Digital-Camera Reviews

Amateur digital cameras make me long for the speed and accuracy of my Nikon N-90S professional SLR. But an equivalent digital will set you back $5000 plus lenses, and increases the focal length of your lenses by 50% (and I love wide angle).

The DSC-S85, which a friend of mine owns, retains the lens of DSC-70, which I own, increases the pixel resolution, and lays out the controls a bit more naturally. Still, don't expect to hand this to your non-photographically-oriented friend and expect them to be able to control it -- the menus, etc. are just awful and very slow to navigate.

The real win for me for this camera is the Zeiss lens, which while not up to their professional lenses, is far better than what you get on other digitals. This lens goes fairly wide (34mm equivalent for 35mm film), and has an excellent macro resolution. It's also super fast at f2.0 at the widest to f2.8 at the longest; phenomenal specs for a lens that costs $800, much less a whole camera. A serious problem is that there's no way to get accurate focus -- the LCD just isn't sharp enough to selectively focus on just the foreground of food photos, for instance, even though at full telephoto on f2.8, you get a nice shallow depth of field.

At higher resolutions, the camera can only be described as slow both in time between the shutter press and the snap (it locks focus, so pre-locking by pushing shutter halfway will help), and between photos (especially at high res, it can take seconds to write the image from the camera's buffer to the memory stick). It's also relatively slow to auto-focus.

The flash is weak, and so close to the lens that if anyone's looking at the camera, it's instant redeye. On the other hand, the lens and CCD are so sensitive, you can nearly take photos in the dark anyway. I do like the fact that you can fill flash, but wish you could turn down the fill level. For anything but the most casual flash photography, you can hook up an external flash.

MPEG films are cute, but short and poor quality (or longer, and even poorer quality). If you want to shoot longer mpegs, you'll have to hook up the video out to a notebook and get the relevant software. I wish they'd just get rid of this feature along with the sound and sound memo recording, and give me a slightly wider lens and more control over focusing (say zooming the display during viewing).

And you'll need a new memory stick or two (get the 128Mb ones, you won't regret it if you like to take photos).

I have been a 35mm film amateur photographer for many years. I have always used Nikon equipment and I value to control the camera myself for maximal creativity. I waited till now to try a digital camera, what I did two weeks ago buying the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S85 camera. These are my impressions when I compare it with classical 35 mm film and my reflex Nikon camera:
1.- The DSC-S85 is small, but not small enough to fit easily in a pocket. Nevertheless is easy to carry and the retractable lenses make it quite compact when the power is off. The camera comes with a lens cover for protection. It is a high quiality point a shot with manual settings capabilities.
2.- One of my concerns about digital photography is battery life. With the DSC-S85 this is not a problem at all. The battery will last a long time and unless you don’t have the chance to recharge the battery during several days, it will not run out of power. The battery recharges quite fast when connected to electrical power.
3.- The lenses and Carls Zeiss, and the quality shows. Impressive resolution across the whole picture, not only when you view the pictures in the computer screen but also in print. I have done up to 5x7 inches prints and the quality is as good as film. Resolution is as good as the one obtained with my Nikon lenses.
4.- It very easy to learn how to use the camera and very easy to control manually the shutter and aperture. In addition you have also aperture and shutter priority settings and full automatic setting. The easiest camera I have ever had.
5.- The light meter is very good, and most of the exposures will come perfect unless you try to fool the camera with difficult light situations. The exposures are better than when I use my Nikon SLR.
6.-Color balance is very good, saturated images but with real colors. Only very strong reds (i.e. a red rose) might fool a bit the camera and you might need to correct the image with software. Film here might be better and you can uses several film typoes, but one advantage of digital is that you have ISO 100-400 with no need to change the film.
7.-The LCD screen is very good, bright (you can regulate the brightness, and provides a quite realistic view of the actual image. I use the LCD a lot, and really is a great way to compose pictures, better than using the view finder.
8.-You can do MPG movies that are fine if all you want is to have a memory of a short moment (don’t expect top quality here, after all this is an still camera). You can not do this with a film camera.
9.- Although the Memory Sticks are not the cheapest memory in town they are reasonable after the recent price drop. With 128 MB you will be able to take >60 pictures at the top resolution. Film is not cheaper because you can reuse the Memory Stick for ever.
10.- Very good macro. Nice pictures taken at short distances (<4 inches). My macro fotos with the SLR Nikon are better though.

If you are a film photographer that wish to get very good quality in digital to have the opportunity of doing creative photos without caring about the price of film, I highly recommend this camera. You will enjoy it very much you will make more photos that before (without paying always for the film) and when the digital SLR cameras drop in price (2-3 years from now) you will be ready to move to a classical camera with digital power.

(...).

Here's my review. The image quality is excellent. There is very good color balance. I also like the excellent battery life (This is true for Sony products). It's easy to transfer images to the PC using USB. It has a very good lense (Carl Zeiss). The menu is user friendly.

The slight drawback is speed of operation. This may be true for most digital cameras. It's difficult to take good action shots as there is a time lag between shots (when compared to an analog SLR).

Bottom line is...Very good value for your money in the 4 MP range.

