Shipped from Japan, Studio C-41 reviews The Quicksnap Premium Kit II. As a result, Bill tricks Steven into doing their first camera review on a disposable camera.
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Our first camera review is in the Studio C-41 history books! We really enjoyed doing this camera review and we expect to do more reviews in the near future!
The QuickSnap Premium Kit II is an interesting camera. Only available in Japanese markets, this camera could only be purchased through private Etsy and Ebay stores or amazon.co.jp. While the camera can be purchased for approximately $35 USD, shipping can easily bring the price higher and as a result from this review, no better quality than what can be purchased at the local drugstore .
Honestly, there isn’t anything ‘premium’ about this camera other than the external enclosure and a neck strap.
The QuickSnaps feature a 27-exposure roll of Superia ISO 400 speed film. The plastic lens a fixed focal length of 32mm, a fixed aperture at f/10, and a fixed shutter speed of 1/140 sec. Superia 400 is a color saturated, light-hungry film, ultimately it makes this the ideal camera for bright sunny days and acceptable exposures on overcast days.
Because of its small aperture and wide angle lens, the camera does not require any manual focusing. Anything from 1-meter to infinity will fall within focus.
Lens sharpness is well… for a lack of a better description is along line of what is expected of a disposable camera. However, with that being said, The QuickSnap is probably one of the sharpest disposable cameras available on the market. In the sample images included below, ideal sharpness can be found towards the center of the frame while significant softness can be see in the edges.
The flash in the camera resulted a rather unpleasurable lighting result as the lightning is direct to the subject. While we define this look as ‘unpleasurable’, it does not discredit some wonderful photography by many photographers who have mastered the use of an in-camera flash.
Scanned on a Fujifilm Frontier at 6 megapixels. No adjustments.
While shooting the QuickSnap in the enclosure, Steven did notice holding the camera does make it slightly more comfortable. So there may be something ‘premium’ to this kit! However, word on the street is this camera is quite popular in Japan and it leaves us a little baffled by its popularity. Aside from slightly improved ergonomics, do not see any advantage to shooting a regular QuickSnap found in a local drug stores to the overpriced ‘Premium’ Kit.
While we did have fun and don’t think we downplay this camera. Some amazing photography can be made with disposable cameras. A previous guest on our show, Erik Jarvi, recommended a hiker he met long the Pacific Crest Trail. All of his images found on this Instagram feed are captured using a form of disposable camera and they are nothing short of amazing.
A very special thank you to Kevin Keegan of Woodlot Media for filming the review and to Dunwoody Photo for processing and scanning the film!
Images captured from this review may not be used without consent from Studio C-41.
Bill Manning
Host and Executive Producer for Studio C-41
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