This Light Touch 140ED has quite a Touch in Performance!

The first autofocus point & shoot camera I have used was the APS film based Canon Elph. My wife mainly uses the camera. Since it is a point & shoot camera, I have never attempted to fully figure out the whole features it offers. However, I noticed that it consumes power rather fast. I had to remind my wife to take out the battery when the camera is not in use. The only thing I am not impressed with the Canon Elph is that it is an APS. The cost of processing APS film nowadays is comparable to 35mm film, but 3 years ago it was sky rocketing. In spite of this fact, among the nice features the Elph offers are the frame mode: H-type (35mm classic mode), Panorama (P), C (Cropped). It is also among the smallest camera around.

Well, the Canon Elph is a thing of the past now. The Nikon Lite Touch Zoom 140ED is almost as small and light as the Canon Elph, yet it uses the regular 35mm film. What is so nice or rather unique about this little camera is that it offers two frame formats: Regular (Classic) 35mm format and Panorama.

My first impression of this camera is its handsome looking style with excellent design, features and control placements. Since this is a point & shoot camera, it does not require a lot of time to learn its features and operation; even its manual is also very easy to read and follow (well, because the camera is already simple). The camera has a slide cover to protect the lens, Autofocus window, Viewfinder, Auto Exposure metering window and other vital parts, such as the AF assist lamp, Red-eye reduction lamp and remote control sensor. The slide cover also serves as an On/Off switch. In fact, the slide cover also adds more ergonomic to the body for a secure grip during shooting.

This model comes in two versions: Lite Touch 140ED and Lite Touch 140ED QD (Quartz Date). With the QD version, date/time imprint is possible in both the Regular and Panorama mode. According to the manual, Panorama is possible only with the QD version, the one I have. Therefore, I'm not certain how this feature operates on the regular (non-QD) version. However, the rest of operations and features seem to apply to both versions. In fact, that is the only difference between the two cameras.

The viewfinder has a diopter adjustment. It also features an AF light status (Green when subject is in focus), flash ready light. The camera also lets you rewind film in mid-roll. It also features a self-timer (10 seconds) and a wireless remote trigger (optional unit). The camera also has a regular tripod socket, in case you need to securely mount it on a tripod to include yourself in the picture.

When the camera is turned on (by sliding the cover to reveal the lens), the flash pops up and the lens extends to the widest angle (38-140mm). I personally prefer to have a wider angle than 38mm (28mm or 24mm would be nice). Zooming can be achieved by pressing the zoom button with the right thumb at the top right corner of the camera. The action is smooth and reasonably fast, but not swift or "quick". The viewfinder has a very useful wide AF bracket, including the two parallax compensation marks. The camera features an autofocus lock (AF lock) by lightly pressing the shutter release button half way. This is a great way to recompose the picture, rather than placing the main subject dead at the center. Pressing the shutter release all the way to take the picture. The LCD panel on the top shows all the important information.

With all the great features that this little camera has to offer, what about its performance optically? Does it take or make good pictures? Quite certainly! First of all, this camera incorporates the most popular optical glass that Nikon is known for, namely its ED (Extra low Dispersion) glass. This type of glass material can only be found in top quality lenses produced by Nikon. It also uses an Aspheric type glass element. Both ED and Aspheric glass elements work together to produce sharp image quality as well as maintaining color correction, a problem known as chromatic and spherical aberration. Never mind the technical terms. The point is that the camera uses high quality optical glasses to produce high quality images.

My first roll of film through this camera convinced me that it really delivers what the label says. Exposure is also very good. All of the 36 exposures I took using this camera during a Thanksgiving diner were correctly exposed; color is also excellent, outstanding detail and contrast. When I get a chance to do more tests on its metering capability, I will report more later. So far, I really like this camera and suspect it will not disappoint any point & shoot user who loves to photograph.

The exposure mode is via a programmed electronic type with shutter speed from 2 to 1/500 seconds. If you are familiar with a regular 35mm SLR camera, you would think that this Lite Touch 140ED camera will be limited to a certain type of ISO speed film. But not really, because the aperture of the lens is quite small. Its lens construction is: 38-140mm f/5.3-10.5. The camera can use film with ISO 50-3200, and it sets the speed automatically.

While I like its performance, features and operation, I do not like the fact that almost the entire body construction is made of plastic, although the camera feels somewhat solid. So I am not certain how long this unit will last if you knock it around too much. The unit I have is made in China. It may be merely a psychological matter to believe in a product made in Japan to be superior to that made in China or in Thailand. Nevertheless, it gives a certain security (or a peace of mind). The one I have is a refurbish, and therefore it may have had some problem that Nikon brought it back to factory specifications.

Another little issue that I have is the type of battery it uses (but quite understandable for a small camera). It uses a 3V lithium battery CR123A or DL123A. Compared to the regular 1.5V alkaline AA or AAA battery, this type of battery may be a little bit difficult to find in a remote place in other country. However, this should not cause any alarm if you take several spare batteries with you. In terms of power consumption, I have not tested the camera to exhaust the battery yet. According to the specifications, the camera can run approximately 10 rolls of 24 exposure, before the battery needs changing.

The Lite Touch Zoom 140ED/QD is not the current model, but still available. It has been available for quite some time. The new Lite Touch Zoom 150ED/QD is the current model (the one that seems to replace the 140ED). It seems that only the number of the zoom range changes (that is, 38-140mm vs. 38-150mm) and perhaps the rest of the features remain the same. Therefore, the Lite Touch 140ED is still a good buy compared to the current model that can cost over $200. Having used this camera (and despite my few complaints) I believe the Lite Touch Zoom 104ED/QD is really a compact camera worth spending money on. The styling of this camera is very impressive--very fashionable; it's a type of jewelry that takes pictures.


Specifications: Lite Touch Zoom 140ED QD

Type of camera: 35mm autofocus
Usable film: DX-coded 35mm film
Picture format: Normal 35mm (24x36mm) and Panorama (13.3X36mm)
Lens: 38-140mm f/5.3-10.5, 10 elements in 8 groups: ED and Aspheric
Shutter: Programmed electronic type: 2 - 1/500 sec
Film speed setting: ISO 50, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600 and 3200.
Built-in flash with Four flash modes available: Auto Flash, Flash Cancel, Anytime Flash, and Slow Synch Flash
Power source: One 3V lithium battery (CR123A or DL123A)
Dimensions (WxHxD): 4.5x2.5x1.7 in.
Weight (w/o battery): Lite Touch 140ED (7.7 oz.), Lite Touch 140ED QD (7.9 oz.)