Sure, professionals and the exceptionally avid enthusiasts will want a camera with interchangeable lenses, more megapixels, and more features overall, but for its size and ease of use, the ELPH is one of the best digital cameras available.

Photos taken at its highest resolution (1600 x 1200) and lowest compression rate can easily be blown up to 8"x10" in size, certainly adequate for the average photo enthusiast. Automatic and manual controls allow for photography in most lighting situations. The camera even can record short digital videos including sound, and the camera's user interface is customizable with new sound "themes" and a start-up image.

Highly recommended accessories include a larger compact flash memory card or two; the 8-mb card included simply doesn't cut it unless you want to only take low-res pictures. Buy a 128-MB card and store over 120 images at the highest resolution; they're cheap these days. Secondly, you'll want a second or even third battery, as though the camera does include its own rechargeable pack, it will only last for 100 shots or so, and you won't want to waste time recharging when you're on the go.

If you want a camera you can carry in your pocket that will give you instant results without having to send off film to the lab for development, you'll want this camera. The ELPH is one of the best out there!

I bought the S330 3 days before leaving for Moscow & St. Petersburg. Based on reviews read here and at other sites I also bought a 256MB memory card and an extra battery. The basics of operation took about 20 minutes and 15-20 photos of the backyard, by the second day of my trip operation was effortless. The zoom is quite impressive and most pictures were flawless; whether from a boat, through glass, from a moving car, whatever, even an amateur like myself got some truly special photos. I had a 128MB card from another camera and took it with me, a bonus, the memory cards aren't specific to the camera and you can get real cheap memory on-line from secondary distributers or borrow the cards from freinds with other digital cameras. The batteries charge very quickly, and with two I was able to leave one charging at the hotel and the other in the camera, but I could've easily carried both all day - full charge takes less than an hour. I never had any power problems, I also got in the habit of turning the camera off between shots however. Which brings me to my only real complaint, the on/off switch requires sustained pressure for 2-4 seconds, its not usually problem getting the shot you want but it could be - and it was a little annoying. Since I had so much memory I used 1600x1200 and the finest detail for every shot, and I still took over 350 photos and had room for about 75 more. Now that I'm home its giving me all kinds of options for re-sizing and zooming into whatever details I like most in the picture. The picture review setting on this camera is one of its best features, you can actually zoom into the photo you just took to be sure you've got the level of detail or particular aspect of a subject that you might've wanted. I ended-up retaking several photos and getting precisely the picture I was hoping for. I own an older Sony and one of the original Kodaks, and I can't recommend this camera enough. Good Luck.

Everyone wrote enough about it, so I will only add that this camera worked much better than expected for quite a long time, until during last trip, I dropped it really hard on cement.
The shutter button came out, the case kind of split in half (could see the guts inside), and of course the door for the memory card broke and the battery came off... I just pushed the camera back together and it snapped in place (kind off, still see inside), put back the shutter button (without the spring that came off which I lost), scotch taped the memory card door, and the camera seemed to work fine. Actually we finished the vacation taking pictures with it for a few more days. No quality difference noticed between the picture from before the accident and after.
Now I am back, unfortunately it would be too expensive to fix it, so I guess will buy another ELPH, perhaps 3-4M pixels and if it will be anything like this one, I am sure I will not regret it.

After literally days of research (reading reviews and specs) while looking for a digital camera in Toronto, the C-3000 has truly won my heart, and I'm sure I speak for many who bought this camera.

As I've been an active amateur photographer for 20+ years, I really appreciate the versatility the C-3000 comes with and yet it allows me to fully engage my shooting with manual settings like using my SLR. It is a great piece of gem as an upgrade replacement to my older point-and-shoot digital camera that I bought years ago and now I always carry it around with my SLR. Many good things about this camera have been said here and so I try to be concise.

For less than $..., you get:
1. Great optics and resolution: 8 elements in 6 groups, aspherical lens equivalent to 32-96mm zoom lens on 35mm camera, f2.8-11; 3.3 megapixel CCD producing image resolution up to 2048 x 1536 (Olympus always has excellent optics and image reproduction)
2. 1.8" LCD display and optical viewfinder
3. Macro mode for close-up shooting, minimum range: 0.8"
4. Supports Panoramic feature (w/ Olympus SmartMedia only)
5. Supports full program, aperature priority and shutter priority auto exposure as well as manual exposure; auto exposure bracketing; spot metering; exposure compensation
6. Allows manual focusing
7. Able to capture QuickTime movie (15fps) with sound
8. IR remote control
9. aluminum casting!

A few features that I wish it had:
1. a faster lens ... like f2.0 in the C-2040 or the f1.8 in C-3040
2. a larger memory buffer to allow a faster shooting sequence and a longer movie capture time
3. a bigger memory card! the 8MB card that it comes with is nowhere near sufficient!
4. a more standard lens diameter ... the 43mm threaded lens mount (w/ the CLA-1 adapter) is such an odd size! and you can't put a filter right on the CLA-1 adapter because the lens tube will hit the filter when the camera is powered up!
5. a better design: the extended lens with a step-up ring and filter will obstruct the object from the viewfinder!

I got my C-3000 for Xmas last year, and have been using it regularly for almost a year.

