Disposable Camera ???

[zippeedee]

Now that my trip is almost here, I need to do that last minute shopping. I have a good camera that I'll take for myself, but when I bring a kid along, I like to get them the disposable cameras so if one is lost or damaged, it's not a huge expense.
Last year I got a bunch of Kodak three-packs at BJ's. I took two kids for five days, one camera per day each.
Does anyone have any experience with the store brand cameras? I saw them at Walgreen's for a lot less than the Kodak, and Staples had their own too.
I don't want to "save" money on the cameras and then waste it on developing if the pictures will be poor quality. Anyone had good luck with the store brands (or bad luck?)
Just a tip that worked well for us last year... I packed a stack of the envelopes from the mail-in film developing places, filled out all the info before we left, and just dropped them in the POR lobby mail as we left each morning. The pictures all arrived right after we got back, and I didn't have to haul all those cameras home and worry about airport xrays.
Thanks for your advice!
Patti

 

[msr709]

I've gotten the Fuji Waterproof Disposable that are little cheaper than the Kodak and they worked beautifully. I got a pack of 2 for under $9 at WalMart on sale just before the summer. I actually liked the pictures better than the ones I took w/the Kodak ones. HTH.

 

[Savin4Disney]

I have used Walgreens and they are just fine. I think that is a great idea. I want to get some for my son and niece when we go. Time to watch the sales here.

 

[MrsPete]

Notes from a photography teacher:

How important are these pictures to you? If top-quality pictures are very important to you, stick to your good camera. The difference between a $50 camera and a $1000 camera is largely in the quality and speed of the lens -- the the rest is mostly bells and whistles. Disposables all have plastic lenses, which are the lowest possible quality. Using a disposable, you can get a decent shot under the right conditions, but it will never be a blow-it-up and frame it picture. If you're going to keep the pictures in 4x6 size in an album, you will probably be happy enough with the quality.

Under what conditions will you be taking pictures? If you're taking outdoor shots in good weather and sunshine, you'll have a good shot at getting decent pix with a disposable. Don't waste your time using them indoors or after dark (even if they have a flash). Don't waste your time on action shots either (i.e., football games); disposable lenses will never be fast enough to capture fast-speed action.

Disposables have their place. I can definintely look back through my album and pick out which photographs were taken with disposables, but often I wouldn't have had the pictures otherwise. Why? Because some of those pictures were taken in places where I wouldn't have brought my good camera -- the beach, for example. I wouldn't want to risk my expensive equipment laying in the sand for the day. In those cases, I'd rather have disposable pix than no pix.

If you're going the disposable route, you should be aware that Fuji film has superior colors -- especially in the green and blue realm. (Mr709, that explains why you got better pix from your Fuji waterproof.) Fuji paper has also tested as more long-lasting than Kodak; though that has to do with your developing, not your choice of film. Kodak, on the other hand, is better for browns and yellows, which are largely indoor shades. When you're looking at the store-brand disposables, see if there's any notation to tell you what kind of film is used inside.

The speed of your film also makes a difference; 200-400 speed film gives you the best color; however, most disposables are loaded with 800 because some people have the mistaken idea that higher speed is always better. 800 speed film in sunlight has a touch of a grainy-gray tone. 800 speed film is ideal for fast action and low light, such as an indoor basketball game.

Also, I'm sure you're aware that disposables are much more expensive than real cameras in the long run. A simple point-and-shoot 35 MM can be had for $50, and it will give you good service for 2-3 years; for that same price you can have only about five disposable cameras.

One last hint: Eckerds has a deal on a quasi-disposable camera that might interest someone. You buy the camera for about $10-12 (not exactly sure), and it's already loaded with film. It's not a high-quality camera, but it's a step up from the disposables -- yet still in the okay-to-give-to-a-kid-price. When you finish the film, you return it to Eckerds for developing, and they fill your camera with FREE film. You can take all the pictures you want for one year, and every bit of your film is free -- as long as you keep taking it back to Eckerds for developing. You cannot open the camera yourself; it requries a special tool.

 

[zippeedee]

Thanks for the great advice. I'll have my Minolta for the good pictures. I'll have a 12 year old with me and she'll have fun taking some pictures. I don't want them to be totally junk, but they don't have to be archival quality either. Last year her oldest brother (16) did a great job with his photos. Their 14 yr old brother ended up with lots of "interesting" angles and pictures of the insides of his pocket. BUT it was fun for them and it helped to focus them on their surroundings and not just on the thrill rides.
We really had fun in the shop in MGM near the backstage tour. I got great shots of the boys trying on all the Indiana Jones hats. We made a series out of it and took more shots anywhere there was headgear to try on.
I can't wait to go back!!

 

[Savin4Disney]

I so disagree. My son and mom went to Disney a few years ago. And used a disposable camera. And I took those in and blew them up and have framed ones all over my house.

We have even used them at work. For tradeshows etc. when we did not want to send the digital camera.

 

[zippeedee]

Don't get me wrong, the cameras were fine, it was the kid that was loopy!

 

[4fordisney]

Just today I was buying groceries at Aldi's and a lady behind me was reaching for a disposable camera ($2.99). I asked if she had used that brand in the past and she said, "Yes, they take nice pictures." So I can't really recommend them since I myself have not used one, but I will be buying a few before our trip. We have a habit of losing things and I don't want to lose my good camera!

 

[WillCAD]

I'll second MrsPete's endorsement of Fuji film products. My favorite film to shoot at WDW is Fuji 400ISO; the colors pop, and it does an especially good job of capturing those brilliant blue Florida skies. Kodak film is more neutral and does a better job on skin tones, but unless I'm shooting a lot of close-ups of people (like portrait work) and not much background, I prefer the Fuji.

I've had excellent results from the Fuji disposables, too, since they are loaded with the same film. Note that most disposables have the film speed listed right on them, so you can look around to find the 400ISO.

Disposables are best for kids under ten years of age, because they don't require film loading and are the simplest cameras in the world to operate. Over ten, when the kid can load film in their own camera, you can get them an inexpensive point and shoot camera from a warehouse club or WalMart or Target, and get 4-packs of Fuji film from WalMart far cheaper per roll than the disposables.