Digital-Camera Reviews

I agree with the points listed by others reviewing the Canon Powershot G1 camera and I am very happy with the product. I purchased this camera to take advantage of some of its more advanced features and have not been let down (after several weeks, I'm still making discoveries).

A couple of additional notes I would like to add for those intending to buy this camera and for existing owners:

1) I highly recommend Canon's PSC1000 semi-hard case for the G1. It is a two-piece leather design that provides significant protection for the camera body, as well as making the camera easier to grip for those with large hands.

2) I have been pleasantly surprised with the software that Canon supplied with the G1 - the ZoomBrowser software provides a quick, convenient method of viewing large numbers of photographs. This camera also comes with a 'SE' edition of Adobe Photoshop - a rich product that enjoys industry-wide support. Competitors often provide a TWAIN-compatible driver and a simple/cheap photo manipulation program - leaving consumers to purchase adequate software.

3) The 16mb card supplied with the camera is really included only to make the camera operable out of the box. In my opinion, this card should have been at least 64mb in size (high quality JPG images are 1.2mb in size). Be prepared to purchase a larger card immediately, or try one of the Microtech harddrives made by IBM, which the G1 supports fully.

I've rated the camera 5 stars because I find it to be the digital equivalent to Canon's excellent line of EOS SLR cameras in every respect.

I recently upgraded my digital camera to the G1 (from an older Casio VGA) and I couldn't be happier.

It is easy to use and takes excellent pictures for a "prosumer" (I've taken over 500 since it arrived). The user interface will be familiar to Canon film camera users and it seems to offer the right combination of automated and manual features.

This camera comes equipped with everything you need: cables, storage, rechargeable, remote control, software, etc. The only complaint would be the size of the 16MB CompactFlash. You probably will want a 32MB or bigger device -- but that purchase can wait because the computer interface on this is excellent and uploading is a pleasure.

The USB interface and Type 1 and 2 card support are the way to go. This gives you a lot of future protection and upgrade options.

The included software is more than adequate. ZoomBrowser the camera manager is the best picture organizer I have used. The TWAIN driver has worked with all my photo and video editors.

The battery is incredible -- long life and fast recharge -- can't ask for more.

The LCD display is really useful. There are better displays out there but none more convenient. The ability to tuck it away saves on battery and cleaning the display. The 360 degree orientation is great. I use it in conjunction with the remote control to great effect.

I looked forever for a new camera to replace my pentax EI-200, which works perfectly fine, but I wanted a new one. I bought a G1 used for @300 dollars based upon exhaustive research. 3mp, fold out lcd screen, unlimited manual control(lots of modes +full manual and manual focus), raw format(better and smaller than tiff) attracted me. What really turned out to be great was the battery life(lasts a long long time), remote, picture quality, the screen is fantastic- I don't know how I did without it. With photoshop and an epson printer, why spend hundreds more on a tiny no featured camera with more megapixels than you would ever need? why spend hours downloading pics so you can print only 3x5's or 5x7's. This prints beautiful 8x10's. You don't need more. Movie's with sound too.
By this camera and a 256 meg compact flash card. you will not be sorry.

Just bought my Fuji S5000 a month ago and am extremely pleased with it!Out of the box I was taking impressive, detailed pictures!Although daytime shots are taken best with this camera, with some setting adjustments nighttime shots can be pretty good.I have taken most of my shots on the 3 mp setting and they have turned out great.Although in order to use the Raw format you have to use the 6 mp setting.The zoom is great. I used it taking pictures from a moving vehicle and you couldnt even see a blur.I found by reading the book and experimenting most of the problems people have can be overcome.Only cons with this camera is you tend to get a lot of blur on low light shots. And lastly the included software isnt the greatest

With this camera, Fuji apparently decided to put the bucks into features rather than megapixels and to build the best 3mp camera they could -- like building an expensive Audi with a 1.8-litre engine -- resulting in a product that is extremely versatile at the price. Really, few will ever need more than 1mp for typical picture-taking, and the sharpness and accurate color balance this camera produces even at that "low" resolution are more than satisfying, even in low light conditions. And, at 1mp, you can shoot and store a number of photos equal to approximately twice the meg rating of your memory card. The lens is sharp and as good a quality as I've seen in any consumer camera, even at its vaunted 10x optical zoom (where you'll need a tripod or other solid brace -- it doesn't have the digital stabilization found on pro cameras). Photos download in a few seconds direct from camera to computer. I like the locked-down flash -- it doesn't fire off inadvertently when you're inside a museum -- and the battery life is as good as I've ever seen on a digital camera. It's unlikely, but should your rechargables ever expire while you're in the field, you can pick up a set of ordinary AAs. The digital WYSIWYG thru-the-lens viewfinder with diopter adjustment is superior to the typical optical rangefinders found in this bracket of cameras. A full range of manual priority settings, the ability to shoot black-and-white and "Kodachrome" (color-saturated)photos and a lens hood that accepts standard 55mm filters complete this very attractive package. Drawbacks: the camera, while small, is oddly shaped and is too large for the typical digital camera case or your pocket but rattles around in a 35mm camera bag. The zoom motor is a bit too fast and difficult to fine-tune. And it could use a remote shutter release.