Some things I like about it:
-It takes very high resolution pictures. This is especially useful if you are a novice such as myself and need to liberally crop to have a nice picture (you won't end up with a grainy mess).
-It's small and easy to hold.
-It has quicktime video (which I didn't think I would use, but certainly has come in handy).
-It is fairly quick to recover between shots.
-It takes AA rechargeable batteries, and standard memory cards- both easy to get and not overly expensive.
-It has a nifty remote control.
-The Camedia software is very easy to use, and I have had no problem at all uploading pictures from the camera using the usb cable included.

Some things that I don't like:
-It makes a horrible grinding noise if you turn it on w/o taking the lens cover off!
-It is unwieldy to page through menus to control aperture/focal length settings. Dial control of this (like on regular cameras) would be a huge bonus.
-If you buy the adapter lens kit, you must remove it everytime you shut your camera off (because the fitting is on the retractable lens) Not very convenient at all.

Overall, I have been extremely happy with this camera, especially for the price.

I purchased my second digital camera since leaving the 35mm life behind. My first was a Sony (pre-Mavica) first generation. It had 640x480 resolution and left a lot to be desired. That's where Olympus comes in.

I've never gotten better pictures, digitally, since my Nikon 8080 35mm camera. Regardless of the lighting conditions, I seem to take perfect pictures, through no fault of my own. I put the setting at P for automatic and the pictures at 3.3 megapixel quality make perfect printed photos; even at 8x10 size. I would highly recommend this great product to anyone who wants the ability to use fully automatic or programmable modes. It even records QuickTime movies, although that's probably the only drawback to me as I've not been successful in creating any good ones. For a great value and excellent quallity, with USB capability, I'd recommend the Olympus, hands down.

The Canon PowerShot S40 was a terrific small digital camera when it was introduced, but the digital camera market advances quickly and this model has been surpassed by Canon's own S45 (an updated S40) and the new S50 (5 megapixel in the same body only in high-tech black). Serious photographers seekng a digital would turn to Canon's EOS Digital Rebel. The S30 and S40 are good cameras if you want lots of features in a small package without paying a lot of money.

Features begin with the generous maximum 4 megapixel image size (you can make them smaller to conserve space on the CompactFlash card). Several modes are available to you such as Sports (high shutter-speed and high resolution shots), Portrait, Night, etc. You can put it in complete Idiot Mode (okay, Automatic mode) and let it select your shutter speed and aperture, or you can pick one or the other and let the camera pick the missing one, or you can go full into Manual mode and pick both. There's even a Movie mode, complete with sound. These video clips are 320 x 200 pixels.

This small camera fits in a purse or shirt pocket easily and won't get in the way if you're shouldering it in a case (not included, just buy a generic). But you pay a price for the small size: the optical zoom is limited to 3x. And unfortuately, the S40, like all the PowerShot S family, starts out with a focal length of 11mm, which is a very wide-angle view. Even at 3X optical zoom you will max out at 55mm, often not as close as you'd need. There is a digital zoom, but so what? Crop your picture in software later rather than play with that silly feature. I found 55mm insufficient for shooting across a large room. If you work closer in this won't be a problem, but it is not a good focal length for shooting children, who stop whatever adorable thing they're doing when they notice you framing that shot. (And see comment on slow shutter response, below.)

The sliding door that covers the lens (and turns on the camera) seems flimsy and can cause problems. My 3YO niece got ahold of my S40 and ripped the door off. I was able to reattach it but now it's a loose tooth, ready to fall off again. Even under warranty, my choice was to send it back to Canon for 12 weeks or live with it. I couldn't live without the camera, so I kept it, loose sliding door and all. I've just learned not to lend it to people who can't baby it; a good push and that door is off the camera again.

One of the S40's most frustrating limitations is a slow shutter response. I can't tell you how many shots I've missed using it; I frame it lovingly, I see the perfect moment, I shoot... but no score. The people have moved on, the sun has set, the universe suffers heat-death, and finally the shutter clicks. If you want a fast shutter then you must have a digital SLR, as almost all the compact-style digital cameras such as this one have the delayed shutter issue. Another note of annoyance on the PowerShot S family: they come with a wrist strap but no shoulder strap. I don't know what use a wrist strip is for a camera; if I'm not using it then I want my hands free. I bought a generic shoulder strap but it wasn't a great fit. At least Canon should offer one as an extra-cost accessory.

One difference between the S30 and S40 is the latter only allows an ISO of 400 which restricts low-light photography. This is a limitation of the larger CCD in the S40. ISO 800 shots on the S30 are quity noisy so it isn't clear you are missing this feature in the S40, and you gain an extra megapixel.

I still give this camera 4 stars for putting so many features in such a small package. The pictures are reasonably good, and at this size you can crop plenty out and still print good 4x6 inch images. The PowerShot S40 comes with software, but you'll probably want to buy your own image editing package, such as Photoshop Elements. The one provided is fairly limited. Useful software includes PhotoStitch, which allows you to make your own panaramic style images from a series of linked shots. The included 32 MB CompactFlash card is also too small for typical use, so plan on buying a bigger card. Also plan on buying a second battery.

