Digital-Camera Reviews

The camera is good. Its jpeg file has all information you took shot (every bit!!!). But you are unable to print any of them, including date and time, when you send for printing. You have to manually edit jpeg file to add basic things such as date and time. A very pitty fact for such good camera.

In the before time, long long ago, I had a Panasonic Coolpix. This horrible [camera] took 640x480 pictures, had no flash, 2 shutter speeds, a light filter, and came with a 2MB compact flash card...after this nightmare, I purchased a then just-released Olympus C2000 zoom -- first generation, no USB, and an 8mb smart media card. After 2 long years of service, thousands of really really cool pictures, and much abuse, I sold the camera to a friend and decided to upgrade. The experience with Olympus was quite pleasant; I knew I wanted
one again. After looking at the 3040, I decided to go all-out and get the latest/greatest, and so I have the C4040. 4.1 megapixels of glory. Quicktime video with sound. More pro-photography toys than you can shake a Pentax 35mm at. I LOVE THIS THING. You can take pictures in black & white, sepia, black/white board, you can take panoramas, you can manually adjust the flash to your liking, and you can control the exposure, aperature priority, shutter priority, and even a virtual film speed control (100-400). You can even edit the movies you make on it. (15fps, they look pretty slick) I can't describe in words how the pictures look out of my HP1315 PhotoSmart printer (another of my reviews here) -- it has to be seen to be believed. What you should get:
- a set of NiMH AA's
- couple 64 mb cards and a 128mb card (you will play with the movie feature...trust me)
- tripod so you can play with extended exposure

Other cool features:
- read/write light for the smart media
- keeps everything off for USB download mode
- finally has a lens cap strap (lost my old camera's cap about 1 week after I got it)
- uses AA's or the new photo batteries
- much lighter than older models

Anyway, go BUY THIS CAMERA!!!

This makes the third camera in the Camedia series that I've purchased. (I had the 2000Z and the 3030Z too.) I've found that I can sell my older models (about 16 months) after I purchased them, to family and friends for just over 50% of the original purchase price... making the net cost of the new upgrade about ....

Although the older models took good pictures, each upgrade was easier to use and took sharper pictures. (I have about 6 gig of pictures over the last 3 years.) The model 4040 is again, a giant leap forward in ease of use and picture clarity. For example: at normal portrait distances 5 to 7 feet, without any zoom... after you download the pic into the computer, you can zoom in and literally count the number of eyelashes on the person. This is a result of the high number megapixels AND the Olympus quality lens that has been specifically designed for their digital CCDs.

When choosing a digital camera there is a trade-off. On one side you can get cameras with as much as a 20x optical zoom (but it adds considerable size and weight). On the other side of the trade-off is that you can get something small enough to fit in the palm of your hand, like the 4040 (but only have a 3x optical zoom). I think the best compromise is to get a small digital camera with the most megapixels, then take the pictures with the 3x optical zoom, download the image to the computer and zoom/crop the picture (on the computer) without concern of loosing detail (because of the high megapixels). The Olympus 4040 fits this alternative.

Although I think it is one of the best digital cameras on the market, there is always room for improvement. To make this camera better I'd:

1. Include removable NiMH batteries with an in-camera charger adapter. (My purchased add on NiMH batteries that last for around 70 pics per charge.)

2. Although the CCD is rated at 4.1 megapixels, the camera records about 3.8 megapixels.... Why? Where did the other 0.3 megapixles go?

3. Included is a 16meg smartmedia card. This is only enough for about 20 pics. A 128meg card runs about ... and can store more than 160 pics per card. Add a few bucks to the camera and give us a usable card.

4. Since the user manual is about ½ inch thick, you think you have plenty of detailed instructions. Then you realize only 1/8 inch of the manual is in English (the rest is in five or six other languages). And, what is in the manual, does not give sufficient detail about many of the various options. (You have to read/study the instructions on the included CD to get an idea of what many of these functions mean/do.)

I don't actually own this case (because it wasn't available when I was looking for one) but I have the PSC-300, which is a dark blue suede-like material case made for the S300 and S330. My camera fits nicely into the PSC-300, and it has a front zipper pocket with enough space to store extra compact flash cards and a battery. If you own a S200 or S230, don't care about the leather and want extra storage space, the PSC-300 may be the way to go.