Definitely satisfied!
At the time I bought this camera (a few months ago), I was a beginner in digital photography. Initially I was looking for Fuji S602. Now I have Fuji S5000. Was it a good choice? Can't say yes, can't say no. There is no perfect camera yet... But I cannot ask for more at $350-400.
+: great zoom, burst mode, powerful flash + no red eyes, easy to use, nice colors, great feeling in your hand, movie mode is very good (I would have preferred 640x480), low power consumption, so very good autonomy, many manual settings (for those not happy with auto or predefined modes), RAW mode, can be used as webcamera or video capture device.
-: max shutter only 2s, EVF resolution not so high, LCD could have been at least 1.8", some pictures are noisy (ISO 200 is a bit too high), jpeg compression is quite high (and cannot be changed), low battery indicator is shown only a few seconds before camera turns off.
Recommended buys: another XD card, rechargeable batteries, case, tripod.

I have the fuji 40i digital camera with mp3 player built in and movie camera with sound feature also. What a super camera, so small. But I found after loading my mp3's and taking my movies, I had no memory left for pics. (fuji comes with a 16meg card) So I read the reviews on Amazon and noticed people said the Viking cards worked on the fuji cameras. (fuji needs a special ID memory smartcard for audio) So I purchased my Viking 64 meg smartcard from Amazon and I'm thrilled. According to what I have read , this is the maximum card you can use with this camera. Everything works. I can now take 51 pics in the 2400x1800 mode while holding my favorite mp3's and movie in the camera. Life is beautiful! Super price (can you believe the drop in smart card pricing?) Thank you ,Amazon and Viking!

I bought the Viking 64 MB Smart Media card to add more data storage to my Olympus C-3020 digital camera. The Viking card worked perfectly without any format or setup. The price is much lower than other cards of similar size without any trade-off in performance.The extra memory this card provides allows for 82 pictures at the default setting in the Olympus Camera.If you have been trying to budget you shots with the small card that comes with the Olympus camera, I highly recomend this upgrade.It allows for more picture-taking fun without having to worry about running out of memory. ...

I needed a bigger card for my FujiFilm 2600z camera, which I also got off amazon.com almost two years ago. It came with a 16mb card but I needed something bigger, especially with my wedding coming up.

I was looking at the 128mb Memorex SmartMedia Card, but I discovered my camera was not on Memorex's compatibility list. My next choice was the 64mb card from Viking. I was a little skeptical at first because I had never heard of them before. However, after reading some great reviews from other amazon.com shoppers I decided to give it a shot (especially because it was priced lower then most of the others).

I could not be happier! First off I went from only being able to hold 20 photos (at max quality), to around 82! I have been using the card for months, taking photos, deleting them, transferring them to my PC, and so far it has been working great. The card also came with a plastic protective case, which is now where my 16mb card resides.

If I ever decide to go with the larger 128mb card, or if I get a new camera, I will definitely consider another Viking memory card, and would recommend their product to any of my friends.

I have owned a Canon TX and Canon 650 film cameras. I was always very happy with my Canon film cameras. I bought the 10d thinking that I was finally able to get a digital replacement for my old Canon film cameras.

I have now owned my 10d for over a year. The picture quality is only fair. It often selects ISO 100 and gives me fuzzy pictures. The white balance is extremely poor compared with the film cameras. The "full automatic" mode does a poor job of focus and white balance. The "creative" modes are similar to the film cameras but don't seem to work so very well. I am just having a terrible time trying to get the settings right to get good pictures! After a year of trying I am extremely frustrated with it.

Finally, the print pictures I get from it are _always_ too dark. It seems I need to post-process EVERY PICTURE in photoshop to get the gamut correct, or brighten/enhance/correct the photos to make them look right. Argh!

It's all probably user error, but I never had these problems with my old film cameras. If I could easily get PhotoCDs made I would go back to film immediately!

The Canon EOS 10D is my third digital camera. I started years ago with a Nikon 900, then a Casio QV3000, and just got my Canon yesterday.

Immediately the one problem that annoyed me the most about my two previous digital cameras was fixed - no more long delays between pressing the shutter and taking the picture. In fact you can take a rapid series of up to 9 shots which the camera will buffer until it can write them all to compact flash.

Years ago I had a 35mm film version of the Canon EOS, sadly it was stolen. I knew before buying this camera that I was impressed with the quality and ease of use of the Canon EOS series. The autofocus on the 10D is much faster and quieter than my years ago Canon camera. The user interface on this camera is the best I have seen.

One thing I'm not impressed with yet is the automatic white balance, I think my Nikon and Casio both did a better job, but there are options you can select for the EOS white balance, and this sort of thing is easy to tweak later with Irfanview or Photoshop. I'd give the Canon EOS 10D a 10 for ease of use, a 10 for rapid response to shutter button actions, and a 9.5 on photo quality with the 28-90mm f/4-5.6 II USM lens I'm currently using.

If you have been waiting for a top quality 35mm digital SLR at a reasonable price, I'd say the wait is over.

