Olympus IS-20 DLX QD 35mm Film Camera

I love cameras and taking pictures. I had a regular 35 mm point and shoot and wasn't really in the market for a new camera. While strolling through Sears one day, I spotted the Olympus IS-20 Quartz date. I fell in love instantly!

I had to have that camera. I did not buy it that day, I wanted to research it a little bit. I came home and got right on Epinions and read some great ones on this camera. I was convinced I needed that camera!

I researched on the net so I could get the best price. I then went back to Sears only to to be told that they had sold out and they could sell me the floor model which was used and abused for the same price as a brand new one. No thank you.

I drove across to Target and was told they too had sold out, but they would be getting some more within a couple of weeks. Not one to give up so easily, I drove to Circuit City. I was just in time as they had only one left. I quickly bought it.

I also bought several rolls of film, batteries and a camera case for my new treasure.

I was so excited and couldn't wait to get home and dress my dog up so I could get some pictures!

I quickly read through the manual that came with it and put the batteries in and the roll of film. Then the cute hats on the dog!

The camera is very easy to operate. There are four modes in which to take your pictures. They are: Portrait, landscape, stop action and night scene. I usually take my pictures in the Portrait mode. This leaves the backgound slightly fuzzy with the subject sharp and clean.

So far, I have only gotten one roll developed and the pictures were clean and sharp. I have since gotten a roll of professional back and white, and used up the roll, but was told at the film drop-off that it takes 3 weeks to get those back, so I haven't seen them yet.

The camera itself is a little heavy and it has a very thin strap. I am afraid the camera is going to drop off the strap, so I don't use it.

It has a sleek design and a silver finish. The lenscap is black and comes open when you turn the camera on. The flash comes up when the camera is turned on as well. You have to manually close these things when you turn off the camera.

There is a lcd display on the top of the camera that displays the amount of film used and what mode you are in. It is next to the exposure mode selection. This display does not work when the camera is turned off to save battery. Sometimes I wished it did, so I could see how much film I have left in the camera.

The quartz date display lcd is on the rear of the camera. There are different settings for these or you can turn it off completely.

The flash is extremely bright and there is a warning that it could temporarily damage eyesight after using it. I try to avoid using the flash with my newborn and my puppy.

The camera comes with a one year warranty. Some other features are: 28-110mm Auto focus SLR, glass aspherical lens element, zoom macro as close as 2.5 feet, fuzzy logic programmed esp auto exposure, 4 different exposure modes, spot metering, date imprinting, red-eye reduction, dioptric correction for viewfinder sharpness.

So far, I have been really pleased with this camera. The pictures are crisp and beautiful. I can't wait to see the black and whites!