This is a very nice camera case. My S-400 fits in this little case snugly and perfectly. The case is made with pretty good quality leather and c'mon, for about $10, you can't ask for too much more. And for those of you looking for extra pockets and more padding, look into getting a camera bag and forget about this case. For those of you looking for something to protect the camera from scratches, or something with a belt loop, this is the case for you.

This is exactly what I was looking for in a case: something form-fitting but not so tight that I have to pry my camera out of it. It protects my camera, but it's still small enough to pocket. There's a very large patch of Velcro inside the flap, so flipping the case closed is not a precision act; just close it and the flap sticks. The Velcro is enough to offer a nice tight closure and still allow quick removal of the camera. There are gaps at the top corners, but the flap is wide enough that the camera itself remains substantially protected.

The case provides fine protection from scuffs and scratches, and probably offers a reasonable amount of drop protection as well. No, there's no extra room for batteries or flash cards in there; this is a small protective case for a small camera. Put it in a big case, and you've lost much of the benefit of the camera's diminutive size. For me, it's a case like this or nothing.

Some people don't like the way you're supposed to thread the strap through the hole in the lid. Simple; I don't bother. I have no problem with the strap sticking out the side of the top flap, and it doesn't interfere with use of the case (frankly, it makes it easier). One thing: the camera only fits properly with its lens facing the front of the case. Put it in backwards, and every time you pull it out, the little switch that toggles between taking pictures and displaying them will be pushed to the 'display' side.

I'm very fussy about camera cases, but I was quite pleased to find that this one does exactly what I need without any features that make the camera unpleasant to carry or difficult to get out for a quick shot.

I got this camera as a graduation gift (it was my first digital camera) last June. This is a good camera for beginners, if all you really do is pretty harmless point and click, but for anyone truly interested in photography, I wouldn't really suggest it.

The pros:
-good quality photos, especially for a 3.2.
-small, compact size and shape
-surprisingly durable (at least in the beginning). I took it out in the snow during the huge East Coast snowstorm and it performed very well. Lens froze a couple of times, but if you just breathe hot air onto it, it should start working again.
-runs on AA, so if the battery level runs low and you have extra AAs handy, you can still use the camera (versus Canon cameras where you have to use camera specific batteries)

The cons:
-HUGE, and I mean LONG delay between photos. 5 seconds may not seem like a long time, but when you're waiting for that perfect shot...and the camera misses it and you have to wait another 5 seconds for the flash to prepare itself again, the moment will already have been lost.
-The shutter cover is very flimsy.
-Movie mode includes no sound.
-Weak zoom.
-Drains alkaline AA power very quickly, so you'll have to buy rechargable Lithium Ion batteries (not that big of a deal though).
-uses xD (although these days the camera market is much more accepting of xDs and it's easier to find products that are created for them.). Cards can be quite expensive.
-Lastly, it's been slightly more than a year since I got this camera and it has completed died out on me. I haven't used this camera in about two months because I haven't been able to turn it on. I hold the power switch and nothing happens (it's definitely not the batteries).

Basically, if you're looking for a camera that will last and give you good quality photos, I wouldn't really buy this one. Look into the Canon PowerShot line, they're much more sturdy, record up to 3 minutes of video with sound, and are much better in general.

I really like this camera. I used it as often as possible and it was very light to carry around. I will say it takes practice to work all the modes. I took some night pictures and they weren't so great, but the other pictures I've taken are very sharp and very nice. I have used it also to talk with friends online on video and it worked very well. Does eat up regular batteries, but rechargable ones seem to last longer with the camera. If you use a high pixel mode, be aware there are fewer pictures. If you plan to take a lot of pictures and don't have access to a computer, get a bigger memory card. My only improvement would be sound on those movies! :-D

I bought this phone last fall before digital camera prices drastically fell. It was still around just $200, which was a wonderful deal. This is a very nice camera for $200. The pictures turn out beautiful. The camera is sturdy and appealing to the eye...it's size is great too. Flashes, options, battery life...it's all there. It is SO easy to learn how to use. I've had some trouble because some photo processing places (i.e. Rite Aid) cannot yet service xD. xD is also a bit costly, but it is actually wonderful...very small and effective. Overall, a wonderful camera, especially for a beginner or a student. If you want to edit your pictures well or anything, you'll need better software than what comes with the camera, but that could be found online for free. Great deal...highly reccommend!