This is one great camera! I owned a D30 before which at the time was an excellent DSLR also.
The 10D's accurate and fast auto-focus is an enormous improvement over the D30 and D60. The magnesium alloy body feels a lot sturdier than previous models. Battery life is almost endless, especially if you use the BG-ED3 battery grip which contains two batteries. Picture quality is almost flawless. Perhaps a little soft right out of the camera, but that's easily remedied in Photoshop. Color rendition is great, particularly if you take the time to build your own color profiles.
For the price you can't go wrong. Spend some of the money you save in buying the 10D instead of a more expensive camera on one of Canon's "L" lenses. You won't regret it.
Unfortunately the Canon software that ships with the 10D sucks. Never mind. Buy a decent RAW file conversion utility like Capture One DSLR LE and keep yourself happy. Believe me, your sanity is worth the $... extra.

I've had my G3 for about 10 months now, and I've taken thousands of pictures with it. The positives:
- Takes great, clear pictures under ideal conditions; often with better results than my 35mm Canon SLR!
- Easy uploads to my PC.
- Accepts my external Canon flash.
- Excellent battery life. (I've people complain about battery life with other digital cameras, but this really is a strong point for the G3.)
- The unique LCD that flips over is "cool" (and easy to protect from scratches).

- Has lots of shooting modes for a non-pro camera.
The negatives:
- The lens cap is a poor design; it falls off very easily (at least Canon provides a cord so it doesn't get lost).
- Focus is slow except under ideal lighting conditions.
- Focus is unreliable; I've learned to take 3 shots at a time, hoping that at least one of them will be in sharp focus.
- Photo quality gets noticeably worse (more "noise") as soon as you increase the exposure "speed" above the slowest setting (ASA 50).
- The design is relatively bulky and heavy for a non-SLR camera, and the controls are not ergonomically correct.
- The RAW picture format option is useless with this camera because Canon's software gives you virtually no useful options for correcting/modifying photos in RAW format. To do anything useful you have to take the time to convert your photos to JPG anyway. I gave up on RAW after the first couple of tries and have stuck with JPG format since then.
In summary... I expected a lot at this price level, and the G3 really is a great camera for family snapshots, scenery and documents. However, it is a poor camera for low-light conditions or action photography.

The Canon G3 improves in almost all ways on the G1 and G2 before it, and in fact beats the Nikon Coolpix 5000 in performance (picture quality and battery life) -- which is amazing because the 5000 is a 5 megapixel camera and the Canon is a 4 megapixel camera. Canon's optics are better and I believe their processing algorithms are also better. Simply, the Canon G3 is the best digital camera out there today at this price point.

The Canon allows you to change lenses, and it accepts the IBM Microdrive (Type II Compact Flash), so you can have up to 1 Gigabyte of storage. For me on the Fine resolution setting (not maximum but very close) this adds up to over 1000 images with the 1 Gig card. The battery life of this camera is twice that of the Nikon 5000 and is better than anything else I've seen.

The only minor nits I have with the camera are it is fairly boxy looking, it needs a wrist strap instead of a neck strap, and it is a bit slow between shots. Even with these shortcomings, I still think it is the best digital camera available under $1200.

I've been using a PowerShot S330 for nearly a year, and wanted to upgrade to a 4 or 5 megapixel camera with a longer zoom, more adjustability, a hot shoe for an external flash, and a remote control. I looked at both the Nikon Coolpix 5700 and the Canon G3, and decided on the G3 due both to ergonomics (much more comfortable to hold and use) and the price ...

I've had the camera for about two weeks and shot hundreds of pictures so far. And so far, I've been very pleased. There's a noticeable difference in the quality of a 4 megapixel image versus the 2 megapixels of the S330, especially if you want to crop and enlarge the pictures. The larger lens of the G3 gives better picture quality in low light, and the 4-times optical zooms gets you just that much closer.

The moveable LCD screen is great. You can take pictures with the camera held above your head, way down, or beside you with no problem, allowing you to position the camera for the best shot without contorting yourself. The tiny (postage-stamp sized) remote unit is wonderful: not only does it trigger the shutter, it can also be used to zoom and review pictures. I also purchased a good sturdy tripod: the combination of the new camera, tripod and remote control enabled me to take some remarkable indoor, natural-light portraits I never would have attempted before.

The hot shoe flash attachment allowed me to buy and use a sophisticated flash unit: I chose the Canon Speedlite 420. This has made the greatest difference in the quality of my photographs: the built-in flash on any of these cameras gives you flat photos, red-eye, and annoying shadows; a good add-on flash unit can be bounced off the ceiling or wall for pleasing, almost-natural lighting.

I needed three batteries to keep myself going with the S330, but the battery in the G3 is a real powerhouse: I shot over 300 photos at my goddaughter's birthday party without switching out to my backup battery. The G3 has a different type of battery charging system from the smaller Canon cameras: the battery needs to be charged while in the camera, but the charging system also enables you to use the camera while plugged in without running down the battery.