(...) After looking at the Digital Elphs and the A-series cameras, I stumbled upon the S40. This camera has it all. Four mega-pixels, a sturdy metal body, complete control over almost every aspect of your shot, and all in a compact size to boot. The feature-set is based on the popular Canon G2, which is a professional grade digital camera, so you know it uses a fully field-tested, high-quality internal design.

I mostly use this camera in auto mode, in which it takes absolutely beautiful pictures. They are clear, beautifully saturated, and capture motion extremely well. Indoor and outdoor pictures are equally impressive, and I found the metering to be very intelligent. That is, highlights, shadows, and exposure levels are all handled very well.

The camera offers an amazing amount of control with 12 user-selectable modes in addition to the auto mode. (...) But, suffice it to say that anyone seeking a high-level of control over their settings will not be dissapointed by the S40.

A Little Advice:

1. If you are looking to spend a little less money and do not need a 4 mega-pixel camera, a 3 mega-pixel version is available in the S30.

2. If you are looking for a point-and-shoot camera only, you do not need to spend this kind of money. Look toward the Canon A-Series cameras instead. These are plastic and lack the high-level of user control, but they are also much easier on the wallet.

3. Although this is a very compact camera, it is not the smallest that Canon makes. If you want the ultimate in portability, look at their Digital Elph line.

4. The proprietary battery that comes with the S40 is extremely powerful and has an impressive life. The charger is also very compact and very fast. However, I highly recommend buying a spare battery from Canon's website (for about $70).

5. Do not waste your money on the leather case for the S40 that Canon sells on their website. It is far too small for the camera and the lens cover slides open whenever you try to put the camera in it. I am not a big fan of sliding lens covers in the first place, and the leather case does nothing to win me over. Go buy yourself a generic camera case that fits the camera properly.

6. The included 16 MB CompactFlash card is embarrassing. Go buy a 128 MB card (at minimum). And while you're at it, pick up a USB card reader. They are under $(...) and are far more convenient than using the direct camera hook-up (although the S40 software and connection is quite convenient compared to many other digital cameras).

7. Be careful when removing the label from the lens cover. You can actually pull the cover right off if you're not careful. PEEL SLOWLY!

Conclusion:
Overall, this is a beautifully designed, well-built camera from an excellent company. As you can see by my review, Canon has won me over. In summary, the S40 matches the excellent picture quality of the finest Nikon and Kodak cameras available. The difference is, Canon does not skimp on the build of the camera by using cheap plastic parts. This, in my opinion, puts the S40 above the rest in this category.

Well Done Canon!

The Canon S40 is a superb digital camera. First, the exterior: The S40 is compact and can fit easily in a jacket pocket (though not in a pants-pocket - for that you should check out Canon's digital Elph line); it has a convenient clamshell design; and unlike many of the other digital cameras I examined it is made of polished metal-not cheap plastic. This is sturdier, feels better in the hands, and looks a whole lot sleeker.

Second, the interior: The S40 takes 4.0 megapixel pictures, which look great on any computer screen and will print out very nicely up to 5x7 and even 8x10. Its ability to capture color is far superior to most other digital cameras. Most of the control menus are reasonably easy to use. It is packed with pre-set photographic options (for action shots, portraits, etc), but has full manual override for those of us who grew up on old-fashioned SLRs. It also focuses much faster than many of the digital cameras I've seen - helpful for capturing wildlife or childrens' sports events. Finally, the included battery is surprisingly long-lasting and recharges (with a very compact included recharger) quickly.

Third, the software: The S40 comes with Canon ZoomBrowser (for viewing) and ArcSoft's PhotoSuite (for photo-editing). I find ZoomBrowser intuitive and can easily organize my photos, however it sometimes has problems printing on my inkjet printer. The ArcSoft program is much less capable than Adobe's PhotoShop, but can delete red-eye (or unwanted individuals at the edge of a picture) without too much trouble. On the whole, both should be adequate for the casual user.

Are there drawbacks? Well, yes, there are several. Like most digital cameras, the S40 sometimes has problems focusing on the correct subject and, in automatic mode, often opens the aperature too wide (resulting in a narrow range of focus). There is a way to manually focus the camera, but it is not terribly effective. It is also impossible to attach separate lenses - but that drawback is common to any digital camera of this size.

Bottom Line: Despite the drawbacks, this is one of the best digital camera's I've seen. It is conveneint, well-built, and easy to use out of the box. I've already dragged it to Vermont, Atlanta, central Africa and Australia without a hitch-not to mention that I can take it on my frequent bicycle rides closer to home. I'd be happy to send a sample photo demonstrating its resolution and color-capturing abilities (about 1.2 MB) if you ask. On a final note, I would suggest buying a 256MB (or larger) compact flash card. This will let you take 200+ max. resolution photos at a go.