the Dimage Xt is the third generation of minolta's X-series ultracompact cameras. the first X was a hit because it was ahead of its competition. but that competition has not stood still and today, there are other (better) cameras at the same price point with the same capabilities.

pros:
- 3MP resolution, 3x optical zoom.
- smaller size than the Xi (this camera's predecessor) with dimensions of 3.4 x 2.6 x 0.8 in, weighing in at 4.2oz.
- colors are vivid and natural-looking.
- automatic white balance performs well.
- has spot metering.
- AF locks rapidly and decisively in good light.
- short shutter lag in good light.
- fast startup.
- fast shot-to-shot speeds.
- ability to record in movie mode until memory card is full.
- supports TIFF mode.

cons:
- above average noise at ISO 400.
- frequent underexposures.
- some purple fringing.
- corners are soft.
- some vignetting.
- above average barrel distortion.
- some redeye occurrence.
- no manual controls.
- RAW format not supported.
- no AF illuminator - this would really help shutter lag when using this camera in low light.
- so-so battery life.
- 16MB SD card provided is inadequate so add $$ to your budget to buy more memory.
- uses proprietary batteries so again, more $$ for a spare.

the Xt is a great looking ultracompact camera but the quality of the images you take could be better. as already mentioned, there's more competition for the dimage X-series these days. i would recommend the optio s or casio ex-z3 over the dimage Xt. for even better image quality (in a slightly bigger package), also consider canon's sd100.

i hope this helps you with your buying decision. peace.

I have owned two four meg cameras,Minolta F100,Olympus early four meg.The F100 was a great camera in all its features including simple double A-A recharable batteries that lasted easily using a 128 stick. The Olympus was great except it used batteries like a Texas Oil well,Thats why I bought the F100. Then Came along the Sony two meg DSCU20 my # 3 camera. The U20 is the best small camera I have yet to use in it's basic functions are very practical for point and shoot. Why because it has a fixed lense that allows instant start up for quick pictures that I have made very good 8 X 10 blow-ups on shots that had good framing on the exposure. The 8 meg stick would hold 14-15 picture that averaged 650 KB. I then reviewed my pictures from the four meg cameras and those were 960 to 1.3 KB
and later realized that usig my new Minolta XT 3.2 meg camera by setting the image siz to 2048 X1536 and then the quality to TIFF my pictures were much biger in pixel size, 9.2 meg's.
The problem was it took ten times longer to shoot and internally record each picture ( about 60 sec) then I moved one step down in pixal size (1600 X 1200) and fine setting on quality and my picture exposures was much quicker and produced about a 900 kb size picture and decided that I would only use the max setting for pictures that I had to have the max pixal size. In short you will realy be impressed with the lowest setting and still have the option from 640 X 480, 1280 X 960, 1600 X 1200, 2048 X 1536 image size along with quality setting's: TIFF, Fine, Standard, Economy. Using the max setting you will fill a 128 meg stick with about 15 picures and much more as you reduce the pixal size of each picture using the above combination that fits your actual needs. I am now with the opinion that a four meg camera is not the best way to record pictures when with some field work you will find that a 3.2 meg ( Minolta XT) is an outstanding developement for range of quality pictures. I still have my Sony U20 because it is a quality built; simple wide angle camera for those quick shots sized perfectly (640 kb) for Email.

For me, the compact size of the camera was key. I also liked that all of the zoom was internal, leaving less possibility of problems with focusing and external zoom damage (e.g. getting sand in the camera if you take it to the beach).

I found that it stacked up nicely with others in it's price range; however, I would not recommend this camera for a 1st-time-digital-camera owner. The features and settings are in depth.

The major downfall of this camera, I think, is that with it's compact size it begs to be taken everywhere, but the camera does not come with a case. My screen is pretty scratched now, and I've had mine for about 6 months. I'm not rough on it, it just accumulates, and I'm noticing now that it seems to be from the positioning of the plastic part on the wrist strap. As a precaution I'd also get a case of some sort.

I have used PSP 8 now for about 1 month. Upgraded from PSP 7. I'm still getting used to it,but I can say I like it, and am glad I upgraded. The first thing to do if you buy the boxed version after you load it go to JASC.Com and download all the little fixes for it. The file is almost 25Mb in size so if you are using a dial-up connection it will take a while. But it takes care of all the little problems users have told them about. With PSP 7 I had to do the same thing. But it's nice to see a company stay on top of these type things with the software they sell. I also purchased 2 books on Amazon to help me get a feel for the changes. " Paint Shop Pro 8 fast & easy" and "Paint Shop Pro 8 zero to hero" I feel this product is worth the price and is fun and easy to use. Would give it 5 stars if their manuals were writen better. The program itself 6 stars.