I have yet to try using all of the adjustment options: shutter priority, aperature priority, light metering adjustments, etc., but all controls are well thought out and and the manual is relatively clear. You can use this camera right out of the box on the automatic setting, or slowly get comfortable with the manual settings and what they can do.

Negatives? I've been bothered by blown-out highlights on the S330, and the G3 seems to do only slightly better. (I'm starting to think that this may just be one of the weaknesses of all digital photography at this level.) The on-off button feels somewhat flimsy, and has an awkward, tiny little lock-out button that needs to be depressed to turn on the camera. And the body/construction in general has quite a bit of plastic, a disappointment after the stainless steel heft of the S330.

I bought a 512 MB card, which seems to hold about 400 photos at the highest resolution. I was worried that 4 megapixel photos would download more slowly, but there's no difference in working with the files. I have a 120 GB remote drive I use to store my digital images: I can imagine that they'd fill up my iBook's internal memory pretty quickly.

At the same time I purchased this camera I also bought Adobe's Photoshop Elments 2.0 software, and can't praise it highly enough. If you're investing in a camera at this level, buy this software! And as I said in my review of the S330, all of these digital cameras are easier to use with Apple computers.

The bottom line: if you're serious about your digital photography, or been bitten with the bug after using a digital point-and-shoot, this may be just the camera for you. But make sure to buy a tripod and separate flash unit at the same time: you'll see the difference in your photos immediately.

Added 2-24. I've now had the camera for two months and I'm even more pleased with it. I wound up buying a gray card and use it all the time with the custom white-balance setting. It helps avoid the problem of a color cast on the pictures, especially in mixed-light settings. If you don't have a gray card, you can use a plain white piece of paper. I also discovered the exposure-bracket setting, which enables you to take three exposures with one press of the shutter: the first at the camera-determined exposure, then one lighter and one darker. Especially useful with portraits and difficult-to-meter situations. I did buy the telephoto lens (and the required extension). Very easy to use. I'll probably also get the wide-angle now, too. Very comfortable camera, easy to use, and the best digital photos you're going to get at this price.

Now I'm new to photography, but I began with my ideal set of features without looking at what cameras were out there (too many to count). I set pretty high standards for myself. They were:

1) 3+ MP
2) Great in low-light/no flash situations (i.e. weddings)
3) CF Flash 1 & 2 (least proprietary, many uses)
4) AA-battery standards (least proprietary, many uses)
5) Highly compact/light enough for my pocket
6) Point and Shoot
7) Manual controls so I can grow into taking pictures
8) Swivel LCD (Candid shots that you'd never get otherwise)
9) Minimal shutter lag (works like non-digital camera)
10) Good Construction
11) 10x Optical Zoom
12) Optical zoom focus (rotary like professional cameras)
13) 640x480+ DV video
14) Waterproof
15) Made in Japan (best quality control process, I think)
16) Camera doesn't limit speed based on brand of memory card
17) Nice web sites demonstrating how to use the camera best
18) Wireless/Phone connectivity
19) Hot shoe
20) Lens thread for lens filters
21) $350 or less

Now, I went to the list. I bought this camera after months of research, comparing all sorts of brands from Sony, Kodak, Olympus, etc. So now, I'll address all the features and how this camera stacks up.

1) 4MP: Perfect
2) One of best in low-light/no flash; I generally don't like the lighting with flash even on professional cameras. I've gotten great dim pictures of animals sleeping with this. Note: Must be steady [See Recommendations]
3) CF Flash 1; That's still good & cheap, but not as fast as CF2.
4) 4 AA-battery; A number so heavy, but multi-purpose
5) It fits my pocket, but it's a bit heavy with the batteries
6) Yup, but I think Sony does a better job with auto mode
7) Few cameras have manual and I'm still learning with this. Note: Having a manual mode means that there's a fairly steep learning curve, but fortunately there's auto if needed
8) I can't tell you how many candid shots I've gotten with the swivel LCD. It's a must!
9) Arg. This camera has lag. Maybe 1-2 seconds worth. No camera for this price seems to minimize this. Maybe in a few years?
10) Alright, but batteries/CF door a bit flimsy
11) 3x optical zoom so that's just fair
12) Uses digital motor to zoom, which is slow. Not available on consumer cameras though.
13) 320x280 video mode, 3min max is ok, but even the A70 had 640x480 so this is just bad
14) Even with the so-called waterproof case, this is just bad. Just avoid moisture or get an el-cheapo camera for water situations (what I did)
15) Yup. Land of the Rising Sun. High QC
16) Actually improves based on the memory card
17) Yup, there are plenty of sites that demonstrate hot to optimize the manual modes
18) Probably not in the near future
19) Nope.
20) Yes, so I can possibly apply a UV filter or whatnot

Recommendations:
-Tripod
-Rechargeable batteries
-256+ CF card, 512MB /1 GB recommended
(I know a lot of people like the 256 MB card, but once you get into this camera, you can finish off a 256 MB card in one night i.e. 200 pictures + 3/4 video clips)

I have owned this camera for about 4 months now and have shot well over 1000 photos with it. It's my first digital camera, and it has exceeded all of my expectations for a reasonably priced digital.

