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Just how low can Fuji and Kodak go???
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| Deeply Dunkable Kodak |
Substantially Submersible Fuji |
Answer: even lower than before, as long as you buy one of their latest underwater cameras.
The Fujicolor QuickSnap Waterproof is now rated to 35 feet deep, more than double the previous 17 feet.
Oh yeah? says Kodak. Its latest Max Water & Sport camera can go down to 50 feet, the deepest rating yet on a single-use underwater camera.
Now, before you trade in your snorkel mask for scuba gear, some disclosure.
Regardless of depth rating (and, by the way, the Fuji can probably go deeper than 35 feet), it’s still not advisable to use them way down there. It gets dark and murky at such depths, even on a bright day in crystal clear water. So the best recommendation is still to keep them to 17 feet. The ideal conditions for these cameras, in fact, are above the surface—skiing, boating, or the pool party—any time you don’t want to lunch a “good” camera.
The Fuji diver is loaded with 27 sips of Superia X-TRA 800, at a street price under $15, without processing. The Kodak diver has 27 gulps of Max 800 Versatility Plus, the film that’s boosted in speed by 1⁄3 stop for better latitude in dim, or mixed-light conditions. About $8–$10, without processing.
And just how long can Fuji go on with this?
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| Fuji Hero Sandwich? No, but a long roll. |
Answer: 39 exposures, if you buy the new long-roll-model Fujifilm QuickSnap with flash.
How do you get 39 exposures? Same way you get 27 exposures out of a 24-exposure roll in a single-use camera. Because these cameras are preloaded in light-tight conditions, you can shoot every bit of the film, right up to the leader. And with a 36-exposure cartridge, it works out to 39 shots.
Do point-and-shooters really need that many shots? Well, Fuji’s research shows that people really do shoot ’em up—60 percent of users will finish off a full camera on one occasion. (The other 40 percent, we figure, are the people with two Christmases on one roll of film. With 39 shots, they can now have three Christmases on a roll.)
We will say this—the longer roll is a great convenience for travelers. Four 39-shooters will give you almost as many pics as six 27-shooters.
The new QuickSnaps have extended flash range—to 14 feet—and a silver metallic-sticker face plate that makes them look almost like “real” cameras. Loaded with Superia X-TRA 800, under $16, without processing.
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