I have always loved Paintshop Pro, beginning with Version 3. For many years I have been using version 5.03 without problem and with great results. When Version 8 came out and I read the reviews, I knew I had to finally upgrade. I am not disappointed one bit. I have used various versions of Photoshop, including Elements, but I still come back to Paintshop and prefer it for many reasons that I will not go into here, except for one: PRICE. For the money, this program should get 6 stars. Like other profressinal level graphics programs, you have to have the computing power to run it well. A 2+ processor (AMD or Intel) allows it to work without probmems, and 512k memory helps as well. You do need a 1+ processor and 256k memory and with that you will wait some, but it will run. Highly recommended for anyone who wants to learn from the ground up or who has some familiarity with other high-end graphics programs. The improvements to this version over 5.03 are tremendous. It is like a whole new program but with some nice elements remaining. The manual with it is huge and there is much support on line.

I purchased this program mainly to edit photos as I had heard it was pretty good at it. The first photo I edited on it was a slide I scanned in that my daughter had picked up at auction and we had no idea what it was. The one-step photo cleaned it up in virtually no time - it was a picture of Paris! After that, I wondered what else I could do with it, since it looked like it could do more. I ended up having to take online classes - and they are readily available all over the net - and am now making graphics I could have never done before. I don't consider myself particularly artistic, and I had never used graphics programs before other than to edit photos. Now, I am making animated graphics (Animation Shop is included), and am making some totally awesome graphics.

After a long research, I decided to purchase the Canon IXUS II (or SD100 in some countries) as my first digital camera. As a background, I am generally a point-and-shoot person with aspirations to take up photograpgy as a more serious hobby. I've been using it extensively for about two months now, and here's what I think are the good and bad points of the camera:

GOOD POINTS

1. Amazing picture quality for OUTDOOR shots - Pictures are sharp and crystal clear. The photos produced are exactly like what I saw with my own eyes.

2. Small, slim and solid - Can fit in my pocket easily. Now I can take it everywhere and ready to take a snapshot whenever I feel like it. It opens a whole new possibilities.

3. Relatively easy to use - The buttons layout are spot on, everything important is within reach of your thumb or index finger. On-screen menus are logical and easy to use. For advance features, I still need to read the manual though.

4. Movie quality is generally good. All movies I took plays well (with good sound) on the camera's LCD and and also on my 29" TV. The sound playback on the camera is quite loud and can be heard even in noisy areas.

5. Fast operation - fast starting up time and time between shots, you wont notice any delays. Transferring images to PC is also relatively fast.

6. Battery life is okay, I managed to took 68 shots (plus a hell lot of picture playback on LCD and on TV) before the battery died.

7. Great LCD display. Sharp images and good colour reproduction. Can be seen easily in bright sunlight.

BAD POINTS

1. Average (on the borderline of poor) INDOOR picture quality. Every photo I took that uses the flash turns out ugly. The photos have this unnatural yellow glow (from the flash) on the subject, and the background becomes very dark, even though the room was evenly lit in real life. The best that I could do is to use Manual, and set the Exposure to -1 2/3, White Balance to Tungsten, and set the Effects to Neutral, and ISO to 50. That manages to turn my indoor pictures from ugly to bearable. The other alternative is to take indoor shots with flash off, as suprisingly it produces good pictures. But you need to use a tripod to get sharp images, which isn't always convenient. I'm really dissapointed with the indoor performance of this camera. None of the glowing reviews I read in my research highlighted this problem.

2. Low battery indicator only shown on screen when the battery is on the verge of dying. If you don't have a spare battery and you are outside, your camera would be useless until you get back and recharge the battery.

3. Need to take out the battery to recharge.

4. Only 2x optical zoom.

5. Movies has a limit of 30 seconds per clip. You can fill up the whole memory card with movies, but it has to be in a series of 30s clips. You can't take one long continous movie shot.

6. Once you downloaded your movie shots to PC, and you deleted the movie from your camera, you cant upload the movie back to your camera. You can upload still images back to your camera, but not movies.

