The Olympus Trip AF50 is an incredibly easy to use 35 millimeter, portable camera that’s ideal for people just beginning in photography. It’s meant for basic “point and shoot” images, so if you’re looking for simplicity over flashy features – this fits the bill perfectly. Overall the Olympus Trip AF50 compact camera seems to be a fairly sturdy item that takes reasonable pictures for the price.

One neat feature to this compact camera is that it has a sliding cover for the lens. This protects your camera’s lens when not in use, and since many people carry the camera in hand bags or brief cases, it’s a great conceptual addition. When you close the cover, that action also turns the camera off so you don’t run down the battery. When you’re ready to use the Trip AF50 again, you can just slide the cover back open and the camera turns on. Mind you, this isn’t intended to protect the AF50 used in bad weather as it’s not waterproof, but that’s a minor consideration compared to its lightweight, compact style.

The Trip AF50 uses regular 100, 200, and 400 35mm film. It seems to function better with color photos than black and white, the latter of which sometimes seem fuzzy. For those who feel uncertain with cameras the AF50 offers autofocus, auto flash, and automatic film advance capabilities. The autofocus isn’t a “sure fire” thing – some images will still be out of focus, but it helps in some situations. Note that the Trip AF50 has no zoom lens, making it a W-Y-S-I-W-Y-G system. Thanks to a quartz date mode, the date and time of the picture will automatically appear on the back of your prints unless you request otherwise.

With the TripAF50 you’ll have better battery life because it’s simple. The purposeful lack of features keeps the battery from burning out quickly. The size of the camera makes it very comfortable in nearly any user’s hand measuring 4.4”x1.7”X2.6”. This might be a good option for teens who want a camera of their own.