You see, I'm a film person who prefers his film cameras all manual for the control it gives me. So, as you can imagine, I have been very skeptical of digital. I held out for several years before buying a digital camera in part for this reason, and in part because until recently I could not find a digital camera that met my needs at the price I was willing to pay ($300-$400). The Canon A80 is that camera, and I'm very happy I waited for it. Since your needs may not be the same as mine, I should explain what I wanted in a digital camera:

at least 4 MP
full manual controls along with the automatic ones
compact size (I take most of my photos while hiking)
reasonably rugged and well built (for the same reason)
excellent optics and picture quality
uses AA batteries
good battery life

A fairly tall order, but the A80 fits the bill.

It's small and fits really well into my hands, making it easy to handle even one-handed. I considered the Canon S400 and S50, too, but their proprietary battery and less ergonomic shape (and the lack of manual controls on the S400) tipped the balance in favor of the A80, even though the A80 is slightly larger.

The A80 takes great pictures on program or automatic settings, but allows full manual control, too. I have found, to my embarrassment, that I actually use the manual controls rarely (they are rather cumbersome on the A80--lots of buttons to push--but I'm still glad I have them). Shutter lag is minimal compared to other digital cameras I have tried out, and the automatic focus works very well. The A80 also takes spectacular closeups in macro mode. The flip-out LCD has turned out to be far more useful than I expected, and also protects the screen when folded in. I do not care much about, flash, indoor shots, or moving subjects (I shoot mostly landscapes) so I can't say much about them, except that it is nice to have these capabilities, and I have gotten a few great shots of wildlife with the A80.

Battery life is excellent. I use 1800ma NiMH rechargeable AA batteries in it, and though I have shot all day on more than one occasion (250+ shots), I have not yet run out of power in the field (I always start out the day with a fully charged set of batteries). The fact that it takes AA size batteries makes for cheaper batteries and greater flexibility when your rechargeable NiMH batteries run out of power and you have no charged replacements.

My only quibble is a tendency to blow out highlights (bright areas) of some photos, and some purple fringing where dark areas meet much brighter areas in a photo. I understand there are adjustments one can make to avoid both, but I have not yet achieved this level of expertise.

In short, this was a great choice for my first digital camera. I'm having a lot of fun with it and discovering that in some respects digital gives you even more control over your photos than my old all manual Nikon does. I've found the photo software Canon includes to be quite adequate, though you'll want Photoshop or equivalent for more complex work with your photos.

This is an amazing camera that never fails to come up with a great picture. I am far from a pro. but this camera's function and quality enable me to take shots that look good anyway. It even has a quality mic. that allows you to record and add sound to a picture. The only gripe I have with it is that in order to actually use it for more than a day you have to purchase expensive rechargable batteries.

This camera generally takes very good pictures but I do have one complaint that has not been resolved. Even with red eye reduction feature on, it still takes bad redeye, especially with babies. The software does not eliminate it either. I have been through their customer service several times for this and one other problem and they were not helpful. I felt I was being talked down to and I finally gave up. I like the camera except for that, but I probably would not buy another Olympus unless customer service is more helpful.

Pros: Lots of manual options, incredible feature set, superb four megapixel digital images, Fantastic optics for color and clarity, Manual and automatic controls for pros and debutants, Very little lag, Excellent image quality and easy to use buttons, Fast, Many settings and options, great zoom ratio, nice control layout, nice size LCD

Cons: Slightly Heavy, Not as cool looking as other cameras, 8 MB Storage card supplied with camera is woefully inadequate, User manual, software kind of plain, battery life, Size of pictures and erase features are not what I would like.

Summary: The C-4000z is a very impressive digital camera and for the price it can't be beat. This camera packs a serious punch with features only found on higher end digital cameras. I have been using digital cameras for the past four years from Kodak to Sony but this one out beats them all. Now I won't beat around the bush and say there are no flaws with the cam, the first being the batteries shipped with the cam (they are one time use only)! So right off the bat you have to spend a couple more dollars for rechargeable batteries. The batteries I got I'm able to take about 200 hundred high res. (TIFF) pictures before being replaced. The second problem is the small memory card shipped with the cam (at the time of my buy Olympus was giving free 64 mb cards with mail in rebate). The camera does come with a owners manual but has very limited information in it, for a extensive manual you have to read it off the installation disk in PDF form which isn't bad for me because it makes it a little easier to look something up using the word find feature. Now for the good things about the camera. This camera is packed with features and this should be taken into account if your new to digital cameras there is a lot to take in. Everything is arranged on the camera that makes it easy to navigate and set up. Olympus even went and put a user choice setting button which is nice if you use certain setting such as focal length, shutter speed etc. which enables you to set your preferences and return to them without having to set the whole camera up again. The pictures that result from this camera are amazing! I was at Yosemite a couple of weeks ago and shot some impressive pictures which I framed and had hanging on my wall a service tech who was doing some work in my house actually wanted to know where I had bought the pictures. Several other features that Olympus thought of were the ability to attach an external flash (optional). The camera also gives you the ability to crop pictures right on the camera. The panoramic feature takes a little to get used to but works really well. I don't want to bore you with the fine details (exposure settings, shutter speeds etc) but just wanted to let you know if your looking for a decent digital camera at a fair price the C-4000z is for you. Oh just one more thing a little tip I use all the time, If you happen to have a smart media card take it along with you to your local camera shop or electronic store and ask the sales person if you can insert your card and try the camera. You can then take the card home and if you have a media reader or printer that has a reader built in you can see the results of the camera prior to buying it (just a suggestion). It also gives you the opportunity to see how your digital dark room will do when it come to printing from this camera.