7. The bundled Canon software is not the best, nor is it the easiest to use.

Conclusion: A great all round compact camera that is easy to use, and takes excellent outdoor shots. If you can live with average indoor shots, then buy this. Otherwise, I would recommend Sony Cybershot as it can take much much better indoor shots compared to this camera. I give this camera 2.5 stars.

I've had the camera for a good week or so. Been playin around with it and it takes some great pictures. I was looking for a camera I can take when I go on trips and stuff that would fit into my pocket with ease. I didn't want any more embarassing comments from people like a "Is that a camera in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?" This guy slips into the pocket with ease and is not bulky at all. The camera was a little heavier than I expected, but thats no big deal.

Picture quality has been good thus far. Not great, but I didnt want to drop another hundy for just 1 MP improvement. I bought a 512 MB SD card off Amazon for $75 (after rebate), so I don't have any problem fitting pictures on here. Just splerge a little and you'll never have to worry about filling up the card. I also bought a genuine Canon battery off of Ebay for a backup, but havent found battery power to be a problem as of yet. The zoom does the trick for what I need. If you are just taking pictures of friends, random hot chicks, etc this is fine. Yeah, 3x optical would be nice, but this will suffice. I really didn't intend to rhyme there, sorry.

Here is my story on the durability of the camera. So, my first outing with the camera. A baseball game between two big crosstown rivals. Tailgating in the lot before the game, pretty intoxicated. Took a bunch of pictures already, turned out great. Then the incident occurred. Someone is standing a good 200 feet away throwing a softball back and forth with another guy I am with. Random people are walking by left and right and an errant throw approaches my group. I attempt to protect some bystanders from taking a head shot with the ball. I throw my hand up in the air to block the ball, however, my blurred judgement threw up the hand with the camera in it. Next thing I know, my new camera is airborne. It flies about 8 feet high and 10 feet away from me, crashing into the side of a truck and then hitting the concrete full force. It was like taking the camera and just whipping it against the ground. I thought, "well, it was nice having a digital camera for a few days. This one is gone" Upon picking up the camera, I was pleasantly surprised. The battery holder on the bottom fell off and the battery went flying. After 3 minutes of searching under cars, the battery was found. I popped it back in, snapped the cover back on, and the moment of truth came. I hit the power button, and boom, it turns on like nothing ever happened. All my old pictures are still there and I took many pictures the rest of the day. All turned out great. Two scrapes on the bottom is all of the lasting damage. Gives my camera a little personality. Matches the scrapes on my cell phone from similar instances. So, this camera is definitely durable, will be able to take a few shots. Also, if you drink too much and become a little clumsy with your possesions, this is the right camera for you.

Overall, a great camera, defintely worth the price for me ($209). I bought a somewhat cheaper one knowing that I might do something stupid and lose it or break it quickly. That did occur, and it still works, so a plus for me. Takes good pictures and is very easy to use and take around with you. Overall, this is a great camera for the amateur photographer, who likes to travel but not be bogged down with a huge camera. Take pictures of your friends and family and you will be happy. And of course, if you are a twenty something, obnoxious, can't control your drinking kind of guy, I give this my 100% recommendation.

THIS CAMERA ROCKS.
I average about 100 photos a day plus a few videos 7 days a week. This camera has been totally abused, Its been dropped almost 10 times, somtimes from about 6 feet landing on tile and concrete surfaces. Ive spilled beer all over it 3 times so its been soaking wet and all i do is dry it off and its fine. It been in the rain, the snow, the heat, the humidity, and below zero tempertures. The lense has 3 dents in it, one from a metal cup being thrown at it by an angry photo subject where the lense was smashed in about 1/4 of an inch on an angle, and all i did (the next morning while sober) was just click out the lense and it worked FINE hahah. A few of my friends have digital cameras that broke just from them bumping into a table with the camera in their pocket. This little Canon can take anything and I recommend it to ANYONE who brings their camera with them wherever they go. Its small and compact, sturdy, takes excellant photos (excepcially of hot chicks) in all conditions, great options, fun options like sounds and custome start up images, easy to use menu, and fits well in my hand. The lanyard is also of great design and makes the camera even more secure. IF this camera EVER breaks I will instantly buy a new one as I believ it is the only camera that can take the abuse I give it.

BUY THIS CAMERA!