Before purchase, I did some VERY extensive research, and I finally decided on the C-3040 over the Sony DSC-P5, mainly because of the ability to use other lenses, external flash capability and weight. The C-3040 is the perfect size and weight (too light, and it's hard to keep steady). It takes excellent photos, a little on the dark side for indoor shots, but nothing that can't be fixed with half-decent photo editing software. If you don't use the LCD all the time, the battery life is acceptable, but you should still make one of your first accessories a set of rechargeable NiMH batteries and a charger (THE first should probably be a nice camera bag). Unless you're taking a large number of uncompressed photos, you can probably wait a while for a larger memory card. The included 16MB card takes about 20 pictures at the default resolution. Downloading to a PC takes about 30 seconds for all 20 shots, and you're ready for more. Still, a 64, or at least 32MB card would have been awfully nice and should probably be near the top of your list.
The flash, with adjustable brightness and delay time, the optical zoom capabilities (DON'T get a camera without optical zoom), the USB connection and the programability were the major deciding factors in my purchase decision.
There is, however, one drawback, but I don't think it's serious enough to merit a lower rating, and that's the fact that the image you see through the viewfinder is smaller than what will actually be recorded. You will have to compensate for this when you shoot. The best thing is to take a good number of test shots to get used to this effect before doing any serious shooting. The manual says using the LCD to compose your shot gives more accuracy, which is true, but there is still a difference between what you see and what gets recorded.
Overall, I'd highly recommend this camera to anyone, except maybe a serious hobbyist or a professional. Also, it might be a little pricey for beginners or digital first timers, but if you can swing it, I don't think you'll be disappointed.
Final things: Experiment with the different modes (black & white, sepia, etc.) and functions, and if you want an external flash attachment, you don't have to pay hundreds (almost as much as the camera) for the one Olympus sells; you can get the flash attachment BRACKET for about thirty bucks, and use almost any flash that has the 5-pin connector.

My Olympus C-3040 was delivered on Aug 27, 2001 and I've taken more pictures with it in these 4 months than I did in the last 4 years with my SLR. It's simply a fun camera to use, and I'm sure I haven't even used half the features, yet! I won't list every great feature because the reviews that have been posted cover everything in detail, but I will relate some of my experiences:
- buy a 128 MB SmartMedia card, but only the OLYMPUS card will allow automatic stitching of panoramic shots. The included 16 MB Olympus card has this feature, but the Viking 128 MB card does not.
- buy a charger with 4 batteries plus 4 extra batteries. Keep in mind that most people like to use the display all the time, so batteries will run out quickly. I only use the display to review the pictures taken, 99% of the time I use the viewfinder to take the picture. Consequently, I get great life out of my batteries.
- the automatic mode works for just about every situation. The only problem I've had was taking pictures of a Christmas tree with lights, which seemed to confuse the focus and every picture came out blurry. I had to read the manual and when I put it on manual focus the pictures came out sharp.
- although a large-capacity SmartMedia card will NOT increase the length of the video clips (75 seconds is the max), it WILL allow you to store several 75-second movies.
- I bought a USB card reader that does both Compact Flash and SmartMedia. It works so well that I've gotten in the habit of taking pictures of just about everything. For example, I bought a power tool that I wanted to tell my buddy about, so I just shot two quick pictures, downloaded them, an emailed them to him. "A picture IS worth a thousand words". Popping the memory card out of the camera and into the card reader is a snap, and it doesn't use any of the camera's battery.
- the included Remote Control makes self-portraits a snap; no more hurrying to get in position before the red light blinks; and you can take several remote control pictures in a row if you like.

I was planning to upgrade my C-3040 and tried different 5 megapixels cameras, such as Canon G5, Nikon Coolpix 5700 and Olympus 5050. C-3040 made better focus pictures than G5 or Nikon 5700!!! Olympus 5050 made identical pictures and although it had more features and accepts more card formats I was not able to justify the upgrade.
This showed me I made a right choice purchasing this camera.

I love everything about this camera except I must say to use a tripod. This camera is just awful if you have a shaky hand. You can't take any "real time" shots.

I have owned this camera now for about 7 months now. I use a Epson 850 printer with it. I just love this thing. It really works great, Pictures are out of this world. Has a white ballance control which is so importanton digital cameras. This means you can take color corrected pictures in a Gym, out doors, when clouds come out and indoors with incadencent lights. It even does moview with sound. Has many features my 35mm had too so I can take custom pictures. Buy this camera, it is fun, easy to hold, and carry. To make this work well I recommend buying these with it at the time of purchase: The olympus 64 meg scan disk not any other manuf. You can do panormic only with oly. Buy 8 Rechardable Energizer batteris high energy nic-net-hydride and charger, The olypus CLA1 41mm to 43mm conversion lens adapter, at 24.95 and the step uup ring 43 mm to 55mm , then get a 55mm UV haze filter and 55mm lens cap. This way the lens on the camera can be protected, and you can add a polarizer filter for really great blue skys. Oh it also opens the door to more b day presents for other lenses olympus has. Maybe Amazon will some day carry these items to make it all work. The software that comes with the camera allows wonderful pictures and easy downloads via usb too. you do not need any other software like other cameras. I am really in the photography so I bought photoshop ver 5 as well. I promise you will love this camera as much as I do, Yes it is only rated number 2 now, but it really should be 1 for normal people like me. If you are a pro the number 1 may fit, but price and features, this one you can operate without being a pro and get great pictures. Bottom line buy it, You will be happy.

