This is my Canon Elph LT (Ser. No. 5810122). It appears to be functional but it does show years of use. There are scratches and the corners are worn through to the dark plastic body. When you pick it up two things are apparent, it weighs almost nothing, 115 grams without the battery, and it is small, 85mm by 55mm by 34.5 mm.
The Elph LT
There were two competing issues that Canon engineers had to deal with when designing film based Point-and-Shoot cameras: the size of the camera which they wanted to minimize and the fact that canisters for 35mm film were a fixed size which limited how small the camera could be. The APS film format went a long way to reconciling these competing concerns.
The Elph LT camera, also called the Ixus M-1 in Europe and the IXY 210 in Japan, was an example of just how small a practical general use film camera could be. Unfortunately, when introduced in September of 1998 the APS film format was already giving way to the new digital cameras.
The Elph LT in use was often mistaken for a compact digital camera. It was small measuring only 85mm across by 55mm tall by 34.5mm thick. And it was light being only 115 grams without the CR2 battery. It was truly a pocket camera.
The 23mm f/4.8 lens is behind a protective lens cover which is shown in the open position. It is opened or closed by pushing the tab on the circular cover downwards.
In the closed position the lens cover is completely closed protecting the lens from dust, lint and fingerprints. It opens and closes quickly with the flick of a finger.
Camera settings and status can be read on the LCD screen on the top deck. A lot of informationn is shown and reference should be made to the User Manual for the full explanation of the information here.
It must be remembered that this camera was intended to produce acceptible prints around 4 x 6 inches. It was never intended to produce enlargments to compete with more expensive SLR’s or DSLR’s. As a result the lens was a simple 23mm f/4.8 with only three elements in three groups. In 35mm terms it is equivalent to a focal length of 29mm.
In spite of its diminutive size the LT is amazingly full featured and it takes advantage of all of the features of the APS film.
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The back of the camera does not swing open as you might expect as it is a bottom loader. Various controls are located here which are described in the User Manual.
Exposure System
The Elph LT User Manual says that the camera could accept films with ISO 25 to 10,000 but that must be in error. I know of no APS film of that speed. But presumably it will accomodate any APS film speed above ISO 25. The camera reads the ISO rating of the film directly from the APS Cartridge automatically.
The exposure system is not very sensitive. The Manual says that the best it can do is from EV 5.5 to EV 17 with the flash off and very slow shutter speeds. In actual use it is really much more restrictive than that. This is really a camera for use in good strong daylight.
The sensor is an SPC (Silicon Photo Cell) element that senses the light level through a small opening just to the right of the AF/Viewfinder assembly on the front of the camera.
The shutter is a “combination aperture and …. shutter” which means that the aperture does not have separate diaphragm blades but that the shutter also functions as the aperture by not opening fully. It only opens enough to admit the correct amount of light. This is controlled electronically by the metering circuits.
This camera cannot be used manually as there is no means to set the aperture or shutter speed directly. The same is true for focusing which is totally controlled by the camera.
The APS Film Cartridge loads into the bottom of the camera. The film compartment is opened by turning the round switch on the right end of the camera in the direction of the imprinted arrow on it.
The single CR2 3 volt battery loaded next to the APS Film chamber. When the door opens it is not attached to the camera and can be easily lost. Watch it!
Autofocus
The User Manual refers to the “AF Light Emitter” and the “AF Light Receptor” which indicates that the camera uses an Active Autofocus system based on Infrared light. This is an excellent choice for low light situations but it works best with subjects that are not too distant and stationary.
Without the flash the focal range is given as 1 meter to infinity. With the flash on this distance can be reduced to as little as .6 meters.
When you press the two stage shutter button half way the rangefinder illumination comes on and the lens focuses. Place the cross hairs in the viewfinder over the subject you wish in focus, press half way, then holding the shutter button at half way, compose your shot and finish pressing the release all the way. There is no way to focus the camera manually.
Other Features
The APS film format is fixed by the cartridge design and does not change from camera to camera. However, the Elph LT allows the user to select the image format. There are three formats available, labeled C for Classic, H for wide angle and P for panorama. In fact this ability is built into the APS film design. The camera takes the full image but the selected format is magnetically encoded on the film and this code can be read by the processing equipment and the format applied to the prints.
European Brochure for the Elph LT
English Edition ZC1-4133ENG0798 (1998)
User Manual for the Elph LT / Ixus M-1
Publication CT1-7404-000 (1998)
Unfortunately, I think this all a bit of nonsense. The image recorded is set by the geometry of the camera and cartridge. But the different formats are created by masking the edges or the top and bottom of the image which reduces the recorded information available for the print. It is never a good idea to eliminate information that might be useful in post processing.
Another feature I am critical of is the ability to attach on of five cryptic messages to the prints in the user’s choice of six languages. The messages are fixed an cannot be edited. They are “I love you”, “Thank you”, “Season’s Greetings”, “Congratulations”, and “Happy Birthday”. The selected message is recorded magnetically on the film and applied to the print by the processing equipment. I don’t see the point, but then, maybe I am just being an SLR Snob!
The camera will also record the date the image is taken, or not, as the user selects. Again this meta data is recorded
magnetically and applied by the print equipment at the time of processing.
The LT also has a built in flash which can be turned off, or set to automatically come on in low light situations, or set to flash every time. Beside the eyepiece and visible to the user when taking pictures, are two LED’s which indicate when the flash is fully charged and ready. They also advise if the shutter is to slow to be hand held or there is not enough light for a good image.
And there are other features. But rather than bore you with details here, why not just read the User Instructions which are available here. I see no point in repeating what is already there.
And finally ……
It is hard to judge a camera like this after many years of shooting advanced DSLR’s. Just because I find some of the features a bit silly that does not mean I do not appreciate this camera. By the time it was introduced the digital camera was taqking over and in the coming years the smart phone would doom the stand alone point-and-shoot camera. But it was a marvel in its day. Oskar Barnak would have been greatly impressed.
Remember what it was intended to do: it was a pocket camera to take decent snapshots fully automatically. And that it could do with ease. For the average user that was all that was required. So I would judge this camera to be a great success
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