WHO IT'S FOR: With its complete set of manual controls, the Olympus C-4000 is for the serious amateur photographer or a novice wanting to learn a lot more about photography. If you're one who would rather just point-and-shoot, this camera or its rivals (like the Canon S45) is NOT for you, better just save your $200 and go for the cute compact types.

Granted that YOU ARE serious about your photography BUT you are on a tight budget, then this camera is perfect for you. The 4MP is just right for the occasional 8x10 prints and more than enough quality for 5x7 prints. Among the competition (Canon S45/G2, Nikon Coolpix 4300, Sony S85), its price and features stand out.

I bought this camera here at Amazon 5 months ago for 2 main reasons:
- given the features and full manual controls, it had the most competitive price among the competition.
- although not included in the package, the camera uses standard 4 AA-sized NiMH rechargeable batteries.

I brought the camera to Europe for my honeymoon and have taken 300+ pictures with it. I am extremely pleased with it. Prints on 4x6 came out as crisp as my 20-year-old SLR (the excellent Nikon F3), and sometimes better (mainly because you can preview a shot and tweak exposure and composition without worrying about the cost of film: an obvious advantage for all digicams).

PROS:
- excellent daylight exposures on full auto or manual modes.
- a fully-charged set of AA NiMH batteries lasts me two days of shooting 60+ pictures and previewing the LCD, something the proprietary batteries of other digicams would be hard-pressed to match.

CONS:
- You have to remember to remove the cap before turning the camera on -- an annoyance for all C-class Olympus cameras. Forgetting that doesn't damage the camera, but it's an annoyance still.
- No remote control. You have to turn on the timer every time if you want to be in the picture or you want to take long exposures.
- The lens cap more often than not gets removed inadvertently when removing or replacing the camera in its case. Be sure to always bring lens tissues or whatever you use to clean lenses.
- The paltry 16MB card that comes with it. Although all camera brands have this fault of not including enough memory, I hoped Olympus would just do the right thing and pack it with a 128MB card.

RECOMMENDATIONS:
- Always have two sets of 4 AA NiMH batteries. Buy the Olympus B-50SU Quick Charger or the Kodak Max K2000 Battery Charger. They both come with 4 NiMH AA batteries and works whatever a country's voltage is. Then buy an additional set of 4 Kodak Max 1850mAh NiMH batteries.
- Buy at least 2 128MB SmartMedia cards. Each 128MB card stores about 60-70 pictures at full 4MP SHQ resolution. Better still, bring your laptop along when going on extended vacations to backup your pics. I made the mistake of not bringing mine and had to look for shops to transfer my pics to CDs whenever space on my cards were running out.

Finally, just go ahead and buy it (with the charger, extra batteries and extra memory cards). It's an excellent camera given its features and price.

...

Pros:

-Image Quality *and* Quantity.

The 3000ex is a true 3.34 Megapixel camera which will give you 2048x1536 resolution max. At this, and the minimum compression, you can achieve 248 pictures on the microdrive. If you drop the resolution to a mere 1024x768 (most likely the size of your screen, or larger) you can get *999* images on the disk. That's alot of snapping.

-Features.

20 second mpgs (no sound), shutter speed priority, aperture priority, clean back lit LCD screen, Panoramic(!!) shots, and special modes for Portraits, night shots, and landscapes. Color, B/W, Sepia modes, Red-eye reduction flash, macro mode, time stamp, 3x optical zoom(!!) 6x digital, and superbly done USB connectivity.

-USB interface. Hate having to use a proprietary interface to get your images off a camera? You'll love this. Pop in the USB cable, and windows automatically sets it up as a removable disk drive. That's right, you can sure the camera as if it was a hardrive from inside your 'my computer'. OR, press a button, and have then all automatically loaded, and displayed.

-Ease of use Even using the advanced features, it's a very simple to use camera. Everything is menu driven, and in a logical format.

Cons:

-Battery life. If you decide to use the LCD screen alot, the batteries do not last long at all. If you don't, on the other hand, they'll last for about 150-250 shots. Not too bad.

-To get *full* 3.34 Megapixel *uncompressed* tiffs, you must find the secret option to enable it. WARNING: by enabling uncompressed tiff, you will get about 15 shots before the card is *full*. tiffs are 100% uncompressed RAW image data.

-Size It's a little bit large for me. Not too bad, and for what it does it's decent, but if you're running around, it can get bothersome to carry. (The canon ELPH digital (2.1MP) is more like what I'd want to haul around..) ...