I've had my C3030 for months, now. It's so small I can take it everywhere--and I do. With it, I've taken great shots of daily scenes in and around Miami, FL. Having it makes street photography fun and easy.

As for the C3030's image quality, no other digital camera, in its price range, outdoes it. I went from a One Megapixel camera straight to the C3030. Needless to say, the difference was astounding. The large number of resolutions from which to choose really allow the photographer to shoot for any purpose--from email attachments, to Web pages, to professionally output hi-res images. Usually, simply using the default resolution with the built in picture taking modes is right for any situation not requiring super hi-res output. And it's easy.

I coupled my Olympus with an HP DeskJet 1220C. Using the camera's default resolution, the printed output is guite good. I can tell I haven't used the higher resolutions. But my friends, who see the framed photos, usually think they came from a lab.

Of course I use Photoshop to help tweak the images until they look just as I want them to look. But I really don't need to.

All in all, the C3030 is an excellent Camera. The number of settings and menus is, at first, a bit daunting. But spending some time to get to know the camera really unlocks its full potential.

If you want an excellent digital camera, with excellent image quality, easy to use default settings, and advanced features for even more flexibility, the C3030 is the one to get.

After doing a lot of searching on line I decided to order this camera.Thanks to Amazon's always excellent service the camera arrived just in time for a family trip I had planned.This left me with only a few hours to learn what to do before using the camera for the first time. Though the manual has 183 pages it takes about 3 minutes to learn how to do the basics. Truly impressive. I went on my merry way and shot a whole bunch of pictures. Upon returning home I installed the included software and downloaded the pictures. One gripe regarding the software package;it would be nice to have a "Lite" version of the instructions for use for us novices. I'm sure the help section has an answer to every question, but all I want to do is the basics and this software has so many features it gets to be a pain to find answers. I did get it working tho, and am truly impressed with the quality of the pictures I took. I did not get the power converter, but am planning to use rechargable batteries so the drain during downloading is no issue. All in all I find this camera a pleasure to use for a first time user like me, and I'm sure if you bother to find out all the features for just about anyone. All in all a great product!

If you're looking for a digital camera that can not only handle web photos, but also some non-web pictures, the Olympus 340R is a good bet.

I did a lot of research, including Amazon customer reviews. At $400 in early 2000 (everything electronic has is relative to date), it may represent the best value going.

The pictures are great (don't rely on the autoflash indoors...for indoor shots, set the camera for flash). The operating manual could be more user-friendly, but is tolerable. Once you get the hang of it, it's a very easy camera to operate. The built-in shutter cover, which doubles as the power shutoff is an example of simple engineering genius.

On the downside, you'll read that the 340R is a "battery hog," and it is. Rechargeable Nickel Metal Hydride batteries (get 8 + a charger) are a must. I also recommend the FlashPath adapter. It's a great way to transfer your picture files to your computer and saves on battery usage.

Though I LOVE Amazon, the truth is that you'll be better served if you buy generic versions of these accessories, rather than the Olympus versions that Amazon sells.

Another battery saving technique is to avoid using the built-in mini-monitor to take pictures. You don't need it.

Net, for $400, you can't beat this one.

I bought my Olympus D-340R in late 1998 (I think) when it first came out, for around $300. The same money buys a lot more these days but this one has honestly been worth every penny.

It has been used (and seriously abused) pretty much daily for 5 years and is still going strong. I have NEVER had a single problem with it.

I've purchased 4 other digital cameras since this one, only to return them (a Canon, HP 320, HP 635, and Olympus D-390). Nothing beats the quality of the pics on my Olympus D-340R. I've never experienced photos with red-eyes like I did constantly with the others (I don't use the red-eye reduction - typically just point and shoot), and the color/sharpness are far superior to the others.

The drawbacks are that there is no optical zoom, and I do go through a lot of batteries (but we use the LCD alot). The megapixels could be higher, but it works ok for me. Although I use it primarily for web use, I've found the SHQ shots print out superbly (with my photo printer).

I recommend upgrading to a 128 MB memory card - I did this past year, and wowsa! I can take nearly 600 HQ pics or nearly 300 SHQ pics. I also recommend getting a memory card reader for super-fast downloading, because the serial cable is painfully slow. With a card reader you can also bypass the Camedia software, which leaves something to be desired.

I am amazed that this camera has served me so well for so long! And until I can afford a $500+ model....I'll happily keep on using it!

I just purchased the dc3400, and right out of the box it was a joy to use. I've seen other cameras, the more expensive Cannon Digital elf 2.1mp, for instance, and none comes close to the ease of use of the 3400's graphical user interface. Taking pictures was easy, and getting them on the computer was even easier. The software mounts the camera like it does a floppy drive, you just go into the drive and drag and drop them onto wherever you want. The pictures, well, they were stunning to be modest. It brought the highest detail and best color out of pictures that would of been horrible on any 35mm camera. With the included card it can hold 35 of the standard size pics, which look beautiful on the 4x6 glossy photo sheets i purchased. And the large setting holds about 12, which is great for printing at the huge 8x10. I am very pleased with this camera, it does everything I could ever want a camera to do.