This was my first digital camera. I found it very easy to use with the quick start intructions. The pictures came out nice and they downloaded easily into my pc. I took 8 pictures, downloaded them, and spent some time learning the menu options. I figure about 60 to 90 minutes. I turned the camera off. The next day I went to take pictures and the battery was dead. It was late, so I used some Duracell AA batteries, which the instructions said you could use. It took 8 new batteries to take one picture and download it. Forget about making any changes to the settings. I had to put batteries in and take picture right away. These AA batteries lasted about 30 seconds if that much. The next day I went to Walmart to get another battery, the lithium type that it came with. They had several sizes, but they did not carry the size for this camera. And they sell Olympus cameras there, although not this model. It must be an odd size available at camera stores. I called tech support and asked him if this is the normal life span of the so called long life battery. He said that it did not sound right and something must be wrong, he had never heard of this problem. He put me on hold to check it out. When he came back on he said, and I quote, "This camera is battery intensive and we reccomend the rechargeable nich (?) batteries" I asked him again if this was normal for the other batteries or was something wrong with the camera. He replied" The only thing I am allowed to say is that this camera is battery intensive and we reccomend the rechargeable batteries." His attitude leads me to believe I had a bad camera, but that they were not admitting to it. I would be interested in future reviews to tell how the batteries lasted.

Well if you have plowed through 32 reviews so far, you must be serious about buying this or another digital camera. I am 66 years old and, well, not too out of step with the electronic world though this is my first digital camera. I have had an Olympus SLR for years (30?) though that alone was not a deciding factor in my purchase of another Olympus product. I wanted 3 things 1. Price I could afford. 2 Easy to operate. 3 good pictures. It met all 3 at a 5 level. I also like the feature of showing the pictures on a television. Not as sharp on a tv screen as on my 17inch computer monitor but very nice. I printed a picture of my dog taken outside and printed it on 8x11 plain paper using my deskjet 932c and it looks very nice. I have yet to wear out the battery pack that came with the camera and have taken about 60 pictures, in groups of 6 to 8, and then down loaded them to my computer and displayed them on verious tv's. I did buy 4 Nickel-Metal Hydride recharables and a charger as it is obvious that this is a necessity for any digital camera. I like to use the old fashion optical look viewfinder as apposed to the screen when taking pictures. Perhaps this is why the batteries have lasted so long. I have a H.P. computer and as soon as I selected "my pictures" and connected the camera, the download procedure took off with easy to understand directions. No sweat. And quick. It's a gem of a product!

My wife bought this camera 3 years ago after reading a positive review. She likes the camera because it is small, simple to use, and has been dependable. She isn't a computer whiz but she has no problem using the program that comes with the camera. Her only complaint was battery life. She recently bought a Digital Concepts battery charger at walmart that comes with 4 - 2000mah Nimh AA batteries for $17.00. Now she can get over 70 pictures with no battery complaints. With good batteries and a good charger this camera is an amazing value at the price.

We bought this camera a few months ago. This was our first digital camera and we wanted mainly to take photos for viewing on the computer, posting on webpages and emailing to family. We have not yet tried to print photos taken with this camera as we don't yet own a printer for doing that.

We have been very pleased with the picture quality - I don't think it could be any better. The camera is also easy to use.

We bought a bigger memory stick to take with us on vacation as the one supplied doesn't hold enough photos for a one week vacation. Also, we recommend buying the 4 pack NiMh Kodak AA rechargeable battery unit. Taking pictures doesn't drain the battery but uploading them for any length of time to your computer will drain them in a matter of minutes. Get the battery pack mentioned above and you will always have a spare pair ready to go when you need them. It's a must.

One complaint we read about this camera is the length of time it takes the camera to get ready between shots. I do notice a delay that is sometimes frustrating if you are trying to take several pictures quickly in a row. If you take action photos this is probably not a good choice. However, overall we are very pleased with this camera. If your main goals are sharp quality photos for computer/online viewing you can't go wrong.

I bought this camera at a military exchange for pretty cheap. For my first Digital Camera I made a fine choice. You can never go wrong with Song first off. The camera is pretty basic, I didn't even read the instructions before using. It takes great photos and is pretty durable. Being in the military, I've taken this thing around the world and have had no ill effects. The only problem I can think of is that the delay is pretty long. This camera is no good for quick pictures, but I've worked around it. I also would recommend a memory stick upgrade. The one that comes with it only holds about 10 pictures. That's ok at home but over seas you have to have more memory. For a first time digital camera buyer, I most diffently recommend this camera.

