pictures I took with the Nikon Lite Touch 130 were very clear and in focus, had minimal to no red-eye, and were the most color-accurate of any of the cameras I tried. Even on full 130 zoom, the pictures turned out crystal clear.

The problem with red-eye is a result of camera manufacturers placing the flash too close to the lense. This is an inherent problem on most of these compact cameras. The Nikon 90 (not the camera being reviewed here) is one of the few 35 mm cameras without the pop-up flash that has the flash located in the correct location (approx. 1.75-2" away), so you rarely if ever even need the red-eye reduction feature. Cameras with the pop-up flash are also going to have less red-eye because the flash is located farther from the lense. The Nikon Lite Touch 130 has a pop-up flash, which is a good feature in my opinion, and the pictures I took with this camera had minimal to no red-eye issues in normal lighting. A few pictures taken with the Nikon 130 where I was in very dimly lit situations, or where I was too far from the subject for the red-eye reduction light to have an effect, did have noticeable red eye.

The photos I took with the zoom also turned out great. Note: using zoom over about 90mm on distant subjects will probably produce somewhat grainier photos unless you use a tripod and at least 800 speed film. The main reason I like a higher zoom is so you can zoom in on a subject which is fairly close and in focus, while at the same time achieving a blurred background effect.

Nikon's literature stated that this camera had exclusive Nikon ED glass lens technology for incredibly sharp, color accurate photographs. I typically am not swayed by this sort of marketing, because the proof is in the pudding. But I would have to agree, after comparing the photos from all of the above cameras that I tried, the Nikon Lite Touch 130 produced the clearest, most colorfully accurate photos of the bunch, so I can't really deny Nikon's claim.

This Nikon also has the following features: high quality lens with 7 elements in 5 groups (meaning more of the picture area will accurately be in focus), focal range from approx. 2.5 ft to infinity, shutter speeds from 2 to 1/500 sec (higher shutter speed = less blurring on action shots), exclusive Nikon ED glass lens technology for incredibly sharp photographs, up to 628-step wide-area passive autofocus system which ensures focusing accuracy, a real-image zoom viewfinder with diopter adjustment for easier viewing with or without glasses, automatic film load and rewind plus mid-roll rewind, quartz date allows you to imprint the date/time on front of each photo (cancelable), panorama mode for expansive scenic shots, self timer with option for using a remote control, flash features 5-mode operation to ensure great photos under most lighting conditions including Auto Flash, Flash Cancel, Anytime Flash, Slow Sync, and Red-eye Reduction. Note: any time you replace the batteries, you need to reset the date/time stamp and whether it is activated or not.

Also, to be fair in my glowing review... all these little point and shoot cameras have a major drawback: a fairly long delay before the picture is taken for one of three reasons: ONE - It takes a moment for the camera to focus on the subject, TWO - if you use the red eye reducer at all, it takes another moment for the red eye reducer to activate before the picture snaps. And finally THREE, if you take a picture it takes about 5 seconds for the flash to re-charge before another picture can be taken, even with a brand new battery.

Finally, I have noticed a difference in developing from different places and even different services at the same place. When trying out all of these cameras I used Sam's Club one hour developing. Pictures from Sam's taken with the good cameras typically turned out great. I've also used Walmart's one hour service and had good results. However, there is a noticeable decline in picture quality when using Walmart's standard 3 day send away developing! Go figure. I've also used "professional" developing where I live. The quality of the photos is usually great, but it costs two to three times as much and I really don't think photos turn out any better than Sam's or Walmart's one hour service.

I am a perfectionist and know what I want to see (my wife thinks I'm crazy for buying and returning all those cameras) but I'm finally seeing the results I am looking for with the Nikon 130... clear, vibrant, detailed photos. I'm so trigger happy I look for any excuse now to take pictures with this camera. The Nikon Lite Touch line is a little more pricey than comparable brands, but well worth the money in my opinion. I bought this camera just before most of the stores started taking film cameras off the shelves in favor of the digital camera wave. But, if you are still looking for a film camera, I would highly recommend any of the Nikon line, particularly the Lite Touch 130 and Lite Touch 150, for their superb optics, focusing capabilities, and accurate color matching.