I don't agree with the person who said it's too heavy. Compared to a 35mm camera it's very light. Besides, what other digital camera offers 3x optical zoom, a microdrive bundle that lets it store ~250 highest quality pictures (or thousands at lower res/quality), great controls, good battery life, breathtaking images, and fast upload (USB) to the computer, at this price? Nikon? Sorry, can't use a microdrive. Canon? Lots of complaints about image quality. Kodak? Great color, but no 3 megapixel model yet and slooow operation - plus the DC290 is bigger than this Casio.

Casio is not a respected name in cameras (yet) but this model is an aggressively priced state of the art entry.

This camera easy to use, has great quality pictures with 3.34 MP. Long battery live.

I really like this camera! I am getting much better results (more natural and vivid colors) with my digital camera as compared to scanning 4x6 photographs--there is no need to worry about color adjustments!

I researched many cameras before deciding to buy. This one seemed to be the best quality for the price. The two main enhancements in this camera v.s. the DC280 are the support for uncompressed pictures and the ability to record audio annotations to accompany the pictures. These two features swayed me to the DC290. In all honesty, I find that I am not even using these features. The uncompressed format takes up way too much memory (you would need to buy 128mb storage card to get around 16 uncompressed pictures at the highest resolution). I have found that the best quality jpeg compression produces fine quality (I can print great-looking 8x10s) and I can fit 10 times more pictures on the memory card.

The DC290 also has slightly better max resolution (1,792 x 1,200 v.s. 1,760 x 1,168). The DC290 also supports a 2,240 x 1,500 resolution that is accomplished using interpolation, but this probably won't produce any different results then enlarging a 1,792 x 1,200 image using PhotoShop or some other software.

I have found that battery life isn't a problem (as some suggest) if you use NI-MH rechargeable batteries. They seem to have a much better life than alkaline batteries (rechargeable or not). I also limit my use of the display, which is not difficult since I tend to prefer using the viewfinder. This *significantly* reduces battery usage. The only draw back is that you can't use the digital zoom without the display. This is also not a problem for me because the optical zoom has been sufficient for my usage. Also, digital zooming in general tends to produce poor quality pictures, although I can't personally attest to quality of Kodak's digital zooming.

The one problem I have with this camera is the delay between the time when the button is pressed and the time when the picture is taken. It's a least a second or two, which makes taking action photos very difficult--it's hit or miss with the timing. I tried to use the burst feature, but I found that to have limited usefulness. I was use to using the completely manual, tried and true, Pentex K-1000 SLR. Without being overburdened by a lot of electronics, there was very little latency. I suppose going to any automatic camera, digital or not, could produce the same frustration.

All-in-all, I love this camera. It takes great quality, high resolution pictures. However, I would also look at the DC280 as a less expensive alternative.

The DC290 has exceeded my expectations in image and color quality. Truly outstanding pictures! Yes, it did eat my akaline batteries in under an hour (most digital cameras do that), but the rechargables shipped with the camera are doing well. I bought to more sets! I'll probably get the AC adapter but I use a card reader so I'll wait and see. It would be wise to buy a larger flash card. I bought 32mb and have the 16mb that came with the camera as well. I was pleasantly surprised that the serial cable was packed (as well as a usb cable) so I can use it with any WIN 95 machine.

I found the camera a snap to operate out of the box. The menu is user friendly and easy to operate. I don't use the display much to conserve battery power. However,it is useful for close range shooting.

Another great feature is the external flash mode. I've used it successfully. The scripts that can be downloaded (free) making the capabilties of this camera a great buy.

I upgraded from a Kodak DC50 which also gave me great service. This camera is a truly great value in the tradition of the Kodak Company. ...

I got one of these Kodak DC290 mid-range cameras, and I am sorry to see that Kodak has suspended production of these units ! I have never had any problems with it, and all the photos I have taken come out wonderfuly. I do recommend the 256MB CF card, and you will want a professional battery pack so it doesn't run out of juice during a photo shoot. One last thing, since it is primarily a USB device, use Windows ME+ with it. 98 seemed to be very slow at data transfer rates. In short, if you can find one of these units(originally $1,000.00) buy it, you won't be dissapointed !

I've don't lots of research on cameras and this one caught my eye, first because of the ultra-portable size of the body that could fit inside an altoid box!

Good points:
1. Very small, if this thing can fit in a altoid box, it can fit just about anywhere.
2. excellent battery life, on a full charge I've taken about 25 pics and still on full!
3. very bright flash
4. many options for camera of this size, usually smaller cameras don't offer as many options and features as the Optio S.
5. camera bootup time is very fast, seems like a bit over 1 sec.
6. bright screen, sharp and clear.
7. rugged body (not counting the battery door or tripod mount), Body is made of rugged metal with small indentions for grip.
8. definately will draw all the ooohh's and awww's from a crowd. I brought this to work and I got about 10 "holy Sh_t" comments on it.

