110 film options?

www.frugalphotographer.com sells Fuji 200-speed colour neg film in 110 format. I think you'll have a hard time finding B&W or slide film versions, and even if you do find B&W, you'll probably have an even harder time finding a neg carrier for scanning or printing the negatives.

Ducking your real question, since I know nothing of 110: Have you really ruled out 35mm completely? You have really limited your options and print quality with the 110 decision.

Consider the 35mm Olympus Stylus with the fixed 35mm lens. Only weights 5 oz., about the size of a pack of cigarettes, and costs $80. For just bit more weight, you can shoot 35mm and have all those film options and an excellent lens.

Now 99% of the Olympus Stylus's are made with the zoom lens and the fixed lens is a bit hard to find (B&H advertises them) the the lens quality is way way more than you'd expect from a camera in the price range. I've had 3 of them and the lens quality was great in each.

B&H has a good price on the original black olympus stylus epic. I highly recommend it.

The only readily-available 110 film is Kodak's Gold 400 color negative film. Most drugstores and supermarkets carry it, at least in suburban Los Angeles. Fuji supposedly makes Superia 200 in 110, but I've never seen it and B&H doesn't stock it. The only other choice is Ferrania's Solaris 200, but again I've never seen it and B&H doesn't stock it; it's supposed to be available under private labels.

Those are your only choices in 110. Slide film disappeared 20 years ago, and black and white disappeared a bit before that. Kodak envisioned their Pocket Instamatic line as a "system," with the better cameras suitable for discriminating photographers who wanted to travel light. But the market found it suitable only for grainy snapshots on color negative film. The advent of small point-and-shoot 35mm cameras made 110 unnecessary, since those aren't much bigger and heavier than a Pocket Instamatic but produce much better pictures.

Even if you can find 110 film and a used high-end camera (but forget about the original Kodak Pocket Instamatic 60, since it took a proprietary battery that is no longer made), you may have difficulty getting good processing for it. You'll have even more difficulty scanning it, since negative holders for 16mm film are scarcer than hens' teeth.

You'd do much better using a small, pocketable 35mm or digital point-and-shoot than any 110 camera.

In addition to the Kodak, my local Walgreens has 110 in their private label. My understanding is that Fuji still makes 110, but doesn't sell it in the U.S. I've got about 20 rolls of Polaroid 110 in the freezer, which at 1-2 rolls a year may be a lifetime supply.

NO! 110 is not a viable option for taking photographs anymore. The quality stinks, and you have almost no choice of films.

110 film is so much smaller than a 35mm frame that you get terrible results. As any medium-format user will tell you, the bigger the negative/slide, the better the quality, and vice-versa.

Also, as 110 film comes in a cartridge, there is no way to make sure the film lies flat against the backing. This can result in out-of-focus images.

You have almost no choices of film. There is the 400-speed Kodak film, a 200-speed Ferriana Solaris (I think) film, and the Fuji 200-speed. All are color print. The black and white and color slide films were discontinued years ago. The emulsions currently offered aren't really that great, either.

Also, even though the negatives might be processed well, your prints will quite possibly look like crap. This is because your stupid, run of the mill, minimum-wage lab technician dosen't know how to print anything but 35mm frames. The enlarger won't be focused correctly, and all your prints will be out of focus.

Trust me-I have an old Argus 110 that I sometimes use on field trips as a sort of "reloadable disposable" (I don't care if it gets lost or destroyed), and I always end up wishing I'd just bought a disposable camera. It's terrible.

Your most basic 35mm camera will do better in taking photographs than a 110 camera ever will. I reccomend you follow the advice above and buy an Olympus Stylus Epic, or a similar camera. They're small, and your pictures will acutally come out.

There's also Minox, but that can be expensive and I have no experience with it. The Minox is an actual "Spy-camera". Spies actually use it to copy documents. But again, I have no idea what the quality is like.

But whatever you do, DON'T go 110!

Thanks for your responses,

My husband has an Olympus Stylus and highly reccomends it. It's pretty small but i'm looking into something smaller; possibly.

The problem is; if it's too big, I may pull it out of my pocket and sit it on the table. I want it so small and lightweight that I just forget about it.

I have 2 coats that I wear; one is a parka type (thick with feathers inside) ... one is a very fitted leather jacket (size small) that only has enough room for me :) ... if the camera is too big, I will leave it.

That's why I was looking into the 110 format. I dont carry a purse or bag when I leave the house. Sometimes I wear cargo pants, sometimes not.

If all else fails, I will get an Olympus Stylus but I hope I dont take it out of my pockets because its protruding or heavy.

New Orleans French Quarter Artist
by Philip Huntoon
Rollei A110
23mm F2.8 Zeiss Tessar
first generation of Kodak Kodacolor 400; a grainy film! circa 1978

You would be better off going with a cheap, tiny digital, even a 1-2 MP model.

A Canon SD110/200/300 can easily slip in a pocket and will produce a much better image with many more options.