I'm late writing the review for this camera which was a Christmas present, but it's only because I've been too busy taking pictures! The camera is very easy to use with good prompts like we're used to seeing on our computers (giving you a second chance to change your mind before you delete a picture, for example). It is fairly lightweight and produces outstanding prints when set for the highest quality pictures (I use a Kodak Personal Picture Maker 200 printer). Enlargements I've printed myself are every bit as good quality as enlargements I've had professionally made from 35MM negatives. A friend borrowed the camera and took a lot of pictures at night at the Detroit Electronic Music Festival and even those came out great. We had a family wedding recently with a lot of long-lost out of town guests; the preview display on the back of the camera eliminated the anxiety of wondering if once-in-a-lifetime pictures were really going to turn out. The DC 3400 was a good buy although Kodak does kind of cheap out by only supplying an 8M CompactFlash card with the camera; a 16M card would be more useful.

It gives absolutely great pictures, great user friendly menu
and its jsut take the best picture. I have used 3 more digital cameras noe. Canon, Fuji ..but this one is still the best.
I have almost shot 5000 snaps till now and they are jsut gr8

Piyush

I recently purchased the DX6490 camera with the Easyshare docking station. My purchase criteria was a good lens and high power optical zoom. I shoot landscapes and portraits and use a digital camera before committing to large format film. The lens, color imaging, and ergonomics of the Kodak are great. I can take macro type closeups of flowers and bring faces in with the 10X zoom lens. The camera performs flawlessly and I took many successful photos without using the manual. Downloads are a snap with the docking station. Kodak lets you send your digital files for processing on Kodak paper. The Kodak easyshare software is excellent especially if you are new to digital photography. I find myself using this camera for more and more tasks including ebay sales. I previously owned a Hewlett Packard 2.0 MP camera that was replaced three times under warranty and smashed with a hammer when the warranty ran out. I also have a Fuji 3.0 MP camera that I gave to my kids. I highly recommend the DX6490 for new users and experienced digital photographers. The 10X zoom alone is reason to buy one. I could have bought a package that includes the Kodak photo printer which usually retails for 200.00. The printer has a maximum print size of about 5 X 7 prints which is ok for snapshots but the camera is very capable of larger prints. I opted to buy the Epson Stylus RX-600 photo printer for another $100.00 that gives up to an 8 X 10 print using 6 color technology. So think about the maximum size prints you would make before committing to the Kodak bundle with printer.

I've owned this camera for about half a year and I've taken around 1500 pictures with it. Like many others, I did extensive reviews on digicams before I bought the Kodak DX6490 so there are a few things I expected.

-Excellent 10x optical zoom
The lens are amazing in taking up closeups from far away. At around 6x and above, you will need to prop the camera on a surface or use a tripod for sharp images though.

-Excellent night shot ability
The DX6490's night focusing ability is better than most cameras due to it's hybrid focusing system. This enabled me to take very sharp images in dark places. In addition, the EVF worked very well in low-light conditions by turning into black and white and amplifying the light intensity.

-Ease in software use
I'm running Windows XP and I have no problems with the camera dock, which I find to be convenient as both a charge and transfer dock. The one-touch transfer works with little/no problems and the EasyShare software allows me to organize my pics easily.

-Not so good fast action photography
This camera isn't very good in capturing fast action as there is about a 1 second delay for AutoFocus to lock on. (If it's already AF, delay is around 0.3s). In addition, blurring occurs if you don't use sports mode or PASM.

-Misc comments
Purple fringing is very minimal in pictures. The camera is rather big (stable yet bulky) so finding a case is a little hard. The 2.2 inch LCD is very nice(unlike some Fuji digicams I used before). The casing is plastic and the lens is a little loose (it's supposed to be). If you hook up an AC adapter directly to the camera, it won't charge the batteries. There is no full manual mode- only pseudo manual mode where the camera always controls one aspect.

-Final comments
What I commented above are just some parts of the camera. Overall, it's worth every penny I paid for it ($400). The camera snaps very crisp and vivid photographs and is relatively easy to use.

I bought this camera shortly after the birth of my first child, which was four months ago. I am SOooooo glad I did! This was our first digital camera, so I wanted to make sure I got one that was easy to use. After reading many reviews, as well as the opinions given in Consumer Reports, I decided on this camera (along with the dock). I couldn't be happier!
One of my favorite features on this camera, as compared to other cameras, is the large viewing screen--it is so much easier to tell if you like the pictures you've taken with a larger screen, and also easier to view pictures when you are outdoors.
Most importantly, though, I love how simple this camera is to work. My parents have a digital camera that I still can't figure out. However, with the Kodak, I didn't even have to read the instruction manual. Everything is very self-explanatory, and using the buttons to accomplish a change in picture quality, color, etc. is a piece of cake.
I didn't think I would use the feature that allows the user to take video clips, but as it turns out, I use it all the time! I have a 256 mb memory, so I can get a fairly long video out of this great camera.
I really could not be happier with my purchase. If I had to find a complaint, it would be that, like all other digital cameras, it does not have a large enough memory on its own. It's not that fun to buy a nearly $500 camera, only to have to then spend more money to be able to take a decent amount of pictures. Other than that, though, I'd recommend this camera in a heartbeat!

