Mr. Macro… two cameras in one.

What makes a point and shoot more fun then any other point and shoot? A cool gimmick. Maybe gimmick is not the correct word here, how about ‘unique feature?’ While the Mr. Macro may look just like an old Olympus Stylus, there are a few little tricks up it’s sleeve.
Lets check the front first. The silver section in the middle is actually an flap that opens up, more on that in a bit. With the flap down, there is a macro lens that sits over top of the regular lens. Good for those close ups of flowers and butterflies? Sure, if that’s what your into- but slightly above that macro lens is a mirror. The mirror allows you to take self portraits and (kinda) see where you are aiming. With the macro lens in place, you are pretty good up to about 2 feet away. Best use for this: Drunk New Yorkers (more on that in a bit as well….)
Hit the button and up pops the silver flap like a switchblade. Now you are in regular point and shoot mode, with one little added feature. A very bright  blinking Red to Blue LED light on top of the flap. It’s like having a turn signal on your head. While I thought this would be really annoying, it was just the opposite: it attracted people from across the room. So in this dimly lit Brooklyn Club, I just passed the camera around with the Macro flap down and let people take pics of themselves. It even yielded a few shots that were in focus!
Shooting the camera with the flap up in normal mode gets you about the average result that any point and shoot would. The lens is not bad at all, and the exposure is within a half stop of where it needs to be. Not real exciting as a ‘toy camera’ but quite fun to bring around to bars and let folks take their own portraits, which I am guessing is why this camera was created. I’ll be honest, I really didn’t think much of it at first, and was warned that the blinking light would be annoying.. but imagine the collection of random portraits you could get with this… that alone makes it worth it.
Want it? For the macro self portrait function, it’s a blast.
Need it? Unless you are doing the above, not really.
  • Camera Type: 35mm Film
  • Flash: Automatic, Recharging time every 8 sec
  • Shutter speed: 1/100
  • Lens: 28mm / Close Up lens.
  • Film Rewind: Auto film winding, Motor rewind.
  • Dimensions: 110 x 42 x 65.5mm