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In the camera store that I work at, we rarely sell APS cameras now that their novelty has worn off and this is why:

The frame size for APS film is LESS THAN HALF the size you get with 35mm film. This means that if you blow your pictures up, you will see much more of the grains. Also, there is a noticable difference even between using a 100 speed film (which you should give you the sharpest pictures) and the 200 speed film. The film quality is just bad and the selection is very limited.

APS film is more expensive, and it also cost more to get developed. It is even more if you shoot panoramics. As far as the film goes, if you purchase the value packs you can get 6 rolls of 35mm film for the price you would pay for 3 rolls of the same speed of APS film in many stores.

Instead of this camera, I suggest the Pentax IQzoom 130M. It has more than twice the zoom for LESS money! It also features an easy to use panorama mode if you like having that option. A 35mm camera is not hard to load, and the superior quality is well worth the 3 extra seconds it will take you to load film. You'll get more camera for your money and you'll be so much happier with your pictures.

Having owned several small APS cameras, I can safely tell you that this one is a winner. The Z3 has a decent 2.3 times optical zoom (I prefer a 3x, but this is pretty good), very small size, and excellent battery life (over 25 rolls/battery, vs. under 10 for many other cameras). It also has some of the minor features that prove useful, including date and time encoding, mid roll rewind and load, and basic control over the flash (4 modes).

If you've never used the APS format before you will be impressed by the small camera size and image results, as long as you stick with 4x6 prints. If you require 35mm results with enlargements, go elsewhere. This has nothing to do with this camera, its all in the film size. You might be able to enlarge to 5x7, but no further. These are really tiny negatives and the images get grainy when you enlarge them too much.

I've seen some complaints about reliability, but after a hundred rolls or so this camera has been flawless. It did take us a roll or so to get used to the turning the camera off (you slide the lens cover over), but once you get the hang of pressing the cover in just a bit before sliding it, it comes easy.

I'd also suggest that you check out the Canon 370Z camera. While it is a bit bigger and has shorter battery life (I've averaged 8-9 rolls per battery at best), the zoom is a full 3x, meaning that you can zoom in a bit more. That can be useful, although I have not missed it as much witht his camera as I expected.

This camera is terrible. Problem is, I didn't know it until a year after purchasing it. Rarely used at first, then used it on a few trips and events with very disappointing results, after I couldn't return to the store. I figured the first terrible (fuzzy) pictures were my fault for some reason or other, but have come to the conclusion this camera was a waste of $. Also, sometimes the flash just shoots off, even when no flash is selected. Based upon the other reviews Canon should issue a recall for this piece of junk. DO NOT BUY IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!