I'll admit I'm no expert when it comes to photographic equipment but I CAN recognise a bargain when I see it. Olympus are a manufacturer who have always had my utmost respect and when it came to upgrading my 1.3 megapixel digi-cam to something with a little more juice they were once again my first choice. The D-380 was released around Feb 2002 (I believe) and is one of the few 2.0 Megapixel cameras... at a price you simply can not argue with for this kind of quality.

What you get for your money is a camera which is aestetically pleasing as well as functionaly impressive as well. It's not too bulky, around 5" wide and sub 7 ounces in weight, with a sliding lens protector to make transportation a breeze, a wrist strap, 8MB Smart Media memory card (although it takes upto 128MB) as well as 1MB onboard memory, USB connector, built in flash and a 1.5" digital viewfinder at the back for live preview or viewing of your snapped images...a good size for a small camera.

The camera requires 4AA batteries to operate and unlike the previous model I owned uses some kind of battery saving technology to give you more operational time before run down. It still gobbles the things like nobody's business though if you use the viewfinder at the back too often so you are best advised to buy a set or two of rechargable batteries for this camera...but it is MUCH better than the previous models.

When it comes to using the camera you'll find it a doddle. I'm not going to run through each and every thing it does or I'll bore the pants off you, ...[but] if you want a list of specs, then visit the Olympus website. What I will say is that it is dead easy to use. The menu system is accessed through 4 buttons on the back, and is very intuitive - you'll have no problem with using this unlike with some others. If you've ever used an Olympus camera around this price range before in the last couple of years then you'll be more than familiar with the set up because it doesn't seem to have changed much in this respect.

The most important thing of all though is the quality of the pictures and I have to say that once again Olympus has come up trumps with this camera. Colour saturation is generally excellent and whilst bright sunlight and very murky conditions give you somewhat under/over-exposed results at times, it is otherwise faultless for a 2.0 megapixel camera. There are various image manipulation options such as switching to black and whire/sepia tones built into the camera as well and an option to record video footage as Quicktime images which is great as well.

The only thing which is missing for the average user (no, it's not a pro choice obviously) is a zoom lens. You can digitally zoom if you so wish, but I find a slight jagged edge appearing on the images if you do, so it's not optimal.

Overall, for the price you can't fault it and I'd be happy to recommend it to anybody in the market for a 2.0 Megapixel digital camera without any qualms that they would be disappointed in their purchase. If you want professional quality images then look elsewhere, but for the general user this is a great purchase.

The Olympus D-380 is my first digital camera. I did my research, using online reviews and consumer publications. I wanted something high quality, user-friendly, and well built, at a reasonable price. I concluded that Olympus makes products that fit my criteria. This camera is everything I hoped it would be and more!

Upon opening the box, I was pleased to find an attractive, sturdily constructed camera. Though there's nothing cheap-looking about it (it's all classy looking metallic surfaces), it is very lightweight and comfortable in my hand. The lens cover slides with precision and covers the lens securely (many of the cameras in this price range don't have an integrated lens cover). The wrist strap attaches easily. The covers for the battery compartment, memory card, and USB and AC adapters are well designed and look as if they will last a long time. This camera is manufactured in Japan.

It took only about a minute, after scanning the "Quick Start" guide, to insert the included batteries and SmartMedia memory card and start taking pictures. The very first picture I took was a keeper; I was very pleasantly surprised at the quality. I handed the camera to my 6-year-old son, who snapped off a shot of my daughter and me, which I then printed on glossy photo paper. It looks so nice that I'm actually going to frame it and hang it on the wall. I have since taken pictures at all the different resolutions, and all look great when viewed on the computer. I have settled on the 1024 x 768 setting as my "standard", since it matches the resolution of my monitor, and makes for reasonable file sizes (around 180 KB per photo). 640 x 480 works great for e-mail, and 1600 x 1200 turns out beautiful results for printing, or those special occasion "keepsakes". Even the QuickTime movie mode does a decent job, certainly much better than those grainy webcam captures.

There is a 5X digital zoom (no optical). I detect a little graininess when using it, but for the money, it's fine and it's simple to use.

I am running Windows 2000 Pro, and setup for transferring files to the computer couldn't have been easier. Simply plug the USB cable into the camera, then into the computer. That's it! Open My Computer and you'll find a new removable storage drive. From there it's a simple matter of dragging and dropping files to wherever you want to store them. You can delete the files from the SmartMedia card from your computer, which is easier than doing it with the camera. The included Camedia software looked fun, but I haven't had a need to use it yet, so I can't comment on its functionality.

I received a free 32 MB Viking SmartMedia card from Amazon with this camera. Together with the 8 MB card in the box with the camera, this is enough storage for roughly 200 photos at 1024 x 768. The only thing I needed to buy to complete my setup was a carrying case.

I highly recommend this camera to anyone looking to enter the world of digital photography. It is stylish, extremely easy to use, very well constructed, takes excellent pictures, and is an unbeatable value!

I've used this camera for over 2 years now, and I've never had a problem with it. The battery life is excellent and the pictures are really sharp and good looking for 2MP. The camera has taken a lot of beating, but its really durable and still in excellent shape.