click for bigger image click for bigger image Its intuitively simple mode dial and ergonomically designed zoom buttons make shooting with the Prima Zoom 85 simple. And that means less time fiddling with the camera and more time to get the shot you want. It is so easy to use that even a child can operate it -- just point and shoot, with Canon's built-in and highly accurate AiAf (Artificial Intelligent Autofocusing) system, your photos will always be razor-sharp, even if your subject isn't in the centre of the frame. The camera also has a Real-time Release function on the mode dial and the shutter response becomes instant to allow you to capture those special moments that pass in the blink of an eye. I find this feature to be suitable for me personally since I am not used to the slightly slower response of most compact cameras due to their shutter time-lag delays after years of using 35mm SLR cameras. click for bigger image However, you can't use the Real-time Release function in all situations like available light photography because the flash will fire off automatically whenever the camera detects a low light situation, depending on the ISO film speed loaded. Flash functions include two automatic modes (one with, one without Red-Eye Reduction) where the camera senses the light level and fires the flash accordingly. In using Red-Eye Reduction, the flash pre-fires a second or so before the Flash exposure, causing the subject's pupils to contract, thus greatly reducing the red-eye effect. click for bigger image click for bigger image All the pictures in this issue were shot using an ISO 100-speed colour slide film. In the camera's instruction manual, Canon recommended to use the camera with ISO 400 film for best results since the zoom lens' maximum apertures of f/4.2-/8.7 does not always provide sufficient flash coverage when using the camera's built-in flash indoor. The Prima Zoom 85 also has a Forced flash mode function that allows you to use the flash even in bright light conditions -- especially useful when your subject is illuminated from behind. This feature allows you to fill-in the shadow area of backlighted subjects. click for bigger image There is also a Flash Off and a Slow-Synchro mode for improved night time exposures. A tripod is essential when photographing night-time scenes without using flash since the shutter speed selected by the Prima 85 will be too slow to freeze the movements, resulting in camera shake. This picture was shot without a tripod and if one examines it carefully, certain elements in the picture are blurred due to camera shake. click for bigger image Since the Prima Zoom 85 has a built-in 38-85mm zoom lens, certain photography techniques are possible when using this camera. For example, the 38mm wide-angle focal length will give you the opportunity to experiment a wide-angle lens' tendency to exaggerate perspective distortion like this picture here which showed the tree in the foreground to be larger than the building in the background. click for bigger image click for bigger image As mentioned earlier, the camera is capable of shooting close-up pictures as well. Of course, it is not extreme close-ups but close enough to enable you to shoot subjects like flowers, portraits or any other smaller subjects the size of a coffee table book. As with any compact rangefinder cameras, parallax line errors are inside the Prima Zoom 85 to warn you of where to place the subject without risking it to be cropped off from the frame itself. click for bigger image For landscape type photography, it is even easier. Just compose the scene you want in the viewfinder and shoot. You don't have to worry about any parallax errors since normal distant photography will not affect the composition at all and with sufficient depth-of-field as well. The camera's built-in metering system is spot-on most of the time except for the heavily backlighted conditions. Bright spots in most cases will not fool the camera into setting the wrong exposures at all. This is important on occasions when the subject is too far or too big for the built-in flash to reach. click for bigger image A compact 35mm camera is designed to make photography easier for those people who don't know anything about photography techniques but for those who are keen to snap interesting pictures with their 35mm compacts, the answer is: be creative. Just like using a 35mm SLR camera, you need to be creative and how to "see" in order to create better pictures when using a compact camera. Know the limits of the compact you may have (or use) and compensate for its limitations by being creative. There are two versions of the Prima Zoom 85, one is with the Date function (Prima Zoom 85 Date) and the other is without. The model tested here is with the built-in date feature although there are no visuals of any date imprinting data in all the pictures shown here because I had not switch on the Date feature. The Self-timer function is standard for both versions. With the self-timer function, you can include yourself in the picture, alone or together with your family members or friends. The Date version, you can choose to have the date or time printed on the bottom right corner in any of your photographs. Text and photos by Philip Chong. Copyright 1998 by Canon Marketing (M) Sdn. Bhd.
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