This is a great camera, The picture quality is above my expecations for 1.3mp, It is packed with tons of features (Black & White, and other special effects, lets me manually adjust settings), I feel like a pro with this camera, the lens gets noticed, it looks like the ones the pros are using. Batteries arent a nightmare if you have atleast 4 Rechargable NiMh Batteries on hand, I would also recommend getting atleast a 32mb memory stick, it will hold about 50 pictures in the highest resolution, also get a case to protect your investment. The movie mode is cool, although I havent had a chance to really use it very much. Use Twilight Mode only with a tripod because even a little shake from your hands will cause it to be blurry in Twilight Mode. You will like this camera.

I bought this camera during 2002 Black Friday Sale. After one year of regular use (no more than 20 times of use), it stopped to power on. I tried different rechargable battery (including Kodak recommended) and even recharges, but still no good. It has one year warranty, but it stopped working right after one year.

If your criteria is: Ease of use, good quality pictures and optical zoom for less ... then this is the camera for you. We bought it for a family vacation and used it everyday. Surpised the original batteries are still going strong even after 75+ pics (added 32MB card), many LCD reviews, and several uploads. (I bought the Kodak charger and 4 battery pack and still haven't used it) We are waiting for the end results from Ofoto so I hope I haven't jinxed myself, but all the pictures look great on screen. Speaking of uploads, the software is very easy to install (WIN2000) and use. No need to spend the money on the docking cradle because you still do it with a push of the button within the software. Best feature: video out for slide shows on TV. Feature not avail: movie mode, but that's what video cameras are for. Summary, very happy we didn't blow our budget on a more expensive camera for features and settings we would rarely use.

This is a really tough little camera and is great for vacation pictures. I just throw it in my bag and go--I've even dropped it a few times with no loss of function. I have blown up many of my photos to 8x10 and they still look great--even with some of the images cropped.

However, there are some down sides. It sucks up batteries like they're going out of style. I had no luck with the lithium batteries that came with it and now use (ick) lots of disposables. Also, the shutter speed is slow. This problem can be lessened somewhat by holding down the button halfway while framing the shot, then pushing down all the way to take a picture.

i recieved the pdc 700 for xmas a year or so ago and i'm very happy with it. the camera is simple to use, the led is nice (although don't use it for viewfinding unless you want to 'run dry' batteries and have a delay for your pictures), and the images that it produces are reasonably good quality. perfect for web use, and produces nice small prints on my epson stylus c40s inkjet on photo paper.

the plus side: reasonably priced, easy to use, nice pictures, easy to use software, cabling, etc. included.

the downsides? well, if you want to print your images, you're looking at smaller images. 4x6 or so prints out nicely. like most digital cameras, it eats batteries. there are some xp issues with the connections and software with the version i have anyway--i could use the usb on win2k, but only serial on xp. so i just got a flash card and reader to skip that issue entirely.

the scoop? if this fits into your budget, it's a great starter camera. must-have accessories would be recharagble batteriers, a charger, a flash card and card reader. (even a 20 meg flash card gives you hundreds of pictures at the best resolution and the card reader makes getting your pictures just like grabbing them from a floppy disc.) you probably want to factor that into the price. overall, i think it's a great first digital!

I bought this camera for about 2 years. It takes very good, clear pictures even on the medium resolution setting. They look very good printed up with a photo printer.

Since it didn't hold very many pics, I bought a 64 MB Compact Flash card, and now it holds hundreds, so I don't have to download them often to free up space. Yes, regular downloading is somewhat slow, but there is a slot for a USB cord, it just wasn't included.

I have had no problems with the software, or this camera. Yes, it uses batteries quickly (as do all digital cameras) but I opted for easily replaceable AA's instead of rechargable. That's just what works for me, it's easier.

All in all, I am very glad I bought this camera and would recommend it to anyone!

This is a nice entry level point and shoot camera. I recommend this for someone who wants to start out in digital photography. I do recommend the 48MB CF card, and a professional battery pack. It will go through it's 4 AA's in about 30 minutes, high current draw. But it takes nice photos, and it's nearly indestructible too. In order to use the connection software(serial RS-232) you will need Windows 95+, and use EPP mode. And for the second generation PDC-700(USB enabled) you will need Windows 98+ to use it. Overall, a good entry level digital camera.