Needs improvements:
1. very slow at taking pics because of focus mechanism, sometimes It would not take pic with my finger fully pressing on the button because it cannot focus on a subject. This is a big negative in my perspective because I sometimes like to take action photos.
2. Picture quality is not the best either. I own a sony DSC-F707 and even though it's a bigger camera with a bigger and better lense, the pics don't even compare even at the F707's low quality settings.
3. controls and menus on this tiny thing could be confusing to the newbe entering the digital camera field but with a little time going through the instruction book, functions are learned quickly.
4. The little nipple like button on back could be bigger too. I have a friend who just bought this camera also and he's over 7' tall and it's very funny watching this guy use this camera with these tiny buttons.
5. It could also come with a memory card also, I know it's got 11mb onboard memory but it's only 11mb! I bought mine from ... which does include a 128mb sd card and a nifty leather case that's very useful. I think it's a special package that ... has.
6. battery door on this thing is held on by a piece of rubber screwed onto the lid and the body. i'm not sure how long this is going to last but this is definately a future improvement point for Pentax. Also the door is plastic and it attaches to the camera by two small plastic hooks that snap on to the camera body....another future improvement needed.

I've taken quite a bit of pictures with my Optio S and it seems to perform up to my expectations because of it's lense size/physical size and of course price. Pictures are not as clear as I would like them to be, but i'm used to using my Sony DSC-F707 which I cannot compare this compact camera to. I do use the Optio S for it's portability and satisfying quality photos it takes. If you're looking for a high quality picture camera with a fast focus.. keep on looking. But if you're looking for a camera with ultimate portability, this is it!

I agree w/ the reviewer who said it's not as good as Casio Exilim Z3. I've been using this camera for about a week, previously i owned Canon S200, my roommate has Casio Exilim Z4(same as Z3, just 4.0 megapixels), and another friend has Canon s400. I compared these 4 cameras side by side... in terms of design material, ergonomics, construction, feel, s400 feels quality and professional while Optio S feels cheap and rough, relatively speaking. the Z4 has the same LCD as the Optio, also the same Pentax Lens. The LCD is 2.0" on the Z4, w/ around 88k pixels, which makes it look very bad, full of noise and blurriness. While Optio has the same LCD, it looks better because the size is only 1.6" I love the LCD screen on the Canons, 1.5" with 120k pixels, crystal clear, beautiful color. The only LCD better on small-sized camera that's available now in the market can be found on Sony's P8 and P10, w/ 124k pixels.

Photo quality wise, Pentax falls short, photos come out not as bright, vibrant, and clear as my Canon S200, which is only 2.0 megapixels. Casio Z4 has the same pentax lens as Optio, and i didn't find much difference between these two... though strangely on *some* shots the Z4 comes ahead in clarity.

I'm picky about size, and i set out to buy the smallest, but i do feel that maybe too much (photo quality, design, etc) is sacrificed for the size ... if there isn't any other camera in the market that's small, then this is the best, bar none... but w/ cameras like Canon S400, the upcoming small Sony DSC-T1 w/ Carl Zeiss lens, I advise those who put pix quality 1st but also want something easy to carry to check out those cameras before buying. one more thing, the control jog stick on the camera is hard to use ... check out dpreview.com's review and look at the camera's back. i keep pressing OK when i try to press for direction, very frustrating when u want to change setting quick

The Pentax Optio S contains a lot of features for its size. Small enough to fit inside my Altoids container, the Optio S sports a 1.5" screen that is clear and easy to see. The buttons are big enough for human fingers (unlike some others that I have viewed...) and they are clearly labeled. The menu is easily readable and easy to use. There are almost too many different options for this small camera its stunning.

PLUS-SIDE:
The Optio sports different color schemes including blue, red, purple, yellow, black & white, and sepia (my fav.) in addition to a few others.
It offers 3x optical zoom, which I was personally impressed by exactly how far it can zoom in. It has an adjustable flash option for any lighting. The Optio takes pictures in four different pixel measurements. Its video card is usually cheaper than any other card (and holds the same). Its movie capability is spectacular for any digital camera. Its computer software is easy to use, including options such as downloading, uploading, and sychronizing.
Some features it contains are Self-Portrait, Night-time Photos, Movie Filmer, Stretching (distorting the pictures, sometimes this can give an unusual effect to those who desire it), a 3D option with included 3D glasses, the aforementioned colors and many, many other variations. Lighting can also be specified.

DOWN-SIDE
Shutter-speed. It's shutter lag is very annoying, and can drive anyone nuts. For me, shutter speed is a small consequence for such a stunning machine, but the lag can immediately turn anyone away, so buy carefully.
Internal memory. Without the card, the Optio has a pathetic 11mb storage--or about 10 pictures at high quality.
Battery length. This is what almost crossed the camera off my list. At full length, this battery can last anywhere from 1-4 hours. It's been a heartbreak on some instances when I could not take anymore pictures. One has to recharge it for about 3-6 hours just to get 1-2 hours of decent camera usage. Unpleasant.

OVERALL:
Like any camera, it has its setbacks. But for this $300- miniature super-camera, I think it is worth it above others. Its inexpensiveness and its eclectic of features makes it a must-buy for camera-lovers or family members. Its perfect for that summer getaway to Rome or that Winter break in Colorado with the extended family.