Kodak T550 Advantix APS Camera
Details
- Availability:
- No longer available through SilverGelatin.net
- List Price:
- $109.99
- Average Customer Rating:
- 4.0 out of 5
- Manufacturer:
- Kodak
Features
- Ultracompact design with drop-in film loading
- 3-element, all-glass 28mm lens
- 130-zone active autofocus
- Special flip-up flash with 5 modes reduces red eye
- 3 print formats, date imprinting, and 5-language titling
Description
Slip it into your pocket or drop it in a purse. The ultra-compact design of Kodak Advantix T550 makes it one of the smallest cameras in its class. The clever flash flips up to put extra distance between flash and lens to help eliminate red-eye problems, and flips down to turn off the camera and protect the lens.Advantix T550 auto focus camera features triple format selection enabling you to take three different size pictures - Classic (C), Group/HDTV (H), and Panoramic (P) - from the same film cassette. The viewfinder frame changes to match each format selection. You can choose to have date and time information printed on the front and back of your prints or on the back only. With this camera, you can also choose a title from the title-select list and a language (five options) before taking the picture. The selected title will be printed on the back of your photograph. You don't need to worry about accidentally re-exposing your film. Your camera reads the film status indicator (FSI) on the film cassette to prevent re-exposure. A highlighted indicator advances from one symbol to another to identify the status of the film inside the cassette. T550 features magnetic information exchange that records information about lighting conditions and exposure on the film cassette to assist the photofinishing lab with color correction and exposure adjustments, providing you with the best possible results.
The Kodak Advantix T550 autofocus camera offers an ultracompact design--one of the smallest cameras in its class. It offers fully automatic operation and shutter speeds ranging from 1/500 to 1/4 of a second. It offers an active 130-zone focus mechanism for clear shots every time, and five flash modes. The specially designed flash flips up to put extra distance between flash and lens to help eliminate red-eye problems, and flips down to turn off the camera and protect the lens.
Film loading, as with any APS camera, is drop-in simple, and you can change film canisters midway through a roll. Users choose between three print formats on every shot. Users can also date-stamp and add messages to the back of prints with a five-language print-titling feature.
The Kodak Advantix T550 comes with one roll of Kodak Advantix color print film, a 3-volt lithium Kodak battery, coupon book, survey card, instruction manual, and a detachable camera strap with control-button activator. Also included is a one-year manufacturer's warranty.
Spotlight customer reviews
It was great until it broke
[ Posted: 2005-05-16 ]
Given, it had a hard life with my daughter on the road with Drum and Bugle corp. But it did the same thing as several people remarked about on several different models: it was working and then it broke for no reason. You think it's batteries, but with brand new batteries no go. I'm wondering if I should even buy another Advantix. This problem seems to cover more than one model.
A little Gem of a Camera
[ Posted: 2002-05-22 ]
I bought one of these little APS cameras on a whim right after Christmas about 2 years ago when the price was reduced ... I was having lots of trouble with my fancy and expensive Nikon Nuvis 120i APS so I needed another camera for all the APS film that I had. The ... Nikon took terrible pictures and I figured this camera had to do a little bit better. Boy, was I wrong! It takes great pictures! I carried it all over Europe last summer in my pants pocket while I watched other photographers lugging around their thousand dollar SLR's. No one ever knew I had a camera 'till I pulled it out, flipped up the lens cover (which doubles as a flash) and started snapping away. About the only feature it doesn't have is a zoom lens (which I would rarely use anyway).
Go to your favorite camera store a take a look at this little gem and play around with it.
Good Points: Tiny,like a pack of cigarettes, lightweight, flip up flash, sharp lens, fully automatic, self timer, drop in film loading, reduced red eye from the flip up flash. A LOT of camera for the money. Kodak did their homework on this one!
Bad Points: APS film (more expensive), no zoom, tiny viewfinder.(sometimes it takes a second to get your eye propery aligned)
I now have a months worth of euro-photos(about 250 pictures)to remind me of my great trip and not one turned out unacceptable.
Good camera at first.. before it broke.
[ Posted: 2002-05-10 ]
I've had this camera for about a year and a half. After less than a year, I began to have problems. First of all, it would overwind the film to where the film would read "developed" when it had just come out of the camera. This created problems for the developing center because they thought I had already developed the film. So, I just lived with this problem for a while since I was still able to develop the film.
However, then the camera started having problems taking pictures. I would press the shoot button many times without it taking the photo. Needless to say, I missed tons of great photo ops.
The biggest problem came a few weeks ago, when I rewound the film and saw that it came out saying "new roll". I figured the camera had over-overwound and tried to develop it anyways. However, the entire roll came out blank. I was so upset!
Then, I tried to send it to the camera repair company that the Kodak website recommends. However, they sent it back to me saying that there was nothing wrong. HA! I am still having the same problems with the camera and am now definitely going to get a new one--NOT a Kodak.
In addition, a big problem for me was that the window on the camera where you look into is TINY. It's really hard to even see your target. This is especially a problem at night!
Tiny, great image quality, nice price
[ Posted: 2001-06-25 ]
The T550 is a very useful APS camera if you prefer a camera with a fixed focal length lens. The best camera is the one that you have on hand when the opportunity to capture a great picture comes your way. The T550 is about the size of a pack of cigarettes and certainly gives you the opportunity to carry it with you at all times.
This is my first experience with APS film and I'm more pleased with it than I had anticipated. The 200 ASA film is quite good and standard size prints give away little in image quality to 35mm. Haven't received my 400 ASA prints back yet, but I anticipate similar results.
The positioning of the flash on the T550 is very favorable for reducing or eliminating 'red eye' - a real plus with a pocket camera. The viewfinder has an oval that shows the area where the camera focuses. Be forewarned that focus is quite selective - center your subject, partially depress the shutter release, then compose the picture.
This is a quiet little camera as well, which is nice for taking unobtrusive photographs with the flash turned off. Available light photographs have been very good, even in a dimly illuminated chapel. I haven't fully figured out how to use the available light/flash sync to best advantage yet, but learning how many times to press the flash button in a dark room to bring that feature up (or carrying a little flashlight) may be a useful skill. It's a nice feature to have and should yield some fun images.
The lens is a moderate wide angle, arguably the most useful focal length. It's just right for a camera intended for taking snapshots, which is definitely the strong suit of the T550.
This is a fine little camera and I think it's a great deal... Give it a try and see for yourself!
It's compact size is superb, but weak...
[ Posted: 2001-05-17 ]
This camera is small and takes great pictures. Its modes and flip up flash system from kodak to reduce red eye successfully. However, I did find this camera very fragile. I must go against the above said "great for kids." Just from normal use and being put in a back-pack, it broke. All in all, good camera, but its low cost might be because you'll need more than one.